Christmas post

A pre-dawn perambulation on Christmas morning, and although the sky has been clear overnight there is no frost. Nor is it cold for the time of year, bearing in mind we are in the depths of winter.

There wasn't much to photograph on my walk around a nearby lake either, so I photographed the light instead.



Olympus OM-D EM MkIII with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Pancake lens. 1/30 second at f/11. -⅓ EV compensation. ISO 200



© 2019

Winter solstice sunset

At 04:19 Universal Time (UTC) today in the northern hemisphere, the North pole reached its maximum tilt away from the sun. Although it is not something I celebrate myself to any significance, it does mark the day of mid-winter... and thoughts of Spring.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/125 second at f/11. Matrix metering. -⅓ EV compensation. 0.9 Lee ND graduated filter. ISO 200



© 2019

It speaks for itself

Faced with the prospect of a spectacular sunrise, I'm hopping to and fro along the beach, trying to find a suitable subject before the sun appears. I'm thinking that a local pier will be good to use as foreground interest, but in the back of my mind I'm telling myself to avoid the obvious and look for something more subtle.

The low tide turns out to be a bonus, and shooting ten minutes before the sun breaks the horizon, I keep the composition simple; just a few lines and let those - and the colour - do the talking.



Olympus OM-D EM MkIII. 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Pancake lens. 1/15 second at f/11/ -0.3 EV compensation. ISO 200



© 2019

Watching the skies

There is nothing I enjoy more than standing by the sea on a late autumn afternoon when the sky is doing its thing, taking photographs in the continually changing light. That golden hour before sunset can be so rewarding.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/50 second at f/11. Matrix metering. 81B and 0.9 ND Lee graduated filters. Monopod. ISO 100.



© 2019

From warm to blue

                                                                          That quiet glow of late afternoon,
                                                        as the light of the golden hour moves into one of blue.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/50 second at f/8. Matrix metering. -1 stop EV compensation. 81B and 0.9 ND Lee graduated filters. ISO 200



© 2019

Ducking and diving

I'm not being blessed with good light this autumn. Sure, it has had its moments, but being somewhere with a camera when it does has not been easy. Keeping a close eye on weather forecasts, studying satellite images - and generally looking out of the window - more often than not results in cancelled plans for shooting.

Today, however, offers up a half hour of opportunity shortly after sunrise before the rain clouds return. The rest of the week promises to be a write-off.



Olympus OM-D EM Mk III. 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Pancake lens. 1/500 second at f/11. -⅔ EV compensation. ISO 200



© 2019

Passing the time

Slapping a x10 ND filter on the front of a lens and locking the shutter open for umpteem seconds is all too easy to create blurred movement in images, especially where water is involved. Nevertheless, adopting this approach takes away any possibility of detail in those 'fuzzed-out' areas.

Today, I'm trying to convey movement in my subject, but in a more precise way. Still using the aforementioned filter, I juggle ISO and aperture settings to give me a slow enough shutter speed to achieve a soft effect, but not so long as to turn the wave motion into (too much) mush.



70-200 f/2.8 EX Sigma lens. 1 second at f/8. ISO 320. x10 ND filter. Tripod and remote release.



© 2019 

Only me

After the sun drops below the horizon and the lights come on, there's that special glow before darkness that a lot of photographers often miss. When it happens it can be stunning, and I shoot for a further 42 minutes after sunset, by which time I'm the only one left on the beach.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 30 seconds at f/16. Matrix metering. -1 stop EV compensation. 81B and 0.9 Lee ND graduated filters. Tripod and remote release. ISO 50



© 2019

Energetic gloom

In the absence of quality natural light good pictures can still be created from very little. Diagonal lines are a strong compositional tool, creating an energy in the frame, as here with the zip wire tower on the end of a local pier on a gloomy afternoon.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/200 second at f/8. Matrix metering. - ⅓ EV compensation. ISO 400



© 2019

Hole in the beach

                                                                                     Bournemouth East Beach



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/60 second at f/11. Matrix metering. - ⅓ EV compensation. ISO 200. Mono conversion in Silver Efex Pro 2.



