Photography

Singapore Esplanade Panorama

Photo of the Day

Here’s another of those rare instances where I took a panoramic shot on my travels in Southeast Asia and, yet again, it makes me wish I had done more.

This one is from Singapore, a city that has probably already changed quite a bit since I took this shot. This shot features the Esplanade (a.k.a. the Durian, the performing arts centre in Singapore) and the city’s financial centre.

If this shot wrapped any further to the left, I know it would be rather out of date by now since there has been a massive amount of construction on the other side of the bay.

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Singapore Esplanade


Manchester Exchange Square Panorama

Photo of the Day

Today’s image is from my current home city, Manchester and features Exchange Square and the Manchester Wheel in the evening.

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Exchange Square Panorama


Millstone at Padley Gorge

Photo of the Day

The millstones randomly scattered around Northern England’s Peak District captivate me. These weathered stones all probably have some story attached to them and who knows if anyone remembers just how they got where they are.

This mysterious stone rests beneath a picturesque tree near the edge of Padley Gorge on the Longshaw Estates National Trust property.

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Millstone at Padley Gorge


Brussels Modern Architecture

Photo of the Day

Brussels is better known for its medieval architecture than its modern (apart from the Atom, of course), but the Square Brussels Events Centre caught my eye on my brief stop there.

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Square Brussels Events Centre


Horseshoe Canyon Panorama

Photo of the Day

Today’s image is another from my home province of Alberta and also near Drumheller. This is Horseshoe Canyon. It’s stratified slopes make for interesting textures and the eroded canyon is a fun place for a walk in Dinosaur Country.

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Horseshoe Canyon Panorama


Atlas Coal Mine Panorama

Photo of the Day

Scattered near the site of the Atlas Coal Mine near Drumheller, Alberta are all kinds of fun bits and bobs including these giant wheels. The entrance to the coal mine is visible on the right of this photo.

I’ve been on the grounds of the coal mine before (see my previous images here), but never done an underground visit. Next time I’m going that way, I should plan time for a stop.

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Atlas Coal Mine Panorama


Kenrokuen Garden’s Kotoji Lantern

Photo of the Day

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a photo from Japan, so it’s time to rectify that situation.

Kanazawa’s Kenrokuen gardens make it onto one of Japan’s weird lists: “the three most beautiful landscape gardens.” I don’t know many other cultures that would feel the need to make that kind of ranking, but I consider that one of the endearing things about the Japanese.

In any case, yes, it’s a truly gorgeous place. I saw it while on a trip with my co-workers and I got a taste of the Japanese’s penchant for whirlwind visits. I had to be quick to get away from the pack and set up the tripod for a few moments.

This image is of The Kotoji Lantern which is said to look like the bridge on the Japanese traditional instrument, the koto. It’s an iconic view of the garden and a symbol of the city. I was fortunate to have some of Japan’s spectacularly-coloured autumn leaves in the background.

Click to see the image on a black background:

Kenrokuen in Kanazawa


Ruin above Dovestones

Photo of the Day

This shot is another from a little walk I recently did on the edges above Dovestones reservoir in Lancashire. As I crested the rise, this tiny, ruined house and the accompanying lovely view greeted me at the top.

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Ruin above Dovestones


Moroccan Camel

Photo of the Day

Camel riding isn’t for everyone and I think I might be one of those people. The ships of the desert don’t exactly have the smoothest ride in the world and I wouldn’t have minded a few bumps had my back not been acting up.

Besides, I was more interested in pulling out the camera and taking some photos of the belching beasts and I’m sure my four-legged friend was happy to free of this burden.

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Moroccan Camel


Padley Gorge in Longshaw Estates

Photo of the Day

On the way back from our most recent trip to Lincoln, we stopped at Longshaw Estates, a beautiful National Trust property that provides extensive opportunities for walkers to have a good stroll.

I immediately headed for the confines of Padley Gorge and peaty water cascading over mossy stones while emerald branches swayed overhead. There I found a few photo ops including the scene below.

I’ll definitely have to go back and spend a longer time there and I’m guessing it’s a pretty fine place to be when autumn arrives.

