Firewood

The beach had white soft sands. Laterite rocks on the beach caught the eye. Waves crashed against the rocks and swirled around them. Wet sands reflected colours of the setting sun.
The photo was at #35 on 4 June 2014 on Flickr Explore.
Location
The beach is at Payyambalam in Kannur, Kerala. The rocks are at one end of the beach. There were not many people at that spot which made my job a little easier.
Technical Info
I got a good depth of field with an aperture of f/8. Although focal length was 5.2 mm, I had to bring the shutter speed down to 1/30 sec because light was low. Metering mode was evaluative. No flash was used.
My latest photo on Flickr made it to Explore. Its rank in Flickr Explore is no. 33 as of 13 June 2014. The choice that I had to make when I shot this image was whether I should use a narrow aperture or a high shutter speed. I had to make the decision because sun was very bright. I chose to go with a high shutter speed as that gave the right feel to the picture.
Location
The location is Vasai where I saw this old tree near a salt pan. There were no leaves on the tree and the silhouette was intriguing.
Camera Info
The camera is Canon EOS 550D. The metering mode was centre-weighted average. Shutter speed was 1/500 sec. Aperture was set to f/9.
When you point the camera directly at the sun, the harsh bright light is overwhelming. Here the light has been managed with a narrow aperture of f/16. This also brings the whole frame into sharp focus. The silhouettes of a long line of trees are clearly seen. The sun is partly covered by dark clouds and light from the sun bursts out from behind clouds.
Location
I captured the image last month in Vasai, Maharashtra. It was beyond 7 in the evening and the sun was close to the horizon. It was a sultry day and the warm colours in the sky show this.
Camera Data
Focal length was 55 mm and ISO was at 100. Metering mode was Evaluative and camera settings were Manual.
Sun Behind The Clouds Read More »
I am a beginner as far as flash photography goes. So I chose the 430EX II above the Canon 600 RX-RT which costs twice as much. One thing that the 430 EX II does not do is control slave flash units.
Flipkart delivered the flash the next day after I ordered it. I went through the operator manual. But it gives only basic information. So I had to search the internet for practical guidance.
Even though it is not compact, I am happy with my Canon 430EX II.
Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash Review Read More »