Completing the circle

I always like to start and end each year with a photograph. It took 5 days to get going at the beginning of 2015 due to bad weather, but as the forecast was promising for the first half of the day I could at least round things off on time.

Taking pictures of what can be found on the surf line is a favourite activity of mine, and this piece of seaweed is an example of a picture waiting to happen. The beach was littered with large clumps of the stuff, washed up by Storm Frank, but it's the smaller bits that made for better composition.



24-70mm F/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/50 second at f/8. Matrix metering. + 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 160. Monopod



© 2015

Storm Frank is on its way

Storm Frank is on its way in. Like hurricanes, the powers that be have taken to naming bouts of bad weather. To my ears it sounds daft, but I guess it's one way of keeping track of the numerous winter storms that batter the UK, these days.

But before the 50 mph winds arrive I am presented with the opportunity to shoot some good light on a local beach.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/8. Matrix metering. ISO 160



© 2015

The find of the day

Today's walk is at Dungeness, next to the nuclear power station. If a photographer fails to find a whole host of interesting stuff to shoot at this location then they may as well throw the towel in. On this visit, instead of concentrating on the obvious: fishing boats that are hauled up onto the shingle beach, I want to photograph buildings. Apart from the power station itself, the area is littered with small structures, either inhabited or abandoned; each one telling a story.

One such such place that we always visited for refreshments is the café adjacent to the railway station, but to our disappointment it is closed. Not being deterred by this setback, we repaired to the nearby pub: Britannia Inn. It turns out to be quite a find as it allows dogs in (which the café didn't), and they do a mean plate of chips as well as good tea/coffee.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/320 second at f/5.6. Spot metered from the building in manual mode. ISO 160.



© 2015

North Downs, Kent

I am spending the holiday weekend with Nic, and the post Christmas afternoon walk takes us along the North Downs, Kent. Although it is still very mild for the time of year the strong wind on top of the chalk ridge makes holding a camera steady something of a challenge.

Looking for a focal point, this lone silver birch against the setting sun fits the bill nicely.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/1250second at f/5.6.  Matrix metering. + 0.67 EV compensation. 0.9 Lee grey grad. ISO 400



© 2015

Luck of the draw

It is only for a few days of the year that the local piers stay open long enough to coincide with a sunset over the sea. Shutting at 4 pm during the winter months, it can be frustrating when an opportunity presents itself, but today I'm lucky.



12-24mm f/4G AF-S Nikkor. 1/200 second at f/8.  0.9 Lee grey grad. ISO 160. Monopod



© 2015

Behind the sun

It's the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, so it's all uphill 'til summer. The moment of the solstice occurred at 4:49 GMT from where I was standing, and although today's photograph was taken a couple of hours prior to that, the sun managed to put in a cameo appearance for a few minutes to celebrate.



20mm f/1.8D EX DG Sigma lens. 1/320 at f/8. ISO 100



© 2015

The party's over

I fail to see the appeal of a party on a wet and windswept pier in the middle of winter, but the detrius of the "knees-up" does provide a subject for my lens.



20mm f/1.8D EX DG Sigma lens. 1/60 second at f/1.8. Matrix metering. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400



© 2015

About time, too

Two days before the winter solstice for all us Northern Hemispherians (is that a word?), and temperatures touch 16ºC in Southern UK. A brisk breeze makes it feel a bit cooler, but considering it is almost mid-winter, cold it ain't.

On top of that the ever-present cloud bank that seemed to have parked itself over the country has gone, for the time being at least, and I get something to point a lens at.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/200 second at f/8. Matrix metering.  +1 stop EV compensation. 0.9 Lee ND grey grad. ISO 160. Monopod



© 2015

No change

Well into December and the temperatures still hover around 13ºC. I occasionally have windows open at home, and if this isn't evidence of climate change then I don't know what is. What is certain is the ever decreasing amount of daylight as the winter solstice approaches; the sun almost set at 3:30 in the afternoon on Hothfield Common, Kent.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/125 second at f/7.1.  Matrix metering. + 0.67 EV compensation. 0.9 Lee grey graduated filter. Monopod.



