Messing around with some joss sticks and photoshop to attempt to get some decent smoke images. These are nothing new really, the pioneer and master of these is a guy called Graham Jeffery who has a photoblog called Sensitive Light. His are far better than the paltry efforts you're about to see here. Need more practice!




There you go, ten minutes for a half decent effort. Lesson learnt: Focus properly, or using a smaller aperture.

Me and Jo went for a walk around Newstead Abbey yesterday, I've beent there before a few times, including once doing a run around it (it's bigger than youi think!) but usually in the summer, so it was ncie to see it in the spring. I decided before we left to challenge myself and rather than taking a whole raft of lenses, to just take one. This time I took my new 12-24 lens, which produced some sillily wide angles, but is good fun. First thing I saw was a peacock up a tree, and thought "I wish I'd brought my 24-70" but ho hum. I think challenging yourself every so often is all part of the fun.

Here's some pics:



Jo throwing money into a stone ornament in the Japanese gardens. She was a bit too good at it, I proudly stood in front of it after her and threw about £20 in 2ps at the damn thing, didn't get a single 2p in.



Jo & her shadow. Jo likes this lens because it makes her legs look big, which, apparently, is a good thing.



The first daffodil photo of the year!



Jo, toned blue. That happened afterwards, she was a normal colour on the day



A tunnel. Nothing much more to say about that, you could walk through it and everything.



and finally a bit of an experiment, I'm not sure whether I like this or not. I think I do, but I have a bit of a problem getting over pictures which aren't perfect (I know this hasn't got very much tonal range). But overall, I like it.

Bonjour all, never had a live journal before, so here goes nothing!

Here's all the other places you can find me:

http://www.jonrouston.co.uk/ (currently under development)

http://www.jonrouston.co.uk/blog/ (small but on its way)

http://www.myspace/jonrouston

http://www.flickr/photos/bigfatbadger (don't ask about the user name!)

Slowly forging a career as a wedding photographer, in Nottingham, UK.