Gas lamps and blossom...

Since UK airspace reopened on Tuesday - the Icelandic volcano being responsible for the shutdown - the skies have now returned to their more familiar blue/hazy appearance, all down to contrails left by high-flying passenger jets. Despite this the weather remains settled: it hasn't rained here for more than a fortnight.
Taking advantage of this fine spell, I'm out before sunrise, exploring the country lanes near where I live. This is where a MTB has the advantage over a car: I stop where I like, and shoot what appeals to me.

Two villages (to my knowledge) in the area still have their roads lit by gas lamps, such as this example of a Sugg Windsor lantern - mounted on a cast iron post - photographed at Holdenhurst, Dorset, at 06:40 this morning. The same method also applies to neighbouring Throop and although light output is not as great, they are more desirable than the sodium vapour alternatives that cause so much light pollution in the night sky. It's good to see these communities preserving the character and old world charm of outlying districts.

300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII. 1/500 second at f/5. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400. Monopod

© 2010

Blue wings...

Recent visits to the lake on my local golf course suggested that the Grey Heron that was once in residence had now gone. Perhaps it had overfished the area and was forced to seek food elsewhere, or something altogether more sinister had befallen it. It seems that all is well and the bird was just not there at the same time I was.
This particular specimen is relatively easy to photograph, as it is constantly exposed to human presence and thus more tolerant, but despite this it still requires long periods of patience to allow the heron to come close enough to get acceptable images.

The photograph was made just as it was taking off from the water and a slow(ish) shutter speed allowed the wings to blur, adding to the sense of movement.

300mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/5.6. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 200

© 2010

Are professional lenses worth it?

I'm often asked if fast, professional lenses are worth the high cost and are there any real benefits to using such optics, other than the 'look at me" perception that some of these people seem to have. I assure the reader, there are real benefits, and the latter part of the above comment couldn't be further from the truth.

Fact: professional glass delivers professional results.

Of course, it's still down to the photographer to utilise the equipment to its best advantage...but that's another story altogether.

The image, photographed just before the sun broke the horizon this morning, was made with just such a lens. Light levels were still low, but the ability to shoot a telephoto at maximum aperture - plus the addition of a teleconverter - and maintain very high image quality is what these lenses are all about.
Sure, I could have mounted the camera on a tripod and produced a similar picture with a lesser lens, but I needed to work quickly as the light was rapidly changing, and used a monopod instead, for mobility and versatility. The colour rendition of pro-spec lenses also plays a major factor in producing a top quality image.
You do, in fact, get what you pay for.

300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII converter. 1/250 second at f/4. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 320

© 2010

It was an April morning...

The Icelandic volcano that is temporarily causing havoc for air travellers over Europe - and other countries, it now appears - continues to erupt on the Eyfajallaökull glacier. As a result, airspace over the UK remains closed until at least 1:00pm tomorrow afternoon.

Good weather, clear skies and a low tide coincide to produce the image of boats stranded near the North Haven Yacht Club in Poole Harbour, Dorset, shortly after sunrise, today. I'm ever hopeful that the ash cloud from the aforementioned eruption will produce some unusual atmospheric effects at sunrise and sunset, but as yet the pollution so feared by the aviation industry has yet to manifest itself this far south with any vigor.

24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/400 second at f/5.6. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400

© 2010

Thank you, Eyjfjallaökull...

Today's image of tree blossom, photographed at Holdenhurst, Dorset, is, to me, the epitome of spring, as nature begins to display its full gamut of colour. A welcome change from the hard winter experienced by most of the UK.

Another notable aspect of the day is the complete absence of contrails from commercial aircraft, which usually criss-cross the sky. This is the direct result of a good deal of British airspace being shut down for the past 36 hours or so, due to an ash cloud from Iceland's erupting Eyjfjallajökull volcano. The cloud is spreading in the high atmosphere across Scandinavia and northern Europe, causing severe disruption to air travel. The plus side is that we have our blue sky back, if only for a short period.

24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/320 second at f/6.3. ISO 320. Polarising filter.

© 2010

And why not?

Although the good weather continues to hold, I spend most of the day in front of my computer, editing, backing-up and processing various recent photo shoots. As it's now warm enough, I work with the windows open, which is now a source of fascination for my cat. As I always have a camera at the ready on my desk, I photograph him during one of his many entries (and exits).

Although I have a good number of images of him, I'm prone to keep them private; after all, nobody really wants to see pet photographs - other than their owners - but in this instance I will be self indulgent and post an image I made of him this afternoon. After all, some blogs I see contain more than their fair share of animal photographs.

