Juxtaposition and colour...

Even on the greyest winter's day I can always find something to photograph if I try hard enough, and I make the most of what's available to produce a simple, but graphic, image.
Apart from the bold primary colours of blue and red, which I employ as part of the composition, there is also the juxtaposition of the geometric shapes of the window and traffic sign to create tension. This forces the eye to keep moving from one shape to the other, unable to settle.

12-24mm f/4G Nikkor. 1/80 second at f/5.6. -0.33EV compensation. ISO 400

© 2010

Autumn leaves...

The snow and ice that blighted the southern counties of the UK a week ago has passed, and at the moment the worst case scenario we have to deal with is overnight frosts. Air temperatures, although dipping below zero during the night, are making a respectable recovery during the day, helped no doubt by the cloud cover that blankets the South.

In spite of the mercury reaching 6˚C, the lake of Poole Park, Dorset, has a thin layer of ice - in places thick enough to support the weight of a gull - and it's here that the autumn leaves, trapped beneath the frozen surface, catch my eye.

85mm f/1.4D Nikkor. 1/125 second at f/2.8. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 640

© 2010

The Isle of Wight polar bear...

Although nothing more than an optical illusion produced by the chalk cliffs of Alum and Scratchell's bay when viewed from the right angle, the Isle of Wight polar bear is known to most of, but surprisingly not all, the local inhabitants of Poole bay, Dorset. The effect is only apparent from a specific stretch of coast, whilst residents of the island are generally blissfully unaware of the effect.

I photographed the trompe l'oeil from Southbourne beach this afternoon, with the Needles rocks and lighthouse, some nine miles distant, to the right.

300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII converter. 1/1250 second at f/5. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400. Monopod

© 2010

The cold snap continues...

All of last week's snow has disappeared: melted by temperatures that soar to just above freezing, but the cold snap continues, and winter begins to set in for the duration. However, the winter solstice is a little over two weeks away...not long, now!

At least we have the sun back in the southern half of the UK, but despite this most outdoor areas are relatively people-free, particularly during the week. In the sunshine it feels comparatively warm, but once the sun dips low on the horizon the cold soon becomes apparent, with maximum temperatures reaching 2˚C.

It's mid afternoon by the time I arrive at Poole harbour, and the tide is going out, but it's not until the sun has nearly set that the light gets interesting. In today's photograph Brownsea Island can be seen on the right horizon, and the Sandbanks peninsula - which has, by area, the fourth highest land value in the world - on the left.

12-24mm f/4G Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/11. +0.33EV compensation. ISO 640

© 2010

Flakey activity...

Today, the "big freeze" came to town. It has been getting colder all week: now we have snow. The proximity of the Hampshire Basin usually spares East Dorset, and it is something of a rarity at this time of year, but I estimate some 4 inches (10cm) fell overnight.

Not about to let a photo opportunity like this slip by unrecorded, I raise myself from my sick bed (I've been host to someone's flu virus for the best part of the week) and get out of the house with my camera before the sun rises.
Sunrise is in name only this morning as the leaden sky is still yielding light snow as I make my way to the coast. On arrival I'm surprised that the sandy beach of Poole bay is covered in snow, making the whole scene a fusion of grey and white: There is very little colour, but like sunlight, snow can transform a landscape.

Situations like this need particular attention to exposure if the snow is to be recorded as white, not a dirty grey. Even the most sophisticated camera meters can be fooled under such circumstances, so I critically base all my exposures on the histogram displayed on the rear screen of my SLR. It turns out that increasing exposure by around 1 stop over the suggested (matrix) reading gives the results I am after.
The two pictures included here were shot this morning near Fisherman's Walk, Southbourne.

24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Sigma lens. Monopod.

Top: 1/80 second at f/13. +1 stop EV compensation. ISO 800
Below: 1/100 second at f/11. +1 stop EV compensation. ISO 800

© 2010