Rule book, anyone?

                                                                                         Trees by the river


Occasionally, it's good to tear up the photographic rule book (is there such a thing, anyway?), just to see what you can come up with. During the winter months I made numerous seascape images using long shutter speeds, allowing part of the composition to blur through motion, but always using a steady camera support to keep the rest of the image sharp.

Today, with the rule book well and truly ripped asunder, I made photographs by deliberately moving the camera during exposure to blur everything. The results are rather hit-or-miss, and I took many frames before I started to come up with something pleasing, but experimentation is the key with this technique. Just choose the subject wisely.


24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/10 second at f/14. Camera moved vertically during exposure. Polarising filter to help get the shutter speed down. ISO 100



© 2018

Salisbury Cathedral

Winter has now officially gone, although the temperatures would suggest otherwise. The weather forecast for Salisbury advises that it will touch 9ºC today, although the wind chill factor will make it feel more like 6º. Wonderful. However, it's a bright sky in the Wiltshire city, and thoughts of monochrome photography whilst travelling there by bus gets the creative juices flowing; those blue skies are going to look good in the black and white conversions.

I take a number of exterior shots of the cathedral upon arrival, but decide to nip inside to inspect one of the four remaining copies of Magna Carta whilst the sun moves round to light the western end. I hadn't given any thought to shooting inside the cathedral since I wasn't sure if photography was allowed, but was pleasantly surprised to be informed by a guide the not only was it permitted, it was positively encouraged. Of course, I wasn't prepared, and consequently struggled with the eternal triangle of shutter speeds, apertures and ISO settings whilst trying to do the architecture justice.

Even more surprising - to me at least - is that although flash photography is generally frowned upon, and refused altogether in the Chapter House that has the Magna Carter on permanent display, the use of a tripod is deemed acceptable. This fuels the idea of making subsequent returns to make a better fist of the subject.



Top: Western facia and spire. 1/250 second at f/11. Matrix metering. -0.33 EV compensation. Yellow filter and blue toned in Silver FX Pro 2. ISO 100

Middle. Choir and organ, looking East. 10.5mm AF-S f/2.8 Fisheye Nikkor. 1/13 second at 5.6. Matrix metering. ISO 500

Bottom: High Altar. 10.5mm f/2.8 AF-S Fisheye Nikkor. 1/5 second at f/5.6. . Matrix metering. +0.67 EV compensation. ISO 500



© 2018

What's going ON?

For the second time in two weeks I have snow. It's not the latest I have known it to snow where I live (that in itself is rare enough),  but this amount a few days from the Spring equinox is something worth noting. Caused by cold air moving in from Scandinavia, it will, thankfully, be short-lived.


105mm f/2.8 Sigma macro lens. 1/8 second at f/14. Matrix metering and manual focus. + 0.33 EV compensation. Tripod and remote release. Mirror lock-up. ISO 200



© 2018

A watchful eye

Although too early in the year to photograph any birds with young, the would-be parents are now looking their best in a bid to attract a mate. This mute swan - busking at the time - is defending territory from an intruder on a lake in a local park, whilst keeping a watchful eye on me.


300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII converter. 1/3200 second at f/4.5. Matrix metering. -0.67 EV compensation. Monopod. ISO 100



© 2018

Concessionary travel

Last week's horrendous weather appears to have slowed the onset of spring, although what had already appeared seems to have, in the most part, survived. Today, I visit the nearby town of Christchurch, partly to photograph some of its main features, but partly because I now qualify for concessionary travel on local bus routes in the UK; something I intend to use with a vengeance.

The 900 year-old Priory - the longest parish church in England - itself has many stories; the Miraculous Beam being the most retold, but finding different angles from the norm to shoot it needed a bit of footwork, and a lens change or two.



Top: 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/5.6. Matrix metering. -0.67 EV compensation. ISO 100
Below: 10.5mm f/2.8 AF-S Fisheye Nikkor. 1/640 second at f/8. Matrix metering. -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 100



© 2018

It's Spring!

From a meteorological point of view, today is the first day of spring. So what have I got? Snow.

The blast of cold air that has swept in from Siberia over the past couple of days has produced sub-zero temperatures during the day, but now Snow Storm Emma in hitting the UK, and I am on an amber warning, weather wise.

Blizzards are predicted for tomorrow. What fun.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/400 second at f5.6. Matrix metering. +1 stop EV compensation. Monopod. ISO 400



© 2018