© 2015

Still at it

Although I always used to enjoy art classes at school I liked them all the more when the brief for the day's lesson was Abstract. Gleefully let loose to use any medium we saw fit, the results were often bizarre and disappointing, but I did have fun doing it.

It's something I still have an interest in, but these days I use a camera. Taken on a local beach during late afternoon, the image is a juxtaposition of buildings reflected in water, and ripples in the sand.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/50 second at f/8. Matrix metering. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 160. Monopod



© 2015

Bournemouth East Beach

For the first time in a long time we get some sun on the south coast, and although cloud does arrive during late afternoon it still produces some beautiful light.


24-70mm f/2.8 AF- S Nikkor. 1/80 second at f/5.6. Matrix metering. ISO 160



© 2015

Groyne #26

 

 

The images show some of the work being carried out on the beaches of Poole Bay, Dorset. Specifically, the replacement of the wooden groynes that are designed to prevent longshore drift. Speaking to one hard-hatted chap surveying the scene, he mentioned that all things being equal it will take a month to replace each one. This involves drilling holes for the numerous posts, which range between 10 and 13 metres in length, digging out the sand once all are sunk to the required depth, and then adding the boards to complete each 45 metre structure.

From what I can see they are working on only two timber groynes at a time, and this is restricted to the winter months; the beaches being needed for tourism during the summer. So, bearing in mind that the bay has 13km (8 miles) of beach, and each wooden groyne is spaced 120 metres apart, by my reckoning there are... er, loads to do.

12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. Monopod. ISO 160

Top: 1/125 second at f/8. + 0.67 EV compensation. 

Middle: 1/80 second at f/8. + 0.67 EV compensation

Bottom: 1/125 second at f/6.3. + 0.67 EV compensation

© 2015

Casual snapping

I am somewhat half-heartedly documenting the beginning of a 17 year program to refurbish all of the wooden groynes - along with several beach replenishments - along the line of Poole Bay, Dorset. Work started several weeks ago, and although I have a number of shots in the can I am still waiting for some good light that coincides with good opportunities.

Until that happens, I while away the time taking casual snaps at low tide.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/8. Matrix metering. ISO 160. Monopod



© 2015

Spoilt for choice

Sometimes a photographer doesn't know which way to turn, as often as as not something equally worthy of attention is happening behind you. I make a point of occasionally looking around when shooting landscapes, otherwise opportunities are missed.

This double rainbow was starting to develop in the opposite direction to the sunset I was contemplating capturing, so before the incoming tide ruined everything I squeezed-off a few frames.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/40 second at f/8. Matrix metering. ISO 200. Monopod



© 2015

Having fun

Try as I might, I find it difficult to find anything interesting about the main (Bournemouth), pier in Poole Bay, Dorset. I am speaking from a photographic point of view, as it is clear where the money went when both piers were refurbished nearly a decade ago, but the lowly one at Boscombe definately has more going for it from a graphical standpoint.

In spite of its shortcomings as far as this photographer is concerned, I am out again armed with a 'big stopper' ND filter, purely to have some fun with it.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 60 seconds at f/11. x10 stop ND filter. ISO 160. Tripod and remote release.



© 2015

Photo essay

 

There hasn't been much in the way of colour to photograph recently, what with the seemingly continual rain and grey skies, so I thought I would shoot and post a short photo essay of one of my local piers. I choose to shoot once the sun has set, allowing everything to be lit by a mix of reflected and artificial light.



Top: 12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 46 seconds at f/11. x10 stop ND filter. ISO 160
Middle: 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1.6 seconds at f/10. ISO 160.
Bottom: 24-70mm F/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 160 seconds at f/6.3. x10 stop ND filter. ISO 160. All images photographed with a tripod and remote release



© 2015

Just another sunset

Just another sunset shot, really, but then again it is good to see the sun once in a while.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/400 second at f/9. Matrix metering. ISO 160. Monopod



© 2015

Storm Barney

Storm Barney (naming a storm just doesn't sound right to me), threatens to hit the south coast with winds predicted to exceed 80mph, so it's out with my camera to see what's on offer. In reality the forecast is way off in my part of the county, although winds do gust up to around 35mph during the day.

I time my shoot for high tide, but even so there is little in the way of sea action, and the break in the clouds that coincides with it doesn't produce anything spectacular. As is often the case what lies beneath our feet is ignored, but it can produce something worthwhile to photograph, if only we look.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/5.6. Matrix metering. ISO 160



© 2015

Shooting on the marsh

Autumn appears to have skipped rapidly into winter, at least as far as the weather is concerned. Bringing back memories of two years ago, low pressure systems are sweeping in from the west one after the other, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to almost everywhere in the UK. This doesn't stop Nic and I from getting out there, though, shooting familiar locations as well as finding new ones.

The church of St. Thomas à Becket (above) at Fairfield, Romney Marsh, Kent, was first mentioned to me a couple of years ago by a fellow photographer on a local pier, and I have had it in mind as a subject ever since. Unfortunately, the light wasn't forthcoming on this occasion, but I was already thinking in monochrome terms before I took the first frame. 
 


24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/60 second at f/5.6. Matrix metering.  - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400. 0.9 Lee grey graduated filter. Monopod.

© 2015

Making do

It has either been very overcast or raining here all week. On top of that a storm was due in from the south west, and although we did get winds gusting up to 40 mph it was nothing like what I would call stormy weather. However, by late afternoon the swiftly moving weather front had gone, leaving everything clear. I could have done with a low tide to make things interesting since there was little going on, sky wise, but had to make do with the kite surfers instead.


24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/8. Matrix metering.  +1 stop EV compensation. Monopod. ISO 160



© 2015

Nothing dramatic

Having photographed one of my local - and arguably lesser - piers more times that I like to admit, today I turn my lens on the larger of the two in Poole Bay. Unlike its sister, Boscombe pier, 1.4 miles to the east, Bournemouth pier has been the one maintained and kept in good repair over the years.

The fog that has caused problems with travel over Southern England during the past few days lifted for late afternoon, promising some good light, but it was soon evident that I wasn't going to get anything dramatic. Undeterred, I go about the process of making a photograph, and fish out my strong neutral density filter so I can use some long shutter speeds.

I like the way the setting sun's rays are reflected from the windows onto the sea, itself smoothed out by the long exposure, and the way the people on the shore line have recorded.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 15 seconds at f/11. Matrix metering. x10 ND filter. Tripod and remote release. ISO 160



© 2015

Unavailable light photography

I thought that I would push myself a bit, today, and shoot after the sun had set. It's not something I do much of, to be honest, but I have had the idea in my head for the past week or so. It was now just a matter of when conditions were suitable to make my move.

Success with this style of photography relies on there still being some light in the sky - in this case 36 minutes after the sun had disappeared - whilst the tide pools created by the falling tide reflect the colour of the afterglow.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 4 seconds at f/11. Matrix metering. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 160. Tripod and remote release.



© 2015

Excitable dog

No two ways about it; nature is making me work at the moment. There has been the tantalising hint of light at the end of most days this week, but mostly a persistant bank of grey cloud streams up from continental Europe like a huge, grey streaming thing.

In spite of all this the light is quite beautiful this afternoon, and a sea haze is adding to the atmosphere. All I really need now is a focal point to finish the composition, and this excitable dog oblidges.


24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/60 second at f/3.2.  Matrix metering.  - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 200. Monopod



© 2015

Leaving it late

The Golden Hour: that time an hour after sunrise, and the last hour before sunset, produces soft, diffused light much sought after by the outdoor phorographer. However, while many less-informed shooters will pack up and leave a scene the moment the sun dips below the horizon, better results can often be had after the fact.

There was little in the way of cloud in the sky, today, so long before I arrived at my location I had the idea of photographing the afterglow, rather than the sunset itself. This image, taken 15 minutes after the sun had sunk below the horizon, proves my point.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/100 second at f/2.8. Matrix metering. ISO 160. Monopod



© 2015

Lucky break

Uniform grey skies keep me in the for most of the day, and when I do decide to go for a beach walk during mid afternoon it starts to rain almost as soon as I am out of the door. It turns out to be only a shower, and I while away half an hour while it passes, talking the the chap that drives one of the local the cliff lifts (there are three situated along the cliffs of Poole Bay, Dorset),

This turns out to be significant as the delay keeps me in the area long enough to see the clouds part, giving me some glorious light shortly before the sun sets. It is all too easy to just point the lens at that, but sometimes the view in the opposite direction can produce something equally spectacular, or better.

Looking East, The Isle of Wight polar bear can be seen on the horizon, illuminated by the last rays of the sun, while the remnants of a rainbow lingers in the sky.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/100 second at f/5.6. Matrix metering.  -1 stop EV compensation, ISO 400



© 2015

On the ground

Somewhat unusual, but the Met Office web site was down this afternoon, so accurate planning of a landscape shoot wasn't possible. I frequently make use of their satellite radar images to plot where and when cloud cover will occur - if at all - but since none of that information was available I opt to see what can be found on the ground.

Autumn is making slow progress, but whilst the horse chestnut trees have lost almost all of their leaves, everything else seems to be lagging behind. It's foliage that I am on the lookout for, today, and in this image I like the way this wet leaf seems to coalesce into the concrete paving slab.





24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/60 second at f/5.6. Matrix metering.  - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 160. Monopod



© 2015

Nature's treat

This time of year is simply my favourite for photography on my local beaches. No low tides today to help with the composition, but nature oblidges with a beautiful sky over Poole Bay half an hour or so before sunset.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/800 second at f/8. Matrix metering. + 1 stop EV compensation. 0.9 Lee grey grad. ISO 160



© 2015

You're welcome

At last the sun is beginning to set over the sea on my stretch of coastline, and although the weather has been promising during the past few days all the images I made turned out to be near-misses. However, that mix of low sun and low tide combined late this afternoon to produce the above photograph.

Normally, I would (silently) curse if someone walked into my shot, but in this case the addition of a figure - another photographer - worked in my favour; his long shadow adding to the atmosphere of the scene.


24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/320 second at f/8. Matrix metering.  - 1 stop EV compensation. ISO 160



© 2015

Lightweight

The weather forecast didn't offer much for this afternoon, and no matter how long I spent scrutinising the Met Office satellite map it wasn't going to change. I decided to take the chance anyway, and set out on my bike with little idea as to what I might shoot. In fact I almost missed my subject as he crouched down, preparing his paraglider for flight, but once the breeze caught his wing I started making photographs.

Light winds made it difficult for any enjoyable flying, but of the four fliers taking off from the same spot, two were successful.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/2500 second at f/4. Matrix metering. - 1 stop EV compensation. ISO 160



© 2015

Too much blue

We have definately been in the clutches of a Indian summer this past week or ten days, and while clear blue skies are nice to be under they don't help much with photographing the great outdoors. But as the saying goes: Make the most of what you've got. I had intended to just have the featureless sky and a thin sliver of sea for today's image, but the small boat came along to create a focal point and I went with that.


24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/3200 second at f/8. Matrix metering. + 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 160



© 2015

The moon and lunar eclipses, now 8% larger.

The last time I tried to photograph a total lunar eclipse was in 2008, and I made something of a hash of things. The build up to the event went okay, but during totality some problems arouse that I hadn't bargained for and the results were a disaster. I was determined not to let this happen a second time.

The top photograph is, in fact, a colour image, and it shows the "supermoon" around 45 minutes after moonrise. The one below was taken around 8 hours later at 03:28 GMT, shortly before total eclipse. I had set the alarm on my phone for a 3am start, and was delighted to find that I was able to set up my tripod on my doorstep and didn't have to travel off into the night to get a good view of the event. Even so, as the moon appeared to turn a blood red the same difficulties I experienced on that night eight years previous reared up once again: the subject was now very dim, and it was moving.

Using my longest glass, plus an extender to get a decent sized imge, I was forced to shoot wide open and raise the ISO settings to figures my camera body was barely comfortable with. Even then shutter speeds were agonisingly slow. The results were disappointing, and once again I retired defeated. I enjoyed the spectacle for what it was but resigned myself to the fact that I simply don't have the setup for this kind of photography. Still, 10/10 for effort.

To redress the balance to some extent I set out during late afternoon with my camera, taking advantage of the unseasonally good weather the south of the country is currently experiencing. On top of this there are some low tides predicted for the next few days, although the weather is set to be too perfect for my taste. Instead, I use what I have and take a number of images of the Egging Memorial*, situated on Bournemouth's East Cliff.

