Stormy weather...

Snow is falling across much of the UK this weekend, but so far has not made it to the southern coast. Instead we are being subjected to strong winds and heavy showers, interspersed with periods of blue sky and sunshine. Not being deterred by such conditions (in fact I rather enjoy them) I set off along the seafront at Boscombe in search of images. As is the norm there are the usual individuals who are prepared to brave the conditions, whether it be cyclists or joggers, but Boscombe pier was deserted when I arrived to shoot the above image this morning.

12-24 f/4 Nikkor. 1/500 second at f/8. ISO 400. The image was converted to mono in Photoshop.

© 2008

Home from home...

Overcast weather conditions are forecast to be prevalent over the weekend, so it's time to get in close and shoot detail rather than the bigger picture. It has always fascinated me how some people who own beach huts along the Dorset coast try to make them extensions of their own homes by adding personal touches to the exterior, as well as what goes inside them. As part of an ongoing project I include two examples shot this morning of just such decorations; one simple, one a touch more flamboyant.

Top: 85mm f/1.4 Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/4.5. ISO 400.
Below: 85mmf/1.4 Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/5. ISO 200.

© 2008

Boscombe surf reef delay...

The construction of the Boscombe surf reef will now not be completed until next year. Adverse weather conditions set the project behind schedule from the start, and now with fewer hours of daylight and colder sea temperatures it is being deemed unsafe for divers to continue working at the site. I was advised today that next week will see the final sessions on the reef before work stops for the winter, whilst the remaining sand pile is being levelled by a bulldozer (image).
Work on the surf reef, which covers an area the size of a football pitch, is now expected to be resumed in April 2009, with completion by September.
A plus side to the project is the proliferation of marine life that began to establish itself on the reef after the first few days of the geotextile bags being lowered into place.

Nikon D300. 85mm f/1.4 Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/4.5. ISO 320.

© 2008

The humble 50mm f/1.8 lens...

This autumn seascape was shot today using the humble 50mm 'standard' lens. At one time this much maligned lens usually came as standard (hence the name) with every SLR camera you bought, but in recent years has been superceeded by a short range zoom lens, giving the first-time photographer more flexibility. Zooms were more exciting to use, and as their quality improved the 50mm lens fell out of favour. This, however, is a mistake. Both Nikon and Canon produce these lenses, and the f/1.8 version that I used here is an absolute bargain. Currently costing around £77 the lens is small, lightweight and comes into its own in low light. Stopped down, it produces excellent sharpness from f/5.6, and costs so little (compared to other prime lenses) as they are easy to manufacture. All in all, worth every penny.

Nikkor 50mm lens. 1/1600 second at f/5.6. ISO 200.

© 2008

A flying duck...

I have recently upgraded my camera body, but it was not until today that I had the opportunity (or the light) to see what it could do. So, deftly dodging weather fronts, I head to one of my favourite locations in the New Forest, Hampshire, to photograph everything that is autumn, and hope for good light.
One of the reasons for the upgrade was for the superior focus tracking of moving subjects, and it's the ducks at Eyeworth pond that are the subject of my lens. Of course, ducks merely bobbing around on a lake are no real challenge for any auto focus system, so I needed to get them airborne (and flying towards me) to get the shots I'm after. This usually works with the promise of an easy meal, so I entice them with wild bird food (not bread - it does them no good whatsoever) to my side of the water. It took several attempts to get the birds on the right flight path before I got anything useable (top image), and the AF system coped well, bearing in mind that I also added a x1.4 teleconverter to increase the reach of the lens.

Top image: Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR lens with TC-14E converter. 1/1250 second at f/4. ISO 320.
Below: Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR lens with TC-14E converter. 1/320 second at f/5. ISO 400.

© 2008

Dyslexic builders..?

Time restrictions prevented me from processing the majority of yesterday's shoot, but as good dawn light was not forthcoming today I decide to spend the time editing the images. The photograph is of the show apartment on-site for Boscombe Spa Village, complete with the legend "Welocme to Honeycomb Beach"[sic]. It would appear that the recent bad weather has dislodged several of the letters of the word 'Welcome' and someone has made an attempt to correct the problem (albeit without total success - the 'O' has come adrift again). Unfortunatey, sometimes you can be too close to the situation and not see the bigger picture! I wonder how long it will be before site management see it and have it corrected.

Nikkor 12-24 f/4 lens. 1/125 second at f/10. ISO 100.

© 2008