Digital SLR Photography

1``````2``````3``````Disco spiDerbyDanFryer``````NikonD7200 with AF-SDXMicro-NIKKOR 40mmf/2.8Glens.Exposure: 1/250sec atf/5 (ISO 1600).What we think:Rather than the subjectgrabbing our eye here, it's Dan's useofbackground bokeh thatreally makes thisimage stand out.We're not sure what heshot against, whether it was an'as found'backdrop or man-made, but the colourfuland bright outof fo cus orbs turn a standardshot into something eye-catching. If wecouldoffer any advice then maybe thesubject could do with a bit more light, andthe angle he's shot from could berefined.This would be easy to achieve if Dan couldmove his bokehlicious background to suit.``````Why itworks1)Sharpfocus on subjectat a wide aperture2)Colourful bokeh background3)Interesting subject and prey behaviourlanDscape expertLeeFrost“I know thatlong exposuretechniquessuch as this have become somethingof a cliché inrecent years, but Ifor oneremain a bigfan of them.Frederick hasused thetechniquereally well on this scene.Byusing a seven-stop ND filter insteadof the morepopularten stop, he’s recorded enoughmovement in the skyto capture a strong senseofmotion but not so much that the clouds havealmost disappeared into a blur.Using areverse NDgradwas also clever as it hastoned down thebrightest partof the skytowards thecentreof theshot and that’s where normal ND grads are theleast effective.What I don’treally like here is thecomposition.Therailing in the bottomleft isunnecessary and distracting.Personally, I wouldhave excluded it, eitherby moving a little furtherdown riverfor a clearerview over a straightsectionof railing,by not shooting so wide, orsimply by cropping this image, as demonstrated.Apart from this it's a strong imageFrederick."Nove mber2016Digital slr Photography 61