The Owl and the Pussycat (and a Hungry Shark thrown in for good measure)

These murals are part of the coastal Selfie Wall Trail that runs along almost the entire beach front of Poole Bay; some 7 miles. 11 works in total, they have been created by seven artists, and they are intended to produce a colourful backdrop to take pictures of yourself.

The Owl and the Pussycat is the work of local resident Krishna Malla, while the Hungry Shark was painted by Owain Nicholls.

Top and middle: 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 

1/250 second at f/8 and 1/100 second respectively. Matrix metering. ISO 50

Bottom: 12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/125 second at f/11. ISO 50

 © 2019

I'm calling it... It's Spring

I might be jumping the gun here, but if it looks like Spring; feels warm enough for Spring, then it's Spring as far as I'm concerned.

There are still three days before the the meteorological start of the season, but there is blossom on the trees; crocus are in full flower; bees are a-buzzin', and the daffodils are putting on a glorious display.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/8. Matrix metering. ISO 50



© 2019

0.0: the lowest of the low

My last planned beach shoot of the winter, and it coincides with the lowest tide possible: 0.0 on the UKHO graph.

By the time the next spring tides occur a month from now the sun will be setting inland, so until the autumn...



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/80 second at f/8. Matrix metering. Lee 0.6 grey grad. Tripod and remote release. ISO 50



© 2019

A moon by any other name...

Tonight's Supermoon is also the Snow Moon; so named because it occurs when there is snow on the ground in this month. Clearly this is not the case everywhere, but I am suddenly intrigued by the many names it has acquired.

Native Americans referred to it as the Hunger Moon, whilst others call it the Storm Moon. Whatever moniker you wish to attach to Earth's satellite, it appears it has taken a bit of a battering over the years.



300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII converter. 1/200 second at f/5. Matrix metering. - 1⅔ stops EV compensation. Tripod and remote release. Mirror lock-up. ISO 100



© 2019

Seasonal burn-out

The days are noticeably longer; the weather milder; the sun is beginning to set along the shoreline of Poole Bay - and it's burn-out time for me.

It hasn't been the best winter, photographically, and I put it down to the lack of storms to churn-up the atmosphere. As a result skies - and conditions in general - have been bland. On top of that, I am growing tired of shooting by the sea for the time being.

So, time to move inland after this week. Spring is almost upon us in the northern hemisphere, and wildlife is beginning to look its best.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/80 second at f/8. Matrix metering. Lee 0.9 grey grad filter. ISO 50. Mono conversion and toning in Silver Efex Pro 2



© 2019

All square

It has been over 30 years since I actually used square format cameras, but when the subject suits I still crop to produce a square photograph.

A grey and wet day eventually gave way to an hours worth of sunshine, and although the light was welcome there wasn't much going on, sky-wise. All I really had to use was a stack of cloud stretching to the horizon, and growing ever more pink as the sun set.

Having moved up and down the beach trying to find something that works as a composition, I take a single shot from underneath the pier. On opening the files in Lightroom, I promptly dismiss the picture in favour of others that I think work better, and develop those instead.

However, it is during the deletion process that I finally take a longer look at this image, and see something coherent. It's the way the clouds echo the shape of the beams running along the underside of the pier decking that catch my eye. Using the square format tightened everything up.



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/50 second at f/8. Matrix metering. Lee 0.6 grey grad filter. ISO 400



© 2019

In the name of exploration (for oil, to be exact)

For the past 12 days the drilling rig (above) has been situated 3.6 miles (6km) from the Dorset coast, in Poole Bay. Photogenic as it may be at night, there have been numerous objections to its presence- none more loudly than those from the Dorset Wildlife Trust.

They (and others) claim that the rig's operations will damage the prized environment of the seabed. The exploratory drilling is taking place within the Solent and Dorset Coast Protection Area. On top of this, the company drilling down 1,800 metres, are licensed to discharge up to 6,753 tonnes of chemical waste into the sea, including eight tonnes of biocide. This, alone, is enough to cause concern for numerous species of marine life that live and breed in the area; the short-snouted seahorse being feared to be particularly at risk

The whole set-up is expected to be gone by the end of the month, but bizarrely the company doing the tests have no plans to return to the site once the well is permanently capped.

Not unless they strike it rich, that is...




300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII converter. 10 seconds at f/8. Matrix metering. Tripod and remote release. Mirror lock-up. ISO 50



© 2019

The best of what's left

At last! Something to stir up the atmosphere. This winter, stormy weather has been conspicuous by its absence. Storm Erik may well have come and gone, but what's left of it is producing skies worth photographing.


12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/50 second at f/8. Matrix metering. Lee 0.9 Grey grad filter. ISO 50



© 2019

Everyday stuff (and something a bit special...)

It's a bright day - with just the right amount of cloud - and I'm still putting the new camera body through its paces; getting to know how it reacts to given situations. I'm also doing something that I've not been able to do since my days of using film cameras: shooting at ISO 50. I miss using slow emulsions such as Kodachrome 25 and Fuji Velvia, but only for the fine grain and colours they produced. Now I've got got that option back.

Walking between the two piers of Poole Bay, I stop and photograph anything I like the look of. Most of it is run-of-the-mill stuff you normally wouldn't give a second glance to, but what really caught my eye was the painting - Fragments of Time - by Colombian artist Dario Vargas, on a wall in The Arches, Bournemouth seafront.

Lens: 24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. Matrix metering. ISO 50

Top: 1/200 second at f/11. - ⅔ EV compensation

Middle: 1/160 second at f/8

Bottom: 1/2000 second at f/2.8. - ⅔ EV compensation

© 2019

Set in stone

Grey skies and mist are ideal conditions for portrait photography, so I visit a local cemetery to spend an hour or so with some co-operative subjects.

I'm being a grown-up photographer, today, and shooting in manual mode using spot metering. For 99.9% of my photography I use Aperture Priority, since it is usually dept of field I want to control, but this afternoon I throw caution to the wind; use a fast lens wide open, and have some fun.

I'm also reckless with post processing, using a preset in the editing software to produce the final result.

Lens: 85mm f/1.4 AF Nikkor. Manual mode and spot metering. Preset in Silver Efex Pro 2.

Top: 1/100 second at f/1.4. ISO 64

Middle: 1/160 second at f/1.4. ISO 100

Bottom: 1/320 second at f/1.4. ISO 100

© 2019

Long misty days

The thermometer climbs above 0º Celsius for the first time in several days, and although it's somewhat milder, there are few people enjoying the sea air at low tide.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/8. Matrix metering. +⅓ EV compensation. Mono conversion in Silver Efex Pro 2. ISO 640



© 2019