The Bored At Work Series...

Buttons:

Okay, okay, I'll admit it - I was bored. Sat at my desk, with nothing to do. So I whipped out the N95, and started snapping. This image of the buttons on the phone caught my eye when I was going back through the images that I had taken. Check it out at full res - and you'll see how dusty the phone is too. Nice.

Date Taken: 20/08/2008

Image Size: 2592 x 1944

File Size: 770kb

Hands:

Here we have a great specimen of two images: My hands. The left one, and the right one. And yes, I am considering having my rings cut off. Gulp. Or I could just lose some weight... I must say, though, that checking out the image at full size reveals that the right hand is much clearer than the left hand. I wonder why that could be?

Date Taken: 20/08/2008

Image Size: 2592 x 1944

File Size: 613kb

Date Taken: 20/08/2008
Image Size: 2592 x 1944

File Size: 715kb

Comments, as usual, welcome!

Orange Pepper

On the chopping board...:

I was just about to start cooking - Fajitas were on the menu - and I took the pepper out of the fridge, and chucked it onto the chopping board, which was actually also on a glass chopping surface. I turned round, looked at it, and instead of reaching for the knife, I reached for the N95. Great shot!

Date Taken: 17/08/2008 17:20

Image Size: 2592 x 1944

File Size: 642kb

Comments, as always, welcome!

Budding

Flower in Porch:

This plant is in the porch of my home - I don't know what type of plant it is - maybe someone can identify it - but it has fantastic colours in it. The beautiful bright red contrasts so well against the yellow flower, and the dark green leaves make an awesome backdrop to the plant. I just couldn't resist taking this photo!

Date Taken: 16/08/2008 13:07
Image Size: 2592 x 1944
File Size: 714kb

Comments, as usual, welcome!

PS - This plant is now dead. I may upload a picture of it in it's dying state... but it's not pleasant...

HDR Images Using the Nokia N95

Alrighty There People!

For some time now, I've been wanting to take some HDR images with the N95. For those of you that are not sure of what an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image looks like, check out these Google Image results:

HDR Crane

HDR Car

HDR Sunset Over Fields

Now, I've worked out the process, and I can manage the beginning of the process, and the end of the process, but I can't do the middle...

Here's what I've got.

HDR images are obtained by taking the same shot but at different exposure levels, then flattening them into one image, so that your final image of the shot contains the brightest brights and the darkest darks. Okay.

Now, the N95 has the capability to change the exposure levels, from 2+.0 right down to -2.0, at 1/2 intervals.

It would therefore simply be a case of find your shot, take the picture at +2.0 exposure, then change the exposure to +1.5, then +1.0, etc until you are down to -2.0.

Then upload the photos to the PC, and using any of the various software packages available (ie, Adobe Bridge can convert multiple images to HDR), convert the five or six images into 1 HDR image. Sorted.

Problem: The camera has to stay absolutely still during this process.

There are two ways around this.

Method One: Obtain a bluetooth keyboard, and wirelessly change the settings between shots. Slow, arduous, and requiring a bluetooth keyboard.

Method Two: Obtain a script, which, upon exection, takes the shot, changes the exposure, and repeats until all the exposure levels have been captured. Now this is the method for me.

Problem: I have no experience of writing scripts.

Now, apparently, the firmware on the N95 allows for a script to change these exposure levels... so now we need to wait for someone clever to come along and actually write the script... any takers?

Comments, as always, below...

The Fallen Leaf

Alrighty There People!

I love this picture, taken in the grounds of Harmony Gardens in Scotland.

The leaf's gorgeous greenery contrasts fantastically with the pebbled ground.

I just had to whip out the N95 to snap it up.


Image Details:

Name: 03.027.jpg
Date: 10/08/2007 14:38
Dimensions: 2592 x 1944
Size: 1.57mb

Comments, as always, much appreciated!

Hadrian's Wall: North and South

For our anniversary, my wife and I went into Northumberland. We went to a few places - the grounds of Slaley Hall, a De Vere hotel with two 18 hole golf courses and it's own Japanese garden - it was beautiful, despite the fact that it was chucking it down with rain.

