Picture 31

I had being going around with the idea of getting a shot of trees silhuetted against the sky for a few days when I decided to give it a shot. The sun was starting to set and gave of a soft yellow light which is visible on the whispy clouds and through the gap in the trees. The black silhuette of the trees and the sky make for a dramtic picture. I like how it turned out.

Picture 30

The river Svartån that flows through Västerås is very beautiful. Presumably the river is named for itäs dark water, which at times does look as if it is black. Svartån means black river in swedish. There is a sense of calm in the frozen tranquility of the river. I converted this shot to black and white as there were not a lot of colours in the scene. There is something harsh about this scene which is matched by the black and white.

Picture 29

I like the colours and light in this picture. A man waiting to cross the road as a bus goes by. There is lovely movement in the background. I like the man's wild hair and coat. Taking pictures of people is a lot of fun. I will try to get more shots of people.

Picture 28

After wandering around I finally found someone interesting to shot. He really looked like a character standing outside smoking whilst reading the menu of a restaurant. I took several shots of the man from different angles, but I think this was the best shot.

Picture 27

I was walking home when I spotted the lonesome duck standing on the ice in the river. It looked really lonely and cold, out there on its' own in the river. Holding the large lens i s really difficult, especially as it was really cold out today. I din't have any gloves on taking this shot. I converted to mono and have given the picture a slight blue tone to enhance the cold and bleak look.

Picture 26

I like taking pictures of people. There's something voyeuristic about taking pictures of people without them knowing their picture is taken. I lucked out with this woman reading a newspaper. Her slight smile makes us believe she is reading something funny. There is a warm light and colours in the picture. A nice picture overall.

Picture 25

I love the light trails that are made in long exposures from moving objects. They give off a real sense of fluid motion. I wanted to see what would happen if I did a tilt shift picture using a light trail picture. I like the result. The tilt shift makes for a nice effect.

I need to find a better location for making a nice light trail picture. Will have to do some scouting.

Picture 24

I love my Minolta 50mm lens. It's perfect for getting those sharp pictures with a nice soft background. Not the most interesting subject. The emptiness of the picture adds to the sensation of the woman waiting. I like how the black and white conversion worked out. I think I should have got more of the womans bag in the picture. Not a perfect picture, but nice.

Picture 23

It's Sunday and I'm too tired to go outside. Thought a drop forming under the tap would make an insterseting subject. I wanted to get more focus on the drop. I haven't quite succeeded. When I'm in England and I have access to a tripod again I might have more success. We'll see.

Picture 22

Sometimes you want a picture to say what you have been doing. I think you can guess what I did today. This picture purely documents an event that happened. When you move you put all the stuff into a van and drive it to the other place. Even the best of organisation turns into chaos eventually.

Picture 21

Västerås, birthplace of H&M, on a Friday evening. People scurrying about, shopping, on their way home, or heading out. I wanted a picture that captured this activity. Taking a long exposure is tricky business when doing it hand held. Worked out alright, I reckon. I converted the picture to a duo tone. This made the light in the picture really stand out.

Picture 20

Taking pictures of buildings is something I find particularly challenging. It's difficult to capture the feel of a building. Most pictures I take of buildings seem lifeless. I only like this picture because of the way the sunlight is reflected on the building. Otherwise I think it's a rather uninteresting shot. I will have to look into on how to improve my architectural photography skills. Expect more pictures of buildings to show up in the future.

Picture 19

Even objects we barely notice can look interesting up close. I noticed the cracked paint on globule of a staircase railing whilst outside taking pictures. The cracked texture of the paint really stands out up close.

Is there anything you think I should shoot? Let me know.

Picture 18

Another day, another landscape. The scenery in the Svartå valley is beautiful. The sun setting on the other side of the valley gave the sky a gorgeuos golden glow. I think the picture is both harsh and warm. For me a typical view in Sweden.

Picture 17

I saw a man waiting for a bus. I wanted him to be more visible, but he noticed me taking pictures and got out of the way. I wanted him more in the way. I think it works in this picture with the man half hidden by the bus shelter. We can clearly see him looking down the road, waiting for his bus to arrive.

Picture 16

I like taking pictures using long exposures. Especially water can look very nice with a long exposure. I think the boat looks as if it has a face. The lights are its' eyes and the tyres at the bow is a mouth. The mist coming in from the lake gives the background a mystical quality. I really could do with a tripod. I have one in England, but not here in Sweden.

Picture 15

Close to where I used to live there is a pond with a stream where ducks congregate. I took a few risks with my camera and hung over the railing to get the angle I wanted. All the ducks gathered beneath me as they thought i was going to feed them. When I started taking the shot a couple arrived and all the ducks flew up to them. This left me with a shot of ghost ducks.