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Padley Gorge


Lincoln Cathedral Panorama

Photo of the Day

In the past few months, I’ve been through Lincoln twice now and this is one of the many shots I’ve taken of its towering cathedral. I kept gravitating towards this particular view of the great building from a spot between the cathedral and the castle.

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Lincoln Cathedral Panorama


The Hoodoos near Drumheller

Photo of the Day

One of my favourite day trips from Calgary when I was growing up was a visit to the Alberta Badlands. It’s dinosaur country after all – what kid isn’t going to get excited at the idea of hunting for T-Rex bones?

And of course, one of my favourite spots there is the hoodoos. This area shaped by eons of erosion always resembled an alien landscape and captured my imagination.

When I visited a couple months ago, I was a bit disappointed to find that construction had begun on a stairway and path leading around the hoodoos. I understand the need for protecting the fragile formations from the erosion that tourists can cause, it’s just sad to see that it’s necessary.

So, a shot like today’s photo of the day is a bit special in that it captures the hoodoos before the view changes.

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Hoodoos


Above Dovestones Reservoir

Photo of the Day

Last Saturday evening, I took a walk along the edges high above the Dovestones Reservoir and got this shot as the sun nestled up against the horizon.

This is one of those shots that I probably made more complicated than it needed to be by composing it of multiple stitched images (to get a wider field of view) and multiple bracketed exposures (to get more tonal range out of the scene). After some post process tinkering, I’m pleased with the result, so here it is!

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Cliffs above Dovestones Reservoir


Landscape Photographer of the Year Shortlisted

I received an email this morning telling me that four of my photos had been shortlisted for the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. How nice of them!

Interestingly, the images selected are all outside the bounds of what you would call ‘traditional’ landscape photography. Three of them were created using the technique of lighting the subject in multiple shots then compositing the shots together. The fourth shot is of a rather unusual modern art installation. Given the contest’s previous winners, I wouldn’t have expected these images to be the ones that made it through, but I guess the judges might be looking for something a bit different this year.

I’ve had requests to see the images that made it to the next round of judging, and this blog post is here to grant that wish. Click the images to see larger versions.

Singing Ringing Tree

Chesterton Windmill

Bodmin Moor

Halo


Bruges from Above

Photo of the Day

Today’s photo of the day is the last one from Bruges for now. This time we’re high above the canals and looking down on the medieval-style city from the belfry of the town hall. The Church of Our Lady is on the left and St. Salvator’s Cathedral is on the right.

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Bruges from Above


The Canals of Bruges #12

Photo of the Day

Number 12 in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.

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Bruges Canal


The Canals of Bruges #11

Photo of the Day

Number 11 in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.

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Bruges Canal


JR’s Inside Out Project

French photographer JR, the winner of the 2011 TED Prize, is spearheading a global, collaborative art project focussed on celebrating humanity around the world.

Head to the Inside Out Project to start participating. The steps are simple: create a portait, upload it and when it is printed and sent back to you, post it in your community. From the site:

People can participate as an individual or in a group; posters can be placed anywhere, from a solitary image in an office window to a wall of portraits on an abandoned building or a full stadium. These exhibitions will be documented, archived and viewable virtually.

The project already has plenty of life as you can see from the uploaded photos already posted.

Worth watching to learn more about the project is the following video that follows Inside Out as it takes shape in Tunisia:

Follow the Inside Out Youtube channel to see more about the project as it progresses.


The Canals of Bruges #10

Photo of the Day

Number ten in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.

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Bruges Canal


The Canals of Bruges #9

Photo of the Day

Number nine in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.

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Bruges Canal


The Canals of Bruges #8

Photo of the Day

Number eight in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.

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Bruges Canal


Photographic Rube Goldberg Machine

I’m a sucker for a Rube Goldberg machine, but when it comes with a photographic theme to it, even better.


The Canals of Bruges #7

Photo of the Day

Number seven in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.

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Bruges Canal


The Canals of Bruges #6

Photo of the Day

Number six in my series of images of the canals of Bruges, Belgium.

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Bruges Canal