We also went to Allen Banks and Staward's Gorge, photo's from which I have posted earlier in this blog. From there, we headed North to Hadrian's Wall and Housesteads Fort. It was a bit of a disappointment really - and the weather was naff to say the least.

But we paid the money, and walked into the little museum/information centre to learn all about why the wall was built, and then moseyed on out to the ruins of the fort. There was just little low walls running everywhere, which had been marked as sleeping quarters, dining area, galley, etc etc.

Then this little scene caught my eye - it's the view North and the view South running along one of the boundaries of the Fort, and, crouching down, I pulled out the N95, and snapped these two shots.


This image is looking North

Image Details:
Name: 11072008188.jpg
Date: 11/07/2008 16:21
Dimensions: 2592 x 1944
Size: 0.98mb


This image is facing South

Image Details
Name: 11072008189.jpg
Date: 11/07/2008 16:21
Dimensions: 2592 x 1944
Size: 978kb

So what do you think?

The Maze of Glass - Kielder

Alrighty There People!

So one day in the summer I went up to Kielder in Northumberland. It's a fantastic area, with it's immense forest, humongous reservoir, and absolutely tiny castle...

A new feature to the grounds of the castle was a walk-through maze, which I was quite excited about, until I got there and saw it for myself. It, like the castle, was somewhat lacking in size. Constructed from local hewn stones, it was drab and grey.

Until you got to the middle, that is.

For in the centre of the maze, the surrounding walls were made of chunks of glass held in place by chicken wire. And in case that doesn't sound too cool, check out the picture that I took of it on the N95:


I must admit, I was quite taken with this shot. What do you think?

Image details:
Name: 26052008052.jpg
Date: 26/05/2008 14:26
Dimensions: 2592 x 1944
Size: 1.61mb

The Penguin

During my holiday in Tenerife, I had the pleasure of going to Loro Parque, initially a parrot sanctuary but now a full blown animal sanctuary/zoo, complete with Orca whales, dolphins, gorillas, tigers, and, of course, plenty of parrots. It also had a penguinarium, with many species of penguin.

I shot lots of pictures and video in the penguinarium, but the most striking, in my opinion, is this:


They way the penguin was coming straight towards me, the way you can see above and below the surface, the way the water is churned up in the background - for me, this is my favourite picture from Loro Parque. Your thoughts?

Image details:
Name: Tenerife 44.jpg
Date: 25/09/2008 12:16
Dimensions: 2592 x 1944
Size: 673kb

The Rocks, The Trees and The Sky

Alrighty There People!

I was on a coach trip in Tenerife, and I had just been up to Mount Teide - images of that coming soon - and on the way back down to civilisation, the coach guide informed us that we would be stopping at a photo hot spot back on the way down. We did indeed stop, and the view was very nice - I could see right across Tenerife, and out to sea. The clouds were swirling around, the fields were a blanket of multicoloured greens, and there was a distinct smokey smell in the air. However, it was the view behind me that really took my breath away. The red rocks, topped with a few green trees, against the blue sky with a few wisps of white clouds, was wonderful. Without a second's thought, out came the N95, and this was the result:


Name: Tenerife 207.jpg
Date: 29/09/2008 12:46
Dimensions: 1944 x 2592
Size: 1.30mb

As always, comments are most appreciated - if you've been to this spot, please post your pictures too!

Waterfall at Allen Banks & Staward Gorge, Northumberland

Alrighty There People!

In July, I was traipsing along a muddy track, when I came across this small stream. I followed it down a steep slippery slope, and looking back up, I saw a fantastic sight. I whipped out the N95, and the following two images were the result.

This was at a National Trust site in Northumberland, on a particularly drizzly day - so bad, in fact, that I was wearing my wellies. But this view up the tumbling water was so impressive that I just had to capture it - and I think that the images are pretty good, even if I do say so myself! Image details:


Name: 11072008163.jpg
Date: 11/07/2008 13:29
Dimensions: 1944 x 2592
Size: 758kb


Name: 1072008164.jpg
Date: 11/07/2008 13:32
Dimensions: 1944 x 2592
Size: 833kb

Please do feel free to comment on the images, link to your images or blog, or contribute in some other way! Thanks!

