The Grand Mosque is really beautiful from outside, and also from inside. It’s quite strange walking around without any shoes one, but the carpet insides is not just beautiful, but also very comfortable. I have to give them also big thumbs up for allowing tripods, even inside :) Something a lot of other places can learn from.

This is a HDR from 5 exposures, created in Oloneo Photoengine, finished in Photoshop. I’m not completely sure about the colors here. As I was there late in the evening, there ware already light on outside, inside and also the decorative neon lights. This mix of different light, cold and warm at the same time, is really not so great when on tries to capture what one saw. At least the details look great :)

While on the subject of page updates. Another section that I planed to update for a long time, was My abstract art page. Actually I plan to update a lot of parts of the blog, in the ever-going attempt to make the page better and more interesting :)

As for this update, the My abstract art page was a little boring, as it was only a gallery of my older works, I used to create in Photoshop. So I thought about how to make it more interesting, and in the end I changed it to include a description on how I started with Photoshop, where and how I learned the basics. This could maybe help (or inspire) some of you who are just starting :)

So head over to the My abstract art & How I started with Photoshop page.

Btw. to see all the pages of this blog, just scroll down to the menu in the right sidebar.

As I mentioned, I continually keep updating the page, and this time it was time to update the My Gear section (as it haven’t been updated for at least a year :)). So I finally added all the new toys I accumulated in the last year, and also added few thoughts to every single one.

So if you are curious what I use, head over to the My gear page. And here is a behind the scenes shot, taken some time ago at one of the photo-shoots.

Master exposure blending – raffle

Just a reminder, that you can still join my raffle, where I’m giving away two copies of my Master Exposure blending video tutorial. You can join the raffle here.

Notre Dame in the rain

I spend another day just tweaking the blog and adding content to it. So if you notice some new pages here and there, that’s normal :) But still there is so much more I want to change and add.  A blog is like a living thing. It has to evolve and maybe even mutate. It’s never finished. But I’m very glad that more and more people visit the blog, even if it’s currently less than it was in winter. But I noticed that every year. Probably during the cold months, people spend more time at a computer, probably :)

But to the photo I’m sharing today. It’s one from my last years trip to Paris, taken during a very rainy evening by the Notre Dame. It’s a HDR created from 5 exposures in Oloneo Photoengine, and then blended with original photos in Photoshop.

Same as by Paris, I would call this more a list of nice locations, and a real Top spots list will require more visits to London (hopefully soon :) ). So for now, here is a temporary list.

To see all my photos from London, look into the London Category
Don’t forget to check out other available lists:

Tower bridge

Of course this was my first destination, and probably is for most people. Taking photos on the bridge is great, just in the area around the bridge, don’t be surprise if you get stopped by security guards. I was twice in a mater of minutes :) I would really suggest having a small tabletop tripod and a clamp as a backup, just so you can get the shots you want.

City hall area

This area is really close to the Tower bridge, and also give a great view of it. Again there is a big chance that you may be stopped by security guards (if you use a tripod) in this area, but that haven’t happened to me. Again a tabletop tripod could be real help in this area.

Westminster bridge

Surprisingly no security guards here, and a really nice view of the bridge and from the bridge. Also great spot for early morning, if you want to get a passing buss in from of the Westminster palace.

London Eye

Another spot where you should be prepared for security guards or police to stop you (that is a recurring theme in London, btw.). Still the view of the London Eye is great and the lights on the nearby trees are there all the time.

Leadenhall Market

As all the other spots are outdoor, I’m including one that is indoor. The market is only partially indoor, but the architecture is just stunning and looks wonderful. It’s a little harder to find in the middle of a very modern area, but really worth it.

 
There are of course many more (Canary wharf, Piccadilly circus, Westminster cathedral….), and I hope to update this list again
 
Other available lists: