Jet engines for willow on leather...

Today's planned shoot  didn't really get off the ground. I had intended to photograph the Red Arrows taking-off and returning to the local airport, and cycled there with a big lens. Upon my arrival they were nowhere in sight; neither parked in their customary spot, nor preparing to leave. I appear to have got it all wrong, and it was little wonder that I couldn't find any info on the internet.

Not to be deterred, I set off in the direction I had come and headed for the cliff tops of Poole bay, Dorset. The weather men (and possibly, women as well) had shown that the skies would be clear over the area, but as I rode to my secondary location it started to rain. Although it didn't really turn into a downpour the skies had clouded sufficiently to scupper my contingency plan. However, all was not lost.

On the way, I came across a cricket match being played out on a local green, and since the light was ideal for such a subject I stopped to take a few shots. I also thought it might be a nice change on here, having had all that football talked about over the past few posts. I covered the pre-season friendly between European giants Real Madrid and AFC Bournemouth - the latter being outclassed to the tune of 6-0 (at Spanner's request) - but crowd shots were not really inspiring, and I didn't go to the match itself (another merry tune of sixty quid for a ticket), so I didn't bother with making a post here.

I have planned to photograph a cricket match for quite some time, but never seem to have gotten around

to doing so. I have the feeling that it will be relatively easy since nothing moves particularly fast, and it is played during the summer months - both a bonus in my book. The few snaps that I did take today were a bit half-hearted as I had my eye on the clock and the Red Arrows appearance, and I wish I had spent more time doing so. Maybe in a week or so.

Yes, the original plan. If the sky had been clear, as was indicated by the weather forecast, then I might have pulled it off. As it was, grey cloud didn't give me the backdrop I wanted. I did take some even more half-hearted shots of the display, but at a distance of 9 miles the effect was not working at all. At the end of next month it is the Bournemouth Air Festival, and I will get three chances to add more images of the RAF Display Team to the archives, and I will have my friend Nic staying with me to help things along. Can't wait.

300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII converter. 

Top: 1/500 second at f/5.6

Right: 1/320 second at f/5.6. + 0.63 EV compensation

ISO 400. Monopod

 © 2013

Blink, I did...

Ignoring my own advice (blink, and you'll miss it), I did just that as far as the building of the new temporary south stand at the local football club is concerned. Well, there was a bit more than a blink - two days, to be accurate - and I did realise that there would be little to photograph as the work neared completion, but I put my reluctance to keep a daily record down to the ongoing heat wave we are experiencing in the lower counties of the UK.

We have become accustomed to poor weather here in recent years, especially during the summer months, and we are just not used to it. There is no doubt that it has been more of a help than a hinderance to the building work, and most - if not all - of the workers are sporting very good tans.

The powers that be seem to be certain that the building will be completed by the weekend (as predicted), as a further 2,000 tickets were released for sale, yesterday, and immediately snapped-up, by fans for this Sunday's match against Spanish football giants Real Madrid. I won't be at the game, myself, but I may well take the time to try and photograph them arriving, and capture the pre-match atmosphere with my camera.  In the mean time you will have to make do with two images of workers going about their business and putting the final touches to everything.





24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor.  1/640 second at f/11. ISO 250



© 2013

One more week to go...

The first pre-season friendly is played tomorrow - the big one in nine days time - and the South Stand being built at Dean Court (the old, and still commonly used name for AFC Bournemouth's ground) - continues to take shape. The attachment of the sheeting on the frame work; which is a very nice white, is now progressing swiftly, and it won't be long before the inner workings will no longer be visible to me.

I intend to contact the club's office next week, to see if I can have access to the inside of the ground to take a few shots of the seating going in, just to complete the documentation of the development. Hopefully they will reply in a positive way.

Top: 70-200mm f/2.8D Apo Sigma lens. 1/640 second at f/8. ISO 320

Right: 24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/640 second at f/10. ISO 200

© 2013

All snapped-up...

At 9am this morning, the 4,000 remaining tickets were released to the general public for the forthcoming pre-season friendly match with European giants Real Madrid. The web site set up to deal with the sale crashed due to overwhelming demand, and all tickets were snapped-up quickly by queuing fans. It is hoped that the new South Stand will be ready for the game in a mere 10 days from now, and if that is the case then another 2,000 tickets will be released. This could raise a further £120,000 in revenue, although the local club itself won't see any of it since total ticket sales won't meet the fee for the visiting Spanish giants.

The one thing that may well help meet the completion deadline is the weather, which has been nothing but glorious over the past couple of weeks. Let's hope it continues into next week to give everybody - both builders and fans alike - a chance.

One of the men working on the ground this afternoon assured me that the development will be ready a week tomorrow, but it is the two working high above it all - installing the cladding at the eastern end of the stand - that get the attention of my lens this time around. Good to see people happy in their job.

Left: 24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/800 second at f/5.6. ISO 200

Right: 300mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/640 second at f/5.6.. ISO 200

© 2013

Don't blink...

