More Light by Barb Dickie

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Nikon d300s and 50mm f/1.4 lens, Manfrotto tripod. The three champagne glasses are filled with sparkling water and placed on a homemade light table. Small Christmas tree lights provide the coloured lights. Homemade bokeh filter alter the shape of the bokehs.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
The final image is a montage of four:
The glasses on the light table (background image) - 50mm 1.4 lens at f2.8, 1/90 sec, iso 400.
Bokeh image 1 (circles - no bokeh filter) - 50mm lens, ISO 400, f/1.4, 1/50 sec (under exposed 2 full stops)
Bokeh image 2 (snowflakes with bokeh filter) - 50mm lens, ISO 400, f/1.4, 1/30 sec (under exposed 2 full stops)
Bokeh image 3 (hearts with bokeh filter) - 50mm lens, ISO 400, f/1.4, 1/20 sec (under exposed 2 full stops)

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Basic adjustments of each of the 4 images made in Lightroom 2. Final montage created in Photoshop 2. All done in layers. Some cloning, opacity reduction, transforming of each bokeh layer.

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
The photo is a festive take on sparkling water.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
It was in answer to Flickr Group “Our Daily Challenge’s” topic – More Light on December 23. I felt that an image making use of a light table with the addition of three different bubble bokehs would qualify as more.

I have been experimenting with my new light table and bokeh filter and thought a montage using the two new tools was in order and Christmas/New Year provides a relevant context. I had seen many images using bokehs as bubbles and thought I would try my hand.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
I kept losing the bubbles in the glasses and I drank the water and refilled but gave up as it was impossible to attain a uniform bubble density. I was thinking if this had been champagne, I never would have completed the image.

Blyth Beach Huts by Steven Warren

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon EOS 450D, Sigma EX 18-50mm

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
F/16, shutter 1/60, ISO 400, focal length 37mm.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Camera Raw used to adjust exposure to give the 'high key' look. Photoshop CS3 used to merge the 12 shots and then add some dodging and burning to improve contrast.

Q4. What is the location?
Blyth, Northumberland, UK

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I had seen these huts a number of times but really wanted to do something different from the norm. I intentionally got as close to the huts as possible to get the extreme fisheye look (that's why it took 12 shots taken in portrait orientation to get it all in). The idea to blow out the sky came to me in post processing as it made the colours pop a little better and gave a nicer minimalist feel to the shot.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
This was meant to be a practice shoot to see if my idea would work. I didn't think the light was right on location and planned to come back just after sunrise so the huts would be front lit, rather than backlit. However, when I finished with the shot I was really pleased with it - sometimes photography just works out like that I guess.

Just Vivid by Marc A. Sporys

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I use a Canon 50D with the 100mm ƒ/2,8 Macro lense, two Sigma 500 DG-S flashguns, an old Osram flash from my dad and of course a lot of pc-cord with some hot-shoes.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
F/14.0, Shutter set to Bulb, ISO Speed at 100 and manual focusing.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
At first, import into Lightroom and some local light adjustments. After the export in Photoshop I added a little sharpness and remove a few drops of color I didn‘t like.

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
These are water-based colors diluted with water for better movement on a small speaker, which is coverd with a white balloon. The color sequence is from a rainbow.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I love colors and I saw something like that at Flickr and I wanted to give it a try and it was a wonderful session.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
I had a lot of fun to take this photo and it was a very big mess. My new painted room wall was after the shooting full of rainbow colors. In addition it was very interesting, to see how the shapes have changed while I've changed the frequency from around 50 Hz to 200 Hz.

