Cormorants and self propelled spud leg barges...

Returning before dawn to Christchurch Harbour, Dorset, I hope to get a second chance at photographing the Canada geese; but this time they don't show up. Whilst keeping a watchful eye on the water in case they did, I get the chance to shoot images of a Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) - first flying, then fishing - albeit at some distance.
Tracking this bird once it dives in search of a meal is tricky, but in this instance (top image) I capture the moment it positions its catch for swallowing.

The second image, also shot early this morning, shows the Doreen Dorward in position ready to deploy the geotextile bags, folded on the foredeck, used in the construction of the artificial surf reef off Boscombe beach.

Top: 300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor (VR off) with x1.4 TC-14EII teleconverter. 1/4000 second at f/5. -0.33 EV. ISO 640.
Bottom: 300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor. 1/8000 second at f/2.8. -0.33 EV. ISO 280.

© 2009

Evening ride...

Early evening, and a trip to the Sandbanks chain ferry to photograph what ever takes my interest as it passes by.
I shoot the usual images of water craft coming and going but it's the five horse riders on Studland beach that catches my eye, just over a mile (1.6 km) distant (image), with Old Harry Rocks visible top left, 2.5 miles (4km) away. It is a charactistic of long telephoto lenses to compress planes in an image, giving the appearance of objects being closer together than they actually are.

300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor. x1.4 TC-14EII teleconverter. VR off. 1/2000 second at f/5. -0.33 EV. ISO 400. Monopod.

© 2009

On the run...

Another pre-dawn start in an attempt to photograph flying birds on Christchurch Harbour, Dorset: This time with the big stuff.
A 300mm lens is the absolute minimum requirement for wildlife, and for birds longer lenses are preferred - you can never have too much focal length with those subjects. Fortunately there are dedicated add-on optics available to increase the pulling power of fast telephotos, so I'm also using a x1.4 teleconverter to increase my chances.
Taking the decision to hand hold I set the camera to keep the shutter speed from falling below 1/1000 second, and stop the lens down a stop - always a good idea when using converters...and wait.
My only opportunity came at 5:45am as five Canada geese (Branta canadensis) flew in formation low over the Mudeford Run on their way out to sea. I fire off a sequence of frames but it's impossible to include all the birds in the frame until they are past me and flying into the light.

300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with x1.4 TC-14EII teleconverter. VR off. 1/1000 second at f/5. ISO 1000.

© 2009

Start here...

Crossing the Sandbanks ferry to Studland, Dorset, gives you the opportunity to take the South West Coast Path - should you have the time and inclination. Being Britain's longest waymarked footpath it runs through Dorset and Devon, taking in UNESCO's World Heritage Site Jurassic Coast, Cornwall - around Land's End - back into Devon again along its north side and finally ending at Minehead, Somerset - a distance of 630 miles (1,014 km).
The trail heads are marked by sculptures, and although open all year round the path crosses the Lullworth army ranges, Dorset, which are open to the public only on certain days of the year.

12-24 f/4 Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/8. +0.33 EV. ISO 200.

© 2009

Last shot of the day...

After my afternoon siesta - photographers who have early starts usually practice this technique - I get back on my bike in search of something to photograph.
I return to this morning's location, but by late afternoon it's just too busy with tourists, plus the fact a cloud bank rolled in from the south, taking any chance of good light with it.
Oddly, I then choose to ride from Mudeford Quay to Sandbanks, Poole, hopefully to find the vestidges of the late evening sun. The cloud bank had not entirely covered the sky and it looked hopeful that the sun would make a final appearance before setting.
I make numerous images of boats bobbing about on the water, but nothing seems to be coming together - at least not inspiring stuff - so I decide to call it a day and head home.
It's on my way along the shore that I spot a fisherman in the harbour, silhouetted against the light. I use a telephoto lens to isolate the figure, and it's the last photograph I make in the sequence that works the best.

300mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/8000 second at f/4.5. +0.33 EV. ISO 800.

© 2009

No flying swans...

With the warmest weather of the year forecast for the UK this weekend it's up at 3am again, in preparation for the early light; the skies are meant to be clear at dawn. The prediction is spot-on, and the sun breaks the horizon roughly east northeast at 5:11am, over Christchurch harbour, Dorset.
My primary aim was to photograph swans as they fly off to their feeding grounds for the day, but they are not co-operating. It's as if they know I'm well equiped, lens wise. For nearly two hours I watch and photograph gulls squabbling over catches, and fishermen leaving for a days fishing...but no flying swans.


300mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/800 second at f/5.6. +0.67 EV. ISO 400.

© 2009

Colour for the sake of it...

It's late in the day when I return to this morning's location, this time with the sole intention of photographing colour.
Now, despite my rant last month about polarising filters (CPL's) they seem to be enjoying a resurgence in my photography - maybe I was just too hasty.
The photograph is a detail of a beach hut on the Mudeford sandbank, Dorset, shot an hour before sunset. The effect of the polariser in this instance is to saturate colours - especially the sky and paintwork of the building - and I chose to use Nikon's ludicrously sharp 85mm f/1.4 lens for the task. Although originally designed as a portrait lens for film cameras it's useful for a variety of applications, especially when shallow depth of field is required: Shooting the lens wide open allows powerful selective focus for creative effect.

85mm f/1.4 Nikkor. 1/500 second at f/5.6. +0.67 EV. ISO 200. CPL.

© 2009

Priory dawn...

The skies over southern England were predicted to remain clear overnight, so it was out of bed at 4:00am in preparation for a dawn start at Christchurch harbour, Dorset (image): but the light was short lived. Arriving just as the sun rose over the horizon I immediately started making images. I opted for a telephoto zoon lens for flexibility, but needed to boost ISO settings to get useable shutter speeds for hand-holding the camera.
After half a hours shooting fog rolled in from the southeast, reducing visibility to a hundred metres or so.

70-200 f/2.8 APO Sigma lens. 1/400 second at f/5. +0.33 EV. ISO 640.

© 2009

Go fly a kite...

Spring Bank Holiday is with us in the UK and the weather, at least for the weekend, promises to be spectacular: Monday - the holiday itself - threatens electrical storms in the southeast.
The image of a kite flyer on what seems to be a deserted stretch of Bournemouth coast this afternoon belies the current trend. I took the photograph during late afternoon, once the crowds had thinned out.
It seems to me that the local beaches are getting more use than in recent years, with tourists eschewing foreign holidays in preference to staying at home. This could well be the result of the "credit crunch". Another possible explanation is that the area is just a good place to spend some time: The range of water sports on offer around Bournemouth and Poole are unrivalled in Europe.
The beaches have numerous Blue Flag awards - it shares 8 with Poole (4 each) - which guarantee the quality of both sand and water. Blue Flag awards are recognised internationally, so visitors know that the beach they're on is one of the best in the world.

24-70 f/2.8 EX DG Sigma lens. 1/500 second at f/8. ISO 400. CPL.

© 2009

Brenscombe Wood...

The weather forecast was wrong again (when will I ever learn? - it predicted light rain - I got hazy sunshine and 18˚) so by mid afternoon I was on my bike and heading for Purbeck.
The Rempstone Trail is becoming familiar to me by now, but there are tracks and paths that branch off in various directions along its route, so there's still plenty of scope to wander.
I bypass Rempstone Hall and this time cross the B3351 to Brenscombe Hill, and it's there that I come across a wood of the same name (image). Although the tree canopy is still in its spring green the light levels are low, so I brace the camera and lens against a convienient trunk to get the shot of the bluebells that carpet the floor.
Continuing up the hill I find myself on Nine Barrow Down - a chalk ridge that runs east-southeast from Corfe Castle to Godlingston Hill, overlooking Swanage, Dorset. Had I started earlier in the day I would have descended the hill into the town...but, oh - those weather forecasts!

