Better late than never...

I just realised that not everyone is aware i've started a new blog. I should have made this post a long time ago but... This blog has been suspended for now and my photographic efforts are now posted at www.obistankenobi.shutterchance.com. I look forward to seeeing you all there!

Rainbow Dragon

Here is another of my macro experiments in the garden. The shot was taken around dawn during the weekend (the only time I've got to do any shooting these days). Enjoy...

Orange

Another high magnification shot for your viewing pleasure. To put this in perspective, the flower shown here is about the size of a fingernail. If you're looking for torture, try shooting something that size before dawn on a windy day!

Bugs of Prey

Today's shot is a preying mantis i found sneaking around my garden. I've had a few questions about how my images turn out the way they do and i'd like to say once and for all that its all down to my amazing talent;) Joking aside, i didn't actually do much processing to this besides some levels and curves adjustments and a bit of sharpening. Applause and adulation welcome as always:D

P.S Click for the bigger version to see it as I intended.

Funky Monkey

Too tired to come up with a proper title today. Just felt like throwing up another shot really...

Papilio Cresphontes (Giant Swallowtail)

Another butterfly shot from the same day as the others. You'll have to make do with this while I work on some images I've managed to capture recently. Enjoy!

Black and Yellow

Here is another in my wildlife series. I've no idea what kind of snake this is and would be grateful to anyone who could tell me. I don't think this image is as compelling as my first snake image but nonetheless, I like the lighting and the tones it creates. Hope you enjoy both the photo and your weekend.

Mariposa Blanca

Translation....white butterfly. Quite similar to the spring azure but without the spots. Its actually a fairly large family of butterflies but i couldn't be bothered to narrow it down anymore. This is one i'm quite proud of given how long i chased him/her around the garden. Thanks for looking...

Alonesome

I like this shot for the clean lines and simplicity of the colours. Haven't got a lot to say here but i'd like to hear your thoughts.

Looking at you...

Title and image are self explanatory. This is a macro shot of what i believe to be an African bullfrog. I may well be mistaken so you're welcome to correct me (I know its hard to believe but no, i'm not perfect).

Danaus Plexippus (Monarch Butterfly)

Today's shot is a female monarch butterfly. The monarchs are a poisonous variety of butterfly and are generally are not eaten by predators (quite understandably). Anyhow, here is another colorful shot for your critique and enjoyment.

To answer a previous question, yes the undersides of some butterflies are a lighter color than the top.

Dining alone

Since I couldn't find the true name of this butterfly , I've chosen a self-descriptive name for today. Its not my usual tight crop and I just wanted to see what a bit of negative space would do to my insect shots. What say ye, yea or nay?

Bio-plane

Thats exactly what popped into my mind when i saw this shot through the viewfinder. We've all seen the classic butterfly shots (i've got enough of those of my own) from the side with wings upward and showing the full color and pattern. Sure, the reason why they are so popular is that butterflys are most often found in that position and also those shots are aesthetically pleasing. I like this shot due to the unusual perspective and bokeh. Thanks for looking...

Tawny Frogmouth, Podargus Strigoides

This is a bird native to Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. It appeared to be a kind of owl to me but apparently isn't (closer to a Nightjar). Anyhow, ) wanted a full frame shot but couldn't get a suitable one due to our relative positions and distracting background.

Yes, I'm aware i promised a non cropped shot in the last post but I was referring to my next butterfly shot (MORE butterflies you ask in despair, yup:D ).

Junonia Coenia (Common Buckeye)

I finally got a few moments to spare on photography again. Here is the latest macro shot in my series on insects. There are a lot more where this came from so stay tuned!

P.S. As with all my images, click on the photo to get a bigger version. Its usually better quality than the thumbnails as i post process with a certain viewing size in mind. Thanks for looking.

Nightmare

Here is another of my experiments with macro photography. The spider was perhaps an inch or so in length and the aim was to bring out as much detail as i could. At the magnifications employed, depth of field is almost non-existent and i had to stack multiple images to get a reasonably detailed image.

This guy puts the lie to the saying 'come into my parlour said the spider to the fly'. One look at this fellow (or others like him) and no creature would stay to converse let alone consider any kind of socialising. I'm a hardy soul but i'm certain I would not care to run into a life sized version of this fella. Anyhow, i promised some not so pretty images so please enjoy. Comments and praise accepted as usual;)

Violeta

Enjoy:)

Veteran

Some more macro action for you:) Caught this guy at dawn in my garden. Though its not very obvious from the photo, he looked very beaten up with wings all in tatters but still flying around like it meant nothing. Chased him around for a while and managed to get this shot. Likey?

