Less-physical graffiti...

Today, I thought it would be nice to take all of the decision making out of photography, and wander about with my camera set to Program mode. This is the first time I have ever used this setting with any camera that had the capability, and it was mostly in experiment as anything. Of course, the camera coped admirably - as any modern camera will - but it was also a relaxing and therapeutic way to take photographs.

The graffiti - supported both by the local council and South West Trains - can be found on a local railway station, and lends some much needed colour to the somewhat depressing and run-down Victorian establishment. The top image is of a nearby shop front.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. ISO 320. Program mode.



© 2014

Clear(er) air...

The recent Saharan dust and pollution from the European continent - born upon the UK by southerly winds - was largely replaced by clean air from the West today. Unfortunately, with that came a change in the weather. Still, that didn't stop Nic, Dolly (the dog), and I from taking a lengthy walk along the beach at Rye, East Sussex, as the Atlantic front began to roll in.

Typical black and white photography weather, I felt at the time. There isn't much to photograph in the way of sweeping vistas with such light, but there are a number of features on the beach itself that make suitable subjects to poke a lens at; the remains of these wooden groynes, for instance.



24-70mm f/2.8 AF-S Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/11. ISO 400



© 2014

Mojo...

                                                                        15th May 2001 - 2nd April 2014

                                            Sleep well, my friend. You will always be loved, and greatly missed.



© 2014

Serendipity...

I hadn't given much thought about making a blog post, but the photograph - taken yesterday - is the result of some idle experimentation. I had converted what was a pretty run-of-the-mill image to black and white in an effort to give it some impact, but instead of abandoning it* like you do, I made a copy and continued to faff-about with it..

Using the brush tool in Adobe Lightroom, I discovered that I could tint areas of the photograph simply by picking a colour - and its strength - and paint it in. This technique - that of selective colouring - is considered old hat in the photographic fraternity (and let's face it, it is), but the effect I have used is much more subtle than that. The procedure is, of course, known by Lightroom users, but when you discover something by accident; through the will of trial and error, it becomes a legitimate part of your work flow.


*Art is never finished, only abandoned - Leonardo daVinci.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/100 second at f/7.1. - 1 stop EV compensation. ISO 400



© 2014    

On the beach...

The fine spring weather has gone - at least for the time being - so I'm glad I made the most of it while it lasted. Getting such warm weather so early in the year is a welcome bonus - especially after all the nonsense we put up with during the winter - but now we are back to seasonal average I am beginning to miss it.

I took the photograph yesterday, on a local beach, but didn't find the time to process it until today. I like the way the stone and sand shapes compliment each other, with elements in one echoing the elements in the other. The pastel hues are created by the oblique, diffused sunlight of late afternoon.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/500 second at f/5.6. ISO 200



© 2014

Gaping hole...

For what ever reasons people feel the need to cause damage to their own environment, one thing is for sure, it took some determination to smash through the safety glass and leave a gaping hole in the windbreak on the south western side of the local pier.

Try as I might, I was unable to use the frame created by some mindless idiot for something more interesting, but either the angles were all wrong, or the light that was falling on what I could see wasn't interesting enough. Eventually, I settle for something a bit more mundane and choose to keep the frame within a frame sharp, and let the late afternoon light do the rest.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/640 second at f/11.  - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 250



© 2014

Silhouettes on the shade...

I must have been a hundred metres away when I first saw the potential for this shot on a local beach, this afternoon. It had been cloudless all day and the only colour visible, as I walked into the low, late afternoon sun, was created by this translucent windbreak, and the shadows being projected on to it.

Drawing as little attention to myself as I knew how, I approached to within a few feet while the occupants enjoyed the sea air and the warmth of a spring afternoon. I only got off three frames before I was noticed; the people became more self conscious of the camera, and the spontaneity was lost.



50mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor. 1/3200 second at f/8. ISO 200


© 2014

Blue...

It has been some weeks without any appreciable poor weather, and the double-figure temperatures - on the Celsius scale - and warm spring sunshine almost appear to be lulling us into a false sense of security. In fact, the continual storms during the early part of the year disappeared so quickly it is almost like they never happened at all.

There is rain due later this week, but for the time being I'm out and making the most of the light before the sun starts climbing too high into the sky and I am restricted to shooting at either end of the day. I'm also using one of my favourite - and cheapest - lenses: the 50mm f/1.8. I have extolled its virtues elsewhere on this blog, but when I am simply out for a casual stroll and some informal snapping I find it the idea optic, especially when closing-in on and isolating subjects from their surroundings.

50mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor. 1/640 second at f/8. IS) 250

© 2014

Low and tight does the trick...

Having started my quest nearly two weeks ago for a daffodil photograph differing from the norm, I think I have finally achieved what I set out to do. I've gone from super-telephoto to wide angle zooms - and then all points between - without producing satisfying results, so today I throw caution to the wind and tackle the job with the widest optic available to me: a fisheye lens. After all, if everything else I tried didn't produce the goods, what have I got to lose?

