Blue Alley by David Butali

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Canon 500D + Canon 24-105 f4L

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
1/500 sec, f/4, 45mm, ISO 200, -1EV

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

Q4. What is the location?
The garden facing the Castle in Arezzo, Arezzo, Italy. The alley is leading to the castle entrance.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
The light was so amazing and the snow was so heavy...

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
The snow was falling on my lens and I had not an umbrella, so I cleaned it very often as it was very difficult to focus.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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." :)

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. :))

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. :)

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.

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.

Autumn Spectrum by Mr. Dale

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 with the Olympus M-Zuiko 9-18mm for Micro Four Thirds.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
1/20 sec handheld f/5 at 11mm, ISO 100, RAW, auto white balance.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Downloaded into iPhoto then processed in Lightroom 3, added a pinch of contrast and post-crop vignetting.

Q4. What is the subject of the photo?
An arrow pointing left made from a spectrum of maple leaves in autumn.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I had seen a spectrum made out of other vegetation, I needed a picture for 10/10/10 and it was just so nice and pretty outside with the trees full of colors.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
We had to make sure our dogs didn't trample on the leaves. They were very curious to see what we were doing.

Kawagebo, Yunnan, China by Ping Ping

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Nikon D80, 18-135 mm lens

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
F5.6, 1/250, ISO 160, EV -2.0

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
I remember that there is no post-production on this photo.

Q4. What is the location?
It is right at the boundary of Tibet and Yunnan province in China. Actually it is one of the most famous and important mountains in Tibetan buddhism.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I just got my first camera during that trip. I tried to take photos of everything. Once I saw a photo of the gold shining snow mountain there. I asked my friend where was it and how to take those kinda photos. After talking for a night, we decided to go there the next day.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact that happened while working on this photograph.
The lights in the sunrise turn the white snow mountain into gold shining color so I woke up around five in the morning to wait for the moment. Unfortunately the weather was not good enough and there were too many clouds in the sky to cover the whole mountain. In addition, It was so cold that I felt that I had lost my figures and nose. When I almost gave up after being frozen for almost two hours, Kawagebo showed its face to me! It only lasted for several minutes. I love nature!

Spontaneous Combustion by Todd Tobey

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used a Canon 5D mark ll with a Canon 16-35mm f 2.8L lens. My tripod is a Gitzo 3530 LS and I use a Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead.

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
I used the live view function on the camera to help compose and focus the shot. I also used the real time histogram, via the live view, to confirm the proper exposure for the shot. The ISO was set to 50. I used a cable release with the camera in continuous shooting mode in an effort to minimize cloud movement in the sky. The aperture was set to f 16. I took three different exposures for the shot. One for the highlights, one for the mid-tones, and one for the shadows. Shutter speeds differed for each shot, 0.7 seconds for the highlights, 3 seconds for the mid-tones and 10 seconds for the shadows.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
The three exposures were tonemapped in Photomatix. I loaded the tonemapped image along with the three original images into the layers palette in Photoshop CS4. I used the tonemapped image as a base layer and blended portions of the three originals back into it. Once I was satisfied with the blend, I flattened the image and made final adjustments for color, contrast and sharpness.

Q4. What is the location?
The shot was taken at Eufaula Lake in Pittsburg County Oklahoma.

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I am always looking for dramatic lighting conditions and interesting subjects in nature. I thought the combination of water, the dead tree and the gorgeous light might make for an interesting photograph. On a side note, I did get really wet making this shot. It was necessary to wade into waist deep water to get the shot that I had envisioned. The wet ride home was worth it!

Ben More Assynt by Dietmar Herzog

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
I used a NIKON D300, polar filter and a Tripod

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
5 shots with differnt settings

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Photomatix (very moderate HDR) and Photoshop CS4

Q4. What is the location?
Ben More Assynt in Sutherland/Scotland

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
I like those lonely trees and I have made that shot many years ago, but I wasn't satisfied at all so, I wanted to make it again in winter and I had luck as there was new fallen snow that time

Bad Day In Paradise by Serge Freeman

5 questions about this photo:

Q1. What equipment did you use?
Nikon D70s + Tamron 10-24 mm lens

Q2. What settings did you have on your camera?
It was f/11 for aperture, 1/320 shutter speed, 10 mm focal length.

Q3. What software did you use during the post-production?
Just few adjustments in levels in Photoshop CS4.

Q4. What is the location?
Cabbage Beach, Paradise Island, The Bahamas

Q5. How did you come up with the idea of this shot?
It was mid-January when I travelled around the Bahamas so the weather used to change very fast. In the morning we decided to go to the beach as it was warm and sunny but by the time we got there the sun had been hidden behind the dark rainy clouds. Hence, after series of shots I managed to take this dramatic photograph with the wave forming the exact curve I expected it to be.

Extra Q: Please share an interesting or funny fact (if any) that happened while working on this photograph.
There was nothing interesting or funny about this photoshoot apart from the fact that I was the only one guy on the beach who decided to go into the water. And it was not that cold at all by the way.