It’s the Indian new year today. The last year was a tough one. My father was diagnosed with cancer in Jan 2014. He left us on 25th Aug 2014. He was my inspiration behind music. And he was the one who let me hold a camera for the first time ever. I don’t remember the brand or make, but the camera had no film inside. For me he cut a roll of translucent paper and inserted the roll inside a camera just like you do with film. And then he instructed: “Every time you press the shutter you’ll see an upside down image of the scene that’s in front of the camera.” I had to keep the camera’s back open and I played all day. I made my brother pose and act in front of the camera the entire time — not that I’d see much since it just worked on the principle of the pin-hole camera, but I did want a real subject to pose. It was a manual camera with no auto forward. So after some clicks the paper roll would come to an end and had to be reinserted.

I bought the Nikon D80 in the early half of 2008. I had another not-so-serious Nikon film camera earlier which I rarely used — no fun clicking and not knowing what you shot, unless you spend the rest of the film shooting the walls and the sky and rush to have it developed. I made around 60K pictures with the D80.

I bought the Sony RX1 in 2013 and have made quite a few good ones with that as well. However as you know my primary job is to design websites for my clients and that’s my bread and butter. I never got a chance to make a proper collection. However recently I was thinking of a gift for a friend of mine and I decided I’d make a collage of some of my non-personal photos. So very quickly I rushed through my collections and narrowed down on these.

RX1 35mm 1/80 sec, f/2, ISO 10000

The famous Gwalior fort has been photographed from many angles and by so many photographers that it’s almost become a cliche. I never planned to get this shot. This was shot with the RX1 when the light-and-sound show was in progress. The high ISO of RX1, the dynamic range and the bit-depth all came together to make this a unique one. The scene is so dynamic and RX1 was even able to capture the blue in the sky even though shooting a bright subject.

Nikon D80, 18-200mm@120mm 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100

A sunset… one of the many sunsets I’ve shot. I seem to have so many sunsets in my collections that now I consciously avoid photographing them. I don’t play with white-balance for these. I just turn down the exposure compensation to a negative value (-2 or lower) to get the saturated colors. Else you see the sun is high and so bright that it will totally wash away the scene.

Nikon D80 18-200mm@200mm, 1/6 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. Handheld.

The moon behind a coconut tree while I was enjoying the beach breeze in Goa.

Nikon D80 18-200mm@200mm 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100, -1.3EV

My first sunset photograph before I became a sunset expert. I waited for an hour at Gwalior fort to get this one right. I like the golden lining on the clouds and the framing that gives it a narrative and context.

RX1 35mm 1/80 sec, f/2, ISO 8000

The common every-night roof-top moon. I played with in-camera white-balance.

RX1 35mm 1/400 sec, f/2, ISO 100

My daughter’s shoes. She was less than a year when these were bought. Women go gaga over this family of pink tones.

RX1 35mm 1/100 sec, f/2, ISO 100, -3EV

At Lonawala on a family holiday.

RX1 35mm 1/80 sec, f/2, ISO 400

An electric Diwali-lamp.

RX1 35mm 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 100

The roots of a tree. I liked the forms and planned to turn it black and white. But I liked it with an emerald touch.

RX1 35mm 1/4000 sec, f/10, ISO 100, -1EV

Another sunset. I planned to have some florals to add a touch of beauty. This is what came out.

Nikon D80 18-200mm@24mm 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100

I was on this beach at Goa and had this leaf figured out. But my son conveniently walks into the scene. I kept this one for the trivia.

Nikon D80 18-200mm@18mm, 1/250s, f/11, ISO100

A boat ride. I chose it for the colors.

Nikon D80 18-200mm@200mm, 1/640s, f/5.6, ISO100, -0.7EV

Some flowers.

Nikon D80 18-200mm@170mm, 1/1000s, f/5.6, ISO100, -1EV

Some more flowers.

Nikon D80 18-200mm@200mm, 1/640s, f/5.6, ISO100, -2EV

A lotus. It had been plucked by someone and was handheld when I took the shot. You’d discover an ant at the top of the stem on careful inspection.

Nikon D80 18-200mm@200mm, 1/4000s, f/5.6, ISO100, -2EV

The Tighra dam reservoir. I went for the golden waters.

