Santiago de Compostela - early morning.

A story behind: It was Sunday, rather early morning, the 7th of August. It is rare to see the main square in front of the famous Santiago Cathedral empty. Usually the square and church are packed with tourists and pilgrims from around the world.
So that morning I savoured this unique moment of solitude and beauty of the place.
Later I took some photos and spent a couple of minutes talking to a pilgrim who walked here from France. Bon voyage home my friend !

Location: Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm.

Aperture: f/4

Shutter speed: 1/60 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 18 mm

ISO: 640

Date Taken: August 07th, 2011, 06: 38

Maciek.

The sky over Loch Alsh

A story behind: That night we were back from just another adventurous day on the Isle of Skye. The storm was beginning to arrive from the Atlantic ocean. The dull sky suddenly turned wild. I stopped the car. I had no time to put a tripod. Handheld, with the high ISO and short exposure the fast cloud motion got freeze. Some of the warmth from the dying sun was even captured and the effect of the polarizing filter was just enough as to not lose the reflections of the light which I felt was a necessary component of this image.

Location: Near Dornie, Loch Alsh, Scotland.

Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm.

Aperture: f/9

Shutter speed: 60 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 18 mm

ISO: 800

Date Taken: July 08th, 2011, 22: 00

Maciek.

Early evening at the Isle of Skye

A story behind: I arrived at the spot at about 6 p.m. The early afternoon storm cleared completely leaving some clouds over the ridges of the Cuillins mountains on the horizon.
I grabbed my pack and headed north along the stony beach. The walk wasn´t easy. Big rocks and never ending fields of stones were on my way. Finally after 30 minutes I reached a small promontory, set my gear and started shooting.
Once more, the ND 100 filter worked its magic, adding some strong tones and drama to the sky and simultaneously smoothing the water.
The photographic conditions weren´t perfect ( a lot of harsh light ) and the result is just OK, but I loved the views, walk and that picture will forever remind me of that day.


Location: Elgol, Isle of Skye, Scotland

Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm. ND 100. Tripod.

Aperture: f/22

Shutter speed: 30 sec

Exposure bias: + 0,7 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 50

Date Taken: July 08th, 2011, 20: 06

Maciek.

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.