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