Nikon D80 18-200mm@18mm, 1/200s, f/3.5, ISO100

Some rocks on a beach at Goa.

RX1 35mm 1/80 sec, f/8, ISO 640, -2EV

Another sunset. I tried to capture the beautiful tones instead of the sun.

RX1 35mm 1/80 sec, f/2, ISO 3200

I was returning from the country-side when I saw this fire in the field. I loved the combination of the deep blue and the orange.

RX1 35mm 1/400 sec, f/8, ISO 100, -2EV

Another sunset.

RX1 35mm 1/2000 sec, f/2, ISO 100

Oops. Yet again.

RX1 35mm 1/80 sec, f/2, ISO 25600

I had walked 20kms and finally climbed a hill to reach the Tighra reservoir. What I reached was a moon smiling from behind the beautiful florals.

RX1 35mm 1/10 sec, f/2, ISO 25600

This is what the reservoir looked like when climbing down. The spiral adds to the composition.

RX1 35mm 1/2000 sec, f/2, ISO 100, -3EV

The last sunset in this collection. I promise.

RX1 35mm 1/80 sec, f/8, ISO 3200

It looked like a normal pond on a cold, breezy, clouded, chilly, winter day. Then I played with white-balance.

RX1 35mm 1/80 sec, f/2, ISO 1250

Car tail-lights.

RX1 35mm 1/1250 sec, f/2, ISO 100

A lotus.

RX1 35mm 1/80 sec, f/2, ISO 250

A saree (dress) I bought for my lovely wife.

RX1 35mm 1/80 sec, f/2, ISO 640

My violin.

RX1 35mm 1/80 sec, f/2, ISO 250

Some “rakhis” displayed hanging at a shop.

RX1 35mm 1/640 sec, f/2, ISO 100

I’ll leave you with some flowers.

Time and again some readers have questioned my skills as a photographer. I’ve also been declared as an internet expert. Let’s just say I’m not a pro. But I hope you’d agree I do get lucky sometimes. I hope you enjoyed these. Please do share these with your friends and let me know which ones you like.

Have you tried shooting the portraits against the sun? Most of us simply drop this idea because shooting against the sun is quite tricky. However professionals embrace the beauty of this natural source of light in multiple ways; artistic lens flare being one of them.
This creative lighting technique does a wonderful job in photographing the portraits with a difference. Instead of just employing selective focus or using soft focus filter for photographing people, you can create some quite interesting and impressive portrait shots by mastering the lens flare.
Here are 20 beautiful examples of how professional portrait photographers and photography enthusiasts achieve hazy, surreal vintage effect through otherwise unwanted lens flare.

1. Rebecca ’13
   
2. Beauty Flare
   
3. Adam I
   
4. Into The Glare Of The Sunset
   
5. Bethany
   
6. Silvia
   
7. 16
   
8. Summer Haze
   
9. The way summer feels
   
10. Kenzie & Hillary
    
11. Mel
    
12. Taylor And Dana
    
13. 77/365
    
14. Yeah
    
15. Kenzie
    
16. Wedding Bubble
    
17. Life Is What Happens While You Are Busy Making Other Plans
    
18. Tania
    
19. Nostalgia
    
20. Snow_6
    

This soft, faded effect is simply mind-blowing either working with portraits or simply any other subject. We have just scratched the surface in this post. Watch out this space for an upcoming post on photographing the portraits into the sun to get awesome lens flares.

Have you ever picked up your camera and went out on city streets to explore the wonderful opportunity of photographing people and events — with no specific plan in mind? If not, this is the right time to do it. Photographing on street is a fun in itself. Even when you don’t have absolute control over composition, lighting and posing, you can still get some amazing & interesting shots. The best part of street photography is perhaps the ability to unfold unique stories. And here we have some of the awesome stories to share with you in form of these interesting street photographs. It was quite amazing to discover that rangefinder photographers love to capture all that rush, activities and madness going on the streets. Check them out here!

