Reader lockdown gallery
Digital Camera readers show us how they’ve been getting creative at home
DigitalCamera readers share their images, including an evocative minimalist seascape, an angry bird and a playful moonlight composite
1 ‘A Scolding’ by David Reid
“On a nature walk, I stumbled across at least 15 birds squawking and fighting over a tree stump. Then this female red-winged blackbird turned started to give me an earful.”
Digital Camera says:
A great capture, David: you must have been primed and ready with a telephoto lens to fire off this shot!
2 ‘Into the Wormhole’ by Tony Bushkes
“This started as a bunch of cut flowers from the garden; thanks to Radial Blur and Distortion with Twirl in Photoshop, I finished up like this.”
Digital Camera says:
An eye-catching example of the ‘twirl’ phenomenon that has caught on hugely during the lockdown days.
3 ‘A Wynter’s Tale’ by Joan Wright
“My new dog is in obedience training and has to learn to focus on the owner. I asked my friend to have him sit between her legs so he would keep still – not an easy task at the moment! A white dog on a sunny day isn’t easy to shoot, so I had to adjust highlights, shadows and sharpness.”
Digital Camera says:
A dog is difficult to shoot on any day, Joan! Pet photography is harder than it looks, even with a well-trained dog. But you’ve done a good job of balancing the difficult highlights against the darker background. Another option would be to put your back to the sun so the overall exposure becomes more equal.
4 ‘Night Sky’ by Ralph Cowden
“My 23-month-old grandson was looking at a plane passing in the sky – would he stare at the moon with such amazement, I wondered? So I took a shot of some rocks nearby, placed my grandson in it, and added a night sky and the moon.”
Digital Camera says:
Composites are a great way to practise your Photoshop skills. You’ve done a good job to match the direction of the moonlight with the young observer; just watch out for the rocks and shadows, too.
5 ‘On the Way’ by David Wong
“This bridge crosses the River Cam in Cambridge. I used leading lines to highlight the cyclist, and later converted it to black and white to show off the industrial textures in the bridge.”
Digital Camera says:
Excellent use of leading lines, David; with black and white, don’t forget you can really push the contrast to great effect.
6 ‘Eye’ by Zuzana Spencer
“Inspired by Benedict Brain’s ‘The Art of Seeing’ in issue 240, I took a picture of my son’s eye. Unlike Benedict’s, it’s not a selfie, but thanks for the inspiration.”
Digital Camera says:
A little vignette around the frame here would really draw the full attention to the subject’s eye, and finish off the edit really well.
7 ‘Sew Far, So Good’ by Fergus Lang
“Here’s one of my miniature marvels, taken over the last few months. I had to get help threading my sewing machine: I had a tangled bobbin requiring attention and needed to undertake some street repairs.”
Digital Camera says:
Are they from the council or independently contracted? Either way, they look like they’re doing a fine job. Love the creativity, Fergus.
8 ‘A Taste of Honey’ by Clive Royle
“I took this image by drilling a hole in an upright piece of supported wood and pushing the spoon handle into the hole. Then I poured honey over the spoon, which landed in a small bowl beneath it. It was taken in natural light, with a black card background.”
Digital Camera says:
The result looks extremely professional, Clive. Well done!
9 ‘A Golden Moment’ by Alan Harrison
“As I was looking out across the Bristol Channel towards Wales, the setting sun cast a golden glow on the surface of the unusually calm water at slack tide. As a tug appeared, I tried to capture the ripples and the change in colouration of the disturbed water.”
Digital Camera says:
A pleasing, clean image, Alan: it’s easy on the eye and would look good as a large print.
10 ‘All Saints’ by Gary Rogers
“Inspired by issue 239’s low-light feature, here’s the Grade 1-listed All Saints Church in Sanderstead, Surrey. I like the church tower and its ‘witch’s hat’ roof, and the way the stonework is lit.”
Digital Camera says:
We love to see our readers inspired. A great balance of warm and cool tones, Gary. A touch more overall contrast may make the image ‘pop’.