This was an image taken over 6 months ago now, which I forgot about.

I enjoyed the graphic nature of the image, with a n almost 'human' face in the upper part of the central tree, with his arms suspended in the air.

Slightly erie, but not worse off for it.

With winter beginning , I have embarked upon a little project in the local area.  Hoping to highlight man's 'footprint' on the world and also craft some contrasting images.  Here is one from day 1:)

John

Every so often, photography gets hit by a phase.  Approximately 5 years ago it was HDR (High dynamic range) essentially blending as many shots as you like into one photo.

People were able to nail this and create truly exceptional images, but more often than not, they were dreadful, really dreadful.  Due to blending of the images, they were left with an extremely flat tone, massive halo's and the construction of the scene was second to the effect produced by the HDR.

Recently however, it has been very long exposures. More commonly, they are strong images and they seem to work alot more than HDR ever did.  Heck, I even own LEE's Big stopper.  However I struggle to relate to anything it produces.

I understand its uses and effects, reducing detail in an often chaotic scene and creating something outwith what the eye is seeing.  I get that.  But so often the composition side of things gets forgotten, with many photographers just letting the shutter speed shout out.

I do find that shutter control can effectively enhance an image, shown here in a shot I took on the Giants Causway in my homeland of Northern Ireland.  A fast shutter speed would have captured a choppy sea.  However with more accurate shutter control, detail was removed therefore reducing the brittleness of the scene.

Whether you're a fan of social networking, and I can see both sides to the argument, I interact on a more personal level through social medium sites, facebook and twitter.  

If you look at the top of any page on the site, there are direct links to both group pages.  Just hit 'like' or 'follow' for regular picture updates and associated banter...

Thanks all :)

Hello readers! 

I am very pleased to announce that I am holding my first photography exhibition on the weekend of the 15th and 16th of December 2012.

The venue is at Bellsquarry Village Hall, by Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 9AA.

Free entry, free mulled wine!!

Everyone of all ages welcome :)

John

A big title for a big competition, 1st out of 18000 entries... :)

My proudest photographic moment for an image that was a complete joy to capture.

The image is of the approach to Glencoe in the Southern Highlands of Scotland