Mersad Donko Photography

..:: New ventures ::..

2012-01-14T08:12:00.000-08:00

A new year is upon us and the annual new years resolutions fill up the space like nothing else. Spirits are high and no task seems complicated. It's always the same. A goal is in the distance, that we are trying to reach but we just seem to be so detached from it. But in most cases, what we want is already within us. There is a lot that we can reach if make up our minds. Some goals don't require many steps and many of them need just a little bit of courage.

Of course there are other ventures that really depend on many things. But even then it doesn't have to be about the destination. Many times the bumps in the road, the untethered territory and new steps are what make the venture interesting in the first place.

And in that sense I do hope that everyone's dreams and goals will get reached, but even if not I hope that the journey will be as interesting.

..:: Beni's third birthday ::..

2012-01-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

..:: The best of 2011 - Photo colage - Enjoy! And Happy New Year! ::..

2012-01-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

..:: Merry Christmas! ::..

2011-12-25T06:43:00.000-08:00

Hope you are having a great time with your loved ones!

..:: All new Beni episode ::..

2011-12-25T06:40:00.000-08:00

A local forest almost completely burned down a couple of weeks ago. We were there for the aftermath. It was amazing to see how fast the nature recuperated, but you'll still be able to see some of the fire damage. Of course, all that didn't stop Beni from having a blast in the autumn colored forest.

..:: Hi Guys! ::..

2011-12-12T07:08:00.001-08:00

..:: Frosty Grass ::..

2011-12-07T03:36:00.001-08:00

..:: A dog's biggest enemy ::..

2011-12-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

Beni and his enemy (the vacuum cleaner) have their first big confrontation, and because there is some delicious cheese involved, Beni will have to conjure up all of his strength to get it!

..:: Icy ::..

2011-11-20T08:50:00.001-08:00

..:: Now in the Tree, Next on the Ground ::..

2011-11-18T03:48:00.001-08:00

..:: A stroll in the Park ::..

2011-11-17T11:21:00.001-08:00

..:: Neretva Canyon ::..

2011-11-15T07:11:00.001-08:00

Neretva is the largest river of the eastern part of the Adriatic basin. One of the most valuable natural resources of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia is its freshwater richness contained by an abundant wellspring and clear rivers, indeed, a natural treasure of great importance yet to be evaluated, acknowledge and appreciated.

..:: More Nature Portraits ::..

2011-11-12T08:29:00.001-08:00

..:: Prairie ::..

2011-11-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

..:: Retro Portrait ::..

2011-11-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

..:: Autumn Fruit ::..

2011-11-03T12:04:00.001-07:00

..:: Up in the hills ::..

2011-11-02T08:52:00.001-07:00

..:: Portraits in the autumn woods ::..

2011-11-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

..:: Get out before dark ::..

2011-10-31T08:10:00.001-07:00

...don't let the nighttime catch you! Happy Halloween!

..:: The Path in the Autumn Forest ::..

2011-10-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

..:: Red Jewels ::..

2011-10-30T01:42:00.000-07:00

..:: Entering the Wild ::..

2011-10-29T00:40:00.000-07:00

From here on, civilization stops and nature rules. This was taken at a road end.

..:: Autumn Lake ::..

2011-10-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a motive I've always wanted to photograph. There is a road across the lake, which I take when I visit our Weekend-House. The road is curvy and there aren't that many spots to park and simply take pictures. But his time I just had to try.

I pulled over, and walked the road back, to a spot where I could get a closer look. After managing the nearby trees and bushes I found a perfect place, from which this small island in the lake was visible, zoomed in and there it is.

And as a plus, It has the autumn foliage all over it!

..:: Getaway ::..

2011-10-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

..:: Autumn Landscape ::..

2011-10-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

I just love this time of the year, don't you?

..:: Grandma and Grandpa ::..

2011-10-11T05:43:00.000-07:00

Talk about older images. This one was taken over 30 years ago in a small village where my grandparents used to live. They were farmers their whole life, and I always enjoyed visiting them in the countryside during the summer or sometimes over the weekend. Much has changed since then, but when I came across this image I just knew I had to restore it.

Below is the before and after comparison:

..:: Red Berry ::..

2011-10-06T11:25:00.001-07:00

..:: Above the hedge ::..

