Last Monday the thermometer struggled to cross the 15 degrees threshold as rain poured down. Now one week later the temperature is playing with the 30 degrees barrier. These improved weather conditions are a great opportunity to go out and shoot some pictures. So I did. Below you will find a few. Note that the entire album can be found by clicking on photos at the top.

[singlepic=324,92,69,left]Tue 22 Jul | Sunny | Temp: 22*C – Clear yellow sky in the evening. I had to take off the sweater I was wearing the day before. This picture was taken from the balcony at my home and edited afterwards to saturate the sky and darken the leaves.

[singlepic=325,92,69,left]Thu 24 Jul | Sunny | Temp: 25*C – I was waiting for someone at a terrace. When I glanced down the square I figured I could do something with the patterns of the building. This is the result. I should have put more effort in taking it, i.e. moving closer, cause I had to crop it significantly.

[singlepic=326,92,69,left]Sat 26 Jul | Cloudy, Thunderstorms | Temp: 25*C – WWII cemetries are built with symmetry in mind. When looking at them from the side, you get this effect. By using the zoom the crosses appear closer together than they actually are, portraying an endless sea of fallen soldiers. Note the odd one out: on the left, third one from below there is a star instead of a cross.

[singlepic=328,92,69,left]Sun 27 Jul | Light rain | Temp: 26*C – This picture shows the limitations of my camera. The actual light conditions were much better. I had to make concessions in order to avoid too much handshaking. Colours are very unnatural. Still, the reflection in the pool reveals parts that are hidden behind the tree. The bench nicely on top and reflected in the water.

[singlepic=329,92,69,left]Sun 27 Jul | Thunderstorms | 25*C – I set the shutter speed to 1/6 and used high speed burst shooting to capture the flashes. It took 800 pictures to come up with three decent pictures (only showing one here). Lightning seems to strike where you are not expecting it. :) Although not the best picture ever, satisfactorily for a first timer.