At last - Scholars' Stairs, Sighisoara

It's taken over a year, but I finally managed to get this looking the way I wanted it to. The shot had to be grabbed quickly (although it's an eight second exposure) because there was only a brief break between people walking up and down the stairs. The sun's rays were the easiest part to retain, the most difficult was the view through the door, which still isn't perfect (I'd like to have some texture in the snow) but is as good as it's going to get. Had I thought about it at the time, I'd have taken a second exposure for the snow and layered it in to retain the texture. Nonetheless, here it is - fifteen months after I pushed the buttoned.

Porch, Miklosvar

This was taken in the very early morning in a little village called Miklosvar which we visited in the new year. The morning was very cold (below -20C) but the sky was clear and the light just seemed to pop out of everything. I was struck by the simplicity of this composition, which reflects the relative simplicity of the surroundings.

Step

I had a particularly good day when I took this. Four good exposures in a single day is good going by anybody's standards, and this is one of the four - the other three were all of cartwheels (see a previous post here); this is in the same place.

Christmas and computers

They speak for themselves.

Straw

Another one from the Delta trip. This is the straw used to thatch the roofs. It grows everywhere in the Delta, but isn't much harvested now. The morning light was coming from the right and bouncing off the grass, which gives an unusual uplighting effect on the straw.

Shell House

Another one from the Danube Delta. This was taken on a bright early morning with clear skies; the lack of any texture in the sky in the photograph shows this, there really wasn't any to show. The house is still in use, although not for humans, and the thatch roof is maintained. The next photo I upload will show the raw material, in the same early morning light.

Hair

Just to show something a little different. From the Theatre Festival in Sibiu, June 2007 when Sibiu was European Capital of Culture.