The most important piece of equipment I take on the shoot - apart from the camera itself - is a piece of plastic sheeting that I can spread out onto the still damp earth. This enables me to comfortably sprawl full-length on the ground, and to get in low and tight. I hadn't tried this approach with the other sessions, often photographing from bloom height or higher, but no sooner I do this it becomes obvious to me that this is what I've been after all along: dynamics.

The glass on the camera helps, of course, with its 180º angle of view and inherent huge depth of field, but the worms-eye view makes all the difference, and I am finally happy with the images I get. At last I can move on.



10.5mm f/2.8G AF-S Fisheye Nikkor. 1/800 second at f/11. ISO 250



© 2014

Options still remain...

Well, I tried. The idea of focus stacking, or maybe even long exposures, came to mind as I wrote the last blog post, in a bid to create something interesting that even William Wordsworth would have found inspiring. Unfortunately, there was little to no wind during the shoot to sway the blooms gently; recording them as impressionistic blurs with long shutter speeds, and the focus stacking results still didn't appeal to me.

So, for a bit of insurance, I opted to take some straight shots, just in case. I'm still not enthralled with what I came up with, and I still have several options left at my disposal while the spring weather stays as it is, but for now it will have to do.



70-200mm f/2.8D Apo Sigma lens. 1/400 second at f/7.1. ISO 200



© 2014

Colour and form...

Once again I fail miserably at photographing daffodils in a local park, although each time I fail I feel I am coming closer to what I am trying to achieve. Odd, that I am finding it such a challenge to get a successful image of some yellow flowers. Perhaps I am trying too hard.

Undeterred, I move on to the beach to concentrate on colour and form, as with the beach huts on Boscombe seafront (above), and the repeating pattern of a security grille covering the window of a promenade surfing shop (below). At one time standing in an orderly row, the huts have been moved to some extent by the action of stormy seas last month, thus breaking the regular scheme. I underexposed the colour image slightly to increase saturation, and converted the other to black and white, before selenium toning it in Adobe Lightroom.

70-200mm f/2.8D Apo Sigma lens.

Top: 1/200 second at f/11.  - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400
Below: 1/250 second at f/11.  - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400



© 2014

Is it art?...

For the past week I have been trying to photograph the emerging season of spring, and in particular the numerous displays of daffodils and crocus. Unfortunately, none of the sessions spent shooting have produced anything to my liking. Last week I worked with a super-telephoto lens; today a standard zoom, but the results simply haven't worked. I do have an idea or two in mind before the displays die-off, so fingers crossed I will get something before that happens.

Looking like something you might find hanging in a modern art gallery (above), today's inspiration comes from nothing more than the worn and damaged sides of an industrial skip*. Initially, I walked straight past it, but as nothing I was photographing today looked like it would make it past the first edit stage on my computer, I decide to return and take a closer look at the colours and textures.

I'm pleased I did.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/200 second at f/4. ISO 400

*Addendum: A skip is known as a dumpster in the USA (see comments, below), and this is the one I photographed on the seafront. It is being used to collect and remove the remains of the demolished beach huts, some of which which were damaged beyond economic repair in the recent storms. 

© 2014

Low tide; low sun; magic combination...

Apart from weather forecasts (for what use they are), the one thing I can trust are tide tables; predictions that tell me when high and low tides are expected, and are invaluable for the photographer that shoots anywhere there are tidal differences. I have, for many years, used Easy Tide: the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office's free site for predictions up to seven days in advance, anywhere on the planet.

Armed with this information, plus that of any number of websites available that show sunrise/sunset times and directions, is often all I need to be in the right place at the right time. That, and a bit of luck from Mother Nature (above).



12-24mm f/4G AF-S Nikkor. 1/125 second at f/8. ISO 400



© 2014

Making your own light...

The last day of my stay with Nic (she always makes me feel so welcome), and the weather takes a dip. No rain, or anything like that, but the sky becomes the familiar grey blanket we have seen so much of over the past few months.

Not that is something I worry about when out shooting. The photographer has two options in such situations: don't include the sky; or make your own light, as I did with this picture of the Willesborough Windmill, near Ashford. It is an established darkroom technique to burn-in areas you want darker, or "dodge" selected areas to keep (or make), lighter. Of course, all this is so much easier to achieve digitally, and more so with the flexibility of Lightroom.



12-24mm f/4G AF-S Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/8. ISO 250. Adobe Lightroom conversion.



© 2014

The old lighthouse and nuclear energy...

Day three, and I still have my monochrome head on for a trip to Dungeness; with its light steam railway, lighthouses, and nuclear power station (photo). I like it there as the area is gloriously bleak, with small dwellings dotted here and there on the open land, and fishing boats drawn-up on to the shingle beach. A photographer can easily spend all day there, such is the diversity of subjects for the lens.

