Sunday 21 December 2014

Scenes from Oxford - Emma's visit (with Swirly Bokeh!)

It's Christmas, and that can only mean one thing...I've found time to write a new blog entry! Hopefully a couple more on their way over the next couple of weeks...anyway, here's some photos:

A couple of months ago, I mentioned that I'd got hold of a "new" Helios 44-2 lens and that sooner or later I'd put some "Swirly Bokeh" shots up. Well, I finally took the picture that I'd had in mind ever since I first saw the effect! This is my friend Emma:


Emma came to visit Oxford recently and I had a great time doing touristy things with her - and taking my new lens out with me! Emma was kind enough to put up with me taking photos of her in the middle of the Oxford University Parks, and this was the result. Ever since I first saw the mysterious swirly bokeh effect I wanted to use it as a portrait photography technique, and I pretty much had this image in mind. By standing in the natural light in front of a shadowy corridor of trees, the background fades away into darkness at the edges and Emma gained a lovely halo effect - kind of like the massively overused vignetting effect you often see on Instagram pictures, only without being added digitally afterwards. I love the way the autumn leaves pick up the swirl - and help focus your attention on Emma. Which may or may not be something Emma regrets. Thanks again Emma!

The next photo, from later the same day, I absolutely love. We decided that, being in Oxford and it being a gorgeous sunny autumn day, punting was the thing to try. So punt we did.

I call this one "How do you steer a punt?!"


My favourite thing about the composition - with the exception of Emma's amazingly perplexed expression - is the way that the pole splits the frame in two. The left two-thirds of the picture set the scene, leading the viewer through where we've come from and the gorgeous scenery we've just passed. In the right hand third we get Emma, standing on the punt and looking quizzically into the future...what's she seeing? Nobody knows.

Especially not me, I was facing the other way taking pictures and hoping I wasn't about to get a clip round the ear from an errant tree branch. Between the two of us, we took an excitingly jagged route down the Cherwell.

I was going to put a couple of pictures up from my brief end-of-term touristy trip round Christchurch college which I took yesterday, but I'm going to head out for a run while it's still daylight, so I figure they can wait for another day.

Until then, have fun! And Merry Christmas in advance.

J