To be honest, I can take it or leave it. Chocolate, that is.I realise that for some people, especially women, a lack of chocolate means the end of civilisation as we know it, but not for me. Still, I was very grateful to Jena for organising tickets to this festival yesterday, and it was an opportunity to take photographs of some guilty pleasures. If I’ve captured them correctly then it should look good enough to eat. We also attended a short seminar on how to taste chocolate, which was quite interesting. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I usually start by putting it my mouth. All of the photos below were taken with the Olympus 60mm F/2.8, which pretty much stayed on my EM-5 for the entire festival.
Once Jena and I had finished our photo challenge the other day, we took a look at these guys entertaining the public on the South Bank. I managed to get a few shots off with the Olympus 45mm F/1.8 and present them here. Quite incredible flexibility!
Trying to apply some of the things I've learnt about food photography, I used this nutritious salad to do so. Everything from how to plate the food - not too much, and mainly in the centre so that the edges of the plate can act as a frame - to using window light or photographing raw ingredients.Well, I'm still learning. None of these shots is particularly original or creative, and I'm not very good at staging a 'scene' on a table with a ton of paraphernalia, so I tend to focus on close-ups of the food to convey texture. I also shot the dish from different angles to see which worked best. Not perfect but I'm reasonably pleased with this effort and I will continue to practice.Colour and contrast is obviously important, and this salad had plenty of colour. Kale and broccoli are two of the best foods you can possibly put into a human body, and combining them with apple and a honey, mustard and tomato puree dressing made it absolutely delicious. Add in some red cabbage and tomato and you've got nature's medicine. Kale is a little bitter on its own so sweetening it up helps to make it palatable.All of these shots were made with the EM5 and the Olympus 60mm F/2.8.
Another fantastic sunday spent at a National Trust venue, this time The Vyne. A beautiful 16th Century Tudor mansion, visited by King Henry VIII, and furnished by Chaloner Chute with artefacts gleaned on his travels around the world. The property also boasts some beautiful porcelain and tapestry collections, as well as a chapel and tomb for Mr Chute. Again we must thank the excellent and very knowlegdeable guides for generously giving us their time and fascinating information. All the photos were taken with the Olympus EM5 and a variety of lenses. I do miss my Tokina 11-16 F/2.8 for some of the shots, but hey-ho. Please do make your own visit to this magnificent place.
A little break from food (but there's more to come), as Jena and I set ourselves a photo challenge again in London.I had done a photo challenge with Jena before, and also with Bizhan.This time, Jena and I challenged ourselves to use only one lens on our EM5s, taking a maximum of 30 shots and using the viewfinder to compose. We could not review our images until all 30 shots were taken. This was an exercise in training ourselves to see. We both chose to use the Olympus 45mm F/1.8.This kind of exercise is very useful, teaching us patience and consideration when making our compositions. I do not think these are my strongest images, but I do believe I may have returned worse shots had I not been so constrained. Far better to have a few decent shots than a glut of mediocre ones. Anyway, these are the 13 shots from my 30 that I chose to present. The rest were either shots I didn't like or accidental misfires.
Another visit to the spectacular Polesden Lacey in Surrey this weekend past, Jena, Natalia and I enjoyed a picnic on the scenic grounds. I had visited here last year, and those photos can be seen here. It really is a treasure trove of art, furniture and antiques. Beautiful tapestries and woodwork dating back to the 17th Century, fantastic Majolica porcelain and of course, the stunningly opulent gilded room. And all of this in a house with incredible views over rolling hills.I used the EM5 and primes to capture these shots, and I must say, I did miss the Tokina wide-angle that I used last year. But still, plenty to shoot and take in and I tried to make the best of it. No amount of photos can do this venue justice, so please make your own visit to this wonderful place and experience it for yourselves.
