So happy

I consider myself as a beginner / moderate-advanced amateur in the area of photography but decided to sign in for the most prestigious photo web site in the world: 1x.com. And was so happy when my first photograph got published and received so many nice comments ( look here ).



Maciek.

Castilla and Leon off the beaten track

A story behind: Last 3 days we spent in Castilla and Leon, central Spanish province. Above is the picture of a pretty little town and castle of Pedraza. Top 3 of the most beautiful and must-see things in Spain.

Location: Pedraza, Spain.

Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm.

Aperture: f/11

Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec

Exposure bias: -0,7 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 200

Date Taken: Saturday, July 23rd, 2011, 14: 15

Maciek.

The sea wind farm

A story behind: The sunset over the beach in Rhyl, Wales, UK. Irish sea.

Location: Rhyl, Wales, UK.

Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm lenses, tripod, ND 100 Pro Stop.

Aperture: f/13

Shutter speed: 30 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 23 mm

ISO: 320

Date Taken: Friday, July 1st, 2011, 21: 50

Maciek.

Glencoe

A story behind: The scenery of this Scottish mountain ridge with deep valleys, small lakes and torrents is absolutely stunning. Quickly changing weather conditions allow unrestricted photographic pleasure. During one hour you can be caught in pitch dark or in gale storm, rain and fog, or on the contrary experience lucky breaks in between storms and random glimpses of sun, allowing for some stunning pics. Scotland at its best !

Location: Glencoe, Scotland.

Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm lenses. HDR image.

Aperture: f/20

Shutter speed: 1/250 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 200

Date Taken: Saturday, July 5th, 2011, 07: 15

Maciek.

Eilean Donan Castle

A story behind: Scotland has always been a must-visit place for me. Eilean Donan castle and its surroundings are the essence of Scotland. Located on the small island with neighboring gentle hills, friendly local people, salted water loch and the way the light plays in the evening - it all was top quality.
We stayed in the area 3 long and beautiful days escaping the main roads, searching for light, good food and countryside views.
The picture was taken 20 minutes after the sunset. At these latitudes in mid-summer it really never gets dark at night.

The photo was awarded a High Gallery on www.fotoferia.pl and on the front page of www.onephoto.net

Location: Dornie, Scotland.

Gear: Nikon D700. Tripod, ND 0.6 hard filter, Nikkor 18-35 mm lenses. Standing in rubber boots in the shallow waters of the Duich Loch.

Aperture: f/20

Shutter speed: 8 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 18 mm

ISO: 200

Date Taken: Saturday, July 9th, 2011, 22: 38

Maciek.

Imperial War Museum - Manchester, UK.

A story behind: It took me almost 2 hours to circle the building of Imperial War Museum twice. The first time I had a wide angle lenses attached to my camera and looked at the building from every possible angle but could not find the right spot. For the second round I switched to a 50-mm Nikkor 1.8 lenses to get more details. And this turned out to be a very good decision. The repeated lines, patterns and shapes started to emerge. They inspire, motivate and bring out creativity.
Of course is a very heavily populated tourist area and hundreds of images being taken of it every year. The trick is to capture the beauty and power of the museum in a way nobody has done before.

Imperial War Museum was the first project in the UK designed by internationally-acclaimed architect, Daniel Libeskind. Clad in steel and silver colored highly polished aluminium, this Manchester City landmark is a visionary work.

Location: Manchester Quays, UK.

Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 1.8 50 mm.Capture NX: RAW to Tiff. PS Tiff to JPG.

Aperture: f/8

Shutter speed: 1/250 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 50 mm

ISO: 200

Date Taken: Wednesday, July 13th, 2011, 12: 47

Maciek.

How we celebrate São João in Porto ( 2 )

Photo dimensions: 671px × 950px.


Maciek.

How we celebrate São João in Porto

A story behind: Porto has a double holiday on 23 and 24 June because the day of São João / Saint John is on 24 June, but the 23rd is when the party happens – one of the biggest street parties in Europe – and there’s a lot of things to do. Above is how the fireworks display around Dom Luis II bridge went this year. The display goes on for 20 minutes and this is only the starting point for the second half of celebration: the night party and beach sunrise celebration.
I set my gear very early in the first line of people just by the bank of Douro river with a magnificent view over the old town of Porto.

Location: Porto, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D700. Tripod. Capture NX: RAW to Tiff. PS Tiff to JPG.

Aperture: f/8

Shutter speed: 2 sec

Exposure bias: + 0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 400

Date Taken: Friday, June 24th, 2011, 00: 18

Maciek.

The Northern Coast

A story behind: This image was taken here at 8.37pm of the local time. I am so happy to discover this remote location and a splendid view. Next time I will be there I hope to meet better photographic conditions ( there wasn´t too much drama on the sky ).

Location: Ribeira Grande, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D700. RAW to Tiff. B&W.

Aperture: f/22

Shutter speed: 1/20 sec

Exposure bias: -0,7 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 200

Date Taken:Wednesday, June 15th, 2011, 20: 37

Maciek.

A boat

A story behind: This image was taken at 8.10pm of the local time, while the far away mountain ridge was illuminated by some of the last rays of sun. The soft light nicely accentuates the hills surrounding the lake. An evening peaceful setting with a wooden boat in a corner. Hope you like it.

Location: Sete Cidades, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D700.

Aperture: f/22

Shutter speed: 1/20 sec

Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 200

Date Taken: Thursday, June 16th, 2011, 20: 10

Maciek.