Xernio Limited

Photo of the Week 24/3/22

We’re back with yet another Photo of the Week, and this week we’re covering these stunning brickwork ruins in Granville Country Park in Telford, Shropshire. This building in particular is what remains of the old winding house from the Muxton Bridge pit that used to sit in what is now Granville Country Park in the late 1800s and early 1900s. We provided a bit more of the background to this building in a post on our Instagram page last year, which can be found here if you’d like to check it out to find out a bit more about the pit and this building in particular, but in short the winding house was built in 1884, and operated until the pit closed in 1912, at which point it was left to ruin. This photo really highlights just how it has been reclaimed by nature, surrounded by trees and plants as this remnant of late Victorian history slowly crumbles away. In the meantime, it really makes for some amazing photos, with the juxtaposition of the red brickwork and the greenery all around, as well as the dim sunlight dappling through the trees, creating a truly stunning effect. 

Of course, the dim sunlight does make for some challenging photography conditions, so the photo, shot RAW (which makes it possible to bring out the finer details in the image in post), had to be edited in post to account for this. Firstly, Phil decreased the highlights and increased the shadows, then added a linear gradient from the bottom of the image to improve the contrast of the foreground. Following this, he added another linear gradient, this time from top to bottom, to improve the appearance of the sky. He then added a radial gradient across the whole photo to improve the ‘punch’ of the image, and one last linear gradient from left to right to reduce the effect of the bright sun coming in from the left. Finally, he added another radial gradient on the foliage in the middle of the photo to reduce the effect of the bright sun on it. As you can see, a lot of editing and adjustments were required to bring out the best of the image, but all the effort is completely worth it for the end product – immortalising a piece of history through photography is something that will never grow old, and is something that we absolutely love doing.

As for the technical details, Phil’s camera setup was as follows:
Camera: Olympus Corporation E-M1 Mark II
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/60s
Lens: Olympus M.12-45mm F4.0
Aperture: F5
Focal Length: 16mm

Photo of the Week 16/3/22

Happy Wednesday, everyone! We’re back again with another Photo of the Week. This week, we’re taking a look at these beautiful springtime buds. The rich colour of these flowers combined with the delicate water droplets combine to make a really lovely image that we feel is definitely appropriate as we move through March and hopefully towards some nicer, springtime weather and the abundance of new life that comes with it.

Camera Details:
Camera: Olympus E-M10 Mark iii
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/1000s
Lens: Xiaoyi 42.5mm F1.8
Aperture: F3.5
Focal Length: 43mm

To edit this photo, Phil created a subject mask on the flowers and adjusted the contrast and highlights to enhance them and draw attention to them as the focal point of the image. He also added a linear gradient from top to bottom to balance the background out – something that was extremely important to get an even bokeh.

Photo of the Week 9/3/22

It’s Wednesday, which can only mean one thing – it’s time for the Photo of the Week! This week, we’re looking at this striking sunset photo that was actually taken using an iPhone while Phil was out walking the dog. One interesting thing to note before we get into the camera and editing details is that the colours in this photo are as they were shot, with no enhancement in post. This really goes to show the incredible colours that can appear in the world around us, and also shows that we don’t always need to rely on filters or photo editing software to produce photos with such vibrant colours.

Camera Details:
Camera: Apple iPhone 11 Pro back camera
ISO: 125
Shutter Speed: 1/120s
Aperture: F2
Focal Length: 6mm

To edit this photo, Phil simply dropped the black point and increased the highlights to bring out the silhouetted tree and bushes that contrast with the vibrant sky.

Photo of the Week 2/3/22

We’re back with another Photo of the Week, this week featuring this beautiful photo of some delicate forget-me-nots. Given how tiny these flowers are, it’s always fascinating to photograph them as macro photos really help to show their beauty in far more detail than can be seen without a camera. Their vibrant blue colour really helps them to stand out in a photo, and the delicate golden ring around the centre of each flower is truly stunning to look at.