1. Cycle Rider
   
2. Urban Shelters
   
3. Street Lights
   
4. Street Shooting
   
5. Cigar Humor
   
6. Mardi Gras
   
7. Daniel Devenport
   
8. Girl Waking Man
   
9. Waiting For The Tram
   
10. See The Contrast
    
11. Band Of Brothers
    
12. Dear Dog
    
13. I Am Not Perfect, But Neither Are You
    
14. Levitating Monk
    
15. Waiting For The Last Tramway
    
16. Behind You
    
17. The Family Outing
    
18. Side By Side In The Rain
    
19. Simon Cowell’s Got Talent
    
20. Reflections
    
21. Elderly Woman’s Hands
    
22. Vespa Scooter
    
23. San Francisco
    
24. New World
    
25. Devil
    
26. Night Stroll
    
27. Raindrops Keep Falling
    
28. Der Innovative Mobilist
    
29. Solo
    
30. Some Days Last Longer Than Needed
    

Hope you liked the images. We also have an awesome collection of enthralling street photographs here. Check them out as well and don’t forget to share your Flickr links in comments.

Photography can never be imagined without lighting. Light is the soul of photography. It has always been human’s intent to know in detail about the factors affecting the subject matter. Photography being more an art than the science, artists are more concerned about practicing the art, than knowing the ins and outs of what’s happening behind the scenes. Here are 15 examples of beautiful lighting.

1. Light Cloud In The Dark Sky
   The photographer said about this photo:”This light cloud was appearing on very dark sky so suddenly, that everything around was in such a strange light….I could only get some shots…and so suddenly it was away and the sky was dark as before…what was it, phenomenon of Nature or something else? I’ve a bit saturated for more effect…it was totally white…”

   

2. Strong Light Through Clouds Above Field
   
3. Light Over Low Dense Trees
   
4. Light in Evening
   
5. Lighting On Trees In Parks
   
6. Building Lighting
   
7. Rainbow Light At Horizon
   
8. Light At Sun-Set
   
9. Light Clouds
   
10. Light Rays In Morning
    
11. Lighting At Bridge
    
12. Light Pods
    
13. Water Fountain Light at Night Garden
    
14. Light Around The Middle Of The Photo
    
15. Light At The Middle Of The Photo
    

Share Your Photographs With Interesting Effects
Feel free to share your photographs in our Flickr Group APN-readers and drop us a comment.

Birds are the most agile creature. Photographing birds require a lot of patience, observation and practice. But that’s not all. It also needs you to equip yourself with proper technique and long lenses. While the equipment itself costs you dearly for photographing the birds, the other challenges include getting the light right, snapping the composition and capturing the action of birds on flight. And here you get some beautiful photographs of the birds. Check them out here!

1. Bird On A Wire
   
2. Surfin Bird
   
3. A Pair Of Brown Pelicans
   
4. Mocking Bird
   
5. Long Billed Curlew Bird
   
6. Ghost Bird
   
7. Sideways
   
8. White Peacock Again
   
9. Ready
   
10. Tickell’s Blue Flycacther
    
11. Para Vos
    
12. Bird On A Peer
    
13. La Elegancia De Los Cisnes
    
14. Touching Heaven
    
15. O Bem Te Vi
    
16. Great Egret
    
17. Praying
    
18. Canada Geese
    
19. Jonge Koolmees
    
20. Solitude
    
21. Gulls Into The Sunset
    
22. Hummingbird Portrait
    
23. Guess Who Got It
    
24. Play Nice
    
25. Birds
    
26. The Drongo Love
    
27. Coney Island Bird Man
    
28. Bird On A Wire
    
29. Iguassu Falls
    
30. Hummingbird
    
31. Bird Duck Mallard
    
32. Green Bea Eater
    
33. Notes Of A Rock Song
    
34. Lake Onatrio Swan
    
35. Make Way
    

Watch out this space for tips of photographing the birds.

Visual arts is highly influenced by the creativity of an artist. And that is why most of the times it is debated that the camera doesn’t matter, it is the skill, talent and art of an artist that comes to foreplay. While composition and lighting form the founding pillars of photography, photographer’s vision and imagination lets the magic happen. This magic can take you to the real life fine details and the same magic can take you to the surreal world — the dreamy world of imaginations.