Dawyck Botanical Gardens - Pillar

Alrighty There People!

I snapped this image on the N95 when I was in the fabulous Dawyck Botanical Gardens of Scotland in August.

I particularly loved the way the stone and the moss intertwined, and it looked fantastic against the backdrop of the home.

Image information:
Name: 01.012.jpg
Date taken: 08.08.2008
Time: 16:15
Dimensions: 1944 x 2592
Image size: 1.22mb




More images from Dawyck will be posted shortly!

Welcome to my Nokia N95 Photography Blog!

The Nokia N95 is a marvellous piece of technology, least of all for its amazing camera. According to the Zeiss.com site, "the Nokia N95 offers a powerful 5 mega pixel camera with a Carl Zeiss Tessar 2.8/5.6 mm lens, auto focus and flash which allow you to spontaneously take high-quality photos. Your pictures can be brilliantly shown on the impressive 6.6 cm (2.6 inch) display. You can then upload your photos directly from your camera phone to the Flickr online photo community and make your memories available to others. At 30 frames per second, you can easily capture moving objects." The camera on the Nokia N95 has a number of settings:

• Auto: Ideal for everyday photography - all camera settings are adjusted automatically
• User Defined: Create personalised settings for instant retrieval - adjust and keep your personalised settings
• Close-up Mode: Ideal for capturing intricate detail of small objects - use between 10 and 60cm
• Portrait: Ideal for shooting better portrait photos
• Landscape: Ideal for shooting distant scenery and skylines - enhances sharpness of distant objects and allows focusing through glass
• Sports: Ideal for fast moving subjects - use to capture moving objects in sharp detail
• Night: Ideal for taking pictures in low light without flash - enhances detail in dark conditions when flash cannot be used
• Night Portrait: Ideal for taking portraits in low light with flash - enhances detail in dark conditions

There are four flash options:

• Automatic
• On
• Red eye
• Off

The self timer can be set to Off, 2 seconds, 10 seconds or 20 seconds - ideal for the group shot that you want to be in! There is a sequence mode, which settings are:

• Burst: Capture 6 images or hold the key down to capture until the current selected memory runs out
• 10 Seconds: Capture an image every 10 seconds until the current selected memory runs out
• 30 Seconds: Capture an image every 30 seconds until the current selected memory runs out
• 1 Minute: Capture an image every 1 minute until the current selected memory runs out
• 5 Minutes: Capture an image every 5 minutes until the current selected memory runs out
• 10 Minutes: Capture an image every 10 minutes until the current selected memory runs out
• 30 Minutes: Capture an image every 30 minutes until the current selected memory runs out

The colour tone can be changed to normal, Sepia, Black and White, Vivid and Negative

The white balance can be changed to automatic, Sunny, Cloudy, Incandescent and Fluorescent

The exposure compensation settings are 2.0, 1.5, 1.0, 0.5, 0.0, -0.5, -1.0, -1.5, -2.0

The sharpness can be set to Hard, Normal and Soft

The contrast settings can be changed, as can the ISO settings.

In short, there are plenty of settings to fiddle around with to perfect the photos that you are taking!


In the photos that you will see posted on this blog, I generally use close up mode, landscape mode, portrait mode, or automatic. For night time shots, I invariably use the night mode.

I hope you will enjoy this blog as much as I enjoy snapping the images.

If you have any comments, please feel free to make them. If you would like to link to your blog, images or site, please do so.

One link that you may find interesting is this - a how to guide to build a simple tripod for your Nokia N95. I haven't got around to doing it yet, but it looks very easy and very effective.

There are loads of accessories available for the Nokia N95 - check out the links on this page.

If you would like to purchase prints of any of the images on this blog, or would like to use any of the images without the watermarks, please contact me to discuss this further.

So here's my first image that I would like to upload - me, in Tenerife in September 08, eating a fantastic ice cream:


And finally, if you haven't got yourself a Nokia N95 - now's the time to do so!