May photo: copulation of kestrels in Madrid

For 100 days in 2020, the Spanish authorities prevented us from moving freely through the streets. Fortunately we discovered a pair of kestrels that nested near our house, and that we saw almost every day. We had to use a very powerful telephoto lens to be able to photograph them, but I think the result was worth it.

Olympus E-M1 Mark II camera. M.Zuiko Pro 300mm f/4 lens + 2x. 1/400, f/10 ISO 400. Author Yolanda Moreno

 

April photo: ice in the Sierra

One of the most attractive subjects in winter is ice on rivers. On this occasion we find these ice structures hanging from a fallen trunk above the river in the Sierra de Madrid, in the Lozoya Valley.

We used a telephoto lens so that the background was out of focus and to highlight the detail of the ice. In addition, the sun illuminated from behind, further highlighting the detail. We ran several tests with different shutter speeds and the one we liked the most was 1/15 ". The angle of the shot is very low, the river water almost splashed the camera!

PhaseOne XF + IQ160 camera. Mamiya 210mm F/4.0 lens. ISO 50, 1/15 and f/11. Author: Juan Abal

 

March photo: sunset in Madrid

We live in the center of a big city, and although it is a flat, from our window we can see the sky, which has given us memorable sunrises and sunsets. Always appreciated, but never as much as now that the COVID-19 has us confined.

On Sunday afternoon there was a storm, which left a metallic light and purple skies, while the sun struggled to send its last orange rays. The wet streets, the lights of a few cars, the reflections in the glass ...

Olympus OM-D E-M1 MarkII camera. Lens Olympus M.12-100mm F4.0. ISO 800, 1/80 and f/4.0. Author: Yolanda Moreno

 

 

February photo: cranes in Gallocanta

 

The Gallocanta lagoon is an excellent place to observe cranes in winter. It is best to see them at dawn or dusk, but they can also be seen during the day eating in the lands near the lagoon. This image is made in one of those areas, at noon, under the direct sunlight of a January 5.

The distance to the cranes was very large, so I decided to use the camera's digital zoom mode (2x). In this mode the focal length equivalent to 35 mm is 1,080 mm, and the resulting file is a JPG. Between heat reverberation and digital magnification, this image looks more like a painting than a photograph.

Panasonic DMC-G9 camera. Lens Leica DG 1: 2.8-4.0 / 50-200 mm, plus 1.4x. ISO 200, 1/1600 and f / 5.6. Author: Juan Abal

 

January photo: bamboo forest in Akashiyama, Japan

I took this picture one day in early January 2018. It was a national holiday so there were thousands of people in this place. We wanted to get a picture without people, and only at this time, which lasted a few seconds, we managed to see the road cleared.

Panasonic DMC-G80 camera. Lens Leica DG Vario-Elmar 1: 2.8-4.0 / 12-60 mm. ISO 400, 1/10 and f / 3.5. Author: Juan Abal