Surrealism by its very nature is mostly contradicted with photo-manipulations. But here I’m talking of natural photographs that heighten unnatural theme — the dreamy world of beauty not visited by anyone. Sometimes employing HDR, other times simply utilizing the natural light effects during haze, fog, etc or sometimes times just retouching the images for subtle effects like split toning can greatly help in heightening the sense of surrealism.

Surreal images have a unique power of attraction that invite you to explore the world of dreams and imagination. Also, it is a unique idea to get creative and artsy. So, how about getting started with some inspiration for surreal photography.

1. Dream Island
   
2. Gran Vía 100
   
3. The Early Birds
   
4. Less Is Blue
   
5. Gefroren
   
6. Soon The Day Will Be Gone
   
7. Surreal
   
8. Off The Beaten Path
   
9. Morning Spirit
   
10. Till The End Of Time
    
11. Under Ice
    
12. Une Visite Sous Leau
    
13. Sunset Dreamer
    
14. Il Disco Si Apre
    
15. Visions
    
16. The Distant Mist
    
17. A Dip Anyone
    
18. Ghost Hill By The Ghost Lake
    
19. Routine Doesn’t Have To Be Boring
    
20. The Lunatics
    
21. Black Beach
    
22. Face It
    
23. Surreal!
    
24. A Soft Summer Night In The Marsh
    
25. Morning, Coffee, Yellowstone, Fog
    
26. Falling Into Sky
    
27. Forest Dream
    
28. Underground Shopping
    
29. Shiny Day
    
30. Moonlit Beach
    

Cute expressions, funny acts, lovely smile, lively eyes, supermodel looks, free-some world, what more — This is the beautiful world of the kids. They make you laugh at the stupid things they do and capturing such moments is the reward for the lifetime. So, what are you waiting for? Just get ready with your camera and shoot and shoot and shoot! This is what the child photographers do most of the time — they follow the chase to the fun world of the kids to fill the frame with heart melting expressions — their sincerity,  their innovative spirit, their dedication, their curiosity, their thoughtfulness,  their happiness, their shyness and the list goes on! Check out the result — 101 Interesting Child Photographs