© 2019

Capitulation

As much as I've tried to avoid it this year, I'm back shooting on local beaches. I've got more images like the one above choking hard drives than I can shake a stick at, but when low tide coincides with sunset it would be churlish not to indulge.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/40 second at f/11. Matrix metering. Monopod. ISO 100



© 2019

High tide

Something of a cliché these days, but the use of long shutter speeds to blur water and clouds for pictorial effect is almost as widespread as the tobacco graduated filter of the 1980s. Having said that, at least the former retains some realism in the colours, unlike those ridiculous, brown-skied Kodachrome slides that some photographers have (you know who you are), tucked away in drawers, never to see the light of day again.

But in this case I do it just for the sake of shooting something while the autumn light I crave remains absent. There's a brisk breeze blowing today, and I choose the time of high tide to shoot to get maximum effect with the rolling waves.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 30 seconds at f/10. x10 ND filter and 0.6 Lee ND grad. Tripod and remote release. ISO 50.



© 2019

Natural timing

With the days getting noticeably shorter - and the sun dropping ever lower in the sky - I'm itching to get out into the countryside with a camera. The light, even around mid-day, can be stunning, but in recent weeks the good old British weather has delivered little of it.

Rain, strong winds and flat skies have kept me away. That shouldn't, of course, stop me making photographs, but there are only so many black and white images I can produce without things becoming tedious. Fortunately, there is the occasional day when nature delivers, but the changeable conditions make timing crucial.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/11. Matrix metering. -⅓ EV compensation. Polarising filter. ISO 400



© 2019

Old sayings

The old saying of 'always look behind you once in a while when photographing landscapes' is worth remembering. The two trees on a hillside have featured in the composition of recent images I made of Corfe Castle, but at this time of year - and with the right sky - they are worth shooting in their own right.

I'm not entirely happy with what I'm getting, but as British Summer Time comes to an end in the small hours of tomorrow, I can't wait for the opportunity to try and improve on it.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/500 second at f/11. Matrix metering. - ⅓ EV compensation. 0.3 and 0.2 (combined) Lee ND graduated filters on the sky. ISO 100. Mono conversion in Silver Efex Pro 2.



© 2019

Light use

I'm making no apologies for the repetitiveness of my subject in recent posts: Corfe Castle. It's an excellent subject nestled in the hills of Dorset, and I'm far from finished with it.

But to be honest, it's the light that I am photographing rather than the ruins. The large amount of broken cloud this afternoon means the light is constantly changing, and I'm able to use the sun as a spotlight.





24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/100 second at f/11. Matrix metering. -⅓ EV compensation. ISO 50



© 2019

Lucky break

Up to mid afternoon it had been nothing more than a dreary autumn day. Flat skies over Christchurch Quay on the Dorset Stour gave me little hope of photographing anything. But with the sudden break in the clouds  - and the approaching swans -  I knew I was in with a chance.



Olympus OM-EM 10 MkIII with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Pancake lens. 1/400 second at f/11. ESP metering. - ⅔ EV compensation. ISO 200



© 2019

Prelude

I'm still waiting for autumn to kick off with its true colours, so anything I'm shooting at present is a mere prelude to what (I hope) will come. But I am keeping myself busy with just one location; one subject at the moment, and that is Corfe Castle in the Dorset countryside.

