South Carolina Statehouse - Columbia

The photos (especially the first two) seem really soft, how did you do that?

The effect is called a "soft-focus". It's created by overlaying a duplicate image with a gaussian blur.

It's one of my standard digital darkroom tricks. FYI, I can create the same effect with an enlarger in a real darkroom too.

Okay but that is only done after you took the photo ... correct? it's not some kind of camera setting or something?

Another thing, I like the photo of the dove ... the dove just seems a bit too much part of the background because of it's (the dove's) colours I think ...

My digital darkroom is Photoshop. The only thing I won't do, in Photoshop, is crop. To me, composition at the time the picture is taken is mucho importante. Unless it's for a graphic design, of course.

I think the bird is a pigeon, actually (oops! Wiki tells me they're pretty much the same thing). I pushed up the colors and grittiness because I plan to use it for a MySpace ad for a band.

I really like that first one, it's like being in a dream.

The first and third i really like the composition of. I do like the softness in the first two as well.

I would have said it was a Pigeon too.

I think that's a South-African thing, for some reason South-African english isn't very "deep" ... it feels like we use fewer words and different terminologies than the rest of the world ...

Love the pictures! I've actually seen that building. It's very pretty and a great photo-op. You did it justice.

Thanks all!

The grounds are really quite stunning in the summer. Huge old magnolia trees, perfect crepe myrtles. One of the better statehouses I've been to, really.

It's smack in the middle of 'downtown' but as soon as you step on the grounds the urban-ness disappears.

I've had one of my photos of this building published in a newspaper. It was a night shot.