1. Junior Fry Cook
   
2. Party Girl
   
3. After The Fall
   
4. Kissing Momma
   
5. Hello Kitty
   
6. Mine, All Mine
   
7. My Dad Says It Makes Me Look Clever — DOES IT?
   
8. Lost In Thought
   
9. The Artist
   
10. Marcus Can’t Beat Mommy Off With A Stick
    
11. If You Smack Me… I’ll Smack You Back
    
12. Tranquil
    
13. Untitled
    
14. The Number 8
    
    
15. Ten-10 And Tyler
    
16. Is That Me
    
17. Shay N Lucy
    
18. A Late Summer Ride
    
19. Just A Dude
    
20. Alex Makes A Friend At The Park
    
21. The Future Is In His Eyes
    
22. Lilah, Close
    
23. Serious Guitarist Is Serious
    
24. Perpetual Astonishment
    
25. Hair
    
26. Little Creations
    
27. First Time At The Met Museum
    
28. Flickr Colors
    
29. My Personal Russian Doll
    
30. Mud
    
31. Alex Celebrates His Birthday
    
32. Toddler Senior Picture Pose
    
33. She Wanna Be A Supermodel
    
34. Hana
    
35. Renad – Shy
    
36. Staying Alive
    
37. Innocence Of A Child
    
38. My Heart Belongs To You
    
39. Child Crying In The Shadows
    
40. Aggravation When The Dream Doesn’t Go As Planned…
    
41. 10-10-10 At The Park
    
42. Daniela
    
43. My Little Darlings
    
44. Vintage Inspired Scalloped Hat
    
45. Hugging Charlie
    
46. Barrel Bathing
    
47. Time To Explore
    
48. Balloon
    
49. Curious Caleb
    
50. Isobella And The Melody
    
51. Aisy Papasan
    
52. Linnea In The Leaves
    
53. My Awesome Iil Cousin
    
54. Donde Esteas Mami
    
55. Testing Mom’s Glasses
    
56. Child
    
57. Children
    
58. Imon And Me Sunday
    
59. Thoughtful
    
60. The Morning Hug
    
61. Siblings On The Path
    
62. Chaya
    
63. Dude, I’m Already Late… Lama Is Gonna Kill Me
    
64. Free
    
65. Underdog
    
66. Kids On The Bus
    
67. Kids
    
68. Happy Girls Under A Rainbow
    
69. Run Free
    
70. When I Ruled The World
    
71. When Do The Rainbows Get Here
    
72. Joaquin Y Sus 9 Meses
    
73. Ivy And Sweetiepie
    
74. I’m Loving This Bed
    
75. Cute Baby
    
76. Thwarted
    
77. Carpe Diem
    
78. What A Strange, Beautiful World
    
79. God Angel
    
80. Soap Bubbles
    
81. View With The Heart
    
82. Kid On A Bike With No Pedals
    
83. Jungle Kids
    
84. When A Kid Smiles
    
85. Portrait
    
86. Hallie
    
87. The Bubble’s The Thing
    
88. Cullen No4
    
89. Cameron
    
90. Cullen No2
    
91. My New Assistant
    
92. Summer Bouquet
    
93. My Son In The Autumn Forest
    
94. Street Portrait
    
95. Delicate
    
96. I,m Over Here
    
97. Curious Look
    
98. Oli Pestanitas
    
99. Harris At Library
    
100. Ouch
     
101. Hats Of Baby
     

Kids are simply adorable. Check out some more child photographs here: 80 beautiful photographs of cute kids.

Golden hour — the magical light, amazing colors and breathtaking natural scenery; offer the three composites that make up for great photographs almost all the time. The majestic beauty of golden hour adds glow to just about anything, be it landscape shots, portrait photographs or wondrous seascapes. Check out for yourself!

Go through the examples, refer to our article on golden hour, turn on your creative gears and you are all set to photograph the magical appeal of the golden hour. Give it a try!

1. Tesla Trees
   
2. Glasshouse Mountain Sunset
   
3. Silence In Golden Hours
   
4. Golden Sails
   
5. Golden Hour
   
6. The Elysium Fields
   
7. Royal Ride In The Golden Sand
   
8. A Moment In Time
   
9. Before Sunrise
   
10. New Visions
    
11. Speckles Of Sunshine
    
12. Worldwide Photowalk
    
13. Por Do Sol “The Golden Hour”
    
14. Hours Pass Like Centuries
    
15. Last Of The Light
    

Like them? The share them on Facebook Twitter Or just Pin them! Don’t forget to experience the mystic beauty of blue hour photography. Check out the blue hour photography tips and get ready to kill three birds with the same arrow: golden hour photography, sunset photography and awesome blue hour photography. Threesome!

Cute pictures of kids, toddlers and pets impress everyone. More than imaging techniques, what matters the most with these innocent creatures of god is “capturing the moment” — the moment filled with love, care and lots of emotions. All these things make up for brilliant photographs, especially when the subject itself is God’s own creation — infants and newborn babies. Here are 31 adorable flickr pics of newborn babies.

1. Newborn
   
2. Baby Booties
   
3. Cadence Newborn
   
4. The Newborn Face
   
5. Newborn Bubby
   
6. Toes
   
7. One Month
   
8. Bathed In Light
   
9. My Niece
   
10. Baby Faith
    
11. Baby Yawning
    
12. Little Baby
    
13. Protection
    
14. The Most Natural Pose
    
15. Bundled
    
16. Tiny Foot
    
17. Sleep Like A Baby
    
18. Little Hands
    
19. Geborgenheit
    
20. Chloe
    
21. Three Days Old
    
22. Feet
    
23. Deep Sleep
    
24. Snug As A Bug
    
25. Mommy & Baby
    
26. Baby C
    
27. Baby Feet
    
28. Can’t Let Go
    
29. Maia
    
30. Wombed Again
    
31. Studio Portrait
    

Watch out this space for some amazing tips to get started with newborn photography. Meanwhile, let us know which one is your favorite?

Simple things are often more beautiful, elegant and bold. But achieving the simplicity in itself is an art — an art of expression where less is more. Lesser words and more impact, lesser clutter and more of an effect. Well I am not here to give you tips about zen life like Leo Babauta, zenhabits.net fame, but to share with you some simply beautiful photographs that explicitly add to the interest, mood and expression of an image. Check out for yourself and give your creativity a zen advantage for a variety in your photo-collection.

