The Self Critic Shutterbug

Av: F/7.1, Tv: 1/1000s, f:18mm

Equipment: Nikon D3000 with standard 18-55 VR lens.

This was shot at Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui island, Thailand. This is my first attempt at partial B&W editing. I dint even know how to use layers in GIMP until now.

Although I have learnt a few things now, I am not very pleased with the result, nor the procedure. I edit the RAW using RAW Therapee, then do this layers thing using GIMP, finally use Picasa to add my signature! Not sure whether I will try such editing again in the future.

Coming to the photo itself, I do like the lazy relaxed mood it gives, not to mention the memories it brings back

Tags: beach, layers, Partial B&W

Tv: 1/50s; Av:F/2.7; f:7mm

I dug this photo out from my archives. It was taken almost 3 years back, at Auroville near Pondicherry, using my Canon Powershot S3IS.

I like the arrangement of the flowers. Very well done. Its not an easy task I suppose especially since they are floating on water! Technique-wise, the composition is very good. Also, I used the lighting conditions to my advantage. If you notice, the photo was shot with the lens being directly above the center of the vase. Yet, there is not as much as a hint of shadow anywhere. I had to struggle a bit to get this right.

I wish I had adjusted the exposure a bit better, and used vivid tone. Plus, some fiddling with the manual focus might have helped too. Finally, the in the top of the photo, you see that a part of the vase has been clipped off, which messed up the symmetry.

Tags: arrangement, flower, pondicherry