2011-10-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

Slowly transforming into the bronze colors to be...

..:: The one that nearly ended me ::..

2011-10-01T03:52:00.000-07:00

I don't think I need to write a lot about the process here, for you to understand how hard it was. This is one of my aunts, and the photo was taken in the 70s. I loved the feel of it, the composition. It was very professionally lit and staged. But the drawback to it was immense. It was damaged beyond belief, with tears coming from all sides, reaching across the body and face.

I started with the clone/stamp tool in Photoshop, as I usually do, getting rid of the outer cracks and the big white tear across the image from top to bottom, that goes over the face. That part was relatively easy.

Then cam the shoulders. Cloning didn't help at all, and that meant only one thing: I had to use digital painting! My disclaimer on that is that it looks good when done from scratch (by the people who know how to use it, which is not me) but that it looks horrendous when applied to real life images. But I had no choice. So I started slowly brushing away, adding pieces of the clothes back to the skin and adding the rest of the necklace.

The result isn't the best, but I literally had to create something out of nothing. So here it is. Let me know what you think!

..:: Resting ::..

2011-10-01T03:42:00.000-07:00

I have to confess, that I have neglected my blog lately. But September was back-to-work month, and a lot had to be done. I am still restoring my old family photos, so that's not forgotten, and those images will appear during the day on the blog. But we're back in business, with some new images coming up and the fall season ahead of is. It's going to be great!

..:: Take a look in my family albums / Restoring old favorites ::..

2011-09-13T08:20:00.000-07:00

During a recent family gathering, my cousin and I revisited some photos in our old family albums. Some pictures were in albums, others were laying in boxes unsorted and not in a pretty shape, you know how it is. The image above wasn't in a bad shape, but I included it in this post since it's a old photo of me and my cousin (whom you had the joy of seeing on this blog a lot).

The Restoration process is in full swing here right now. Photos are flying around left and right (that's why I didn't have a chance to post in a while here). Over 40 images have been restored so far, and I will share some of them in the upcoming posts, which will include before and after shots

A few were in a pretty bad shape, and you.ll also get to see those, but in a nutshell the clone stamp tool is the elementary tool for restoration. Also important are brushes. Sometimes parts of the image have to be painted back in, because so much has been damaged.

Below are a few photos i restored with comparisons! Hope you will enjoy a glimpse in our family photos.

Yes, It's the 70s! :D

My parents on their honeymoon in Dubrovnik

My cousin again (slightly younger in this one)

..:: In The Distance Lies The Truth ::..

2011-09-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

..:: Out At Sea ::..

2011-09-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

..:: Feeling Blue ::..

2011-09-07T03:03:00.000-07:00

..:: Stone Beach ::..

2011-09-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

..:: 350th Post Gift! I'll restore your old photos! ::..

2011-08-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have figured out what I want to give out for my 350th post which was made a couple of days ago: I'll restore your old damaged photos! I came across this idea while restoring some old photos of my family..

I'll make a detailed post about restoration soon, but for now the first 5 bloggers who comment on this post can send me their scanned photo (one per person) and I'll restore it for free. I hope the image above (my aunt by the way) can prove that I know what I am doing. :D Just leave a comment below. The first five win!

..:: Blurred Distance ::..

2011-08-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

..:: The Golden Goodbye ::..

2011-08-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

..:: Last Ferry Leaving ::..

2011-08-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

..:: Fog or Sea? ::..

2011-08-28T00:53:00.000-07:00

As I have written in my 300th Post images like this one come out of long shutter speeds, where you give objects time to move in the frame. This could work on night traffic, where you only see the lines of moving cars, or, like in this case, with water. Water never stops. In order to capture it truly you have to rely on a fast shutter speed so that everthing is crisp. This is especially the case when you want to photograph splashes or drops of water. But water in combination with a long shutter speed gives you magic.

Here it gave me a fog like element in the image, and paired with the right post production, you can get pretty awesome results. For this one I lowered the saturation and played with the contrast. I also sharpened the stones a bit, so that they stick even more out against the soft sea.

..:: More from the Sea ::..

2011-08-27T05:15:00.001-07:00

..:: At Rest [300th Post] ::..