1. Life
   
2. Feet On The Beach
   
3. Una De Flores
   
4. Light Curves
   
5. Gazing Out To Sea
   
6. The Inlines
   
7. Thieves Are At Work At This Cinema
   
8. Seasons
   
9. Japanese People Call This Art Nature
   
10. Untitled
    
11. The Spine
    
12. The Do Stay Just A Little Bit More
    
13. A World Of Its Own
    
14. I Have You With Me
    
15. Boat And Rope
    
16. It’s About Time
    
17. Lonely Tree
    
18. Just My Glasses
    
19. Fulla
    
20. Reeds
    
21. Breathing In The City
    
22. My Solitude Enlightens Me…
    
23. Monsoon
    
24. Silence
    
25. Flores Rojas
    

Wow, simple things are really quite effective, just like these photographs. Some of the pics unfold the joy of silence while others recite the hollowness of loneliness. What more? Check out the article on simplicity and minimalism for some quick tips and photography ideas to add value to your art with Simplicity & Minimalism.

Have you tried out instagram as yet? Amazing filters, cool retro effect and amazing vintage style effects add a classic touch to the photographs. Then there is another iPhone app called Hipstamatic, that brings back the look, feel, unpredictable beauty and fun of plastic toy cameras from the past. Looking at the usage stats, ratings and reviews — people are just going crazy for these apps. The reason being — The Lomo Effect.

The lomo effect is nothing but the imperfect photographic look achieved through cheap toy cameras with plastic lens. The amazing part of the story is that the fan-following of lomography is largely owing to its inherent lo-fi quality. Overly saturated colors, vignetting effect, strange light leaks, lots of noise and grain add dramatic effects to the images. But there is a twist to the tale. When photographing with lomo cameras, expect the unexpected. You never know when will the light leaks, multiple exposures, split lenses and saturated colors work wonders for you.

So, get ready with the lomo camera in your hand and keep your fingers crossed to fill the frame with beautiful effects, like the ones in the collection below.

By the way, did I tell you that you can mimic and replicate the lomo effect in Photoshop and Lightroom as well. When your iPhone and Android powered phones can allow you to do so, there is a whole lot of things you can do in Photoshop and Lightroom. Watch out the stunning examples of lomo photography here and explore more about lomo photography in the following links:

• An Introduction To Lomography.
• 75+ Lightroom Presets For Beautiful Lomo Effect Off-camera.

1. Diana
   
2. Leelanau Tart
   
3. Lomo Bike
   
4. Lomo Buddha
   
5. Lomo Drop
   
6. Broom
   
7. First Comet Goldy Fishy
   
8. 2 Lil Cats Hiding
   
9. An Intimidating Composition Lomo
   
10. As The Sun Sets
    
11. Caught In The Tractor Beem
    
12. Glaswegian Rats View
    
13. In The Princess’s Bed
    
14. Lomo LCA+
    
15. Lomo Grass
    
16. Lomo Sticks
    
17. Lomo-ish
    
18. Lomo-Tejo
    
19. Olha O Mar
    
20. Parasol
    
21. Lomo LC-A+
    
22. Patterns Emerge
    
23. Pretty In Pink
    
24. Putrajaya Bridge
    
25. Stand Up Paddle Sunset
    
26. Supersampler Debut
    
27. The Sunset Factory
    
28. Lomo Effect
    
29. The Way To Freedom
    
30. Turbine Hall
    
31. Untitled Instrument
    
32. Untitled
    
33. Wheel Of Fortune
    
34. You Still Bloomed In Songs
    
35. Zone-3
    

Wow! it’s amazing to capture the essence of life that too with a variety of lomo cameras available at Lomography stores. Want to learn more about Lomography; check out the links below:

• An Introduction To Lomography.
• 75+ Lightroom Presets For Beautiful Lomo Effect Off-camera.

Photographing water droplets can really be addictive. Especially when capturing beautiful serenity of background or foregorund elements in tiny water droplets. Try it out! You will ultimately fall in love with the simple physics of the water droplets — REFRACTIONS!!!

