Adding a Vintage look to your photos

After spending a fortnight in Cuba, I got used to the vintage feel of the place and felt like some of my photos would really 'pop' if I did some editing to make them look vintage and really capture the essence of the place. I found a really good photoshop tutorial on digitalartsonline, there are actually two possibe tutorials you can use to achieve this effect but I went for this one. 

Here is the original photo:

You'll have seen this image featured in an earlier blog post.

And here's the edited one. I really loved the original but now I have spent some time adding the vintage effect, I think it works so much better! Very pleased with my newly learnt techniques and looking forward to using them again later in the year.

What do you think?

Cuban Cars

The cars in Cuba were a beauty to behold. Old fashioned cars are in abundance, though newer ones can be found, the majority are from the 1950s before the trade embargos imposed on Cuba. I even saw a few 1920s cars as well! And you have to have a ride in one, it's sort of magical! Here's a few examples for you!

  

 

What do you think? Leave me a comment below. :)

Cuba - Esta es la vida

Whilst moving around Havana and exploring the city, I loved capturing the locals going about their daily lives. Here are a few images I took of them!

Ah, loved it so much here! It was like being in a time warp!

 

I love the series of 3 photos of the man catching fish for the day. You just don;t get that sort of thing in England! Well, at least if you do, it sort of happens much earlier in the day and isn't nearly as picturesque as this huh?! I think I might actually make this in to a triptych to really do them photos some justice. What do you think?

Cuban Street Photography

As some of you may know (!) I recently went on holiday to Cuba; a place my boyfriend and I have always wanted to go to for a whole myriad of reasons, not least for the cars they drive around which make for amazing photo ops (said photos will be on a later post)! I also really love street photography and there is no shortage of that over there either. So guess what this blogpost is about (if the blog title didn't give it away that is)??

LOVE this one!

  

What I love about these two bits of street art is that they are 'tributes' to the people that led them, the revolution and to Fidel and Raul who still lead them to this day, at least for the time being. Can you imagine anyone doing it in England to pay tribute to David Cameron?! I think not!

Viva Cuba! Couldn't have put it better myself AND it's got one of those classic cars in it!

I think this image depicts the feeling of many around the whole world at the moment. Cuba is a country steeped in history and it's so so interesting. Very different to anywhere I have been before for many different reasons and I am so, so pleased I managed to get there before Fidel dies, as does the revolution with him. :( 

Light trails

I really love long exposure shots and I have missed doing them! I love all the different effects you can create from doing them, the different moods you can impart on an image by using long exposure, the colours, the lines, love it all! There's a flyover near my house that I've had my eye on and with the long nights nearly behind us (we hope), there's not much time left! So here are a few of the shots from other night!

 And playing around with temperature settings on the camera...

Night life around London

Went out a few weeks ago with my photo buddy Keith around London to catch it at night. It was pretty cold and very wet but it was fun and actually the wet added to the feel of the night because the lights all reflected in the puddles and raindrops. Here's a few that made the final cut!