The mount Fuji sunrise

Click on the image for a full size.

An early morning at the lake Shoji, Japan.

A story behind: 4.45 in the morning. Temperature: - 2ºC.
Mount Fuji, 3,770 meters, the highest mountain in Japan. Almost a perfect volcanic cone. A large part of the mountain is still buried under the snow ( April 2014). According to recent data, the pressure in the main lava camber of the volcano recently overpassed the limit of 1.6 megapascals. Professor Masaki Kimura believes that until 2015 we will see a significant increase in the activity of the volcano with the possible eruption of a small degree.

Location:  Lake Shoji, Japan.

 

Gear: Nikon D 610, Nikkor 16-33 mm.

Aperture: f/14

Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

Date: 1st of April, 2014. 4.45 a.m.

 
Maciek.

Madeira Island seascapes

Click on the image for a full size.
A strange shape of the lava formation near the coast of the Madeira island, Portugal.

A story behind: End of January 2014. A couple of days spent with friends on the Madeira Island, Portugal.
This is a piece of the rocky Northern Coast of the Island.
My very first experiences with a shiny new Nikon D610.

Location:  Madeira, Portugal.
 

Gear: Nikon D610, Nikkor 16-32 mm.

Aperture: f/22


Shutter: 26 sec.
 
Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

Focal Length: 316mm

ISO: 50

Date: Monday, 27th of January 2014.

Maciek.

The best shot I had in Tuscany (so far !)

(right click for the full 1000px image)

A story behind: Early morning at the foot of the Tuscan hills. Still some fog in the valleys. A deserted Italian villa somewhere in the Crete Siense.

Location: Between Asciano and Siena.

Gear: Nikon D700, Nikkor 70-300 mm, handheld.

ISO: 400

Exposure bias: -0,7 EV

Focal Length: 220 mm

Aperture: 7.1

Date Taken:  June 9th, 2013, 06:23

Maciek.

A late afternoon at the Tuscan hills

Rolling Tuscan hills near Pienza, Italy. Click to enlarge.

A story behind: Late afternoon. A fading light has given the Tuscan rolling hills a third dimension.

Location: near Pienza, Tuscany, Italy.

Gear: Nikon D700, Nikon 70-300 mm,

Aperture: f/5,3

Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

Focal Length: 200 mm

ISO: 320

Date Taken: Saturday, June 8rd, 2013, 17:53

Maciek.

Flores Island. The interior.

Near Caldeira Seca, Flores Island, Portugal.

A story behind:  This is how the interior of the Flores island looks like: a huge caldera that hosts 7 lagoons. Averaging 500 meters above the ocean level, the plateau is bounded by the rim of the not-so-old volcano walls. The volcanic island is relatively young. It appeared only 20 000 years ago. That is why it has a landscape filled with deep valleys and high peaks, lagoons bordered by steep cliffs carved by grottoes.  
Flores (Flowers) takes is names due to a great profusion of wild flowers.
In 2009, Flores was included on UNESCO's list of World Network of Biosphere Reserves at the Man and the Biosphere.

Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm. Handheld.

Aperture: f/8

Shutter speed: 1/250 sec

Exposure bias:-0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO:500

Place taken:  Island of Flores, Portugal.
 

Date taken: Monday, March 4th, 2013, 13:15

Maciek.

La rivière des rêves perdus

A beach strip somewhere south of the city of Porto, Portugal. Click for the bigger image.

Update: The photo was admitted do 1x.com gallery. I was asked to write this photo tutorial in the next paper edition of the famous 1x.com tutorial album

A story behind:  Welcome to my River of the Lost Dreams. After heavy winter raining many small rivers with no-names has appeared on the beach. They may last a couple of weeks and then they are usually gone.
Last Tuesday the afternoon was dark and rainy. I captured this image about 25-minutes prior to sunset as many clouds began to disappear what had been a solid dark sky. 
My camera was positioned on a rather unstable sandy beach. I was able to program a 3-minute long exposure. Shooting these kinds of scenes requires managing a number of variables. We need to choose an exposure that properly exposes the background, and -- at the same time -- be short enough not to make a sky too blurry and allow enough time to emphasize these elegant curves lines of water in the river. The rest was as easy as catching fish in a barrel. Long shutter and B&W transformation did the rest of the job.

Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm. Tripod. A heavy bag to stabilize the tripod on the unstable ground.

Aperture: f/18

Shutter speed: 177 sec

Exposure bias: +0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO:200

Place taken:  Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.
 

Date taken: Tuesday, January 15th, 2013, 17:08

Maciek.

Mosteiros Beach

Sunset on the Mosteiros beach, Portugal.

A story behind:  Some people say that all over the world there is 90% of average landscape ( uninteresting to the human eye ) and there is as little as 10% of miracles. I strongly disagree. Take this Mosteiro beach. When arriving most people see only unpleasant wind and dark sky. But the truth is that even this kind of landscape shines here and there and the experienced eye is being seduced all the time. Eyes stop and wide open and the admiring requires much more that the optical system. Many times you need to train your eyes to see. 

The name Mosteiros beach comes from the old legend. Back in XVth century when the first European explorers spotted this strange rock formations they thought this was a monastery ( port: Mosteiro ) building. 



Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm. ND reverse 3 stop. Tripod. Rubber boots. Bashed by heavy, November waves.

Aperture: f/18

Shutter speed: 1,6 sec

Exposure bias: +0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 200

Place taken: Mosteiros beach, Portugal.
 

Date taken: Thursday, November 21th, 2012. 18:36.

Maciek.

12:25 from Regua to Porto

A mirror reflection of the train and the autumn vines growing on the steep  hills.

A story behind:  This was a perfect Monday morning as we traveled along the banks of the Douro river. I stopped the car and managed to take a photo of the passing 12:25 regional train from the town of Regua to Porto.  
The train ride is one of the highlights to any tourist trip to the UNESCO protected Douro region. The railway line runs alongside the river. 

Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 70-300 mm.

Aperture: f/10

Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 120 mm

ISO: 400

Place taken: near Picinho, Portugal.

Date taken: Monday, November 12th, 2012, 12:25

 Maciek.

At the Titanic prow

A stone pier at the Foz beach, Porto, Portugal.

A story behind:  Shooting long exposures with a human model can create many challenges. First you should convince a man or a woman to allow you to make a photo (unless it is a self-portrait).
Second the sudden and unexpected movements of the model may also ruin your photo. 

This is the end of the stone pier at the beach of Porto, Portugal. Picture taken on Thursday morning just before the rain has come. I used shutter speed of 1 second to maintain the mood of the moment and lyrical look with a smooth sea and little cloud movement.


Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm. ND reverse 3 stop. Tripod.

Aperture: f/11

Shutter speed: 1 sec

Exposure bias: +0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 50

Place taken: Foz, Porto, Portugal.
 

Date taken: Thursday, November 8th, 2012.

Maciek.

"Fajã" - an almost 90º angle shot from above

An almost areal view on the Achada faja, island of Madeira, Portugal. 

A story behind:  This is an almost perfect areal shot of Fajã Achadas de Cruz from the high cliff above. A word "Fajã’ in Portuguese stands for a landfall at the base of a high cliff forming a beach-like landing. 
There are a lot of "Fajãs" on the Azores archipelago and some on the Madeira island.
The cable car is the only mean of communication between the landing, the beach and the rest of the island.  While traveling in a cable car don't be surprised if you see farmers coming up with their crops. Many locals have their lands down there.

Gear: Nikon D700. 

Aperture: f/10

Shutter speed: 1/500 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 70 mm

ISO: 200

Place taken: Achadas de Cruz, island of Madeira, Portugal.

Date taken: Monday, October 15th, 2012, 12:55

 Maciek.

It is getting dark at the Ribeirinha

A story behind:  Sometimes when I shoot seascapes I choose the shutter speed of about half a second or faster to freeze the motion of the waves. Such split-second exposures can give the surf the appearance of a fast moving, powerful force that draws the eye into the image and conveys a sense of explosive tension. 