Picture 14

Another day of trying a new technique. The picture is meant to appear as if viewing a model of something, in this case a model of a square with three little model people talking. I think it's a fun picture. It looks surreal and colourful. The wet tarmac on the road has taken on a slight purple tone. This is definitely a technique I will have to attempt again.

Does it look like a picture of a model?

Picture 13

I have never really attempted to do landscape photography before nor have I tried to shoot a sunset. Now I know why. This picture took a lot of time to get. There was a lot of waiting around for the right light and today was a cold day. I was lucky that a mist rolled in off the lake making the picture more magical. Another first is my attempt to do a HDR conversion. An HDR picture combines multiple exposures into one single exposure. The conversion here really made the colour of the sky to really stand out.

Although there was a lot of waiting and loads of unused exposures, it was worth the wait. Watching the sunset was really beautiful.

Picture 12

I read a page on the internet saying that you should use lines in photography. I decided to give it a try. Don't know if I have used them the right way in this picture. I was trying to go for a trapped look. As if we are looking into an institution of some kind. The doors and the whitness of the corridor makes for a clinical look.

Picture 11

I thought I would try to take a picture of the escalators by Oxbacken in Västerås. I didn't have a tripod so my bag had to double up as a tripod of sorts. I managed to get a few pictures. However, I learnt that peaktime is not a good time to photograph escaltors. I think a lot could have been improved if I had had a tripod. It would definitely have been easier to compose the picture.

Picture 10

I said I woul post an outdoor shot today and so I did. Not entirely sure about the composition of the picture. I think I should have made better use of the river as a lead in line. I like the colours, I think they fit the look of the old houses. As expected for a long exposure shot without a tripod the sharpness is not quite there. Carrying a tripod to work and then round town is a it cumbersome. The old parts of Västerås are really beautiful. I love the old wood houses that are built right next to the river. The centre of Västerås is mostly made up of 50's and 60's architecture. The old parts are in stark contrast to the block-like and concrete buildings that otherwise make up the towncentre.

Picture 9

Everybody likes babies, but everyone doesn't like Jelly Babies. Seems strange to eat the little figures that are shaped somewhat like babies. The different colours each have their own expression. I like how the colours turned out in this picture. Nice and rich. Tomorrow, I'll try and take a picture outdoors.

Picture 8

Another picture of a toy car. Do I like taking pictures of toys? Maybe. However, I didn't want to have just a static image of a car. Instead I have a picture of a real toy racer. How have I fared? Is there a sense of movement and speed? Let me know.

Picture 7

I love buns. These are traditional saffron buns made for christmas. The saffron gives the buns their yellow colour. I wanted to capture that yellow colour and the softness of the buns. For me the soft focus on the buns gives them both a soft and dreamy look.

Picture 6

I saw this toy truck at my brother's flat. I liked the look of it. I wanted to capture the texture of the worn paint and bare metal. I would love to take some more picture of this great looking toy. The composition in this shot is not as good as it could be. But I am happy with the sharpness and the texture I got in the picture.

Picture 5

I wanted a picture that would fit the moody lighting of the letters. I don't think I have quite succeeded. My conversion to mono could perhaps be stronger and that would improve the picture. What works in this picture and what doesn't? All feedback is appreciated.

Picture 4

Have you ever seen the Chucky movies? I have never looked at dolls the same way after seeing Chucky. Dolls are creepy. I wanted a picture to reflect that creepiness. Placing a lightsource beneath the doll gives a sinister look to it. I went for a black and white picture to enhance the sinister feeling.

Picture 3

I wanted a picture of a car in a sort showroom type picture. As I don't have a car I had to settle for a plastic toy car. I took the picture in a darkened room and used a LED-light as the lightsource. I went with lighting the car from above to create a spotlight effect. Something I should perhaps have done is to get the whole car in focus. I think that would have made it stand out more.

Picture 2

I thought I would try to capture a picture which is both still and moving at the same time. By taking a picture in the rearview mirror I hoped to get a picture that both had a sense of movement, but still. for me the blurred surroundings around the mirror combined with the static image in the mirror, created this feeling for me.

Please leave a comment about the picture. Feedback will help me learn. Any suggestions on what i should shoot will be greatly appreciated.

Picture 1

Outside it has been snowing. The snow shovel was propped against the window next to the front door. I was drawn by the shape of the shovel handle and the light coming through the window. The picture was cropped, as I just wanted the window to be in the picture. I have deliberately used a very cool temperature when setting the whitebalance. This has given the light in the picture a blue tint, which I feel matches the coldness that is outside and that is represented by the shovel.