Vesna Armstrong Photography

I photographed this remote, lone cottage back in May, on my last visit to the Lakes. We went for a walk around Tarn Hows with its spectacular views, and this cottage, situated above the lake, about 20 minutes away, was a great finish to the walk. I fell in love as soon as I saw it. I took many photos from different distances and angles because I knew I would be able to make a few different images. It was a grey and dull day which was better for photography then blazing sunshine seeing overcast weather is much more manageable and easier to work with in post processing. There was no sky detail in the original so I added a texture layer that also included sky and clouds and played with the colours a bit. I went for a serene and airy look. I think carefully before I use bird brushes and here I felt they do add to the magic of the image. The cottage is part of the National Trust and is available to rent. Although it has a lovely interior it is apparently basic as far as utilities and elect...

I have recently joined another (third) online photo stock agency - Arcangel. It is just that sales with Getty Images have been almost non existent lately and Trevillion are very particular about what they accept so I am left with quite a few images just sitting on my hard drive. I thought I would give them a chance to sell with Arcangel who have struck me as stocking the type of images mine would fit in well with. They are also a lot less restrictive about what they accept for their database so I hope they wil accept most of the images I submit. Right now I have had  my first photos  accepted and a lot more are in the pending queue awaiting consideration. I am sharing here just two of them which I have not posted on my blog before. Taken in my dining room. I love white roses and they render themselves so well to a vintage still life. I always wanted to include my dresser in one of my images and finally it happened. I felt I had all the props I needed when I bought the old...

I bought this magnifying glass at an antiques market in Zagreb. It was an ideal memento that I could easily fit in the suitcase and a great prop for a new still life. I had already bought the newspaper in a vintage shop in Haworth and had an idea of using the two together. After considering what else I could use I thought of an old ashtray with a burning cigarette in it. Then I decided I did not want to wait till I find an ashtray when I can just use something I already have in the house. So I chose one of my old oil lamps. I shot many a frame trying to find a good angle and perspective. The newspaper tended to appear too large in the frame so I got in quite close to the set up and used a 50mm lens to slightly "squash" the perspective. A dark red background seemed a good colour option that would add a touch of mystery and intimacy to the image so I used a red curtain texture layer in Photoshop. I like the painterly look of the curtain, the turquoise reflection in the magnify...

I was delighted when my yoga teacher neice, Haidi, asked me if I would take a few pictures of her in different yoga poses when I was in Zagreb. "I'd love to", I said, "I would have asked you if you had not asked me!" We chose the Botanical Gardens for our location but were kicked out of there for not sticking to the paths! We had to think quickly of another suitable place and ended up in my brother's neighbour's yard where there was a white wall we could use for a very plain but uncluttered background. However, there were a couple of small windows behind my model which I removed in postprocessing - a task which is painstaking and not always completely successful. At the shoot I had to concentrate hard on what I was doing as portraits are not my domain so it was only later on while editing the photos that I was fully able to enjoy all the talent and skill of my lovely and beautiful niece. I am so proud of her! Here are just a few of many frames we did. ...

I had a really lovely time back home in my beloved home town Zagreb, but my photography always has to take a back seat while I am there. It is time for family and friends who I do not see for a long time so time for taking photos is scarce and random. But I am quite happy if I manage to take just a handful of good photos which I usually do. A view from the Strossmaerovo setaliste, popularly called "Stross". It is a lovely, romantic walk in the Upper Town with beautiful views over the city. It was a sunny late afternoon so the light was on my side. I particularly liked the little playground at the bottom of the frame with the red slide. This is Kaptol, one of the two parts of the Upper Town the other being called Gric. I took this from the left hand corner of the Cathedral. As this is a well photographed place I was looking for an unusual point of view and composition. I am glad I was able to include the street light and keep the parallels straight. I applied...

So happy that I have another book cover! Thank you Trevillion Images ! And this time it is an English author which I so wished for! It is a German edition for a kindle, as far as I know. It features the image which has been the cover photo of my blog ever since I created it, so yes it is one of my personal favourites. The original is quite moody and dark - it was getting on towards a rather dramatic sunset at the Lake District village of Troutbeck. I like how the image was changed into a brighter and serene setting for the book cover.