Day 94 - The Union Jack

Back to the old Loyalist graveyard on a grey, rainy late winter day for this dark image of the Union Jack flying between two memorials.

On days like this, I generally try to find a shot that has enough interest in its subject matter to make up for the lack of drama from the flat, even lighting of the day. It's not easy to find new and interesting shots so often and, if I'm not feeling in a creative mood, it is sometimes almost impossible.

That being said, I do like this photograph. I think of it as a study in shades of grey, with the muted colours of the flag standing out somewhat in the centre. And I'm also learning that, as much as the Olympus tempts me simply to point and shoot, putting a little thought into every picture tends to make even the simplest ones better.

In this case, I took a couple of pictures of this scene with the camera on its automatic settings, then wondered if the low light would cause it to lose depth of focus by opening the aperture up too wide. So I switched to manual, closed the aperture down as far as it goes (f8), then slowed the shutter speed to compensate from a light standpoint.

The result is that the obelisks in front and the flag in behind are in focus. I could also have tried another, more artistic shot, by going the other way to the narrowest possible depth of focus, then getting an obelisk in sharp focus and the flag nicely blurred in behind.

I add this tiny photo of a robin to remind us all that, no matter how dim and dull the sky, it is still spring in New Brunswick.