Masoud

Meteora by Benjamin Warde

The Roussanou Monastery.

Benjamin Warde: Photos · Blog

Kirkjufellfoss | Iceland by Afriandi Syahfril

Afriandi Syahfril: Photos · Blog

 

For the last 25 years, Michael Paul Smith has used model cars, forced perspective and custom-built miniature displays in real-world settings to create Elgin Park, Smith’s version of a mid 20th century American town

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and currently living in New England, Smith’s model-making skills are the accumulation of numerous jobs he has had including: textbook illustrator, wallpaper hanger, house painter, and architectural model maker.

Shot at the right distance and perspective (forced perspective), Smith brings his 300+ collection of vintage die-cast model cars (1/24th the size) to life, blending them seamlessly into both the miniature sets he has built and the surrounding outdoor landscape.

Smith then adds filters in post production to give the images that nostalgic look and feel. The project has led to a 144-page hardcover book entitled, Elgin Park: An Ideal American Town and is available through Prestel Publishing.

If you’re interested in learning more about the behind-the-scenes process, be sure to check out this great interview on Fstoppers. To see more of Elgin Park, check out Michael Paul Smith on Flickr.

[Fstoppers via PetaPixel]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breaking Through by Kah Kit Yoong

Sunrise filters through some morning fog on the Isle of Skye.

Kah Kit Yoong: Photos · Blog

SNOW BACKLIT by aleksandra lajtenberger

aleksandra lajtenberger: Photos · Blog

Aftenstund.. by Terje Nicolaysen

Terje Nicolaysen: Photos · Blog

Untitled by NAN WANG

WUMING buddha college is located in Sichuan Province, known as the east Jerusalem

NAN WANG: Photos · Blog

Saxony Rain by Michael Breitung

A lot of rain again when I was in saxony Switzerland this weekend. Here I was at Carola Viewpoint. My hope for a change in the weather wasn't fullfilled so I took one quick shot and went back down. At least it was no complete waste, since the photo came out quite nice :-) -- Start2Finish Video Tutorial where I show my complete Workflow for processing images. -- Affordable prints and posters of my work. -- For Skype tuition on postprocessing contact me

Michael Breitung: Photos · Blog

*** by Vadim Trunov

Vadim Trunov: Photos · Blog

Morning at the lake by Leiph B

Leiph B: Photos · Blog

Alice in Wonderland by Navalarp Teratanatorn

Balloon adventure among the sea of pagoda in Bagan, Myanmar

Navalarp Teratanatorn: Photos · Blog

My Life by Bruce Omori

When I stumbled upon this stretch of highway a few years ago, it reminded me of my life, and the many challenges and adversities I’ve faced along the way. Having been so engrained in corporate America and focused upon attaining materialistic goals, there was a cost, and it came at the expense of my integrity and relationships with loved ones... As a partner in an engineering firm, status and financial stability was something I had worked hard for, but years of long hours and an overbearing corporate culture began to negatively affect my health. A long, tearful introspective self-evaluation made me realize that the damage didn’t stop there, as my marriage, kids, and values had all been compromised. Most painful was not being present for many of our children’s milestones, as those moments can never be relived. While it is important to set goals and strive to achieve them, it’s really the journey that defines who we are, in how we react to those curves life throws at us. For me, it was time to let go and move on… time to trust God, knowing that He would provide for all of our needs… and time to be true to myself by following my heart, and doing what I love to do. And, although sometimes it’s a struggle making a living as an artist, I can honestly say that I have NO regrets. : )

Bruce Omori: Photos · Blog

Autum light (tribute to Kaleshi) by Amador Funes

Amador Funes: Photos · Blog

Water and Fire by Bobby Bong

CPL and GND

Bobby Bong: Photos · Blog

An unexplainable silence and a rather sad melancholy keeps humming across these monochromatic landscape photographs of Michel Rajkovic. A grand taste for composition and some majestic lighting all across haunts any artist. How difficult and relevant would it be to shoot landscapes with an emotional value. Take a look at this photographs rather slowly and much deeper, we find a soul, a solitary singing and on top of it a very human emotion.

