One of my favourite hobbies these days is reviewing pictures I took a few weeks earlier to see if anything jumps out or if some new technique I learned about suddenly gives me a way to improve on something.

This photograph, taken a week or two ago at the tall ships didn’t really say much to me then, though I do quite like the fact it shows the modern shipyards through the rigging of the older boats bow.

I was just playing with some HDR stuff and suddenly it seems to get a nice life to it.

Here’s another shot of the mini’s I mentioned.

I’ve ended up with 15 pictures or differing degrees of like and dislike. Some feel over processed and some are definitely filler, but there are a few I like.

All in all, I think I’m happy with the outcome. I know in a similar situation a few months back I would have came out with a lot less than 15 images I’d show to people. So either I’m getting better at this sort of thing, or my standards are slipping.

God I hope it’s not my standards slipping…

Oh, and if rumours are true and a 7D is round the corner, I’d appreciate you all having a word with Santa for me!

I was asked to take some photographs of model cars tonight.

It seems there is a big anniversary coming up for Mini (40 years?) and since I had a camera I was asked if I would take some shots of classic model minis.

Not being one to say no to an opportunity to play with the camera, I jumped at the chance.

I took two styles of shot over the evening. A sort of typical archive approach, car at 45 degrees shot and a more adventurous shot. I’ll post a few of these over the coming weeks I guess.

Here’s one as a starter anyway.

I’m asked to do this sort of thing occasionally. Most everyone who knows me or knows me through friends or family knows I’m a bit of a photo nut. When I’m asked, I always make it clear I’m very amateur and still very much learning, but if they’re willing to loan me their toys, kids, whatever I’ll see what I can do. I make sure they understand they may get nothing out of it, but if I manage to take anything they’re welcome to it. It’s a great way to learn and to keep stimulated.

I guess what I’m saying is, make sure you’re available to improve your photography. If you’re like me, you only truly learn by taking pictures. And taking new pictures is a great way to learn…

I’ve mentioned before that I love architecture in black and white. I think the lines are much more pronounced and the resulting image crisper in mono. Certainly, any I’ve taken always seem nicer when converted that way.

(f/8, 10mm, 1/6 sec)

This is one of those shots that’s maybe too wide. The distortion due to the 10mm range of the lens really emphasises the curves present in the building* but I quite liked it, or at least everything but the colours.

It ended up taking quite a long route in its journey to black and white, firstly converted to HDR and then pushed through photoshop using the Calculations tool. A little more curves and the unsharp mask later and…

In case you’re wondering, the original looked like this:

And no, I don’t like the colour.

*Victoria Square in Belfast is quite a new complex and quickly becoming one of my favourite places to visit. It gives space freely and the resultant openness means you never feel claustrophobic.

If you’re interested in the same structure from a different angle, Nothingtobesaid shot this a year or two ago.

Time to play again if you’re interested. Remember, you neither have to be a great photographer or someone I know in real life. The whole idea here is to get an excuse to pick up your camera and take pictures!

Shereen was very quick to come up with the next challenge theme – Daily Ritual. I asked her where the idea came from and she said…

Daily Ritual was inspired by an LJ community called a "Day in the Life", where folk photo document a typical day in no more than 70 photos. I found most of the photos boring, but one or two would occasionally catch a small moment in time perfectly.

I thought that single moment in a day fitted within a single photo very well, much better than the photo storyboard approach the community was designed to do. A picture is not only worth a thousand words, it can conjure up the smells, tastes and sounds of breakfast outside a cafe; or the monotony of a commute. It would be interesting to see what people can come up with.

My first thought when I heard the theme was “Oh God”, but within minutes I was coming up with ideas and seeing possibilities. It’s a great opportunity to look at the day afresh and get some inspiration from the routine.

Lets give it until the 21st September for entries. Plenty of time to analyse your day and pick something. Usual rules apply, one photo per player, players vote for the winner and winner gets kudos and the choice of the next theme if we play again.

The Tall Ships were in Belfast this weekend and at some point I ad decided I’d take Friday off and go to see them by myself to spend the day with the camera and the ships and see what turned up. This kinda turned into a family outing and that in turn became a very wet family outing.

Well, since I was getting over a cold to start with and with rain and other distractions I didn’t exactly set the world alight with my photography for the day. Indeed, I think the only lasting impact to my photography will be condensation which is currently inside the camera body…

Anyway, hopefully others got better pictures on Saturday and Sunday.

Here’s a token Tall Ships picture of possibly the largest flag ever.

Now, how exactly do I dry out my camera…

The second photographic challenge was food. Four people submitted pictures, and as with the previous challenge they were all quite different and all very good.

Without further ado…

Leaning Tower of Cherios - Stuart

Peach Macro - Gordon

Broccoli - Shereen

Lime Segments – Paul

After voting, the winner was Broccoli by Shereen.

Of the four pictures submitted, the Broccoli shot was my favourite. I liked the positioning of the two pieces of vegetable and the background colour and texture works well.

Shereen has already suggested the next theme and I’ll announce it later. Thanks to all who played, once again I found the game a great excuse to unpack the camera and take photos of things I might normally ignore.

Now the food game is over, I can use some of the other pictures I took for it.

I’ll post a full summary of the food challenge later in the week once I’ve had a chance to digest it… (sorry, I’ve been chewing over that pun for weeks…)

OK, so the pictures for the Peoples Photography exhibition are picked and sent to the lab, the mounts are ordered and apart from a night of framing I’m all sorted. Sort of…

Time to actually “take photographs” again.

I’ve been quiet for the past few weeks. It’s been a combination of things really. MY camera time has been more about family and getting ready for Peoples Photography and in general I’ve been in that “you’ve been at this 2 years and you’ve only got this far?” slump I kind of half expected.

I say I expected it because I had the same feeling last year around this time. I kind of expect it again next year.

This year it only took one website to pull me out of the doldrums. Looking at the work of Chase Jarvis today just kicked me onto my arse and made me want to take photos again. I was struck dumb by the simple beauty of his site, the shots, the videos.

Take a look at his site and be inspired.

I’ll be away to break out the camera now.