In its tune “Clouds,” the Manhatten Transfer sings “See the white and fluffy clouds adore the sun….” You can actually see the sun, presumably adored by the clouds, in the upper left of this shot. Late this morning, as I was taking photos of the fluffy clouds in Newcastle, my lens pointed directly into the sun, I heard a voice ask how I could get a photo with the lens facing the sun. I found myself telling this stranger about the exposure triangle and demonstrating the differences that changing the aperture and shutter speed made in the shot. When he asked if I was a professional photographer, I told him “no, but I’m good enough to be one.” Is that chutzpah, or what? I was actually quite proud of my self for telling him that.
I took this shot with my 24-70mm lens at maximum zoom, set at ISO 100, f/22, 1/400. But, I enhanced this shot using new software that just arrived in my inbox from onOne Software, a photo editing program I received as a freebee for attending an Adobe Lightroom class in December. I haven’t taken the time to read anything about it. I just selected one of the preset adjustments I liked (I have already forgotten what it was), reduced the effect a bit, and saved. I like the dark, broodiness of this shot, although the actual sky was not as dark looking in reality.
Oh beautiful (for spacious skies) ! Really nice! You just now got the software??? I got mine the day of the seminar- and recently purchased the upgrade (much better layout). Did they give you the upgrade for FREE? I have really enjoyed playing with it- although haven’t used it to its full capability.