Glad to have a bit of normalcy once again.


*For Flt. Lt Jon Egging of The Red Arrows RAF Aerobatic Display Team


Moon images: 300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII converter. Tripod and remote release. Mirror lockup.
Top: 1/160 second at f/5.6. Matrix metering.  -3.33 EV compensation. ISO 160
Middle: 1/6 second at f/4. Matrix metering.  -3 stops EV compensation. ISO 800

Bottom. 12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/125 second at f/11. Matrix metering. ISO 160



© 2015

Back in the fold

I was rather pleased with this photograph. Not because it is anything spectacular, content wise, but because it told me I was beginning to 'see' subjects once more. When I have had a substantial break from shooting it takes me a while to get my eye in again. Sometimes it can happen relatively quickly, as when faced with a stunning vista, but today's image is just the way I found it. Simply light coming through my window and striking folded material on a chair; something I might have easily ignored.


24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 3 seconds at f/11. Matrix metering. 1⅔ stops under exposed. ISO 160. Mirror lock-up. Tripod and remote release.



© 2015

Flagging

Now that autumn is here things are beginning to look good as far as photography is concerned. All those glorious days when the light is just right, and the big skies that come with it all, are now just around the corner. Days, albeit somewhat cooler, when I get my beaches back and it is a joy to be out there shooting.

It is something of a slow process returning to making photographs, but I feel that once I get a couple of good images in the bag it will become less of a struggle and more of a passion (again).


12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/800 second at f/11. Matrix metering. ISO 160



© 2015

On reflection

Okay, I'm back. The seasonal job has come to an unexpected end seven weeks premature and I am itching to get back out there with a camera. The problem is, what do I shoot? It is still too early for autumn to reveal its colours and summer - or what we had of one this year - still lingers. In fact this week has produced some of the best weather of the past four months.

Inspired by a song by British prog rock band Gentle Giant, I cycle to Christchurch at the mouth of the Dorset Stour and photograph the light playing on the surface of the water next to the moored boats.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/8. Matrix metering. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400



© 2015

The Bournemouth Air Festival, 2015

Avro Vulcan


The 2015 Bournemouth Air Festival couldn't have got off to a worse start as the entire flying programme for the first day was cancelled due to bad weather. After that, anxious eyes were being kept on the forecasts for the weekend in the hope that the whole event wasn't going to be a wash-out, but the elements eventually fell in our favour and we were treated to some excellent flying conditions by day four.

It was the Sunday that interested me the most as it was the last time I would ever see the Avro Vulcan display anywhere. Sadly, this is the last season that she will ever fly, after which the delta wing Cold War bomber will be grounded permanantly.

The Red Arrows

As always, the RAF Aerobatic Team, aka, The Red Arrows, put in three days of displaying, and is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. However, on this occasion they were in danger of being upstaged by the Vulcan.

 B-17 "Sally B" Flying Fortress

Over the 8 years of the festival in its current format a number of other aircraft and displays, both vintage and modern, have also become firm favourites with the public, such as Sally B, Flying Fortress (above); the Eurofighter Typhoon (below), as well as the The Tigers Parachute Display Team of the Princesse's of Wales Regiment.

Eurofighter Typhoon

 The Tigers Parachute Display Team



300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor, hand held and on a monopod



© 2015

A poor innings

The summer job I am working, mentioned a couple of posts ago, drags on, and with the peak of the season imminent I am not looking forward to the rest of it one bit. Trying to juggle the creative with the mundane is admittedly a struggle but I am doing my best to keep a hand in with everything so as not to have to start from scratch again when the time comes in early November.

The music aspect is surviving relatively well but the photography is suffering badly. I am losing the edge somewhat, even when I do get the urge to go out with my camera. I decide to visit a local park for some cricket photography, just for something to shoot. It isn't, by any stretch of the imagination, a fast game, so I should be able to get something, even this far out of practise. The sad fact is that my heart isn't in it, and I only stay for one innings before packing up and cycling home. Out of the hundred or so frames I take only two are useable (above).

Oh, dear me.



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

Top: 1/2500 second at f/5.6. - 1 stop EV compensation. ISO 160
Below: 1/4000 second at f/4. - 1 stop EV compensation. ISO 160



© 2015