Beach huts, Southwold, August 28 2005
[FZ20: 1/400, f4, ISO 80]

I don't like this shot particularly - it doesn't do anything for me but it's sadly one of the better ones from a disappointing day's shooting. I like coastal themes, but I ended up in Southwold at completely the wrong time of day for the shots I was after. I'm beginning to find that I'm a lot more comfortable working on abstract detail rather than opening the field of view right up and still creating a strong image - something for me to work on! I had read up, planned routes and was really looking forward to photographing the Notting Hill Carnival at the weekend but I wasn't able to go in the end, which was a real disappointment. I was hoping to be able to add some strong imagery to my portfolio (which feels light on subject matter right now) and post several examples here. I'm now on the look out for another cultural event that I can try to capture.

Carcassone airport roadsigns
[FZ20: 1/400, f4, ISO 80]

I was playing around with the camera and the telephoto lens whilst waiting for the ludicrously long hire car queue to disipate. Did a few basic contrast adjustments (and a slight straighten) in Picasa before posting.

Garden Flower, June 19, 2005
[FZ20: 1/60, f6.5, ISO 100, fill-in flash]

Exposure isn't great, but I like the detail of the stamen that got captured, and the little highlight's caused by the flash. Processed with the all in one "I'm Feeling Lucky" contrast/colour balance/brightness fix-up in Picasa 2, for a quick and dirty improvement.

Fountain, Carcasonne, France. May 2005
[FZ20: 1/500, f5.2, ISO 80]

Taken in the central square in the new town. I like the texture of the water ripples and the colour contrast with the red marble surround. A family of camels were stood next to me when I took this - bizarre!

Old friends, Barcelona, August 2005
[FZ20: 1/100, f3.7, ISO80].

I wanted to play around with some colouration effects on this shot, but can't quite get Photoshop to do what I want yet (PS novice!). I'll keep trying and repost if I'm happy with a final effect

B&W trunk and branches, Bayhurst Wood
[FZ20: 1/15, f/2.8, ISO80]

This shot was processed to b&w using the RGB channel mixer layer in PS CS2. The contrast is almost how I wanted it, but I'm going to try the highly recommended "Convert To B&W Pro" plugin to see if the results are any better.

Moss on felled tree, Bayhurst Wood, Hertfordshire, UK
[Lumix FZ20: 1/50, f2.8, ISO 80]

I played around (hopefully subtly) with the luminence to get a richer green highlight where the sun was falling on the moss. It's quite nice detail, but I wish I'd taken a better marco detail shot now.

A midtown New York breakfast, June 2005

This was taken on my (then) new Sony Ericsson K750i mobile phone. I believe it's the first phone to market with a 2 megapixel sensor. It's a great little toy - I'm now never without a camera at my side! :)

Doves in courtyard, Boulogne, France. July 2005
[Lumix FZ20: 1/80, f2.8, ISO80]

Abstract leaves, Boulogne, France
[Lumix FZ20: 1/320, f4, ISO 80]

I like the highlights on the leaves in this shot. It's a fairly good exposure - better than any of the detail varitions I took at the same time.