July was a very special month this year. The weather was simply amazing, constant sun, and very hot temperatures. Unfortunately this also had its consequences for nature (green grass? Where?), and for sleeping… ? But, on the other hand, a lot of photo opportunities for sunrises, as most mornings were pretty cloudless. And the ones that had clouds, were possibly even prettier!

So let’s take a look at which of my photographs were most appreciated on the different social media in July!

Top photograph in July on Instagram: Filtered Sunrise

All pictures that are selected this month are kind of the same. All of them were taken on my way to the railway station, early in the morning. All of them were taken with the iPhone 8 Plus and ProCamera.
And still, this one is a bit different… I drove by this meadow, and was already on the lookout, because I knew that the sun was rising with a golden shine. And, I had also seen the mist that was hanging in some of the meadows. And then, I saw this wonderful combination of the sun, the trees, and the mist.
So fired up ProCamera, and took this first picture.

Filtered sunrise wide

Filtered sunrise wide

I loved it! But at the same time, I wished I had some kind of telelens to get in just a bit closer. And, I don’t like the zoom feature of mobile phones, as they are digital zooms, and thus are simply degrading the quality of your picture.
But then, I remembered why exactly I choose the iPhone 8 PLUS over the regular one: the second lens. This is actually a lens with longer focal length, and is used in portrait settings and such. Or, whenever you switch to 2x zoom!
The result of that? Well, not bad, considering the likes it received on Instagram…

Top photograph in July on 500px: Balance

Each month, when I start writing this monthly overview, I copy the text from the month before, and start removing the parts that I don’t need, and basically adjust the titles and write new text. Lazy? Perhaps, but it also brings conformity 🙂
This month, I can even go a step further, and leave a small part of the text:
“Different picture, and yet, very related. This is basically the same place, but on another time of day, and from another point of view.”
The picture that topped the charts on 500px is basically in walking distance from the picture that won on Instagram. It’s just a few 100 meters before the field with the trees. And, obviously, a little earlier, and on another day.
Driving by the street there, and looking to my right, I noticed how the street split up the landscape in two, and the sky, well, it did kind of the same.
So out came the iPhone with Procamera! This time (as most of the time for my landscapes), I used the standard wide angle lens.
With regards to postprocessing, I added some extra oomph to the picture by sliding the saturation slider north-bound. A nice sniff of shadow-fill and contrast finish the whole thing, ready to become a 500px winner.
I love this picture, but looking back at it, I wonder why I didn’t put the road exactly in the middle…

Balance by Bjorn Beheydt on 500px.com

Top photograph in July on Steemit: Corny Sunrise

This one is pretty straightforward. See the sun rising. See a cornfield with pretty green colors. Emergency brake the car (I was alone on the street, I checked!), and pop out the iPhone with Procamera ready. Next: use the car as a step to reach over the corn while still being able to comfortably view the iphone screen and push the shutterbutton.
Postprocessing? Yes. Take a wild guess! Added some saturation, filled some shadows.

Corny Sunrise

Corny Sunrise by Bjorn Beheydt

Funny thing, I never expected the Cory sunrise picture to become a big success, but I tried it anyway. It didn’t reach the top on 500px and Instagram, but it did get into the top 5 for July on those two platforms. Besides that, I also submitted the picture onto several of the Stock Agencies we work with, and it got sold a few times already.

My favorite? I Can’t really choose between “Filtered Sunrise” and “Balance”. What’s your favorite? Or did you spot another one on my profiles that you liked better?

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