Just off the high street

                             Painting on a wooden door

                           
                             Faces stencilled on a wall
                           

                           
                             Torn poster
                           

                             Wall stencil

    Café sign

The fruits of an afternoon's ramble along the Old High Street in Folkestone, Kent. It's not long road - and certainly not what you would call wide - but the photographic subjects abound if you take the time to search them out.


24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. Matrix metering. ISO 400

1: 1/125 second at f/2.8
2: 1/200 second at f/5.6
3:1/400 second at f/5.6
4: 1/200 second at f/5.6
5: 1/4000 second at f/5.6



© 2018

Port of Dover, and the famous White Cliffs

It's a two mile hike from the South Foreland Lighthouse near St Margarets Bay (where Nic and I parked the car) to overlook the port of Dover. It's a gateway to continental Europe via ship - or tunnel under the sea - and has been a focal point to enter and leave England since Roman times. The internationally known White Cliffs are 140 million years old.


24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/400 second at f/11. Matrix metering. ISO 100



© 2018

Eastwell park

For the most part the fields have been harvested. Only the root crops - probably grown to feed livestock during the winter months - remain in the ground at Eastwell park, Kent. It's one of those glorious late summer/early autumn days, and the shifting light over the landscape just demands to be photographed.


24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/11. Matrix metering. ISO 100



© 2018

Itchy finger(s)

The first hints of autumn are arriving in the UK; trees are beginning to change colour, and although the weather is taking a nose-dive - for the next few days at least - temperatures hover around 19º C.

I take my first coastal stroll in 6 months today, heading into winds gusting up to 48 mph. Although no rain is forecast the conditions blow up some good skies, producing dramatic light. My shutter finger begins to itch...



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/400 second at f/11. Matrix metering. ISO 100



© 2018

Stained glass

Although I am anything but pious, there is something about stained glass windows that I find fascinating. I have turned my lens to such subjects before, but never really got up a good head of steam with them as a photographic project.

Today, I am back in Salisbury Cathedral, but the windows pictured here were not my primary subject. However, since I had a lens long enough to do them justice I thought it might be interesting to see what I can come up with. Of course, it's impossible to get up to the same level as the windows without clambering over ancient artefacts and tombs; something that didn't cross my mind for one second, so I have to attempt to correct perspective distortions in post processing. In most cases I was successful.

The inside of such buildings are usually dimly lit, but photographing the windows is easy since they are illuminated from behind and shooting hand-held presents no problems. What is frustrating is that with some windows high up in the cathedral they are difficult to see, let alone interpret the story being depicted. Odd, really - and a shame - that such beautiful work is placed beyond the average unaided eye of those inside.

I'm going to need a bigger lens next time.



70-200mm f/2.8 Apo EX Sigma lens. Matrix metering. ISO 400

Top: 1/500 second at f/4.5
Middle: 1/320 second at f/5
Bottom: 1/125 second at f/4



© 2018

You have been watching... Bournemouth Air Festival 2018 - Day 4

Muscle Biplane - Rich Godwin

BBMF Dakota - painted in D-Day markings - making a "dirty pass", with the Isle of Wight in the distance.

SuperAerobatics Wingwalkers

                             Breitling Jet Team

                             Breitling Jet Team finale

    RAF Chinnok

Mig 15

The final day of the annual air show, and despite the glorious weather the event is sparsely attended. This is almost certainly due to a rail strike and the fact that the roads are extra busy because of the weather, and people don't want to risk a trip back that will take many hours.

It's a shame as there is still a lot of flying on offer, although the biggest draw - the Red Arrows - are not performing here today; another factor in attendances. The beaches are relatively crowded, but finding a cliff top space to shoot from today needed no elbow-barging, nor bribery with bags of toffees. The Tannoy announce that over the ten years of the event being staged it has entertained some 9,500,000 visitors, which in itself is a good thing for the town.

One this is certain: if they keep up the standard organisers achieved this year, next year will be something to look forward to.



Lenses: 300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR with TC-14EII converter and 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkors. Tripod and gimballed head / hand-held

Top:

Bournemouth Air Festival 2018 - Day 3

The Great War Display Team:

    Royal Aircraft Factory BE2c

 
    Fokker Dr1 Triplane

    Fokker Dr1 Triplanes  

Saturday is traditionally the busiest day for the Air Festival, and the warm weather brings visitors in the hundreds of thousands. It's the first time this weekend that the Great War Display Team put in an appearance, all the more poignant because of the ending of the conflict 100 years ago.

These aircraft are particularly easy to photograph as they don't move very fast, but you still need to get that prop blur.



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

Top: 1/500 second at f/8. Matrix metering. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 100
Middle: 1/320 second at f/8. Matrix metering. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 100
Bottom: 1/640 second at f/8. Matrix metering. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 100



© 2018