Narrows in the Making by Mike Diaz

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 5DmkII, 24-105mm f/4L, Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 tripod, Really Right Stuff BH-55, B+W Kaesemann Circular Polarizer

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
1 sec @ f/18, ISO 200, 50mm

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Camera RAW imported into Photoshop CS4

Q4. What is the location?
This is along the iconic hike to the Subway in Zion National Park (Utah, USA), about 4 miles in, and just before you reach the Subway proper.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
This is a shot that has been done many times over by every photographer that embarks on this hike. That being said, I included more leaves than I've seen in many other compositions since I really liked how they stood out on the highly saturated red rock. I also cooled the white balance a bit on the water to provide a great contrast to the warm rock and leaves.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
Along the trail, I had been collecting colorful fall leaves so that I would be able to use them to my greatest advantage once I reached some of the places I wanted to shoot. Turns out every photographer has probably heard the same advice I did, so once I made it to the crack there was already a plethora of great leaves...so many in fact that I actually had to remove some to keep the composition from becoming too busy.

o. by Marc Benslahdine

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon EOS 50D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, Canon 580EXII flash triggered remotely with a cable sync

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Exposure: 1/250 s, aperture: f/8, focal length: 100mm, ISO 100

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
The subject is a reflection of a drop of water.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I like the pictures that look out of a fantasy world. When I get bored and the weather is not favorable I do this kind of photography in my kitchen :o)

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
I wanted to take a picture in the dark to see if the lighting was not a problem and forgot to focus before shooting! It was just a test shot, the focus was on the reflection of the drop. I found it funny with the black hole behind.

Radiant London by Constantinos Hinis

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Nikon D300, 12-24mm, cable release, Manfrotto 190CXPro4 tripod, ball head.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
12mm, f/11, ISO 200, various shutter speeds, vertical orientation, multiple shots blended for exposure correction and stitched to form a panorama.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Photoshop CS5, Photomatic Pro.

Q4. What is the location?
Thames river, opposite Westminster Palace, London, UK

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
There really is no particular reason... It's just that I am in London, and Big Ben is perhaps the most iconic place in London, and I wanted to take a different shot of this over-photographed place.

We met Santa Claus by Gaston Batistini

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 5DMKII with the 24/105mm 4IL IS USM

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
ISO 100, 1/6 sec, f/4.0, @55mm

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Photoshop CS5

Q4. Who is the model?
An old guy who is doing Santa Claus every year in the Bitcher'land in France

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I went to my parents in law and in the middle of the night I woke up and I told to my wife that I want to make a picture of Santa Claus in his house. The morning we called him and I told him that I was a fan of him and I wanted to visit him in his house to make the picture. He was astonished but finally I convinced him and he agreed.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
There was no way to come with a lot of material while a single flash was not the best way to do it. So I put him on a chair near a window and it gave this great Santa Claus look.

Solway Clouds by Robert Friel

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
This shot was taken with a Canon EOS5D 17-40f4L Gitzo3540 Tripod with Manfrotto 410 geared head. Lee filters inc Big Stopper.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Exposure 90 sec, aperture f/11.0, focal length 17 mm, ISO 50

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Processed in Lightroom 3 - blue tint applied to base using a local adjustment (graduated)

Q4. What is the location?
Beckfoot, Solway Firth, Cumbria, UK

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
It's a location I've been to before and there were fast moving clouds blowing directly towards the hills in the distance. The colour idea came from looking at it in mono.

Singapore National Day by Souvik Bhattacharya

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Nikon D90 with Sigma 10-20mm lens

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
F/11; Shutter: Bulb; ISO: 100; Focus: Manual

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Abobe Photoshop Lightroom

Q4. What is the location?
Singapore

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I wanted to capture fireworks in Singapore from some new location. So while exploring the surrounding I thought to try this angle.

Corn Lilies by Barrett Donovan

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used a Canon 5d Mark II with a 24-105L lens

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
F/8, ISO 200, 1/8 sec. with the lens at 65mm

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Photoshop CS4

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
Corn lilies near Lake Tahoe, USA

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I saw a huge patch of corn lilies on a mountain bike ride last summer after they were past their prime and knew I had to go back. To help with the wind I brought a huge reflector to shield them from movement. Many shots of many corn lilies later I finally found the group I liked. Sore back aside I had a great time being outside wandering around the forest - not a bad way to spend a morning. This shot is a blend of two images for depth of field which I did using the new auto-blend functions of CS4, which work great.

Peeling The Moon by Sean Bagshaw

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 5D MK II, Canon 24-105mm f/4 IS lens, Gitzo Tripod, my jacket

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
1/6 second @ f/22, ISO 100

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
This was originally a very low contrast image. In Photoshop CS I used a series of Curves adjustment layers with blending modes set to overlay, soft light and screen. This increased contrast and saturation. I further worked the luminosity and contrast with some localized dodging and burning on a dodge/burn layer.

