Skoda Octavia

Another nice old car today :) This time it’s the Skoda Octavia.

Photo taken in front of the Incheba exhibition center in Bratislava, during a veteran rally.

HDR from three shots, taken with Canon 450D with Sigma 10-20mm lens, from a tripod.

White Cadillac

Just a random photo from Vienna today :) You don’t see many cars like this one here, so I took the shot :) You can see the Vienna Opera house in the back.

HDR from a single RAW file, taken with Canon 450D with Sigma 10-20mm, handheld.

Only by moonlight

I really wish I took this shot few seconds earlier. There was a beautiful full moon that night, but with fast moving clouds. So until I focused my camera correctly they already covered the moon, and as a storm started few minutes after it, It stayed covered for the rest of the night. But still, I think It’s a very nice photo :)

HDR from three shots, taken with Canon 450D with Sigma 10-20mm lens, from a tripod

Summer colors

I had to take this photo very quickly :) There were so many bees around me, that I was quite scared that they won’t like my presence there. But for the most time they ignored me.

I vent very light on the HDR processing on this one. I used it just to correct the dark parts in the middle and very bright parts on the corners. I aimed for a very natural look. Most of the photo (around 50%) is from a standard (0EV) photo.

HDR from three shots, taken with Canon 450D with Sigma 18-50mm MACRO lens, from a tripod.

Night shooting

As I added a few night shots in a row, I thought about sharing also few tips about taking HDR’s at night.

• use a tripod (of course :) )
• get a faster lens, if you are shooting subjects that are further away from you, you will get a sharp image even on F2.8
• if you are using AEB, your first image (0EV) should be equal or under 8s, so the +2EV is equal or under 30s (most cameras don’t allow exposures longer than 30s)
• if your first shot is too long, use a higher iso or use a bigger aperture (smaller F number)
• use manual focus, using live view (available on most new cameras) you can zoom in into your scene, and manually focus to the specific point you want to have sharp
• disable image stabilization on your lens (if you have it), it causes vibrations if you are using a tripod
• always use a self timer or a remote

Night fishing

I know, I know.. .another reflection :) I just really like to have reflections in my photos. I think, if I ever start a new blog, I will have “reflection” directly in the name :).

This is one of those night shots, I sometimes do, where I’m absolutely not sure how they will turn out. I had to push my iso up to 400, just to fit into the 30 seconds for my +2EV photo, and I had to focus manually on one of the lights in the background, since that was the only thing I saw on the cameras screen. But it worked quite nicely :)

Taken at Strkovec lake in Bratislava

HDR from three shots, taken with Canon 450D with Sigma 18-200mm lens, from a tripod.