#1 Fish in a mirror – France 2007

#2 In these arms – Ecosse 2009

#3 Hope – Ecosse 2009

#4 A morning – France 2007

#5 Ghost Boat – Suisse 2007

#6 Whole in the Sky – Ecosse 2008

#7 Lost World#1 – France 2007

#8 Port Racine – France 2007

#9 Stairs to Nowhere – France 2007

#10 Quand les nuages menent la danse – France 2007

#11 Scottish Bridge – Ecosse 2008

#12 Down by the River side – Ecosse 2009

#13 Spirit of the Forest – Ecosse 2009

#14 Mesolonghi Study – Grece 2010

#15 Eternity – Norvege 2009

#16 Le Carrelet – France 2007

#17 Meli-Melo – France 2007

#18 Stones Path – Ecosse 2008

#19 Railway – Ecosse 2008

#20 The Bridge – France 2007

#21 Swim in a dream – Suisse 2008

#22 Behind the stairs – France 2008

#23 Black Light – Suisse 2007

#24 Spacecraft – Angleterre 2012

#25 Black Hole – France 2009

#26 Ecrin de coton – France 2007

#27 Morning Mist – France 2009

#28 Nowhere – France 2007

#29 Magic Light – France 2009

#30 Meditation – Ecosse 2008

About Michel Rajkovic

Michel Rajkovic, 33 years old, French, and living at Asnieres-sur-seine near Paris.

There are places that carry you, lights that you freeze and moods that you fill emotions. It is through a long period of research and location scouting that his work begins. Michel Rajkovic does not try to capture the landscape as we perceive it. On the contrary, patiently, long exposure times, it invites the time and chance to appporter their size. Giving great care to each composition, taking the necessary time to research and obtain the best conditions for the shooting: time, light framing…

In these moments there, forgotten art and times of sightings, Michel Rajkovic just tries to share the emotion he felt: in a dream, the middle of no where.

You can find Michel Rajkovic on the web:

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter

Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted to Michel Rajkovic. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.

Model maker/collector and photographer Michael Paul Smith is a master at recreating incredibly accurate outdoor scenes using his extensive die-cast model car collection and forced perspective.

Mixing up miniature cars, detail items and buildings into a scene whose backdrop is the real world, he shoots the gorgeous miniature vistas of the town he has created and named “Elgin Park” — and he does it all with a cheap point-and-shoot.

Elgin Park is some 25 years in the making, as are Smith’s modeling and diorama photography skills. In an extensive interview with Fstoppers, he describes his tools, his process and the minute attention to detail that creating these scenes requires.

Ironically, Smith has diagnosed himself as “math challenged,” so when it comes to properly framing the forced perspective, he simply eyeballs it. Years of experience have led to an uncanny ability to do this right on the first shot, but if he doesn’t, he simply goes up and unceremoniously drags his table/models into the correct spot.

The most intriguing part of Smith’s creations, however, isn’t how insanely detailed these models are (some of the cars have seats that move on rails and glove compartments that open and close) or even the fascinating process that he goes through from idea to final product.

The most intriguing thing is that he does this entirely outdoors, using natural light and a 14-megapixel Canon SX280, which goes for about $250 online. Before the Canon he used a 12-megapixel Sony, and before that a 6-megapixel Sony that was actually his favorite because, get this, 14 megapixels is too much resolution.

“14 megapixels is almost too much for what I need to take convincing diorama shots. There is too much information being recorded which makes every little detail show up in the photographs,” he tells Fstoppers. “When working with miniatures, at least for myself, too much detail distracts from the total scene.”

Although he tends to self-deprecate a bit in the interview where his skills are concerned, don’t let him fool you. As his photography obviously shows, he’s very good at what he does. Whether it’s a high-school stadium parking lot scene, or a DART truck unloading a washer and dryer in a residential area, his miniatures really are quite stunning.

Here’s a look at more of what he’s put together over the years, with the behind-the-scenes photo first and the final product second:

As he mentions above (and you probably already guessed) when it comes to putting these kinds of scenes together, as they say, the devil is in the details. When Fstoppers’ Gary Martin asked him what the most important thing to remember when creating models like this is, he responded with an adamant:

Keep everything in scale. From the thickness of the shingles down to the wallpaper design and door knobs, everything must be in the proper relationship to each other. I can’t stress that enough.

And if you want to see more of what that kind of attention to detail produces, head over to Smith’s Flickr and browse through the rest of his photostream by clicking here.

(via Fstoppers)

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Image credits: Photographs by Michael Paul Smith and used with permission.

The TransFagarasan by Tony Goran

The Transfăgărășan (trans (over, across) + Făgăraș) or DN7C is the second-highest paved road in Romania. Built as a strategic military route, the 90 km of twists and turns run north to south across the tallest sections of the Southern Carpathians, between the highest peak in the country, Moldoveanu, and the second highest, Negoiu. The road connects the historic regions of Transylvania and Wallachia, and the cities of Sibiu and Pitești.The road climbs to 2,034 metres altitude. The most spectacular route is from the North. It is a winding road, dotted with steep hairpin turns, long S-curves, and sharp descents. The Transfăgărășan is both an attraction and a challenge for hikers, cyclists, drivers and motorcycle enthusiasts alike.In September 2009 the cast and crew of the British television show Top Gear were seen filming along the road. The segment appeared in first episode of Series 14 which first aired November 15, 2009. They were in the country on a grand tour with an Aston Martin DBS Volante, Ferrari California and a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder. Jeremy Clarkson, the Top Gear host, had said about Transfăgărășan that "this is the best road... in the world"