2011-08-26T03:10:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do something special for the 300th post, maybe include some wallpapers, videos etc., but as faith would have it I'm away from home on my laptop, where none of my hd material is to be found. So I will catch up with that as soon as I'm back. On the other hand I didn't want to wait too long with posting my new material so here it is.

This photo was taken in a small town called Drvenik on the Adriatic coast. My sister and I were taking a walk and came across this small beach. It was very secluded and hard to approach, but the view was amazing and the picture had to be taken.

Unfortunately I didn't bring my tripod with me that night, so I had to improvise. I climbed on top of a bigger rock nearby and used some stones to make sure the camera was firmly positioned. With shots like these you can't have any shakes. Usually that means not even touching the camera when you take a photo. Pros use shutter release cables. But there is another way that bares no cost. I just used the timer for self release on my camera, then pressed the shutter and stepped away from the camera. I took 5 seconds and the camera took the image. Then I had to wait for a bit until everything was done.

The waves were slowly approaching the beach, and with the longer shutter this effect was created. The waves look like satin now, which is layed on top of the ocean. Here is another angle:

The shutter here was a bit faster. Getting the focus was very hard since I had to place the camera on the beach and lay down and look through the viewfinder, but I managed it somehow.

So that would conclude the 300th. I hope that with your support we can reach another 300 and beyond. Sorry again, for not providing any goods right away, but as I said I'll get to it as soon as I'm home. All the best.

..:: Incoming ::..

2011-08-23T04:43:00.000-07:00

..:: When the sea goes to sleep ::..

2011-08-22T02:47:00.000-07:00

Back from my vacation. More holiday photos will be up in the following days.

..:: The Power of a Plant ::..

2011-08-11T02:33:00.001-07:00

..:: Relax ::..

2011-08-08T00:06:00.000-07:00

..:: Stream [HDR] ::..

2011-08-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

..:: Summer in the Forest ::..

2011-08-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

..:: Lost Trail ::..

2011-08-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

..:: Taking the good with the bad ::..

2011-08-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

I will have to admit, summer is not my favorite season. Eventhough I live in an area where summer is the dominant season and even though Iwas born in June, I have never looked forward to it. Usually I connect it withsummer breaks and have thus accepted it so far. But, on the other side I alsobelieve that no season should go by without us giving it some of our attention.

Summer does have a few perks that keep it above otherseasons though. The summer sea is quite a view and a still summer afternoon canhave its charms (like in the image above). I love the light summer food, fish,salads, but also ice cream, which seems to taste better on a hot summer day.Then there are the summer nights. I have posted a few summer night imagesbefore, and each one has one thing in common: magic. There does seem to bemagic in the air at night. Something in that cloudless sky that brings thestars out, that makes the nightlife vivid and poetic. Sure, one could arguethat a winter’s night has more magic, but I’d say summer can definitely hold itsown.

In the end, we should always take the good with the bad, notdismiss it, not urge for it to be over. Because, as much as I love autumn,desperately waiting for it would also mean, wishing for time to fly away and tome it’s one of the worst things you could wish for. We’re all here for a blinkof an eye.

..:: In the Garden ::..

2011-08-02T02:46:00.000-07:00

..:: Getting rid of clutter [includes before/after comparison] ::..

2011-07-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

The image above is a small fish pond in the mountains. A very cold river, named Sanica, flows out of the mountain and eventually arrives here. There are several basins as you can see in the image. Why did i post this? Well, besides the fact that I think the image turned out good, I also wanted to comment on the subject of clutter in images.

This one was a perfect example of this very common thing in photography. I strive for simplicity. So when a scenery presents itself with lots of detail, things can get out of control very quickly. The next image shows what "clutter" i chose to edit out. Sometimes it's quite easy and other times you have to be a bit more detailed and careful. However the clone stamp tool in Photoshop is your friend.

..:: Staring At The Sun ::..

2011-07-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

..:: Up and Down ::..

2011-07-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day spent in our weekend-house. The perfect summer day, when it's not too hot and you can walk outside without suffering in the heat. Even though I'm more of an autumn person, because I love the mood that time of year brings with itself, I can for sure appreciate a summer day like this. When everything is still and life seems to slow down. Here are two images. One of the sky, with those big fluffy clouds that were shielding us from the sun, and the other from the chestnut tree growing right in front of our door.