Keen to seek out different views of a much photographed subject from those that pervade the social media pages, I'm repeatedly visiting the area and taking the time to walk in ever increasing circles around the castle ruins to find different perspectives.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/80th second at f/11. Matrix metering. +⅔ stop EV compensation. Lee 0.6 ND graduated and 81B filters. ISO 200



© 2019

Wet knees and muddy boots

It's wet knees and muddy boots time as the see-saw weather of the UK begins to deliver the light I miss so much during the summer months. I have a few locations selected for repeat visits over the next four months or so - Corfe Castle in the Dorset countryside being one of them.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/100 second at f/11. Matrix metering. +⅓ stop EV compensation. 0.3 Lee ND grad and 81B filters. ISO 100



© 2019

On my own

There's nothing I like more than to get out into the landscape on wet days. There is so much scope for photography, and when it's raining black and white images - for me - are almost de rigure. I also know that nobody else is getting the same shot as I'm very often the only one stood in soggy fields, making photographs.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor.1/125 second at f/11. Matrix metering. + 1 stop EV compensation. 0.6 Lee ND grad filter. ISO 640. Mono conversion in Silver Efex Pro 2



© 2019

Emmetts Hill

I mentioned in my last post about how frustrating it can be when you see all the best light happening on the way to a location. Well today it was the reverse. Time constraints gave me little choice but to leave the scene above, about 30 minutes before the skies cleared and stunning light swept across the landscape.

I had sat patiently on the steps at St. Aldhelm's Head - Isle of Purbeck - for some two hours: most of that time in the rain, hoping for good light. In fact I knew it was coming, so it was just a matter of when. The above photograph was taken shortly after my arrival, but I knew I could do better. I did take a number of images of the rain swept coastline, and that's a plus in itself as they, too, have their own character. But how I wish I had not been pressed for time...


12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/11. Matrix metering. 0.3 Lee ND graduated and 81B filters. ISO 160



© 2019 

Fast and furious

Probably the most frustrating thing a landscape photographer can experience is superb light whilst travelling to a location. The day started with torrential rain, but the forecast was favourable, predicting scattered showers and sun until early evening. Unfortunately, that part happened to me en route, and by the time I arrived on the Jurassic Coast I was left with blue skies and strong winds.

As it turned out, this was better than nothing as later in the afternoon thick, grey cloud rolled in from the west. The strong winds - gusting up to 40mph on the cliff top - were creating havoc as far as keeping the camera steady was concerned, and I had little option but to up the ISO to give me shutter speeds fast enough to keep things sharp.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/320 second at f/11. Matrix metering. 0.6 Lee ND graduated and 81B filters. ISO 320



© 2019

Getting creative

 

  

The Creative Quarter in Folkestone is a must-see area to those visiting the town. The Old High Street that runs through it is only some 180 metres long, but in that space are packed cafés, boutiques, music and art shops - enough, at least, to keep a curious photographer happy.

12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. Matrix metering. Auto ISO. Mono conversion in Silver Efex Pro 2

Top: 1/80 second at f/11. ISO 1250

Below: 1/80 second at f/11. ISO 500 

© 2019

Rug People

A detail of the statue Rug People, on the disused railway lines of the old harbour station, Folkestone, Kent. 



10.5mm f/2.8 Nikkor Fisheye. 1/200 second at f/11. Matrix metering. ISO 200



© 2019 

The patience of a saint, or wield the clone tool?

Wide-angle lenses - apart from their obvious benefits - also have their drawbacks: fisheyes, even more so. I'm shooting with the latter exclusively inside Salisbury Cathedral, just for the fun of it. But apart from capturing the magnificence of the interior (distortion and all), I'm also trying to exclude human presence. Visitors to such places are rarely dressed in keeping with surroundings, and in my view it spoils the mood.

I could shoot merrily away and remove any unwanted elements of the photograph later using the clone tool or similar, but instead I patently wait until the scene clears and is the way I want it...

And some waiting it takes, believe me, but in each of the images above I've not used any digital shenanigans. 

Lens - 10.5mm f/2.8 Nikkor fisheye. Auto ISO.

