Category: Christmas

Candles and a nativity

By cpadmin

Candles and a nativity. The black metal frame of a candle lit nativity scene was a Christmas present in 2019. It contains a nightlight holder and the light from that holder shines over the manger/crib. To light the scene further I have used a larger multi-coloured candle. The rainbow colours of this candle light the whole area around the nativity scene. The wall behind the candles also takes on a different glow, depending upon how dark it is.

Candle lit nativity
Lens ball nativity
Candle lit nativity

Early one evening the candle produced a purple glow, subsequently the glow became more orange and red.

The whole process has been one of experimentation. I have had the nativity scene with and without electric light, with and without a lens ball. The lens ball has been moved backwards and forwards.  A freezer in our extension was a convenient place to capture these images. However its white lid caused unwanted reflections. Towels and other material enabled me to avoid the reflections in the candles and a nativity images.

The Compass Photography Group Website has lots more of our images captured all over the world. Take a look at the site www.compassphotography.co.uk

Multi-coloured candle through lens ball

By cpadmin

Multi-coloured candle through lens ball

These images show a multi-coloured candle shot through a lens ball in the dark. The candle was originally most of the colours of the rainbow. Over the last two years of intermittent use it is burning down. The head of the candle has formed a bowl which houses liquid wax. The image you see is the work of two evenings playing with different settings. By that I mean different camera settings of course. Additionally I was also moving the lens ball and the candle around, standing them on different bases and trying different amounts of light. I tried the lens ball close to the candle and then at a distance. Getting the candle sharp whilst shooting through the lens ball was also a challenge.

  • Multi-coloured candle through lens ball
    The original image with the candle defying gravity
  • Multi-coloured candle through lens ball
    The final image cut to square with the ball spun round and

Once I had a decent image in Lightroom, the candle is still defying gravity and burning upside down. I therefore put the image through Photoshop and spun the centre part of the image with the ball round 180 degrees.

Then back to Lightroom to cut it to square. I hope that you like the multi-coloured candle through lens ball. The original image as shot through the lens ball is also included to show the differences between that shot and the final one. More attempts to follow!

Use this link to look at more of our images https://www.compassphotography.co.uk/

Christmas Candle images

By cpadmin

Christmas candle images shows a number of attempts to capture images of a multicoloured candle in a darkened room. Playing with the camera settings was good fun. Positioning the camera alongside and then above the candle gave different views. See which ones you like best. The three images “from above” are at different heights and two have a central “pin” focus and one a broader “whole frame” focus.

  • Christmas candle images
    From above
  • Christmas candle images
    Closer in, central focus.
  • Christmas candle images
    From above
  • Christmas candle images
    Alongside showing the colours

A nice day out.

By cpadmin

Travelled to Leicester on Wednesday for a nice day out. My hosts took me to Beacon Hill outside the city where the views of the Trent plain are quite remarkable. I’m pleased with the images I managed to capture on my new camera from the top of the hill. It was a really bright day, though cold. On top of the hill there is a very attractive craggy feature pushing out of the landscape. This made a nice panoramic.

A nice day out
Beacon Hill, near Leicester
A nice day out
Craggy outcrop – Beacon Hill

I passed through London St Pancras as I was travelling by train to and from Essex. Captured a few nice nighttime images of the Christmas lights. People playing the pianos create a nice atmosphere in the station. There is however no Christmas tree at the station this year. Last year the tree was awful. This year there is a pink Eiffel Town monstrosity. Why can we not have a traditional tree in this showplace. I have not included a picture of it here, however if you use this link you can see it. All in all it was a nice day out. Two good journeys and lots to do in the middle.

London St Pancras
St Pancras at night

See more of our images at WWW.Compassphotography.co.uk

Christmas Market in Dusseldorf

By cpadmin

Three images from the Christmas Market in Dusseldorf this year. The atmosphere was enchanting, particularly in the evenings when it was busiest. Bands of musicians were playing, the stalls were lit up and everyone was friendly. I particularly like the image of the dog who was on his hind legs to see the customers. The detail on the Christmas decorations are amazing. You can find more information about the markets at https://happytowander.com/dusseldorf-christmas-markets-guide/

  • Christmas Market in Dusseldorf
    Look at the detail here
  • Christmas Market in Dusseldorf
    On a starry night
  • Christmas Market in Dusseldorf
    One man and his dog

Christmas Market in Dusseldorf.

Equipment: Sony SLT-A65V, Tamron 16-300mm

Settings: F3.5 1/50 ISO 200 ity50 \lsdlo