Camera Details:
Camera: Olympus E-M10 Mark iii
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/1600s
Lens: Xiaoyi 42.5mm F1.8
Aperture: F3.5
Focal Length: 43mm

You may notice from the camera details that the shutter speed when taking this photo was very fast. This is to accommodate the wide aperture and the bright conditions. Phil always sets his camera to aperture priority when taking photos in order to control the depth of field (something that is really important to him), so the rest of the settings adjust based on the aperture.

In terms of editing, Phil put a subject mask on the flowers and adjusted the colour balance, brightness and contrast to bring out the intricate details in these tiny flowers, then added a linear gradient top to bottom to balance the exposure.

Photo of the Week 23/2/22

After a short break, our Photos of the Week are back! Following the reel we posted on Instagram last week featuring some of our favourite sky photos (check that out here if you missed it!), we’re starting with this striking photo of a summer sunrise. Being able to photograph sunrises is definitely worth the early start, and their relatively delicate colours provide a nice contrast to the equally beautiful sunsets we so often see featured in photos. Below are a few details about what Phil used to take the photo:

Camera Details:
Camera: iPhone 12 Pro Max back triple camera
ISO: 25
Shutter Speed: 1/710s
Aperture: F2.4
Focal Length: 1.54mm

As you can see from the camera details, this photo was taken with an iPhone 12 Pro Max. While Phil most frequently uses Olympus cameras, this really shows what we so often say – phones really are capable of taking some great photos, as long as the subject matter is there, so don’t avoid taking a memorable photo just because you only have your phone with you. Of course, professional quality cameras are going to be the best options and, for certain types of photography like macro photography, you’re probably going to need a camera and a macro lens to get a properly good photo, but for things like landscape photography, phones can do a great job of capturing the moment really well, and can still produce a great photo.

The only editing Phil did on this photo was to drop the black point and shadows to enhance the silhouette foreground – the rest of the beautiful colours in the sky are as they appeared at the time.

Keep an eye out this time next week for our next Photo of the Week post!

Photo of the Week 5/1/22

Hi everyone, we hope you enjoyed the festive period and are having a great start to the new year! Our first Photo of the Week of 2022 is of this beautiful falcon that was taken on our last trip to Lanzarote back in 2019. We were lucky enough to have it land quite close to us while we were relaxing and eating some much-needed ice cream on a particularly hot day, giving Phil the amazing opportunity to get a close-up photo of this incredible bird. When taking the photo, he had to approach carefully and quietly so he didn’t disturb the falcon, and he made good use of the zoom feature on his camera so he didn’t get too close and scare it. This is something that’s incredibly important when taking wildlife photos; it is often tempting to try to get as close as possible to the animal you’re photographing, but the welfare of the animals has to come first and, as you can see from this photo, it’s perfectly possible to get a great photo that really showcases the beauty of whatever animal you’re taking a photo of without having to compromise its wellbeing.

Camera details:
Camera: Panasonic DC-FZ82
ISO: 80
Shutter Speed: 1/500s
Aperture: F5.6
Focal Length: 174.8mm

In terms of editing, Phil used a sky filter to adjust the colour of the sky and really bring out its beautiful blue colour. He then used a subject selection filter to select the bird and adjust the lighting to draw out even more detail. Finally, he added a radial filter on the eye and lifted the shadows slightly to create a subtle catchlight; doing this small change helped to bring more character to the bird’s expression and to really bring the photograph to life. An interesting point to note with the editing on this photo is that Phil did all of it using the Lightroom app on his phone. This really goes to show just how accessible photography is these days and, as long as you have a smartphone and a willingness to learn about photo editing, it really is available to anyone, anywhere. This is amazing as this accessibility will hopefully encourage more and more people to get into and enjoy photography, which can only be a great thing!