24-70 f/2.8 EX DG Sigma lens. 1/15 second at f/8. -0.33 EV. ISO 400. Nearby tree trunk.

© 2009

Surf and oil...

Work continues on the artifical surf reef at Boscombe, on Dorset's coast, while budding surfers receive tuition on the art in dedicated schools (top image) that have been set up by enterprising individuals, giving practical advice to those intending to take advantage of the facilities once up and running.
Then it was further on west to Poole harbour and Sandbanks. I hadn't intended to cross on the ferry to Studland, but once there I was spurred on by the good weather - plus the knowledge that the forecast for tomorrow is less than favourable.
Again taking the Rempstone Trail, this time I pay a visit to Wytch Farm oil field with its "nodding donkey" beam pumps (bottom image). The installation, operated by BP, is the largest onshore oil field in western Europe, and is discretely hidden in forest on Wytch Heath on the southern side of Poole harbour.

24-70 f/2.8 EX DG Sigma lens.
Top: 1/320 second at f/8. CPL.
Bottom: 1/400 second at f/8. -0.33 EV.
ISO 400.

© 2009

Windsurfer...

Whilst ordinary surfers (is there such a thing?) have to be patient for the completion of the artificial surf reef off Boscombe beach, Dorset, there are other water sports practiced in the area that don't need large waves.
Wind and Kitesurfers were taking full advantage of ideal conditions: a 20 knot westerly wind and clear skies at Branksome Chine, Poole bay, this afternoon.
Although not a participant in these activities myself, I understand that this location is particularly suitable because of the greater SW angle of the beach.

24-70 f/2.8 EX DG Sigma lens. 1/250 second at f/8. CPL. ISO 320.

© 2009

Off the beaten track...

I've had a mountain bike for a week: now it's time to get it dirty. Having crossed the Sandbanks ferry I ride along Ferry Road towards Studland village, but turn right on Studland heath and take the Rempstone Trail across Rempstone estate, towards Hartland Moor.
The one single advantage of cycling these lanes and tracks is the fact that I can stop where I like, as and when the mood takes me: no need to worry about parking a car or obstructing a road - just drop the bike in a hedgerow and get shooting. The image shows a typical country lane in spring foliage near Bushey, Dorset. Off the beaten track, quiet locations like this are seldom seen by tourists, but it's well worth the effort to seek out areas of the county that still remain unspoilt.

Nikkor 12-24 f/4 lens. 1/125 second at f/11. 0.9 grey grad filter. ISO 320.

© 2009

The swift, the sedate and the optomistic...

Spring has truly sprung, and May Day bank holiday weekend is upon us in the UK. The May Day celebration traditionally marks the end of the winter months in the Northern hemisphere, and dates back to pagan rituals.
The weather is good so I get on my bike, and armed with a long telephoto lens ride the seven miles or so to the entrance of Poole harbour, Dorset, to photograph the various ways people enjoy all that water and sun.
There are numerous craft - powered or sail - of all shapes and sizes, prepared to dodge the Sandbanks chain-link ferry that connects the peninsula with Studland and the Isle of Purbeck; plus the occasional car ferry passing on its way to or from continental Europe.
Jet skis (top) are a popular choice but are outweighed in number by yachts taking advantage of what would appear to be ideal conditions (middle) as they sail out to sea, passing Brownsea island in the background.
But it's the optomitism of the ice cream sellers (bottom) that intrigues me: they won't sell many going at that speed. To be fair they were on their way to their pitch, anchoring off Sandbanks beach, where supposedly people could swim(?) out and buy refreshments: it remains a mystery as to how customers were to get their goods back to the shore once the transaction had taken place.

All images: 300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14E II teleconverter - VR off. Monopod.

Top: 1/4000 second at f/5.
Middle: 1/1600 second at f/5.
Bottom: 1/2000 second at f/5.
ISO 320.

© 2009