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
This is dry, cracked mud in the Utah desert that has been pitted by rain drops.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I was hiking several miles across the Utah desert to photograph a remote slot canyon. Along the way I noticed this wonderfully textured mud in a dry river bed. The mid day light was very harsh and contrasty so I shaded the area with my jacket. This allow the more subtle warm light reflecting from the bank of the river bed to be visible. I felt that the abstract pattern, pitted surface texture and the way that the light caught the tips of the curled mud made a compelling image.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
When I finally reached the slot canyon I found it filled with water. I waded into the icy water with my camera bag held over my head. The water quickly became deep and soon only my head and camera were not submerged. Not able to continue farther I had to hike back to my car in wet clothes and without a photo from the slot canyon. The photo of the cracked mud was a good consolation however.

Cuando el día acaba by Luis Mariano González

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Camera Panasonic DMC-FZ50

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Exposure: 1/400 sec, aperture: f/5.6, focal length: 32.9 mm, ISO 100

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Q4. What is the location?
It is a road near my house in Meco, a town 35 kilometers from Madrid (Spain)

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
This is a place where I often walk. In fact, I think I have dozens of photos of this tree and others nearby, in different seasons, at different times. But undoubtedly, the best time is when the sun goes down, "la hora bruja."

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
There is a movie that has a wonderful light and that I like a lot: Days of Heaven, Terrence Malick (the photograph was the work of Nestor Almendros). When I pass by that tree and the sun goes down, I remember the light appearing in the film...

Sea of Fog at Acherlipass by David Kaplan

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used a Nikon D700 with attached Nikkor AF-S 24mm f/1.4G lens and a Feisol carbon tripod.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Because it's an HDR there were taken multiple exposures. So overall exposure time was around 800s. Aperture was wide open (1.4) and ISO speed was set to 1000.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
First step: Nikon Capture NX2 to convert the RAWs to 16bit TIFFs after white balance and CA correction. After that all the images were processed with my self-developed neoHDR software which combines all images including the moving stars and creates a non-tonemapped HDR. This HDR image was tonemapped in Photomatix. After that I used Lightroom to fine tune the result and finally I added a little glow in Photoshop to pop out the sea of fog a little bit more.

Q4. What is the location?
The image was taken at Ächerlipass near Lucerne in Switzerland. It was the highest open passroad at this time of year.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
Taking landscape pictures at night is one of my favourite subjects. I always wanted to shoot a sea of fog, lit by a city underneath. I waited for months until the weather finally became like this.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
The clouds down the other valley, which is not visible on this picture, growed very fast. At the time I drove up the passroad with my motorcycle there was only a slight haze down the valley. Only on hour later there was a huge sea of fog only a few meters below me. A few minutes later I was completely lost in fog and could barely see my hand. The weather in the mountains can change very quickly.

Alien Pods by Tommy's Surfshack

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used a Nikon Coolpix P100.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
I'm an amateur. I always use scene modes. I've never had the time to try to take photos in the manual mode. I'm pretty sure I used the Macro Mode.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
I used Photoshop 3 to get a better quality color... but not too much.

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
A lotus pod close-up.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I plant these "First Lady Lotus" in a round water tub on my patio each spring. The blooms (12 a year) are around 7-8 inch in diameter. The pods are about 3 inches. I Like taking pics of the different phases of the lotus growth. The bud's to the end.

More wee rocks by Mark Littlejohn

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Pentax K-X, Sigma 10-20mm, Hoya polariser, B&W110, Hitech 0.9 soft grad & Redsnapper Tripod.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
F/8, ISO 100, 91.6 seconds, focal length - 13 mm.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
I used Silkipix on the RAW file for the white balance and then used ACDSee to make sure it was level and make a very slight crop.

