Racing Towards the Sun!

I had a lovely walk around the lake with Mum this morning before beginning my journey home. The sun was shining beautifully, there were lots of puffy clouds in the sky and bird life to be seen, so I wasn't short of blip potentials!

However, the sun attracted my attention as I was making a long journey home today because there was such a huge halo surrounding it so, naturally, I had to pull over so that I could take a photo! This has had little processing other than a very minor crop (and the removal of a spot that has decided to attach itself to my camera's sensor!) and a little adjustment of exposure and shadows.

The halo around the sun is exactly as I could see it, it's not a reaction of the camera! A little research tells me that it is not uncommon but I'm not at all sure that I have seen it before, so it has to be my blip! I like the way it looks as if the cars were racing along the dual carriageway towards it!

Thank you so much for everything on yesterday's swan blip - I'm thrilled to say that it is now on Page One! Some of you asked about how I got the background so dark. It was a bright day and the sun was catching the swan but the water remained dark and shadowy. I processed the image in Lightroom, adjusting the exposure and shadows etc until I was fairly happy with the detail on the swan (I couldn't seem to get the neck detail) and I'd made the water even inkier. Then I desaturated all the colours, except the orange, to turn it into mono. And, finally, an export to Photoshop Elements, where I brushed out any remaining areas of light on the water. Don't look too carefully, it's actually fairly clumsily done! :))


Ann