Even the weather is kind this visit - it's the first day of spring, after all - and although a cool day the sun shines and there is very little wind.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/250 second at f/8. ISO 250. Adobe Lightroom conversion.



© 2014

1066 and all that...

Day two, and we are off to Battle in East Sussex - the site of possibly the most famous battle in English history -  and for tea and cake, naturally. Having been suitably refreshed at the Pilgrims Rest, a building that dates back to 1420, we set out to find the site where King Harold mixed it with the French invaders, 948 years ago. Unfortunately, despite the significance of such an event we found it somewhat poorly - and confusingly - signposted, and managed to wander well away from the site where legend says it all took place.

Having doubled-back - and finding the entrance to the abbey that was built on the spot where the fighting happened - we are dismayed to discover that it is closed for the week due to some school event taking place within. Our fault, really, as I suppose we should have checked their web site before setting out (it did say it was closed), but disappointing all the same.

However, all was far from lost (unlike events on that fateful October day, so long ago), and I set out to find a place that has recently been suggested as the real location of the battle (above). Nothing has ever been found on the official battlefield; weapons; armour or bones, that indicates anything of significance taking place there at all, but a recent archaeological study by Channel 4's Time Team (UK TV), suggests that the area where the small roundabout is positioned in the photograph may well have been the true whereabouts of hostilities between the English and Norman armies, due to its strategic location at the time. Of course, it is too involved to go into it all in this post, but should it have piqued your interest, you can watch the programme on YouTube here.



12-24mm f/4G AF-S Nikkor. 1/320 second at f/11. ISO 400



© 2014

Outside the wall...

It has been a while since I paid a visit to Nic; the scheduled trip having been postponed two weeks ago due to all the bad weather, so we both intend to cram in as much as possible during the four days I am in Kent.

Folkestone is our first port of call - literally - and although I have seen the town on a number of occasions from afar, today is my first visit. To be honest, I wonder why she hasn't taken me there before now, as it has a delightfully photogenic harbour, with views away to the east of the White Cliffs of Dover. What's more, the tide is out when we arrive, so it is possible to walk out of the harbour entrance and along the beach.

By the time we reach the Martello tower - one of many originally built along the coast to resist the advances of Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century - the clouds draw in and the  heavens open with a hail shower. We shelter in the remains of a grafitti-covered World War II gun emplacement for the duration, and emerge to photograph a spectacular rainbow as the storm passes. However, today's photograph - seen and shot with a black and white conversion in mind as I fired the shutter - shows the harbour wall, and St. Peter's church spire on the cliff top.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/11. ISO 320. Lightroom conversion



© 2014

Like watching paint crack...

It's a warm, sunny afternoon on the south coast, and spring is definitely in the air. This far into the year I doubt that we will now get any real cold weather to speak of, but the wind still has a bite to it, despite the sun.

I'm looking for colour to shoot during the golden hour - that period of time photographers, and probably artists as well - refer to the hour after, or before, sunset. Such light can create images out of nothing, such as the flaking paint on this seafront wall. With such subjects all you need to do is look, and often you can find something reminiscent of something else. In this instance I was merely attracted to the hue and textures.

Oh, yes, the review I promised of the new camera strap mentioned in the previous post: It's great! 


24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/320 second at f/8. ISO 320



© 2014

8 days without a storm...

It has been eight days without a storm on the south coast, and funnily enough I found myself beginning to miss them in some odd way. Not that I wish for any more - well, not yet, at least - but the relatively calm weather seems to be more out of the ordinary than the rough stuff, so much have we become used to it.

Again, odd, that nature seemed to have been holding off in making its appearance whilst the winds battered and the rains flooded, but since calm prevailed blossom is starting to festoon trees, and daffodils, in places, are in full flower. Hopefully, this week, I will be out and recording the herald of the new season, and also turning in a review of a new camera strap that I have recently acquired - the BlackRapid RS-4.

Watch this space.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/500 second at f/11.  - 0.33EV compensation. ISO 250



© 2014

Nearly there...

Now that the weather appears to have calmed down somewhat, I felt it was time to visit a local nature reserve and see if there were any further signs of spring. Crocus and snowdrops have been around for a while now; daffodils are starting to bloom, while insect activity has never really stopped this winter, such has been the mildness of the season, but I wanted to see what else was beginning to emerge.

Unfortunately, flooding is still causing problems, and most of the paths running alongside the Dorset Stour (above), were submerged, making access to parts of the reserve difficult, if not impossible. However, in the small sections I was able to gain access to, I noted that hawthorne was beginning to flower, and catkins were hanging from tree branches. The showery weather was responsible for the wonderful sky in the photograph.

Nearly there.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/640 second at f/8.  - 0.67 EV compensation. ISO 200



© 2014