Art?

Here are some more macro shots of flowers. Though they don't look it, they really aren't more than a few inches. It was originally destined for the recycle bin until i got bored and started playing around with it. Voila!

Tour Eiffel

An easily recognisable icon for today's shot. Its currently nominated as one of the wonders of the modern world. The shot is from my last visit there and was taken from almost underneath the tower. Besides the usual record shots, I tried to capture something a bit unusual and also try out my wide angle lens:) Its mostly untouched as i couldn't decide what to do with it (perhaps it isn't that great a shot). Advice and comments are welcome....

Twins

I went through a lot of names for today's photo...names that described the similarities and differences between the two images. In the end, i've settled on one that tells of similar beginnings yet different ends. How many times have we come across the story of identical twins separated at birth and growing up to be completely different? Anyhow, hope you enjoy the contrast i've tried to create here.

Blight II

Here's the colour version of a pic i've posted here earlier. People seemed to quite like the b&w so I thought i'd find out what you think about the colour version. Colours might be a tad over the top in a nauseating kinda way but I (predictably) prefer this version.

Edit: I apologise for the posterization in the sky, its due to JPEG compression.

Exposed

More macro experiments today. This one is probably recognisable as a flower...albeit a very tiny one. I tried to achieve a soft and abstract look here.

Gossamer wings

Here is the one dragonfly shot i've got thats worth posting. It was taken sometime last year but i was a bit too sloppy with the processing and wasn't satisfied so it stayed in my archives until today...

Now that i've discovered macro, there will be a few not-so-pleasant shots on here (you've been warned).

Mas flores

Tribe elder

Everyone is aware that monkeys (and other primates) are really quite intelligent but i think this guy's white sideburns give him a wise and distinguished look. What say you all?

P.S He is much younger than he looks...

Gold Dragon

Here is the other reptile photo i was referring to. I' not sure why but i like this effort much more than the first (possibly the colours). Not much to ay about this one. Hope you like it.

Spring burst II

Here is another floral macro taken in Japan to pass the time whilst i tweak a few other photos. It must be pretty obvious from my blog that colours are my thing. Enjoy...

Little Dragon

A belated happy easter to everyone. I've got mixed feelings about today's shot. When i first went through my photos i had no intention of processing this one. However, after i finished with something similar and liked the results (you'll see that one later) i decided to play around with this one and see what i come up with. At the moment its still unfinished but i'm stuck and need inspiration to get it where i want. Any comments and/or suggestions would be welcomed and appreciated.

Spring colour burst

Spring is finally here again and i know most of us are breathing a sigh of relief. Birds and bugs are out and about again, flowers are in bloom and there is that almost tangible sense of excitement in the air. I was able to try my hand at macro shots of some flowers recently and quite like the colours captured. What do you think?

Troublesome furball

Here's another from my ahem.....Amazon trek series. This fella was trying to nick my mixed kabab(the cheek!). He soon quieted down after i showed him who was boss though. I grabbed this shot of him whilst he was distracted by the wild boar charging up behind me....

Emerald scales

Let all rejoice for he has returned!!

Okay, perhaps a tad melodramatic for me simply updating my blog again. Those who have asked why it took so long already know that i've only just gotten back to shooting recently. This probably isn't the photo some were expecting but its the one that was easiest for me to post.

This was taken on a recent trek through the amazon with camera in one hand and machete in the other whilst fending off the many predators closing in on me (cue dramatic music). Yes, thats my story and i'm sticking to it! Hope you enjoy the image and choose to post your comments heaping praise on my bravery and talent;)

Paradise Bay

Woohoo! Back to good ol' landscapes. Another shot from Mexico...talk about a beautiful country. A half hour steep climb though some dense woods got me to the cliffs from which i shot this. For those who are interested its a composite HDR pano created from multiple exposures. I then tweaked the colors to obtain something between a postcard and a painting.

The Wild

Last night i watched a hilarious cartoon about some zoo bred animals who dream about seeing 'the wild'. Todays shot was taken at the African safari in Puebla and had been forgotten on my hard drive until last night. The safari was basically a zoo in slightly more natural surroundings but surprisingly enough, was a lot of fun. Its certainly whet my appetite for a real safari. Another one for the list...

Blight

I stumbled upon this scene whilst exploring some mangroves in Mexico. This island is part of the Celestun wildlife reserve in the state of Yucatan. It looked pretty bleak to me and I processed to enhance that feeling. What do you think?