Harold Davis, Steve Wall, Lord V, Evan Leeson, Macorlin have captured some of the finest examples of water droplets refractions. Speechless, is what these wonderful pics make you feel. Check out for yourself! Here are 51 handpicked water droplet refraction photographs. Each photograph is a perfect instance of unique colors, reflections, refractions and creates magical sensation in its own right.

1. Water Jewell
   
2. Catching Fire
   
3. Double Sumac Bokeh
   
4. Explored
   
5. Orange Drops
   
6. Pens
   
7. Rain Drops
   
8. Unseen Realm
   
9. Refraction
   
10. Springtime Refracted
    
11. Amber Rain
    
12. Back Garden
    
13. California Blues
    
14. Chihuli Blown Glass Chandelier
    
15. Coca-Cola
    
16. Lovely Refraction
    
17. Dandelions in Dandelions
    
18. Double Refraction
    
19. Dripping Paint
    
20. Drop Flower
    
21. Elemental
    
22. Natural Selection
    
23. Floating Hope
    
24. Flowery Drops
    
25. For Icekitty
    
26. Green Slice
    
27. Hang The Sun From A Stem Of Dried Glass
    
28. Heather Up Close
    
29. Iris In A Drop
    
30. Many Paths Of Light
    
31. Monday Morning
    
32. More Wildness
    
33. Mostly Green
    
34. Multitasking Drop
    
35. My Drop Has Bees
    
36. Natural Refractions
    
37. Om Mani Padme Hum
    
38. Verity Drops
    
39. Paper Crane Drops
    
40. Accept That There Are Many Perspectives
    
41. Poppy Leaf Refraction
    
42. Orchid Bloom Reflection In Waterdroplet
    
43. Primrose Refraction
    
44. Rose Drop
    
45. Small Planet In A Fuzz Universe
    
46. The Other Side Of The Refractory
    
47. Tiny Worlds
    
48. Purple Primroses
    
49. Meecan: The Wildflowers Of Beacon Hill Park
    
50. Zero Gravity
    
51. The Drops Are Taking Over
    

Which one is your favorite?

Focus stacking is an artistic technique for creating wonderful macro shots. Increased depth of field and sharp focus ultimately adds to the beauty of macro shots. The magic of focus stacking introduces the WOW factor to your artistic macro photography.

While the previous post was about the technique — focus stacking technique, here are some of the finest samples, examples and photographers’ experiments for creating sharp, crisp and focused images with image / focus stacking. Check out for yourself how photographers have implemented this technique to make their macro shots simply pop.

1. Focus Stacked Hibiscus: There’s just one thing that strikes in the mind when you look at this image — Efforts pay off. This beautiful image created by Rex Boggs by implying the focus stacking technique in Photoshop CS5 is a grand opening for this collection.
   
2. Focus Stacking: Amazing shot, Jocelyn’s first attempt at focus stacking by superimposing about 27 images to make the water droplet stand out distinctly.
   
3. Focus Stacked Close-up: Brilliant details, attractive colors and profound composition gives distinct identity to the Kain Kalju’s creation — a super-fine image created by manually stacking 4 frames with varying focal points.
   
4. Clarity: This image by Zorin Denu is created by stacking 9 images in Helicon Focus, an effective alternative to Photoshop and CombineZP.
   
5. Bee Eye: Can you make out what does this photograph portray? It’s an eye of the deceased bee. Photographer Jasper Nance has created this image by stacking 50 images,  shot by varying the focal plane. Rest is what image speaks out itself — abstract and transcendental composition.
   
6. Daylily: This stunning macro has all of it — crisp and sharp textures, exact details, accurate colors and a high depth of field. Overall it is an outstanding work of art created by Eric Begin.
   
7. Bearded Iris Up Close And Personal: Through this image and several others developed through focus stacking, Bill Gracey implicitly portrays his love for high depth of field macro shots; the ones with fine details and superb textures.
   
8. Tulipa Stamen: The very first comment to this photograph reads “Beautiful Focus” and this is what sets this image apart. This image is created by Thomas Bresson by aligning and stacking 21 images in CombineZP.
   
9. Focus Stacked Hoverfly: Smooth background and sharp hoverfly is what adds an element of the interest to this photograph. Wade Franklin has successfully created an impressive focus-stacked macro, from three frames using CombineZ5.
   
