Pictures of the Week: November 8, 2013

From The Denver Post

Afghan day laborer Zekrullah, 23, takes a break after preparing kilns to fire the bricks at a brick kiln factory on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov 7, 2013. In the last two years as US and NATO troops prepare to leave Afghanistan, brick makers say business has dropped off by almost half.

“America cannot do a damn thing,” as they perform during an annual anti-American demonstration in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Nov. 4, 2013. Tens of thousands of demonstrators packed the streets Monday outside the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran in the biggest anti-American rally in years, a show of support for hard-line opponents of President Hassan Rouhani’s historic outreach to Washington.

Afghan day laborer Zekrullah, 23, takes a break after preparing kilns to fire the bricks at a brick kiln factory on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov 7, 2013. In the last two years as US and NATO troops prepare to leave Afghanistan, brick makers say business has dropped off by almost half. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

US surfer Garrett McNamara rides a wave during a surf session at Praia do Norte in Nazare on November 1, 2013. AFP PHOTO/ FRANCISCO LEONG

A javanese man smokes on yard of Kasunanan Surakarta awaiting the rituals night carnival ‘1st Suro’ ( Javanese calender) during Islamic New Year celebrations at Kasunanan Palace on November 4, 2013 in Solo City, Indonesia. Javanese will celebrate the national holiday with ceremonies and rituals marking the 1435th Islamic New Year’s Eve or ‘1st Suro’. The parade started from Keraton Kasunanan and is headed by a group of albino buffaloes, known as Kebo Bule. Local people believe that the parade of Heirlooms and Kebo Bule will bring them a better life.  (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

Yves Rossy, known as the Jetman, flies by Mount Fuji in Japan. The Swiss aviator jumped from a helicopter at an altitude of 3,600 meters (11,811 feet) and successfully flew the jet-powered carbon-Kevlar Jetwing around the 3,776-meter (12,388-foot)-tall mountain, Japan’s highest peak, which was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in June. (AP Photo/Katsuhiko Tokunaga, Breitling)

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Reflections on Portraiture

Steve the man at it again

9 creative photo ideas to try in March

Digital Camera World has a few ideas to get you shooting now the weather is starting to improve.

Creative Photo Ideas for March: 01 Shoot a dewdrop flower refraction

This is one of those shots that many macro photographers attempt, but few master. But with the right conditions and some essential kit, beautiful refraction images are within everyone’s reach.

“You need a minimum of a 1:1 macro lens with a set of extension tubes so you are shooting at 2:1 magnification or higher plus a flash set up,” says retired PhD microbiologist and celebrated macro photographer Brian Valentine.

To achieve this sort of magnification, 68mm of extension tubes fitted to a 100mm macro lens should do the trick.

“Shoot in Manual with exposure settings of around 1/200 sec at f/8-f/11, ISO somewhere between 100 and 400,” Brian continues, “and place the flower around one flower diameter behind the drops.”

For instance, if you’re shooting a daisy that’s 2cm in diameter, the optimum position is around 2cm from the dewdrops. Check the position through the viewfinder; if you need to adjust it, remember that the flower is upside-down in the dewdrop.

If you want both the droplets and the refracted flower to be in focus, you’ll need to use focus stacking.

This involves taking several pictures, nudging the camera backwards and forwards between each frame to cover all the points that you want to appear sharply focused.

“Shooting a sequence to get a good focus stack is the hardest part,” admits Brian.

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