Otra vez!

I originally posted this earlier today but decided to revisit the editing. For those who think its not real, that was the aim of the processing...to give the image an otherworldly feel. I'm pleasantly surprised at how this one turned out. I hope you're enjoying the series so far.

Bailando con su mano en cabeza.....

This is a shot of one of the performers at the night show. For some (unknown) reason she seemed quite popular with the spectators so i snapped off a few frames...:)

Los Mariachis

La gente en esta foto son mariachis...son muy famosos en Mexico y todo el mundo. No se exactememnte de que parte del pais son pero creo que una persona va a decirme. Tome esta foto en Xcaret tambien.

Ropas Mexicanas

Sadly, i haven't been inspired to do much photography lately so in order to keep this little blog chugging along, i've gone and delved into my archives. I'm going to do a little series on some of the colorful displays and outfits i witnessed at Xcaret (yup i'm still going on about it). These are images that didn't make the cut originally so please bear with me. The people in today's shot had just finished an impressive dance performance. Hope you like a few of them...

Genre: Comedy, Documentary, fantasy....?

This one i found too amusing to pass by. I might reshoot/revist for more editing. Let loose the tongues (and keyboards) of men..hehe

Pretty in pink?

Heres another one from my trip to Xcaret. Tried to do some birding while i was there but sadly i'm unsatisfied with most of the results. This is a half decent one i've touched up for display. Comments are welcome as always.

Retouching

Due to requests from some readers, i've gone back and reworked some of the images i posted earlier. So far, Roca Blanca and Chichen Itza have been reworked. I have to admit that my desire to re-edit these images is due in part to the ease of use of Nikon Capture NX. Give it a try if you haven't already.

Xcaret!

Yes, the word really should be pronounced with the exclamation. Most of you are probably wondering what it means. Simply put its an all inclusive vacation destination. If you're reading this then you're no stranger to google so i won't go into too much detail here. Suffice to say that it should be on everyones list. Todays shot was take from a trip there. I'm trying to give you guys a break from the landscapes so no complaints if its not on par with my usual excellence...hehe

Roca Blanca

As you've probably guessed, i couldn't come up with anything particularly insightful or clever about this image so the location is the title. Yes, i know you're saying "yet another landscape". Until i get permission to post some portraits, its going to be largely landscapes i'm afraid. Okay okay, i admit to being partial to them. As always I'd like to hear your thoughts on this one.

EDIT: More post processing done here as well.

Liquid silk

When i look at this shot i wish i had paid more attention to composition. Despite the obvious flaws, its become one of my favourite shots. I've taken to getting up before dawn to hunt for photo opportunities and this was the result of a recent morning jaunt. I tried to capture the sense of peace in the scene that morning. Hope you like it as much as i do...

Chichen Itza

Today, by special request we've got a shot from a visit to the world famous pyramids in Mexico. The pyramid here is the Temple of Kukulcan (Quetzalcoatl). While i have other shots that i like better, ive decided to put this one up first since it is the structure that dominates the site. I generally dislike having pesky tourists in my shots but have left this one in to give you a sense of scale. If you haven't already been there, it should be on your list!

EDIT: I went back and reprocessed this shot following comments from a certain reader:)

Calling it a day

I was out hunting for scenic shots (as usual) and noticed the surfers heading home. They had been hitting the surf all day (some as early as 6am) and i had to admire that kind of dedication to self punishment. Anyway, i've decided to name the shot as above not just because of the surfers. Any guesses as to other possible reasons?

Chica de la playa

Here's an old shot i dredged up from the archives to keep this sad little blog going. Hopefully, i'll be getting some new material soon. I like to think this one is one for the guys....hehe. Enjoy

A (flying) bug's life

Here's another tardy update like you've come to expect from me. Truth be told, this one is more of a grab shot than anything else. What it is not, is a true macro but i'm not quite ready to go down that slippery slope yet. I decided it was acceptable after playing around with it and would like your comments. Thanks for looking (and commenting)....

A beach....somewhere...

Mexico's coastline is littered with beaches of all kinds and sizes and offers a choice and variety that i believe is difficult to replicate elsewhere. These range from the world famous beaches of Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen to the less known such as Playa Mocambo and Playa Las Munecas. Here's a shot from one of these relatively unknown beaches (can't even remember what its called). The scene struck me as something i've seen on a postcard somewhere....hence the layout. Comments and critique welcome as always.