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

Whichever way you look at it

I'm not the biggest fan of using the Dutch Tilt* in photography - particularly in architectural work -  but if the subject is right it adds a strong dynamic to what would otherwise be a dull image.

Incidentally, the style has nothing to do with the Netherlands; it derives from the German word for 'German': Deutsch.


* Also known as the Dutch Angle



Olympus OM-D EM-10 Mk III with 12-24mm f/3.5 - 5.6 Pancake lens. 1/320 second at f/11. + 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 200



© 2019

Rustic pleasures

                                                                                             
                                                                                      Tree swing, West Parley


Olympus OM-D EM-10 MkIII with 14-42mm f/3.5 - 5.6 Pancake lens. 1/250 second at f/8. ISO 200. Mono conversion and toning in Silver Efex Pro 2



© 2019

Twin sails

The British summer appears to have abandoned us over the past week, with wind and rain dominating the weather. Not that such conditions deter me when I feel the need to shoot - I just have to choose the right subject.

The Twin Sails lifting bridge that spans the Backwater Channel in Poole harbour, Dorset, is currently out of comission due to a mechanical fault. As a result the bridge is closed to traffic and the two bascules are set in the "up" position to allow the free movement of boats. Until repairs are effected I exploit the opportunity to explore various angles, without the risk of being knocked down by impatient motorists.




Olympus OM-D EM-10 Mk III with 14-42mm f/3.5 - 5.6 Pancake lens. 1/60 second at f/16.  -⅓ EV compensation. ISO 200. Mono conversion and toning in Silver Efex Pro 2



© 2019

Charity at sea

The freedom of choice to reinterpret images is what the black and white darkroom was all about. Many a photographer - this one included - would occasionally labour once again under the red glow of the safe light in an attempt to draw that last bit of information from a favourite negative.

In this case, I decided to reshoot entirely to get nearer to what I envisaged when I first chose this subject, some ten years ago.

Honouring the courage of all those lost at sea when trying to save the lives of others, this memorial stands outside the RNLI headquarters, Poole. Originally containing the names of the 778 who had died as a volunteer since 1855, a further 28 were discovered through research, and added three years after the memorial was unveiled in 2009.



Olympus OM-D EM-10 MkIII with 14-42mm f/3.5 - 5.6 Pancake lens. 1/125 second at f/11. ISO 200. Mono conversion in Silver Effex Pro 2



© 2019

Monochrome Monday

                                    Houns-tout and Chapman's Poole from Emmetts Hill, Jurassic Coast, Dorset



12-24mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/8. 0.9 grey grad filter. ISO 100. Mono conversion in Silver Efex Pro 2.



© 2019

Honesty

British landscape photographer Fay Godwin (1931 - 2005), was once criticised in her later work for including such things as telegraph poles and electricity pylons in some of her more rural images. She defended this by saying that if that is what is there, then why not?

I agree. Although it's sometimes possible to find a viewpoint to hide such peculiarities to create a more pleasing rustic scene, there are times when honesty is the best policy. With the photo above I made no attempt to disguise what isn't nature, nor considered the use of the clone tool in post processing.



Olympus OM-D EM-10 Mk III with 14-42mm f/3.5 - 5.6 pancake lens. 1/500 second at f/8. ISO 200



© 2019

Through the square window

                                                                  Farm building window #2 - Throop, Dorset.
 


Olympus OM-D EM-10 MkIII. 40-150mm f/4 - 5.6 R Zuiko. 1/160 second at f/8. - ⅓ EV compensation. ISO 200. Mono conversion in Silver Efex Pro 2



© 2019