Q4. What is the location?
The location is Ullswater in the Lake District looking towards St Sundays Crag/Heron Pike, England, UK.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
The water was quite calm but not completely still. I also noticed that the clouds were moving nicely over Heron Pike. I thought that both factors would make for a nice long exposure. I also decided to leave put the polariser on, as combined with the Hitech it can produce quite pleasing colours at sunrise/sunset.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
You'll notice that the rocks in the foreground are wet - I'd damped them down with my hands which I think worked. The only problem was it was about -5 or -6, and over the next few minutes they froze solid as I'd forgotten my gloves and had nothing to dry them on. I'd only just got them dry when the exposure finished. I then moved the camera at the end of the exposure and the filter fell off into the water - I'd attached the hitch with blutac so I had a wider field of view. Hands got wet (and cold) again.

Infinitely by Carles Viñas

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
My equipment is a Nikon D90 with a Nikkor 18-200 mm VR.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
I am varying the adjustments following the capture that wish and based on the idea that the image facing the later edition has when seeing. On this shot the settings were: 200mm, F/6.3, 1/800s, ISO 200.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Lightroom 3.0 and Phosothop CS4

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
A low tile roof with the worn away roofing tiles.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I saw that tapeworm possibilities to make a good composition with a bokeh.

Paris Cityscape by Barry O Carroll

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 40D, Sigma EX 24-70 lens, a tripod

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
This is an HDR from 3 images taken at 3 different exposures:
-2 ISO 100 F22 1/100 sec
0 ISO 100 F22 1/25 sec
+2 ISO 100 F22 1/6 sec

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
I used Photomatix to blend the 3 images with the strenght set to 70%. I then used a combination of Lightroom and Photoshop to finish the processing.

I darkened the photo in Photoshop using curves and then painted back in using masks the areas of light for a more dramatic and cinematic effect. This is definitely one of those photos where I've pushed the meaning of "what is photography" a little.

Q4. What is the location?
The photo was taken in Paris along Quai de la Tournerlle looking towards the Île de la Cité. Notre Dame de Paris is to the left and the Tour Saint Jaques is just visible to the right of the photo.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
The shot and the the style of processing is inspired by 2 French photographers: Stephane Rey Gorrez and Jean Michel Berts.

I love taking photographs in Paris in general. It is a stunningly beautiful city that contains some of the most magnificent architecture and monuments in the world. I love trying to capture the beauty but also mood of the city in my shots. Paris is by far my favourite photography location.

The processing in this photo is meant to portray the dark moodyness that hung over the city that day. There was heavy grey cloud through wich occasional rays of light burst through illumination buildings or sometimes parts of buildings.

Leaf by Marcel Felbor

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 500D, Canon 100mm f/2.8 IS L, a tripod

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
100mm, f/9, ISO 200, 1/200 sec, flash from the side, LED-lamp from above

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Photoshop CS5

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
Macro-Leaf

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I made this shot for the weekly theme "strictly textures" in one of the Flickr groups.

Hm...It's too heavy for me! by Quang Thanh

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Sony H50 with Raynox M250

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
24mm, F/7, 1/200 sec, ISO 100

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Photoshop CS2 + Turbo photo

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
The ants and the queen larvae

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I wanted to capture images of the ants' life.

Splash by Vlad Solomon

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 400D with the canon 50mm f/1.8 mounted on it, Canon 580 EX II flash, Cactus KF36 flash, Cactus V4 radio triggers, colored gels, tripod and a cable release.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
50mm, F/8, 1/160 shutter speed, ISO 100

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Photoshop CS3

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
A martini glass with water and an olive in it, shot at the moment an ice cube is being dropped in.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I had just received this glass as a gift, and i absolutely loved the elegance of it's shape so I knew it would make a great subject for a splash shot like this.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
This is the longest shot I have done so far, took me about 5-6 hours to get what i wanted. It took so much because I had to time pressing the shutter release exactly as the ice cube hit the water and made a splash. I have a lot of shots in which I caught the cube in the air. And of course, after every shot I had to clean up the water from the glass plate under the martini glass.

Kinderdijk by Eddy Blokhuis

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 50D, Sigma 10-20 mm, B+W ND110 filter, tripod and a a canon remote-control.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Exposure 180 seconds (3 minutes), Aperture f/20.0, Focal Length 10 mm, ISO 100.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Photoshop CS4

Q4. What is the location?
Kinderdijk, the Netherlands.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
This is a touristic area in The Netherlands, and lots of shots have been taken here. But I wanted to be original and different!