But that night at the old and abandoned fishing port of Ribeirinha  I preferred to go for the opposite effect by using exposure that went up to 70 seconds. I used my 10-stop filter to produce a very long exposure that dramatically enhance the mood of the image. Long speed shutter times render ocean landscapes with the timeless calm. 

Gear: Nikon D700. 10-stop filter.


Focal Length: 16 mm


ISO: 50

Date: July 19th, 2012. 20:58 p.m.


Maciek.

A small pier and a ship

A small wooden pier and a ship photographed yesterday at the Foz beach, Porto, Portugal.

A story behind:  Shooting long exposures at the beach can create many challenges. First the waves hitting the tripod can move the camera. Second the sudden and unexpected wind blows may also ruin your photo. Beware of the droplets of water carried by the wind from the sea which quickly cover you camera and filters making the final image blurry. The long exposures of 180 seconds ( like the one above ) and plus another 180 seconds  ( when the camera reconstructs the image ) allow you only a few shots during the best light.


Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm. Polarizer. 10 ND-Stop. Tripod.

Aperture: f/9

Shutter speed: 180 sec

Exposure bias: +0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 200

Place taken: Foz, Porto, Portugal.
 

Maciek.

The lake houses

Two houses by the lake Furnas, Portugal.

A story behind: This is another example of over 30 seconds long exposure.
It transforms the small pier overlooking Furnas Lake into the quite serene scenic photo. 
The Furnas Lake is amazing. I try to visit the area every time I am on the island. When a solid shooting technique is mixed together with an emotional impact the result can be even more awarding.
Square format of the image mathematically adds harmony.
Please enjoy !


Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm. Polarizer. 10 ND-Stop.

Aperture: f/22

Shutter speed: 35 sec

Exposure bias: +0,7 EV

Focal Length: 17 mm

ISO: 50

Place taken: Furnas, Portugal.
 

Maciek.

Negative space photography

An Atlantic Ocean view, Portugal.

A story behind: This is my new obsession: negative space photography. I am taking first steps and believe me: it is not so easy. Too often I get caught up trying to put too much inside one frame thinking that everything is interesting to the observer: people, lines, shapes, objects. I tend to over complicate things and giving an observer no space to rest his eyes. 
So I decided to go minimalistic. 
What is "negative space" in photography? It simply means the empty space around one object. First the empty space seems like a waste. In fact it plays a very important role adding importance to the subject.

This is also an example of a successful breaking the golden rule of landscape photography placing the horizon in the center of the frame.


Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm. Polarizer. 10 ND-Stop.

Aperture: f/20

Shutter speed: 127 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 19 mm

ISO: 50

Place taken: Village of Nodeste, Portugal.
 

Maciek.

My top spot for photography

A view at the mouth of the small river and the Sehor da Pedra chapel in Madalena, Portugal.

A story behind: This has always been one of my favorites spots for late afternoon photography. But as I hustled down there yesterday afternoon I had not expected to find such wonderful conditions. 
Is does not happen very frequently. In fact it happens only maybe a few days per year: a small lake made by the unnamed torrent being full from the rain we had a couple of last days ago combined with a high sea at the end of the day that pushes water from the ocean to the riverbed and the last, but most important and rare, no wind. 

I soon set up my D700 and 16-35. I added a polarizer and the 3-stop soft-step ND Reverse Grad to balance the exposure of the bright areas of the sky and water.



Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm. Polarizer. 3-stop soft-step ND Reverse Grad.

Aperture: f/20

Shutter speed: 4 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV
Focal Length: 19 mm

ISO: 200

Place taken: Village of Madalena, Portugal.
 

Date Taken: Friday, April 6th, 2012, 20: 03

Maciek.

Just sit and enjoy ( the pleasure of traveling )

Early morning on the abandoned Santa Barbara beach, Portugal.