Top: 1/20 second at f/8. Matrix metering. - 1 stop EV compensation. ISO 1000

Middle: 1/100 second at f/11. Matrix metering. - 1⅓ stop EV compensation. ISO 1400

Bottom: 1/6 second at f/8. Matrix metering. - 1 stop EV compensation. ISO 1000

© 2019

Salisbury Cathedral at 720nm

My second attempt at infrared photography using a digital camera has had a degree of success, but it's still not what I'm looking for. The wet prints I was making in my darkroom days with Kodak HIR film produced more drama - albeit somewhat hit or miss in producing a printable negative.

The filter I am currently using - one that (mostly) allows wavelengths of 720nm to pass through it - is just not cutting it: I want white whites and deep blacks! However, if my subject is in bright sunshine I'm coming close(er) to the effect I'm after.

Of course, a near opaque filter blocks a lot of light reaching the sensor, but Olympus' 5 axis image stabilisation (IBIS) allows me to handhold, even at ridiculously slow shutter speeds.



Olympus OMD-EM10 MkIII with 14-42mm 3.5/5.6 Pancake lens. ⅓ second at f/11. - ⅔ EV compensation. ISO 2000. R72 Infrared filter



© 2019

Bournemouth Air Festival Day 4

Photographing the local air show - whatever location it was being held at - was always the last hurrah of summer for me. This year it truly is that, as the final day of the Bournemouth Air Festival falls on the first day of autumn.

Not that the weather belies that fact, and apart from yesterday's blip with a brief period of rain, it has been warm, perfect flying weather all the way.

Supermarine Spitfire

Avro Lancaster - bomb doors open

Super Pitts Muscle Plane - flown by Rich Goodwin

Saab Draken

Strikemaster Pair

Royal Navy Black Cat

Mig 15 and a Canadair T-33 Silver Star

An unexpected rarity: The Ultimate Warbirds Flight, joined by The Blades Aerobatic Team

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

© 2019

Bournemouth Air Festival - Day 2

Having given myself a good talking to about poor photographic technique, I am determined to up my game and get it right.

Day 2 of the air festival, and once again we are blessed with perfect flying weather. However, despite the warm weather and sunshine the crowds attending are noticeably thinner that previous years. I put this solely down to the RAF Aerobatic Display Team - aka The Red Arrows - not putting in single appearance all weekend. Crowd pullers all day long, they have been missed this year.

Nonetheless, there is still plenty to entertain the crowds, whether it is in the air, or static displays on the clifftops and beaches.



Navy Black Cat

Battle of Britain Memorial Flypast - Lancaster and Spitfire

Avro Lancaster, with the Isle of Purbeck in the background

US Navy Poseidon Surveillance Aircraft

Ultimate Warbirds Flights: from top left and clockwise - 

Supermarine Spitfire, Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, Messerschmitt Me109, TF-51D Mustang

Eurofighter Typhoon

Eurofighter Typhoon going vertical

Super Pitts Muscle Plane, flown by Rich Goodwin

Eurofighter Typhoon, dusk display

Eurofighter Typhoon by the light of the setting sun

All images - 300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII converter. Tripod and gimbal head



© 2019

Bournemouth Air Festival - Day 1

Day one of the annual Bournemouth Air Festival, and I make something of a hash with a good few of the subjects. Since I photograph very few air displays I put that down to lack of match fitness: I need a bit of time to sharpen my long lens technique and to get my eye "in".

It's the prop driven planes that caused the problem, and many images just weren't sharp as I juggle shutter speeds: fast enough to freeze subject movement; slow enough to produce prop blur. That, and poor panning. I admit it - I didn't get it right.

The good thing about this particular air show is that it is over four days, and I get more than one bite of the cherry.

Tomorrow will be better.

Royal Navy Black Cat 

Battle of Britain Memorial Flypast

Supermarine Spitfire

Avro Lancaster

Tigers Freefall Parachute Display Team

Super Pitts Muscle Plane

All images: 300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikor with TC-14EII converter. Tripod and gimbal head

© 2019