Anemone detail by Jonne Seijdel

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
For this shot I used a Canon EOS 7D with 100mm macro USM.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Focal length 100mm, aperture f/2.8, exposure 1/40 sec, no flash, ISO 1600.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Lightroom 3

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
Nature macro / close-up showing an anemone.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
For a series of posters I was looking for subjects showing natural beauty.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
Funny fact is that when it's getting abstract it's getting hard to identify. I like showing details not being really obvious or recognizable. For example, in this picture a Sea anemone is shown instead of a flower. It's a creature!

Smoke by Rikke Skov

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I did the shot with a Nikon d70s and two external flashes.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
ISO 400, f/5, 1/1250 sec - for the main picture.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
I used Aperture 3.0 and Photoshop Elements 6 to edit my material.

Q4. Who is the model?
The model is me! All of the extra footage is from my archive, both the smoke and the skull.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
The idea just popped up in my head when I was thinking of Smoke - Smoke was the theme at one of the Flickr groups.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
When doing the shot I remembered why I stopped smoking. :)

Ink + Water = Art by Craig Lindop

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 40D, Tamron 24-75mm f/2.8, Hahnel shutter release, Manfrotto 055XProb tripod with a 804RC2 head, 4x normal house hold desk lights, white bowl filled with water and ink.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Focal length 75mm, F/6.3, exposure time 1/40 sec, no flash, ISO 200.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Photoshop CS4

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
Abstract art photo

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I was bored at home, it was raining outside, and I could not go out taking photos. So I was finding stuff to take pics of in the house, and accidently came across some old ink cartridges from when I was in high school.

Interstellar by Rob Tunstall

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Pentax K10D with a macro rail, macro lens and extension tubes

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Standard - low ISO, tiny apperture in order to get as much of the bubble in focus as possible

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Lightroom and selective use of the fractalis plugin for Photoshop

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
A soap held in a metal hoop - a stepping ring

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
The inner workings of a criminally insane mind

Beetham Tower close-up by Darrell Godliman

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Nikon D300s DSLR with Nikon 70-300mm VR Zoom

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Focal length 112mm, 1/800th Sec, f/4.8, ISO 200

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Lightroom to convert RAW to TIF, Photoshop.

Taken looking up at the building I first had to correct the converging verticals in Photoshop, I then converted to monochrome to remove all the distracting colours and then finally increased the contrast to enhance the reflection and bring out the details of the apartments interiors.

Q4. What is the location?
The shot was taken from beside a canal that runs past the Beetham Tower in Manchester City centre (UK)

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
When I saw the repetitive facade of the tower I was reminded of a large print ‘Paris, Montparnasse’ (1993) I saw at Tate Modern by the German Artist Andreas Gursky. When viewed large the apparent uniformity is in fact broken by evidence of all the occupants, their furniture etc in the apartments and the grid actually serves to re-enforce their individuality.

Honey Bee by Paul Licht

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
HP PhotoSmart C945 & Raynox DCR 250

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Exposure - 1/125 sec, aperture - f/8.5, focal length - 28 mm, ISO 100

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
The Gimp

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
Bee wildlife

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
Bee photography is one of my favorit macro subject. I suppose I have several thousands of bee macros in my archieves.

Patrick in deep space by Mike Keeling

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Nikon D300, Tamron 180mm macro lens, a piece of black aluminum, spray bottle of water and a flashlight.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Focal Length 180 mm, ISO Speed 200, exposure 0.8, aperture f/29.0. The higher the f/ the smaller the dots.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
I am computer illiterate. My Dell came with ACDSee.

Untitled by Daniele Napolitano

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used a Canon EOS 7D with a Canon EF f1.8 85mm lens. I also used two strobes, one on the left, for the rim light, behind the model and another one up above on the right, pointing down, as the key light.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
I shot in manual mode at 1/200 sec, f/8.0, ISO 200. I used a wired remote to take the picture.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
I used Adobe Lightroom 3 for framing and balancing the tones and Adobe Photoshop CS5 to clean the skin a little bit.

Q4. Who is the model?
The model is myself, it's a self-portrait :)

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I discovered I really like the shadows produced by very angled lights since they tend to emphasize the face features and create a dramatic feeling. So I went with it!