..:: Where Is Everyone? ::..

2011-07-28T14:36:00.001-07:00

click on the image for a full view

..:: Tide ::..

2011-07-26T14:58:00.001-07:00

..:: Midday in the old town ::..

2011-07-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

..:: BH-Blog Award ::..

2011-07-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

BH BLOG AWARD WINNER FOR BEST PHOTO BLOG OF 2011

This morning I got an e-mail letting me know that my blog received the bhBlog Award for "Best Foto Blog 2011". It's an award that is given by a Bosnian team of bloggers that surf and award blogs that are from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that are representing it in any way.

I want to thank them for choosing my blog from all the bloggers from Bosnia and Herzegovina! You'll find their badge on my blog with a link to their site and list of other winners.

In other news: my 300th post is coming up and I'll try to prepare something special for it.

..:: Catch! ::..

2011-07-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

In case you're wondering: we didn't catch anything :D

..:: On the River Beach ::..

2011-07-21T03:39:00.001-07:00

..:: Beach Action! ::..

2011-07-21T02:25:00.000-07:00

It was a very fun day we had by the river. Beni was jumping up and down the beach and trying to take a swim. As you will see he was very cautious while doing so. Of course some images were made too on that day, which I'll post later in the day. Hopefully you'll like this new episode of The Maltese Diaries, for more check out the corresponding link under my banner on this blog. Thanks!

..:: Sunset from two angles ::..

2011-07-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

What I like about this image is the black vignette effect that seems to enhance the darkness of the sea and mountains as the sunlight slips away. As if everything is about to be swallowed by the approaching night.

The view of the sunset was much better enjoyed on the other side of the bay. The soft pink light was created with sunglasses that i put in front of the lens. No color correction needed. It was a fun thing to try out.

..:: Summer Retro Portrait ::..

2011-07-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

I went for a slight retro look and pose in this one. It was taken in Drvenik, Croatia just as the sun was setting, and my sister and I found this great place where the pine trees were oddly shaped, which allowed her to climb on them.

..:: More from the sea ::..

2011-07-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

..:: At the end of the journey ::..

2011-07-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

Far away they have traveled, but the waves are finally reaching their goal as they clash with the rocks on the beach. The sunset in the far distance is echoing the arrival.

..:: Going in ::..

2011-07-12T01:59:00.000-07:00

..:: Gone Fishin' [HDR]::..

2011-07-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

..:: Overlooking ::..

2011-07-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

..:: Say Goodnight ::..

2011-07-02T02:22:00.000-07:00

..:: The Moment After [HDR Image]::..

2011-07-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Even though the sunset brings with it amazing colors for photography, having the setting sun in the frame can be a pain too. Yes, the light for the side that's turning from the sun is great, but if you want to shoot directly at the setting sun, you'll have to wait. It's the moment after the sun sets, when things get a bit magical.

As the golden hour is finding it's end, there is a small timeframe that lends itself for great photos. You can shoot directly at the sun, and since it's behind the hills or sea, you'll only get a soft bright spot where the sun was, and not a big ball of white light.

Everything is a bit different then, you can still capture details in the surroundings, and if you do an HDR like I did with this image you'll even get more out of the setting. This also works in the morning, 10-20 minutes before the sun starts rising. But really, who wants to wake up that early :D

..:: The First "A Photo to Remember Award" goes to... ::..

2011-06-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

... Jackson and his blog I Like To Writes Photography, specifically the post Beauty In The Morning.

It is filled with great images of the morning sun, shining on grass, flowers and nature in general. I love the depth of field in them, the colors and of course the light. It really is a celebration of everything a new day brings with it.

P.S. Jackson, I hope you don't mind me using one of the images for illustrative purposes. If you want you can put the "A Photo To Remember Award" badge on your blog, with a link to this post and blog. Kudos for the images!!

..:: Two Sunset-Lit Portraits ::..

2011-06-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

Two portraits of my sister on the beach at sunset. One close-up and one wide-shot. The light was really good here, and I tried to make the best out of it.

..:: Clash ::..

2011-06-30T05:22:00.000-07:00

I love the contrast between the harsh spikes and salt water clashing at them, because even though the stone seems indestructible, the water will slowly win the game.