A story behind: The Santa Barbara beach faces the north. It is usually very windy and rainy and it never lacks impressive moments.
On Friday´s morning the beach was empty so I could enjoy the view all by myself and had enough time to prepare my camera to photograph fast moving clouds and an empty white chair that I decided to place in the left down corner of the image.

Gear: Nikon D700, Nikkor 16-35 mm, ND Full Stop. Tripod.

Aperture: f/16

Shutter speed: 35 sec

Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 50

Date Taken: Friday, March 24th, 2012, 10: 10

Maciek.

This is my world

A view at the mouth of the Douro river as it flows into the Atlantic ocean.

A story behind: As I hustled down to the river and set up my D700 and 16-35, I already had an idea in my mind of how I wanted to compose the image: the foreground with stone stairs, long exposure time to soften the water and three lighthouses on the horizon. My lens already had my polarizer and I added the 3-stop soft-step ND Grad to balance the exposure of the bright areas of the sky with the pastel colored sea in the shaded foreground.

From the south the moisture-soaked clouds were approaching and the sky was lighting up for the sunset. I set my camera with the remote and sit on the stairs enjoying the view.

Gear: Nikon D700. Nikkor 16-35 mm. Polarizer. 3-stop soft-step ND Grad.

Aperture: f/22

Shutter speed: 30 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 22 mm

ISO: 200

Place taken ( map ): Porto, Portugal.

Date Taken: Thursday, March 15th, 2012, 18: 45

Maciek.

The westernmost point of the continental Europe

Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point if the continental Europe, Portugal. Ursa beach.

A story behind: This is one of the most spectacular locations for landscape photographers in Portugal - the Ursa beach situated in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, 60 kilometers west of Lisbon. On the right of the picture one can see a huge rock with a natural Bear (Ursa) shape and another rocky formation on its side, named Gigante (Giant).

Location: Close to Cabo da Roca, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D700, Nikkor 16-35 mm AF-S ED. Handheld.

Aperture: f/13

Shutter speed: 1/200 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 200

Date: March 5th, 2012.

Maciek.

The storytelling landscape

The very end of Mosteiros peninsula. A view to the Eastern cliffs of Sete Cidades mountain, Portugal.

A story behind: The entire route along the Western coast of the São Miguel island is considered a visual treat for the eye, but my personal preference is the northwestern-most point around the small village of Mosteiros. This is where I concentrate the majority of my photography and walks. Recently I felt a little bored with the Mosteiros beach so I looked for the new spot for shooting photos.
That night the landscape was playing the big show and the only person standing at the audience was me. The sky was covered with quickly moving dark clouds with some light patches from the dying sun. The massive cliffs of the Eastern side of the Sete Cidades volcano were bravely standing against the Middle Atlantic waves. And in the foreground lava-formed stones and small waterfalls with amazing parallel wave lines emerging only on the long shutter images.


Technique: Rapidly changing water and weather conditions with suddenly appearing/disappearing big bright water areas in the foreground were really a big challenge to set up a right white balance. Tripod, cable remote and 3-stop reversed ND Grad filter.

Location: Outside the village of Mosteiros, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D700, Nikkor 16-35 mm AF-S ED. Tripod. RAW to Tiff.

Aperture: f/10

Shutter speed: 2 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 200

Maciek.

The silence

Murtosa, Vouga river delta, Portugal. On the horizon the lights of the city of Aveiro.

A story behind: Standing alone in the shallow waters of the Vouga river delta surrounded by the silence. Me and my camera.

Full frame Nikon D700 allows to capture a great number of details from the full of light clouds on the horizon to the very poor lit boat hull.
With the help of my polarizer, I simply waited for the ambient light on the water to match the sunset light on the horizon. The magic happened a couple of minutes after the sunset when the light got pleasant allowing the rest of the scene to fade to softness.

Enjoy.
Location: Village of Murtosa, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D700, Nikkor 16-35 mm AF-S ED. Tripod. RAW to Tiff.

Aperture: f/22

Shutter speed: 3 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 50

Maciek.