Patterns in nature by amazon2008

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 40D, Canon 100mm 2.8L macro lens

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Exposure - 1/250, aperture - f/4.0, focal Length - 100 mm, ISO 100, +2/3 EV

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Used DPP from Canon itself

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
Dahlia flower

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I am always searching for patterns in nature and when I came across dahlia's it just came to me. Sometimes you have to look at the subject and see what possibilities it brings for you.

Gravity is overrated by Rob Webb

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 50D + Canon 100mm USM Macro + 1 x YN-560 Flash + 1 x YN-460II Flash + YN RF602 flash triggers(1x TX, 2 x RX) + Hahnel shutter release

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
1/250 @ f/9 & ISO 100

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5


Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
A wine glass with drops appearing to defy gravity and flow upwards

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I was washing the glass under the tap and I liked the way the water sheeted off the sides and dripped down off of the rim. I wondered how I could use this for a shot, inverting the original image for the "defy gravity" part was just a natural evolution of the concept for me.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
The hardest part of the shot was finding a way of safely suspending a wine glass over a bowl so that I could pour the water over the base, in the end I settled for a couple of Tupperware cereal storage containers and some kitchen tongs!

Untitled by Natalya Smirnova

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Pentax K-7

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Exposure Time = 1/160", F/4, ISO = 100, Focal Length = 50mm

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Windows

Q4. Who is the model?
It's my daughter, Alex. I take pictures of her from birth. She loves this and comes up with images and stories. I just suggest her situations and accessories.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I love retro. Our Russian retro. I collect vintage furniture and accessories. Clothing. With photographs I reproduce the mood and the feelings that I experienced in my childhood. Many things I do not remember but saw in the Soviet movies, family photos. I do not idealize the Soviet times as many Russian people. I only show the history of life. Ordinary stories of ordinary people.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
In this photo my daughter is in a school uniform that I wore in the 1988-89's.

Vestige décoloré by David Keochkerian

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D + Hoya ND400 filter

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
I took 3 photos at different exposure time, in order to make a DRI (digital increase range)
24mm - f/8 - 100 iso - 2, 4 and 8 seconds

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
DXO for my raw converter and Photoshop CS5

Q4. What is the location?
It's the "Pointe du Hourdel" Beach in Somme, France

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I saw a shot of this place by one of my flickr contacts. On the day of my shot the wheather was so bad - with rain and wind!!!!!!!!! Perfect for a dramatic shot in a historic place.

Chrysanthemum dewdrop refraction by Brian Valentine

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
5Dmk2 camera, MPE-65 lens, 430Ex flash bracket mounted and diffused, a dew covered lawn, a chrysanthemum flower and a rubber mat to kneel on.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Lens around 3:1 magnification, F/7.1 camera in manual 1/200th, Flash in ETTL, FEC +0.3

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
RAW images processed with DPP, I took a series of shots with different focus points and then combined them in PhotoShop using the healing brush to focus stack the image to get greater depth of field.

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
Natural early morning dewdrops on a grass blade on the lawn with a chrysanthemum flower placed behind them.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I've been doing dewdrop shots for a while often trying to find ones with something interesting behind them to refract in the dewdrop. Eventually decided it was a lot easier to purposely place a flower behind the the dewdrops giving me control of the refracted image and also the background colours.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
A few years ago I had some similar photographs published in one of the daily papers. The paper just gave my name and the town I lived in. The next day I was in the front garden taking some photographs when a lady who lived in the block of flats across the road came over with a copy of the paper and asked if the photographs were mine. I said yes and she said: "I wondered what you were doing kneeling in the middle of the front lawn early in the morning on a mat." :)

Port of Liverpool Building by Graham Hazeldon

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Fuji S5 Pro with Nikon 18-55mm kit lens

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Aperture priority f/4 @ 1/225, ISO 100 and exposure compensation -0.7

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Photoshop CS3

Q4. What is the location?
Liverpool, UK

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I spotted the building reflected in a puddle as I was about to head home from the location after taking a few shots of various subjects.

