Lost, by Rod Martin:

Vote for November's Picture of the Month

Rod is a relative newcomer to the DPNow forum and photo gallery, having registered as a member just over a week ago, but he quickly left his mark with this fullsome study of an old training show abandoned on a beach.

The picture is quite low key - there are no bright or contrasty elements at all, which is most appropriate for the scene. But he has managed to include a clean blue sky, with nic cloud detail and, with a lot of depth of field, incorporate the shoe as the subject, very close to the camera with the help of a lot of depth of field.

On reflection, a bit more DOF would have made the picture even better as the toe of the shoe is not quite in focus. Rod used f/8 at 1/250th sec, so there was scope for stopping the lens down a fair way in order to sharpen the end of the shoe. But let's not let that little point spoil the overall effect.

Rod says: "The photo was taken on the sands at Whitley Bay on the northeast coast of England, using a Nikon D200 with a Sigma 10~20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM lens, 1/250th, f/8, ISO 100, spot metering and the lens set to its widest at 10mm." That's 15mm in old fashioned parlance, which would have meant a fisheye view not all that long ago!

Lost, by Rod Martin:

Click on the picture to see a larger view in Rod's gallery

(Free forum/gallery registration required)

Rod adds: "I have been using digital cameras for over 4 years and DSLR cameras for over 2 years. Apart from the Nikon D200 I also own a Nikon D70 and D70s, photography is a hobby as I work full time as an electrician." Ah! Now we know why he can afford all that expensive gear!

Seriously, though, although Rod only has a handful of pictures in his gallery, he clearly shows a lot of talent and promise.

Are you up to the task of being selected for the DPNow POTD? All you need to do is exhibit your pictures on the free DPNow photo gallery and maybe we'll be in touch!