..:: Take a Swim ::..

2011-06-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

..:: Pine forest at the beach ::..

2011-06-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

..:: A dramatic turn ::..

2011-06-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a bit quiet here in the month of June, but I didn't give up on photography and neither did I on this blog. Work is finally starting to wind down as the yearly summer holidays are approaching. I will have more time to make new photos. And to get things started I have over 20 brand new, ready to go images that I will be posting here. I took them while on a weekend getaway to the seaside. You can expect some sea images, but also woods and town impressions.

The first image I'm presenting is one of a fire on a nearby island. You can see it in the background. It burned over 25 hectares of woods and soil. And while that is very unfortunate and a all to common tragedy in the summer, it made for a very dramatic touch in this image. Hopefully you'll like it.

..:: Inside the city lights ::..

2011-06-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

Maximal blur, to get the details in the city lights at night.

..:: A Photo to Remember Award ::..

2011-06-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

I decided that it's time to create an award of my own that I can give to people. In the beginning of this blog I was very reluctant to do this, since I didn't think I had that much knowledge of my own to be judging someone else. But over two years have passed now, and I believe I'm more confident to hand this out. Of course this little award is nothing special, just my observations of images around blogger.

Technically great images are a plus, but sometimes it's a feeling that an image brings out and that's why it doesn't always have to be a pro image. Hopefully you'll like this idea and embrace this award. There is no time period in which I'll give this out. Whenever I see a post with an image that I like I will contact you with this image.

So that's it. Yet another new beginning on this blog. More images will follow soon!

..:: I know i PROMised more ::..

2011-05-31T11:56:00.000-07:00

Let's close out this moth with some beautiful people and more prom pictures...

..:: Prom Portrait ::..

2011-05-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

It was prom last night for the latest generation, and I made some portraits for a friend of mine. Hopefully you'll like them. More will follow soon...

..:: Back to Black ::..

2011-05-28T03:49:00.000-07:00

... and white... sorry I just had to post another one :)

click on the image for a full view

..:: Orange roofs ::..

2011-05-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

In order to transition from black and white to color, here is a selective colored image. Usually I don't like selective colored images, but i guess it depends on which color you leave and what gets selected as staying in color. And the orange and grey combo here works well, i think.

..:: Black and White Dreams (Part Three) ::..

2011-05-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

I called the series Black and White Dreams since it's just random b/w imagery like in a dream where your mind flashes from one scene to another. Unconnected places that somehow, subconsciously, awake feelings or memories.

..:: Black and White Dreams (Part Two) ::..

2011-05-22T02:17:00.000-07:00

..:: Black and White Dreams (Part One) ::..

2011-05-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

A new series in which I converted some of my earlier work (most of it unreleased) to black and white. Hopefully you will enjoy them!

..:: Autumn Leftover ::..

2011-05-15T01:37:00.000-07:00

..:: Grow up! ::..

2011-05-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

..:: Going to sleep ::..

2011-05-01T01:45:00.000-07:00

..:: Hedge [HDR] ::..

2011-04-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

..:: Some new iPhone uploads ::..

2011-04-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of shots taken today during a short trip to our weekend-house. Edited with Cinema+ App for iPhone.

..:: Along the stones ::..

2011-04-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

..:: Brownie ::..

2011-04-16T00:56:00.000-07:00

..:: Blossoming tree line ::..

2011-04-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

..:: My dog goes crazy [NEW VIDEO] ::..

2011-04-13T09:17:00.001-07:00

..:: It's me again... ::..

2011-04-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

..:: Plantage ::..

2011-04-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

..:: Pink and Green ::..

2011-04-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

Love these two colors together.

..:: Spring Portrait ::..

2011-04-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

There are some new spring photos coming up, which I made today, and which I'll be posting in the coming days. Here is the first one.

..:: Bags of Love ::..

2011-04-03T03:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you have noticed the little add on the right side of my blog. It's a link to a site that makes really good prints of photo montages. They did one for me and I'm really amazed at how good the turned out. If you like you can go to their site and order your custom canvas. They also do prints on other materials too. Here are some photos of the canvas.

..:: Royal Garden ::..

2011-04-01T11:06:00.000-07:00