It is almost a case of blink, and you will miss it. The South Stand being built for the new season - and hopefully beyond - for AFC Bournemouth grows by significant chunks on a daily basis. Yesterday, there was no sign of the seating framework; today it is in place and can be seen between the red cherry picker and the wheelbarrow-wielding worker, inside the framework of the main structure.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/1000 second at f/5.6. ISO 200



© 2013

Blue skies and orange netting...

 

Apart from the surprising pace of the construction of the temporary seating being built for the local football club, the other thing that might be considered out of the ordinary - in comparison to recent years, at least - is the extended spell of good weather we are experiencing in the south. This time last year the best we were getting was wind and warm rain (and a good deal of it), but the clear skies and warm temperatures are set to remain for at least the rest of the week and into the weekend.

The roof is going on at the moment, and as the roofers move along the safety netting is being removed as they go since it is no longer need. Sheeting has now been installed at either end of the stand (right photo), and I'm expecting the back to be clad similarly at some point during the week. It occurred to me that once that is in place there will be little for me to photograph since the interior will be shielded from view. I will continue to document the work, photographically, until I can see no further change.

Left: 70-200mm f/2.8D Apo Sigma lens. 1/2000 second at f/4. ISO 320

Right: 12-24mm f/4G AF-S Nikkor. 1/1250 second at f/8. ISO 320

© 2013

NALGO...

NALGO: the acronym for National And Local Government Officer's Association - a now-defunct trades union for white collar workers - until it merged with other similar bodies in 1993 . It was also suggested that it stood for: Not A Lot Going On. That may also be applied to activity on the 'new-temporary-rented' stand at the local football ground.

Maybe it was the heat that was responsible for such a low turn-out, today - it was expected to reach 29º C - but it is more than likely that there was not much else that could be worked on whilst the roofing panels are being fitted. There was what appeared to be a half-hearted move to add some of the wall panelling (top photo) on one end of the structure, but apart from added safety railing (second image), there is little to see in the way of progress since before the weekend.

Only 13 days before the "big match", chaps (insert winking emoticon here).



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. ISO 200

Top: 1/1250 second at f/5.6
Right: 1/500 second at f/5.6



© 2013

In the net...

I am reliably informed - through conversations with those working on-site - that the team working on the new stand of AFC Bournemouth have ten days to build the main structure, and a further five days to install the seating. It was also confirmed to me that it is, indeed, a temporary solution for the club's seating needs as it is being rented for two years. It seems an odd way of going about things, but I guess the powers that be know what they are doing. There will be no work done over this weekend, but plans are in place to work through from Monday until the job is done.

The orange netting being fixed to the roof frame (top left) is a safety requirement which will be there to catch anyone unfortunate to lose their footing when working installing the roofing panels. These can be seen being attached to strops and hoisted up, and will be put into place starting on Monday. As long as weather conditions remain favourable - and it is only during very wind conditions when it is not possible - those in control of construction expect to begin panelling the framework to create the outer shell on the same day.



Top left: 70-200mm f/2.8D Apo Sigma lens. 1/6400 second at f/3.5
Top right: 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/2500 second at f/5.6
Below: 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/3200 second at f/5.6

All images ISO 320



© 2013  

All this since Tuesday...

                                         

                                                                   

Frankly, I'm amazed. I thought I would pay a visit to the local football ground since the weather was good, just to see how things were progressing with the new - and temporary - stand being built in preparation for the start of the new season, and new league AFC Bournemouth will be playing in. 

I was more than surprised at the speed things are coming along, and shortly after my arrival during mid-afternoon the telescopic boom crane was being retracted by its operator (top right), having hoisted the last of the horizontal steel girders that form the outer shell into place. The bottom photo shows the full extent of progress in only two days.

I had originally planned to shoot every few days, but for the time being it seems that daily visits are necessary to keep up with the pace.

Top: 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/1250 second at f/5.6. ISO 200

Below: 12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/500 second at f/11. ISO 200 

© 2013

                                                                                      

18 days to get it finished...

The pace of the construction for the new temporary stand at AFC Bournemouth's ground has caught me somewhat off guard. Having passed-by yesterday, I was surprised to see that half of the steel framework was already in place, and even more so today to find that it is nearing completion - the framework, that is, not the stand itself. They are certainly not hanging about.

Of course, modern construction techniques are more streamlined - in this case each part being numbered so that it is not much more involved that assembling a toy construction set, albeit on a larger scale - but there is now even more incentive to get the section finished.

It was announced yesterday that Real Madrid - yes, that Real Madrid - will be playing a pre-season friendly against the local team on 21st July. Not long, then, to put it all together and install the seating for what will no doubt be a sell-out match, and something of a culture shock to the Spanish side visitors. I will keep you posted.




12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor.
Both images: 1/640th second at f/8. + 0.67 EV compensation. ISO 250


© 2013