Having been on holidays in Belgium and deprived of internet access last weekend I’m posting two shots at once today. When I post two shots together for what ever reason I like to choose photos that are in some way related. In this case the relationship is cropping. Both are landscape shots that I find have been greatly improved by cropping them to a panoramic aspect ratio.

The first shot I’ve chosen if of a little known megalithic monument not too far from Cavan town in Ireland. The monument is made up of five standing stones arranged in a line, and is locally referred to as “Finn McCool’s Fingers”. If you look closely in the background you’ll see a wind farm on one of the mountains in the right background.

Finn McCool's Fingers
on Flickr – Full-Size

  • Camera: Nikon D40
  • Lens: Nikon DX AFS 18-55mm (D40 kit lens)
  • Exposure: 1/80 sec
  • Focal Length: 55mm
  • Focal Ratio: F18
  • ISO: 400
  • Camera Mode: Aperture Priority

The second shot I’ve chosen is one I came across by accident on my way to shoot a sunset at Taghadoe Round Tower. I just happened to notice that there was a farmer plowing a field with a nice background behind him. He was a long way away, but with my 55-200mm zoom I could make the shot. I had to wait for about 5 minutes until he reached the right part of the field to get the composition to work well. The church spire you see in the background is that of the Gunne Chapel on the St. Patrick’s College campus (AKA NUI Maynooth South Campus) in Maynooth, Ireland.

Spring on the Land
on Flickr – Full-Size

  • Camera: Nikon D40
  • Lens: Nikon DX AFS 55-200mm
  • Exposure: 1/160 sec
  • Focal Length: 100mm
  • Focal Ratio: F4.8
  • ISO: 400
  • Camera Mode: Aperture Priority
  • Exposure Bias: -0.33EV