Les Alpinistes II by Sime Jadresin

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Pentax K20d with a Pentax 50mm f/2.0 lens, Metz 48 AF-1 speedlight, umbrella.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
1/180 sec, f/8, ISO 100

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
CameraRaw, Photoshop

Q4. Who are the models?
The most faithful of them all. ME!!

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
This is a improvement of the picture called Les Alpinistes. The idea? Like with all other pictures - it just came into my head and didn't want to go until I took the shot!

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
The funniest thing was the expression on my girlfriend's face when she opened the door and saw me imitating the second climber. :-)

Horses by Frau Isaeva

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 50D, lens 50mm

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
F/5.6, 1/60 sec

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
I think none. I just cropped it in iPhoto.

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
Shrimps in action

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I love sea food, so I shoot it :-))))

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
They are hanging in fact, but I think everyone can see that.

Drops meet color by Tobias Bräuning

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
- Canon 40D
- 2 Flashes
- Arduino microcontroller
- 3 solenoid valves
- Some selfmade circuits
- PC with a selfmade GUI to control all parameters on the microcontroller for generating the drops, timing of shutter release and triggering the flashes
- A lot of cables :-)
- Some ink for the colors

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
The camera was set to manual mode, shutter 0.6 sec, F/16, ISO200. Camera, flashes and valves are controlled by microcontroller.


Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
I used Canon Digital Photo Professional for the RAW conversion, then I did some clean-up + contrast settings in Photoshop Elements 8.

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
What we can see in this photo is the result of a collision of 3 waterdrops. The first one falls down into the water, then splashes up again. When it's rising up, the second drop falls down and collides with the upcoming first one. Some milliseconds later, the third drop comes down and collides with the result of the first drop collision... So finally this results in very exciting, various forms.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I saw some images of such drop collisions with 3 drops, but my valve was too slow to make it possible with only one valve. So I decided to try it with 3 valves (let me say - it is not easy to get 3 drops to one flight path!), and with the 3-valve-solution it got also possible to use different colored drops, something I've never seen before in this combination. So I had the motivation to make it work. :-)

A Night and A Storm by Dan Ballard

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Nikon D700 and Nikon 70-300mm

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
6 second exposure, f/4.8, ISO 400

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Lightroom

Q4. What is the location?
Plains of South-East Colorado, USA

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I was out shooting a summer storm with my girlfriend and we came to the outside edge of it where we could see "into" the storm. It was amazing!!!

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
Let's just say we had a few issues with totally darkness and cow patties. :))

Untitled by Buthaina Farei

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
NIKON D90

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Shutter Speed: 1/200 sec, Aperture: F/10.0,
ISO Speed: 200, Focal Length: 85 mm

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Photoshop CS Windows

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
The subject was to make a "bokeh" shot.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I was talking with my friend (a photographer) about a bokeh art in photography and we agreed to have a "workshop" on this effect. It was like the challenge for us. Each of us thought of something different from the other. But at last this shot end up as the winner.

Milk today by Cath Schneider

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used Canon EOS 5D MarkII with Canon EF 100mm 2.8 macro lens.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
1/200 sec - f/3.5 - ISO 160

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Canon DPP and Photoshop CS3

Q4. Who is the model?
The models are Lili (a wonderful little girl and my daughter) and Harry (a small hedgehog in our garden).

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
When I took this picture, I was walking in the garden with my daughter to do some macro photography. We saw this little hedgehog across the road and gave him some milk to drink. My daughter had never seen a hedgehog so close before and nor had I.

Drawing the Unreal II by Rui Almeida

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used a cellphone camera Nokia 5800 Xpres.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
f/2.8 at 0,001 sec (1/1000), ISO 60

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Windows

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
Creating something original

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
Well, I was looking around and found in the grass one "perfect" Dandelion, but I didn't have my Nikon D500 with me, so I took my cellphone and shot it. :)

Untitled by James Gallimore

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon EOS 5D MARK II with Canon 17-40mm f/4L lens.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
77 seconds, f/6.3, ISO 200, 17 mm.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Photoshop was only used to cloned a signpost out of the picture, no other adjustments were made.