10. Tulip Texture: The photographer Eric Bjerke has achieved this artistic photograph by stacking four images with CombineZP.
    
11. Backlit Tulip Interior: One more stunning shot by Bill Gracey. Superb backlighting and two images with varying focal point give final shape to the striking texture in the image.
    
12. Daisy DOF Stack: The sharp and focused water droplets are a result of dof / focus stacking of 16 images. This image is created by Crouchy69.
    
13. Down Feather Stack: The fine texture of the feather is resulted from 17 images stacked by Jasper Nance.
    
14. Lilaceae Sp: Crisp, sharp and fine details of the image is achieved by assembling / stacking 24 images in CombineZP by Thomas Bresson.
    
15. Stamens Close-up: Close, personal and abstract are the key terms that beautify this image. Along with it, the warm colors and subtle lines draw the eye towards the center point of the composition — the fragile stamen of the flower. This image by Kain Kalju has quite of an artistic appeal to it and thus among other Flickr collections, this photograph has been included in the group called Artistic Flower Photos.
    

How about getting your hands to focus stacking? Check out the article on focus stacking here to learn more about this amazing technique.

Looking forward to have some great pictures in your collection — it’s time to shoot the seascapes. Seascape photography is a whole world of new experiments and experiences with ever changing landscape, light and mood.

Dusk and dawn, twilight shots, long exposures, overlapping stones, foams of water, striking waves and the art of capturing the true colors of nature — all play a dominant role in making seascape photographs simply superb. Check out for yourself! Here are 50 stunning examples of seascape photographs shot at different times of the day with varying techniques and composition tricks to take you by surprise.

1. Where I Belong
   
2. En Blanco Y Negro
   
3. A Square One
   
4. Sea Heart
   
5. Rise N Shine
   
6. Somewhere
   
7. November Dawn
   
8. The One And Only East
   
9. Dreamy Scape
   
10. Colorful Cornwall
    
11. Lands End Light
    
12. Passing Storm
    
13. Keyboard Beach
    
14. Sunrise Off The Bow
    
15. The Calm
    
16. Light On The Mount
    
17. Skyline Speedboat
    
18. Forgotten
    
19. Stay Wild
    
20. Morning Rush
    
21. Another Morning Shot
    
22. El Lastron II
    
23. Toothed
    
24. Genesis
    
25. Bluevia
    
26. Windy Day At Sennen Cove
    
27. 30 Seconds Of Sunrise
    
28. Black Beach
    
29. Night Scape
    
30. Porthcurno Light
    
31. Movement 9
    
32. Olatuz Olatu
    
33. Music Of The Night
    
34. 
35. Playa De Aguilar
    
36. Saturn
    
37. Sea, Earth And Fire
    
38. Erie Bluffs
    
39. The Last Line Of Defence
    
40. El Silencio
    
41. Blue Planet
    
42. Stand By Me
    
43. Priest’s Cove After Sunset
44. Red Morning Surf
    
45. The Blue Lagoon
    
46. Godrevy
    
47. Receding Fog
    
48. Forresters Colours At Dusk
    
49. Mounts Bay
    
50. Silk | Vertorama
    

Have you tried seascape photography yet? Share your beautiful seascape pictures with us.

Macro photography can be real fun. Macro photography brings out the fineness and detail which is not usually seen by the human eye. It enables you to capture close-ups of plants, flowers, animals and tiny insects with beauty and fineness. It lets you zoom into the new world of tiny subjects. The subject being larger than life definitely adds to the fun. Here are 10 beautiful examples of  macro photography.

1. Sonnentau (Drosera) Macro Detail photo
   
2. iPhoneography: Dandelion Macro I
   
3. Duvalia caespitosa X Huernia pillansii hybrid flower macro
   
4. Huernia clavigera X Huernia pillansii hybrid flower (Huernia distincta) – Extreme Macro
   
5. Tiny Echidnopsis cereiformis flower & buds – Extreme Macro
   
6. Macro planets
   
7. Super Macro Eye
   
8. Ladybug Macro
   
9. Macro
   
10. Macro Raindrops 5
    

Want to learn how to shoot macro photography? Here are some links to get started:

• Tips for better macro photography
• 5 unusual techniques for taking beautiful macro shots