Routine check

This picture showed on my Facebook today, as a reminder of what I posted a year or two years ago. In fact I was in Peru in 2013, but the picture had to wait over a year to actually be edited.

At the time of editing I was experimenting heavily with Nik Collection and the result was making a version with Analog Efex (see the second picture). However, seeing this picture today I thought it is a lot better than I initially thought and remade it using just Lightroom. I also (finally!) straighten it up :)

Nikon D5100, 52mm, 1/2500s @ f/2.5, iso 100

Same photo, old edit

Bretagne

For sure one of the top 5 pictures taken this year. Maybe even the best of them. Practically off-camera, (almost) without any global corrections and only local dust removal. White balance, contrast, unchanged. Very proud of this one.

We took a car for the weekend to visit few nice places around Nantes. The weather was better than the last time, even though it rained quite a bit during Sunday. Anyway, the sun was there when it mattered - towards the sunset. This shot was taken 1.5 hour before. But we also had a pleasure to watch the actual sunset on the beach of La Baule - no pictures there, eyes were enough. Really, an enchanting evening...

Nikon D7100, 270mm, 1/1000s @ f/5.6, iso 100

Autumn reflected

Another picture from the enchanted place on the Shawinigan River.

This time I felt like bumping up the reflection to be almost on par with the real trees and also added a bit of a white vignette. Enjoy!

Nikon 7100, 50mm, 1/50s @ f/6.3, iso 400

Enchanted place

While in Quebec City during the long Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, we visited Montmorency Falls. What a disappointment! Not only the falls are not that pretty (though large they are!), but also the crowd was almost unbearable. So we just turned around and left without taking a single picture.

On our way to Montreal we decided to visit the town of Shawinigan. Another disappointment. Someone decided to build as many supermarkets in the middle of what could be one of the nicest places to live.

Then, on our way out, we encountered the enchanted place. In the afternoon light, the fall colours looked almost unreal. Add few little waterfalls here and there, play of shadows between areas still lit by the sun and those already dark. You get the picture :)

Speaking of which - I am extremely grateful for the Lightroom panorama feature - it was not intended to be one, but of the few shots I've taken, none was framed right. Only combining two shots gave the effect you see below.

Nikon 7100, 105mm, 1/6s @ f/22, iso 200

Boats

One more from the Lake George, NY weekend in May...

Sony RX100M3, 29mm, 1/25s @ f/5.6, iso 80

Ice cream and fudge

When I saw this store I knew it will end up on the Flickr's Adirondack Chairs Group. But there is also the general cuteness of the scene - remember, it is still the day before the opening of the season. No people, shop closed.

Sony RX100M3, 39mm, 1/30s @ f/5.6, iso 80

Sony RX100M3, 39mm, 1/30s @ f/5.6, iso 80

Soothing sight

Few steps from the shore, where the previous picture was taken and there is another sight. The lake is still there, so are the Adirondacks hills, but now we find ourselves in the green...

I really liked the park just on the other side of the Beach Road. And the bush on the first plan looked like it just bloomed to greet the visitors coming for the Memorial Day weekend.

Sony RX100M3, 44mm, 1/100s @ f/5.6, iso 80

Through the Looking-Glass

This picture reminds of Fringe, the science-fiction TV show (mostly) about parallel worlds. Granted, there are no zeppelins anywhere in sight. Another easy to find parallel (sic!) would be that with Alice in Wonderland (Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There).

Mirrors are very special. Everything looks almost the same, but is not. And - even if it's only a moment of distraction - one can sometimes see something that can be only seen in the parallel world. Or at least I'd like to think so... :D

iPhone 5s, VSCOCam

Low-hanging fruit

Another very typical view from Vang Vieng: mountain ridges in the background, hint of a river in the foreground, afternoon golden time and some kind of activity the visitors love to try there. This time it is a hot-air balloon allowing to admire all the beauty from above.

I did not try it personally - was too busy kayaking and hiking, but I've heard the view was indeed breathtaking. 

Nikon 7100, 75mm, 1/80s @ f/16, iso 400

Morning rush

Back to Laos...

I exhausted the pictures from the Kong Lor Cave area already, but there is so many more from the other places. Vang Vieng was already mentioned once, so I will not repeat myself telling why this place was so awesome.

But it only takes one look at the picture below to see why it was an ideal spot for a photographer: water, mountains and amazing colours. It is hard to take a "peaceful river" kind of shot in this area though - the people are getting busy quite early. Most of them rushing to do "sunrise cruises", but also setting up their nets or just going up river with some supplies.

Sony RX100M3, 24mm, 1.3s @ f/11, iso 80

Postcard from Krabi

Sony RX100M3, 24mm, 1/40s @ f/11, iso 125

If I wanted to send a postcard from Krabi, it would probably be this picture.

Sidenote: if I could make all the people look in the same direction the boats do, it would be a great photo. Now it's just a nice one.

Three colours: Pattaya

Nikon 7100, 75mm, 1/50s @ f/5.6, iso 125

Gold and silver

Nikon 7100, 75mm, 1/200s @ f/16, iso 100

Nikon 7100, 75mm, 1/30s @ f/16, iso 100

Finally got my hands on a mirror camera. Despite what people are saying about DSLRs being dead, there is still a gap on what you can achieve with a big full frame sensor and a set of good lenses. I'm not saying that cameras like Fujifilm X-T1 or Sony A7s are not capable. It's just the big DSLR body allows for a lot more buttons/options at your fingertips.

Anyway, I got up at 3:30am just to get this kind of views and was almost too late. And as always I got few takes with different white balance and had a hard time to choose. In the evening after work, I like the silver version more. In the morning - gold is the king.

Montreal RGB (reprocessed)

Nikon D5100 18-55mm, 18mm, 1/60s @ f/10, iso 320

Nikon D5100 18-55mm, 18mm, 1/60s @ f/10, iso 320

I just reprocessed my first 5-starred (by my-humble-self of course) picture. The original (down) was taken with Nikon 5100 / 18-55mm kit lens to RAW and treated with ViewNX (did not have anything better at that time). The new version (up) is enhanced as DNG in LR5 and then processed with Nik Viveza, Dfine and Output Sharpener.

Bonus: I didn't quite remember there is a moon on this photo!

"Stick them with the pointy end"

Fujifilm X100s, 1.4s @ f/16, iso 200

Back to Wat Rong Khun - I don't even know why I like this picture. It's black and white, doesn't show any of the temple, just a bridge leading to it. I think it's the composition.

The "White" Temple

Fujifilm X100s, f/8, iso 200, HDR

In the light of the rising sun, the White Temple does not look that white anymore. Still, it is unlike any other "wat" I have seen in Thailand so far. Usually they are either painted gold or full spectrum of colours. But white?
If you want to visit it, the best time is either during fresh morning hours (just a tad before 8am) or in the afternoon (closes at 5pm, but it is worth waiting for the sunset).
And if you like this picture, you may also like the others in the White Temple album.

Where Canadian lakes meet Atlantic

Fujifilm X100s, 3.1s @ f/16, iso 100

I love playing with filters (real screw-in filters, not the effects in X100s' menu). The shot above was taken with UV + polarizer + ND4 + built-in ND. That made otherwise rough surface calm enough to get this beautiful reflection.

A dry fire hydrant

Nikon 5100, 50mm, 1/100s @ f/4.0, iso 100