Q4. What is the location?
It's an old red phone box in rural Cheshire, UK.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I've been shooting phone boxes at night for years, there's something incredibly surreal about the effect their lights create.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
This shot was actually a test shot for something more complicated I was working on, but the lighting effects I was trying just didn't work as well with the subject. I just left it naturally lit and I'm incredibly happy with it.

Half Off by Arek Papelian

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with a 100mm f2.8 L IS, Canon 430 ex2 Flash fired with Cactus V4 Flash Triggers. The flash was at about a 45 degree angle from the subject. Oh, and I used a snoot. The flash was about 3 feet away from the subject on a tripod and the camera was about half that distance away from the subject. I used a Hahnel Giga T Pro remote for shutter release.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Exposure 1/200 sec, Aperture f/13.0, Focal Length 100 mm, ISO Speed 50

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
I lit the matches with a lighter, and waited for it to reach the middle, just as it did, I fired the camera. This was the first and only try, so I was very pleased because I didn't have any more matches. I also used a magic marker to color the matches red, because I didn't like them white! =)

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I came up with the idea from boredom! I didn't have other match shots before and wanted to try something different. I didn't use all of the tools at once, so i wanted to do something that require almost everything.

Cage by Giorgia Pallaro

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used Canon EOS 1000D with Canon EF 28-90 mm f/4-5.6 lens.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
1/100 sec, f/4, focal length - 35 mm.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Camera Raw and Photoshop CS4.

Q4. Who is the model?
The model is Giulia, one of my best friends and a truly awesome person.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
When I took this photo I had just finished reading "1984", the famous novel by George Orwell. That book aroused me deeply, and I really needed to represent the emotions I had, so I decided to take a picture about the quote "Freedom is slavery", one of the principles of Ingsoc.

Ataque de pantera by Daniel Hernanz

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Nikon D2x with Nikkor lens 50mm f/1.8

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
ISO 800, f/1.8, 1/80 sec

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Imac, Photoshop CS4

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
Black leopard

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
This animal is very agressive and I tried many days to get this animal in this agressive pose. In that moment I was happy that there was a glass between the leopard and me.

Inside shallow Padang-Padang by Jeremy Lage

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used Canon EOS 40D with Canon 10-22mm and a Liquid Eye water housing.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Focal length - 10mm, f/5.6, 1/800s, ISO 200

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
I used a trial version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Q4. What is the location?
I took that shot in Bali, Indonesia, in Padang-Padang on the Bukit peninsula.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I love water shots and do my best to be in the water as often as possible to take surf photos.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
Padang-Padang is a very dangerous surf spot with shallow water and very strong currents... 5 or 10 minutes to paddle out to the lineup and almost half an hour or more to come back to the beach. This is not a funny fact but interesting enough to be noticed about how to make such a photo. While you take photos always have to be careful with surfers, waves and the reef that always try to eat your fins and your skin.

All-in by Mickael NGO

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used a Canon EOS 7D with a 17-40 lens

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
My settings were ISO 400, 1/60 sec, f/4 and natural light

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
I used Photoshop for the post processing

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
It's about one of the strongest hand in Poker (also called King Kong)

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I made the shot during a Poker game with some friends of mine. I fortunately had my camera with me. :)

Chloe Morello by Lam Tran

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used a Sony A900 with Minolta 'Beercan' 70210

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
ISO 200, f/5.6 and focal length 130mm

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Photoshop CS4 & CS5 are my friends.

Q4. Who is the model?
Chloe Morello doing modeling and makeup artistry at the same time.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
The art direction came from Dave Reid, an amazing makeup artist in Canberra. We did this shoot for Elite Models casting day, filmed by FTV Australia.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
I did this shot against a plain white wall, lit up by 2 speedlites.

Top Of The World by Steve Minor

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 40D, 70-200f4L

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
Aperture F/8, Exposure 1/500 sec, Focal Length 200mm, ISO 100

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Converted the raw file in DPP and then took it over to Adobe Photoshop CS2 Windows

Q4. What is the location?
Mount Evans in Colorado, USA

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I just happened upon these Mountain goats on the way to the top of Mount Evans. They had some kids (babies) with them. I was lucky enough to get close. This one jumped up on the rock on the edge of the mountain. It seemed to be looking out over the mountains so I had to take a few shots.