Frosty Tree by Jeff Dalton

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used a Nikon D300 with 18-200vr lens

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
F/7.1, ISO 200, 1/800 sec, focal length 62mm

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

Q4. What is the location?
Aldford in Chester, Northwest England, United Kingdom

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I regularly walk my dog in this area and have taken pictures of this tree and gate before in nicer weather. I always liked the composition of the picture and decided that on this particular day that the snow and frost would add something extra to the shot so decide to take my camera along whilst walking my dog. I was not disappointed. However my dog was not impressed at having to wait around in the cold whilst I took some pictures.

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.