Playing with HDR and ageing pics

A buddy of mine from back home got involved with a WWII historical re-enactment group called "The Brandenburg Commandos". They're based in Ireland and have members from all over the country. Their main goal is to help teach history and have a bit of fun while doing it. They also celebrate and remember the veterans from all nations. As far as I'm concerned it's a fantastic hobby, it gets you out and about, teaches you history and at the same time gets you exercising while having a lot of fun. In a way it's like playing a part in a film without the camera's rolling.

My only connection with the group is through my friend +David Sinnott, I was delighted when he got involved with this because he has been a history buff pretty much as long as I've known him, which is nearly my whole life. For my part I love playing around with images and the guys have been capturing some pretty decent shots at the different events around the country. The most recent being last week when the "Irish Military War Museum" opened its doors for the first time to the general public.

As far as I know the Irish Military War Museum is a first of its kind in Ireland because it's a museum that celebrates history from all over the world and not just Ireland.

In my own opinion this is a remarkable achievement and one worth celebrating. The Ireland that I knew was far to inward looking for far to long and it's great to see that they are finally moving away from that old outlook. From a personal point of view, the guys celebrate and remember veterans like my grandfather "James (Jimmy) O'Donovan" who served in the South Staffordshire Regiment of the British army from 1939 - 1946.

Himself and his brother "John (Jack) O'Donovan" and his best friend "Edward (Eddie) Murphy" made it through the whole of WWII seeing action on multiple continents. It is fantastic to finally see these veterans being remembered in Ireland. For to long they were forgotten because of ridicules politics that should have been put to bed decades ago. So a massive thank you from me to both the "Irish Military War Museum" and the guys in "The Brandenburg Commandos" for all you do in celebrating our heroes.

So back to the fun part, ageing some of the photos the lads took over the past few months. This is not hard to do these days and I get a lot of enjoyment from it.

I've also been playing around with HDR to make the images look more like the covers of the boxes of Airfix models we had when we were kids.

David Sinnott and Tony Walsh (above) enjoying an ice cream in Listowel...they were not expecting the yanks that day.

They've been doing an incredible job in re-enacting and capturing moments from history.

Above, a captured Russian soldier wonders what his fate will be and where he'll be taken to see out the war. I can only imagine that the guys will get better and better at capturing these moments through the lens as time goes on.

For now though you can check them out at the links below. If you have an interest in history or are involved in historical re-enactment groups around the world why not get in touch with the lads, share experiences and stories. And who knows, maybe even meet up some day for a show at the Irish Military War Museum or similar around the world.

• The Brandenburg Commandos
• Irish Military War Museum

Playing around on the field

So I've been finding the last few days tough when it comes to keeping up with this blog. Some days are like that and others I feel like writing several posts at once. The exercise regime is going really well at the moment and even though my muscles feel tired and fatigued, I also feel really good. Seeing the weight dropping off day by day is definitely very rewarding. So to start off tonight's post I am going to show you a picture I took of +Linda Dean a bit earlier when we had just finished our kick around on the football pitch. She just realized that she could touch the ground again with her finger tips.

With the help of Snapseed I really liked how it turned out, I like the way the light was shining on her. Every time I play around with these images it amazes me how easy it has gotten. It is not all that long ago where you'd have to slog along for hours playing with software to get the image the way you wanted it to look.

I also absolutely love HDR, it truly is amazing to me what HDR can do to the right image. It's not just about capturing a moment in time with the camera but also almost turning it into a beautiful painting with the help of HDR.

We encountered this little fellow on our way to the park, he was just happily grazing away, waiting for us to move on so he could finish his lunch in peace. Nutria are not native to Oregon or even the USA, they originate in Brazil as far as I know. I'd love to know how they got up here in the first place, people bringing them up as pets I presume. I could be wrong with the Brazil part but I think it's definitely South America somewhere. I will have to get stuck in over the coming days with image editing, just been feeling tired the last few with all the exercise. 

Playing with HDR and shedding lbs

In our never ending quest to shed a few pounds (double figure numbers) we've been heading out to some really great spots. We have basically spent our spare time the last week walking, cycling and hiking if only a short hike. Since I've been addicted to my Nexus 5 lately I decided to play around with the HDR, not the HDR+ on the camera but the HDR in Snapseed.

I love the effect, it's like an instant painting, if you can get the right light it works really well.

It works great with landscape shots, I haven't really played around with HDR+ yet. I have taken a few with the Nexus but haven't looked closely at them yet. I've just really been enjoying playing around with Snapseed. It would be nice however if it could handle larger images than it does.

The auto-panorama is also pretty incredible, this next one was pieced together on G+ from several images I took while we were out at Bald Hill.

And it's pretty seamless as far as I'm concerned. The software is getting really good, can't wait to see what the next few years brings us. I think though at the moment it's still better to take the photos with a DSLR and then play with them in an app like Snapseed. That's where I've gotten the best results, however, the convenience of having a pretty decent camera in your pocket does count for a lot. 

And here we go with the obligatory black n white photo, I just can't get enough black n white. I love the way they look, there is something timeless about black n white photography. I love the light, the shadows and the fact that +Linda Dean is on her Nexus in this one bitching on G+ about me taking yet another black n white picture, how cool is that?