The Bell Cage
Built in the 15th and 16th centuries, St. Mary’s Church in East Bergholt, Suffolk is unique for it’s lack of a traditional church bell tower. Due to a halt during the construction of the church, this temporary structure was built next to the church to house the bells. A “temporary” structure that still remains some 500 years later.
This unique arrangement leads to the only place in the world where bells are rung in this manner. As opposed to traditional ringing where ropes are pulled from below, bell ringers physically stand next to the bells, throwing them manually.
With a weight of 4.25 tons, the bells themselves are also believed to be the heaviest that are run in England today.
This HDR image was assembled in Photomatix Pro using a set of 5 exposures developed from a single RAW image.
Creating A Photo Collage Wallpaper
Step 1: Once you’ve downloaded the collage templates, extract the zip file and open the template you want to use using Fireworks CS5 or later. The templates have been pre-built for a desktop screen resolution of 1920x1080px. The colored zones represent containers for the photos that we’ll be adding to the collage, while the white frames will automatically frame each photo.
Step 2: Identify a photo to be added to a zone, and drag it into the canvas.
Step 3: While holding down the shift key (to make sure the image maintains proportions), grab one of the corners of the image and resize it to roughly cover the zone you want to place it in.
Step 4: Click once on the image to select it, then select “Cut” from the “Edit” menu.
Step 5: Select the zone you want to place the image in by clicking once on it.
Step 6: With the zone selected, select “Paste Inside” from the “Edit” menu. This will create a layer mask and fit the image inside it.
Step 7: Your photo has now been masked into the zone with the white photo frame around it.
Step 8: If the image requires additional adjustments such as further resizing, repositioning, sharpening, color adjustments, etc. you must first unlock the image from the mask. Expand the “Layers” panel, click on the photo to select the layer, find the active layer in the layers panel, and click the chain link icon to unlock the layer from the mask.
Step 9: You can now make changes to the photo without moving and affecting the mask that keeps it in the frame.
Step 10: Repeat steps 2-9 for each remaining zone, then select “File” from the menu, and click “Save As…” to save your collage.
Night Timelapse
Shot on Wednesday, September 28, 2011. What started as a clear night was later met by clouds and lighting. Also visible is NC Route 55 (one of the main arteries in and out of Research Triangle Park), and a fair amount of air traffic. This timelapse is made up of just over 1,500 images taken over a 5 hour period.
Mostly365
I’ve finally decided to try to do #mostly365; I figure it’s one way to make sure I get better with my photography and make sure I’m using that creative part of my brain every day. Use the #mostly365 link on the left or head over to http://365.mike-greene.com and check out my progress.
ProOptic 14mm f2.8
Last week I picked up a ProOptic 14mm f2.8 from Adorama. Unfortunately it has been raining pretty much nonstop since it arrived at the beginning of the week, so instead of trying it out I’ll have to settle for taking some photos of it.
Hurricane Irene
Clouds from the edge of Hurricane Irene approaching Cary, NC at sunset; Friday, August 26 2011. 298 second exposure, f6.3
Split Rocks
“Split Rocks” (HDR Version), shot at the American Tobacco district, Durham NC. View more of my photos on Flickr
UNC Chapel Hill
UNC Chapel Hill (HDR), shot at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC. View more of my photos on Flickr.