Tony Goran: Photos · Blog

Perception by Shaun Poston

Sorry I haven't been on here in a while. my schedule has been a mess the last week or so. this is my latest piece. I have been trying to step my work up a notch by incorporating new things into it to give it more purpose and a more artistic feel. December will make my 1 year mark in the photography field. I have come a long way since I bought my first camera last December and it has been an eye opening journey to say the least and I'm looking forward to many years to come and I hope to surpass all of goals just as I have done this year. thanks for everyone's support and inspiration!

Shaun Poston: Photos · Blog

TOM by Adnan Anwar

Adnan Anwar: Photos · Blog

One flew over the ancient city by Dima Chatrov

Sunrise over Bagan from bird's-eye prospective

Dima Chatrov: Photos · Blog

There's Always One by Matthew Reilly

Saw these birds as I was passing in the car.... had to get the shot and yes it is a photo and not an illustration ;)

Matthew Reilly: Photos · Blog

Tenderness by Natalia Lysenco

Natalia Lysenco: Photos · Blog

sun resident.. by Atif Saeed

Atif Saeed: Photos · Blog

The Sweetest Fruits ... by Dieter Tatzer

An european ground squirrel looking for something to eat.

Dieter Tatzer: Photos · Blog

behind the light by nordin seruyan

see more --> https://www.facebook.com/nordinseruyanphotography

nordin seruyan: Photos · Blog

 

Back in January the Sifter posted 50 Life Hacks to Simplify your World. The post went on the be one of the most shared articles in the history of the website.

At first I was surprised, but soon realized that we all want to simplify and improve our lives; especially when a solution to a common problem is cheap, effective and easy to-do!

After spending a lot of time sifting through reddit’s Life Hacks subreddit, BuzzFeed’s endless Life Hack posts and wading through a ton of Life Hack pins on Pinterest, I came up with the list below. Another 40 tips that will hopefully simplify your life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources

- r/LifeHacks on Reddit
- DIY/Lifehacks on BuzzFeed
- LifeHacker.com
- “Life Hacks” on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems to me that we live in a world orientated to a digital generation demanding instant gratification. This extends to photography, encouraged by the prevalence of camera phones and Instagram type apps. How many photographers, when they come across a beautiful scene, just stop and snap a photo with a camera phone and then move on?

Long exposure photography is different. It demands patience, an appreciation of beautiful light and a deep understanding of composition. It is as much about the mind-set of the photographer as it is about the subject. It’s not brash or flashy – you rarely see long exposure photographers use techniques such as high dynamic range (HDR) photography or adding texture layers.

What is long exposure photography? There is no precise definition. I think of it as involving shutter speeds of ten seconds or longer, but I’m sure some photographers will be thinking in terms of shutter speeds of a minute or more. But the aim is the same – to create beautiful and surreal images by leaving the shutter open long enough to record anything that moves within the landscape, such as water, as a blur.

That’s why most long exposure photography tends to take place along the coast. The sea creates an interesting subject, helped by natural features such as rocks and islands, and man-made ones like piers and jetties.

Painting with light is also a form of long exposure photography.

Contemplation and the landscape

You may be wondering what one does while waiting for the camera to take a photo when the shutter speed is longer than a minute.

The answer is that long exposure photography is a naturally contemplative pastime. While waiting, take some time to enjoy the beautiful location you are in. Breathe and enjoy the smell of the air. Listen to the sounds. Watch the light as it fades away. This meditative approach will help you notice things an instant gratification seeker will miss.

Getting started

Interested? How then, do you get started? One of the nice things about long exposure photography is that the basic requirements are not extensive:

• A camera that lets you take control of the exposure settings and has a Bulb setting so that you can use shutter speeds longer than 30 seconds.

• A tripod and a good ball-and-socket head. Beware of inexpensive models – they may be too flimsy to support your camera properly during long exposures. A good aluminium or carbon-fibre tripod is required.

• A cable release or remote release so that you can activate the shutter without touching the camera.

Filters

A polarising filter is useful for eliminating reflections from shiny surfaces, such as a concrete jetty made wet by sea water. It also blocks between one and two stops of light, helping you obtain longer shutter speeds.

Some photographers use neutral density (ND) filters, but they are not essential. You can get started without them by turning up late in the day and taking photos as the sun sets. During twilight you can obtain shutter speeds of thirty seconds or later by setting a low ISO and a narrow aperture.