So, this one time, a photograph of Mojo.

24-70 mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/3.5. -1.3 stop flash compensation. ISO 200

© 2010

The fisheye saves the day...

There are three things than determine a successful day of outdoor photography: the weather, your frame of mind and how hard you are prepared to work at getting good images. Despite all three being to the fore I still hadn't shot anything by late afternoon to get excited about, even though I rode some 30 miles (48km) with a camera on my back.

I had made a number of images during the trip, but in the back of my mind I knew there would be nothing worth posting...until I cycled past Christchurch Priory, Dorset. The early evening light and the daffodils caught my eye, and I knew in an instant to photograph the scene with a fisheye lens.

The problem of getting low enough to get the flowers to fill the frame was solved by the live view feature on my camera; the lens, well stopped down to maximise depth of field, did the rest. I don't usually close the lens down this much, as diffraction begins to make the image less sharp - but in this instance I make an exception.

10.5 mm f/2.8G Fisheye Nikkor. 1/40 second at f/16. ISO 400

© 2010  

Scratching the surface...

It can be all too easy, especially after the acquisition of a new bit of equipment (February 19, 2010 post), to tend to use it to the exclusion of everything else, typically if it is a new lens. Although this is not strictly the case, the 24-70 mm AF-S f/2.8 Nikkor has seen more use than my other lenses over the past seven weeks. As good as this lens is (and it truly is) it's time to select another lens for a bit of variation.

This afternoon, I spend some time photographing Black-headed gulls feeding from the water near the Sandbanks to Studland chain ferry. Because of the agility of these birds, it can be quite a challenge to follow them with a long lens during this activity, and success is proportionate to the amount of frames shot. There are two techniques open to me: blast away at 8 frames per second (machine-gunning), or attempting to get the timing right and shoot single frames (the sniper approach). I opt for the latter.

The picture here is the most successful from the session, although I would have preferred to get the whole bird in the frame, but this gull is captured just as its feet touch the surface of the water while still remaining airborne, as it picks at food floating just below the surface.

300 mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor. 1/5000 second at f/2.8. +0.33 EV compensation. ISO 200

© 2010  

Turneresque...

Spring is happening in all departments: trees blossoming, plants flowering and the weather more in tune with the season - and it's set to last - at least for the rest of the weekend.

I spend the afternoon on the banks of the Dorset Stour, but the recent rains have rendered much of the ground waterlogged, and/or flooded, making access to some places difficult. Unfortunately, the fine weather is less than helpful for shooting images, as the blue sky is just that: blue. Without any cloud formation, landscape photography can be quite ineffective with just a bland sky, no matter how much it may appeal to those who wish to spend time outdoors. No, I need detail and texture.

It's not until late afternoon that wispy cloud begins to move across the heavens, by which time I've ridden to Poole Harbour, in time for the low tide. I wait until the sun gets low, producing the Turneresque sky, before I start making photographs. The diffused light reduces contrast, helped along by the use of a neutral density grey graduated filter on the front of the lens.

24-70 mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/400 second at f/8. +0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400. 0.9 grey graduated filter.

© 2010

The Wall...

It was something of a late decision, but I decided to ride to Poole Quay, Dorset, for some early evening photography. Arriving just after 6.00 pm I had to work quickly, as a cloud bank was threatening to block the sun. There were the usual colourful tugs and other craft tied up alongside the quay, just begging to be photographed, but instead I choose to concentrate on the less obvious.

The photograph of a wall was made just before I lost the light altogether, and I was attracted by the simple composition, plus the reflections from glass in the buildings opposite, creating the splash of colour.

24-70 mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/8. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 200

© 2010

Purbeck Llamas...or are they?

 The Met Office weather forecast has it just about right for the Easter weekend, and the past few days of rain give way to Spring weather, although maximum temperatures are no higher that 11ºC. The season is still off to a slow start, but trees are beginning to blossom, and seasonal flowers are now to be seen by the roadsides on the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset.

For the first time this year, I ride to Corfe Castle, but my usual route is bound to be something of a mire, what with all the recent rain, so I take the alternative route: further to ride, but somewhat drier. Had I not done this, I would not have come across the Llamas (Lama glama), or maybe they are Alpacas (Vicugna pacos) - they resemble each other, and I'm no expert, grazing on Rempstone Farm (photo).

300 mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor and TC-14E II converter. 1/5000 second at f/5.6. -0.67 EV compensation. ISO 400

© 2010