Natalia, myself, Bizhan and Linda spent a gloriously sunny day exploring Ham House and Garden in Richmond, which is managed by the National Trust. A beautiful and opulently furnished 17th Century mansion, created by William Murray, the interiors are lavish and colourful, with some exquisite furnishings, including paintings, porcelain and tapestries. It is also apparently one of the most haunted houses in the United Kingdom.I shot all these with the EM5 and one of four primes; the Panasonics 14mm F/2.5 and 20mm F/1.7, and the Olympuses 45mm F/1.8 and 60mm F/2.8 Macro. We must extend our thanks to the excellent guides who imparted so much fascinating information to us, and I hope you enjoy the images enough to make your own visit to this beautiful venue.
Just a few more from Zagreb, in and around the city. All shot with the EM5 and various primes.
30 minutes by bus outside Zagreb is the small town of Samobor, a fairly old town with many period features. Unfortunately, many of the town's attractions were closed on that day, so we ambled around while the sun gave way to a fog and mist.We noticed a fortress overlooking the town, so we decided to hike up towards it. And what a great find. The old ruins were ever more eerie with the descending fog permeating through it, and thus lent themselves to a monochromatic treatment. Enjoy.
Just north of Zagreb is the extraordinary and immense Mirogoj Cemetery, one of the most expansive that I have ever visited. It seemed endless, an ocean of graves as far as the eye could see. I did wonder if posting images of some gravestones here would be disrespectful, but then I imagine that the gravestones are deliberately ornate and elaborate in order that the person not be forgotten. So in a sense, I am offering a form of remembrance.Anyway, I hope you enjoy the images and perhaps get a sense of the vastness and majesty of this incredible cemetery.
Zagreb Cathedral is one of the highlights of the city, and is the tallest building in Croatia. Typical of many Eastern European Cathedrals, its interiors are opulent and lavish. So impressive was it that I decided to give it its own post here.A shame that the exterior had some scaffolding on it, but inside was beautiful. Enjoy the photos.
Some more images from in and around Zagreb. Again all taken with the EM5 and various primes. Hopefully they convey a little sense of what it is like to be in this beautiful city.
Just returned from a very enjoyable trip to Zagreb with my sister. The capital of Croatia, Zagreb is a beautiful little city with some stunning landmarks and colourful streets. The main square, named for Ban Jelacic, is the central hub for both pedestrians and the excellent tram system. The people in Zagreb are very friendly, polite and helpful, and this added to our enjoyment of the city. The language is very similar to Bulgarian, a sound that I am very familiar with having visited that country so many times. Certainly, many parts of the city and the surrounding areas reminded me of Bulgaria. Below is the first set of a selection of photos taken in and around Zagreb. I will post separate selections from the magnificent Zagreb Cathedral, and also the immense Mirogoj Cemetary, each of which deserve their own blog post.Venturing outside the city, we completed a strenuous hike to Medvedgrad Castle, and the following day a gentler hike up to Samobor Fortress, which overlooks the town of Samobor.All the photos were taken with the EM5 and one of the Panasonics 14mm F/2.5, 20mm F/1.7, Olympus 45mm F/1.8 and 60mm F/2.8. Four primes but very easy and light to carry, and exceedingly sharp. Beats hauling the DSLR any day.I hope you enjoy this first selection, with more to come soon. And perhaps make your own visit to this rather wonderful little city.
About the the most aesthetic thing to see in Gloucester, although Gloucestershire is a stunningly beautiful county. Gloucester Cathedral is a beautiful building, especially on the inside. These images were taken during a visit there a while back, and continue my theme of buildings of worships. The architecture, lighting and ornaments are all excellent photographic subjects, and I hope these images convey a small sense at least of what a magnificent structure Gloucester Cathedral is.
Despite not having any religious subscription of any kind, I do love photographing the interiors and architecture of churches and cathedrals. Wherever I go in the world, I try to find the oldest church or cathedral and capture its usually opulent interiors. And from my files of my visit to Prague a few years ago, I found that I had quite a few such shots from the city, owing to its abundance of such buildings. As a photographic subject, I would definitely encourage photographing the inside of these amazing buildings. The architecture and lighting can be quite beautiful. Usually, there are no restrictions on entry, and as long as you are quiet and respectful of people who might be their to worship or meditate, you can walk away with some great images.I can't remember the names of all the buildings depicted below but I have tried to label them where possible. Enjoy.
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