The benefit of neutral density filters is that they extend the period of time during which you can use long exposures. They come in various strengths; three, four, nine and ten stop ND filters are the most common. Nine and ten stop ND filters are designed to enable long exposure photography during the middle of the day – you won’t need them if you are shooting at dusk.

Learn more about neutral density filters.

Noise reduction

Shoot in Raw and turn off the long exposure noise reduction setting. The software you use to process your Raw files will take care of noise reduction for you.

Resources

Here are some more resources that will help:

BW Vision

Slices of Silence

Interviews with long exposure photographers

Long Exposure Photography: 15 Stunning Examples

Eight Tips for Long Exposure Photography

Photo Tutorial – Long Exposure Photography

Final thoughts

That’s a lot to take in, so don’t forget the most important thing of all – to go out and take some photos. It takes a while to get the hang of long exposure photography, so don’t be discouraged if your first attempts aren’t as polished as you would like. It takes time to master the techniques and develop the eye for graphical composition required for successful long exposure photography.

Mastering Photography

My ebook Mastering Photography: A Beginner’s Guide to Using Digital Cameras introduces you to photography and helps you make the most out of your digital cameras. It covers concepts such as lighting and composition as well as the camera settings you need to master long exposure photography and take photos like the ones in this article.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

The Surreal Landscape: Long Exposure Photography

The post The Surreal Landscape: Long Exposure Photography by Andrew Gibson appeared first on Digital Photography School.

While on a half vacation, half business trip to the Philippines, photographer Dennis Sapong decided to spend one free hour at the local public market and do some street portrait photography. That hour-long session turned into Project One: a set of photos, each of which was taken with one setting, edited using one preset, and cost him one dollar.

The whole thing started when his original plan to visit a native tribe fell through. He still had a Sony RX1 courtesy of Sony Canada, and he wanted to put it to good use, so he decided to run out to the local market and photograph random people. But on his way out the door, his wife called out that he had only one hour.

Armed with his camera and some local currency, he rushed to the location and started shooting. Since he was in a rush, all of the “ones” started to just happen. He was handing out one dollar worth of Pesos as incentive to everybody he wanted to photograph, he set his camera one way and left it there, and when it came time to edit in post, he used one black-and-white preset.

Fortunately, all of that simplicity turned out incredibly well:

In case you’re curious, his settings involved having the cam in Aperture Priority at f/2, Auto ISO, Plus 1 Exposure Compensation and Spot Metering. And the preset he used was a modified version of a black-and-white preset he bought a long time ago for Lightroom.

The best part is that he managed to do some good (one dollar translates into food for that person’s family for an entire day), get some amazing photos and log an unforgettable experience all at the same time.

And speaking of the experience, “It was the longest one hour of my life as a photographer, and i loved every bit of it,” writes Sapong. “I hope you’ll love it too.”

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Image credits: Photographs by Dennis Sapong and used with permission.

 

In Greek mythology, Medusa was a monster with the face of a human female and a head of venomous snakes for hair. Gazing directly upon her would turn any creature to stone.

In northern Tanzania, Lake Natron has had similar effects—on birds in particular. As part of his latest book, Across the Ravaged Land, award-winning photographer Nick Brandt explains:

“I unexpectedly found the creatures – all manner of birds and bats – washed up along the shoreline of Lake Natron in Northern Tanzania. No-one knows for certain exactly how they die, but it appears that the extreme reflective nature of the lake’s surface confuses them, and like birds crashing into plate glass windows, they crash into the lake. The water has an extremely high soda and salt content, so high that it would strip the ink off my Kodak film boxes within a few seconds. The soda and salt causes the creatures to calcify, perfectly preserved, as they dry. I took these creatures as I found them on the shoreline, and then placed them in ‘living’ positions, bringing them back to ‘life’, as it were. Reanimated, alive again in death.” [Source]

 

The arresting images below were taken with a medium format Pentax 67II. Each roll of film comes with only 10 shots and there is no zoom, auto-focus, auto-metering, motor drive or image stabilizing lenses. Brandt only uses two fixed lenses, a 35mm (standard 50mm equivalent) and a 100mm. You can read more about his preference for film and his inspiration for this book in a personal essay entitled, I am the Walrus [PDF].

Across the Ravaged Land is the third and final volume in Brandt’s trilogy of books documenting the disappearing animals of eastern Africa. The book offers a darker vision of this world, still filled with a stunning beauty but now tragically tainted and fast disappearing at the hands of man.

In addition to a range of starkly powerful animal portraits, Brandt introduces some new themes, as humans make an appearance for the first time. He also contributes two essays summing up his photographic odyssey, which has taken more than a decade of intensive work to complete.

[via Gizmodo, New Scientist]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

دلم می‌خواست بپرم، یه دوری بزنم. اما نگاههای خیره مردمان قیچیِ هر بال و پریست.