Photo of the Week 23/12/21

Hi everyone, we hope you’re having a great week. Our final Photo of the Week of 2021 is this photo of some vibrant purple flowers, taken in March last year. Phil always loves taking photos of flowers and these, with their beautiful purple colour, were no exception.

Camera details:
Camera: Olympus E-M10 Mark iii
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/100s
Lens: Olympus M.14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ
Aperture: F5.6
Focal Length: 42mm

In terms of editing, Phil added a radial mask around each flower, increasing the contrast and definition and decreasing the highlights to bring out the details. He added a linear filter top to bottom to brighten up the picture, and finally he applied an overall colour balance to balance the photo.

Thank you everyone for your support on our Photos of the Week this year, and we look forward to bringing you more in 2022!❤️

Photo of the Week 17/12/21

Hi everyone, we hope you’re having a good week! In the lead up to the festive season, we thought it was only appropriate to have this snowy winter landscape as our Photo of the Week this week. A covering of snow can really add a magical air to the world around us, and Phil was lucky enough to get the opportunity to take this photo back in 2018 when out walking our dog, Amber, in some local woodland back in 2018. He actually took the photo with a Sony Xperia X21 Compact phone, showing once again, as we so often say here at Xernio Photo, that the best camera is the one you have with you at the time; even if you don’t have a professional level camera with you, you can still get some beautiful photos.

Camera details:
Camera: Sony Xperia X21 Compact phone camera
ISO: 40
Shutter Speed: 1/320s
Aperture: F2
Focal Length: 4.4mm

In terms of editing, Phil adjusted the contrast to make the snowy foreground stand out, then added a linear gradient on the sky. After this, he added a radial gradient to lighten up the shadows under the trees on the left, as well as a radial gradient on the trees around the lake to bring out more detail in them.

Photo of the Week 8/12/21

Hi everyone, we hope you’re having a great week. This week’s Photo of the Week is of some delicate spring buds that have got us reminiscing about warmer weather, and we just had to share them!

Camera details:
Camera: Canon EOS 100D
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 1/125s
Lens: EF-S18-55mm F/3.5-5.6 III
Aperture: F8
Focal length: 55mm

Phil took this photo, entitled Symmetry, a few years ago before he started building his collection of Olympus cameras. As you can see, the fascinating symmetry of the leaves on either side of the buds frames the subject perfectly and really helps show the natural order that can appear in the world around us and that so often goes unnoticed. Phil utilised bokeh to help the photo look more tidy and to really draw the viewer’s attention to the buds and leaves that serve as the subject of this particular photo.

In terms of editing, Phil added a vignette to darken the outside and increase the background blur. He then added a radial filter to the middle of the photo with an increase to clarity and contrast, and reduction of the black point to really emphasise the buds. Interestingly, there is no colour adjustment in this photo – the unearthly green glow in the photo is completely natural and really showcases the vivid colours of nature.

Photo of the Week 2/12/21

Happy December, everyone! This week’s Photo of the Week is of some beautiful berries, and was actually taken at Blists Hill Victorian Town. As mentioned in some of our previous posts, Phil loves taking macro photos, so when these berries caught his eye he couldn’t miss the opportunity to photograph them.

Camera details:
Camera: Olympus E-P7
ISO: 320
Shutter Speed: 1/100s
Lens: Olympus M.14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ
Aperture: F5.6
Focal Length: 42.0mm

In terms of editing, the photo was taken RAW and then edited in Lightroom. Phil started by reducing the highlights and saturation, and increasing the shadows, across the whole picture. He then created a subject mask of the leaves and berries and increased the saturation, clarity and contrast across them to really highlight them as the subject of the photo and to bring out the finer details on them as well. He also increased the shadows and highlights to really make the berries “pop”.

As we get into the cold weather and closer to the holiday season, we hope you’re all doing well, and we really hope these Photos of the Week help bring a bit of brightness to these colder days. Have a great week, everyone!