Personal Photo Challenge - Water

It's time again for Donna's Personal Photo Challenge. This is a monthly challenge with topics chosen ahead of time - this month's topic is Water and next month's is Doors and Windows. The main purpose of Donna's Challenge is to expand and practice your digital photography skills. I have had a very busy month and haven't had made a lot of time for photography other than when I was
travelling. It was on my mind as I was in Prague, and so my photos this month are from that beautiful city. I actually treated myself to a Photography Tour while there, not only to spend some time with a Pro who lives there and could take me to interesting spots I might not find on my own, but also to get some help with just that - digital skills. Although I have been doing photography for years, I am relatively new to the digital camera and still have lots to learn about all the settings, controls and editing possibilities. Night photography was another area I wanted to explore a bit further. And water itself is a fascinating subject. It's like a fire- I can stare at it for hours...
Prague is bisected by the beautiful Vltava River, and there is always interesting "river traffic" to watch- from cruise boats, paddleboats, gondolas, rowboats, and the occasional speedboat to swans, ducks and gulls. There are numerous bridges from which to watch all this activity. And then of course there is the beautiful architecture of this historic city...

I enjoy capturing reflections and this first shot was taken looking towards Prague's castle area. I have not done a great deal of night photography but Prague was the perfect "subject" with the river, castle and your choice of bridges for whichever view you wanted. This shot was taken at around 10:30p.m., one of many as the sky darkened through the evening. I experimented with settings and the time for exposures, and surprisingly got a decent number of good shots. A tripod was a necessity and I used the timer on my camera to trip the shutter. Of course the river was never completely still for a perfect reflection, but I am pleased with the "soft" reflection of lights and the illuminated castle.




Another river shot- this time taken in bright sunlight in mid-afternoon, hand held. I wanted to capture the graceful swans with the famous Charles Bridge in the background. Of course, they don't pose, or hold still, but I am pleased with the composition.








This final shot was taken in the Wallenstein Palace Gardens. I saw the reflection of the nearby green building with red tile roof and the blue sky, complete with white fluffy cloud... the breeze was rippling the water just enough for an interesting effect. I just couldn't resist!!

So there you have it - my three images of water, from Prague. I hope you'll visit Donna here and see what other participants have done with this challenge. And why not consider joining in the fun yourself?

Peace,
Linda

"It is life, I think, to watch the water. A man can learn so many things."  
~ Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook