Hey, St Jude...

The storm that didn't really happen as predicted - at least where I am - came and went overnight, and although nowhere near as intense as "the big one of 1987", it did kill four people. There has been localised flash-flooding, and the winds did reach 99 mph (159 km/h) at the Old Battery on the Isle of Wight, but damage this time was kept to a minimum. As I said, the main body swept in off the Atlantic during the hours of darkness, so I wasn't able to get out with my camera to take some shots.

Shooting in such conditions can be a challenge - if not dangerous - so maybe it was for the best that I eventually ventured out in the early afternoon to see what was left of Storm Jude. It is not the done thing to name storms as such; something that is the sole reserve of hurricanes, but since it happened on the day of the feast of St Jude, the media has taken the epithet and run with it. However, there is no mention of the other fourteen saints that also share this day for a spot of feasting. I hope they don't mind.

The remnants of Jude are still in evidence,  and whilst the rest of it has swiftly moved on to northern Europe - such is its strength - there is still enough in the tail to produce some dramatic skies as the sun sets over Poole bay, Dorset.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/1000 second at f/8. ISO 400



© 2013

Easy drama...

At last I am given a bit of drama. It has either been overcast and raining, or sunshine and blue skies over the past week or so, and although I subscribe to the maxim: 'there is no such thing as bad light for photography', I have been itching to shoot something moody, even if it isn't mean.

The seascape idea is very much on the top of my list at the moment, so once the forecast showery weather started rolling in off the Atlantic I am down on the local beaches as soon as the sun is low enough in the sky.

The tide is also falling during late afternoon, so I walk along the low water line, making photographs as I go. I decide to convert the images to mono whilst shooting as I find the monochrome combination of waves and clouds appealing. However, I go one step further at the processing stage and selenium tone the finished image (above).

Some images are made; some are waited for, and some are walked into, as with the backlit photo of two kite surfers on Boscombe beach. I simply strolled along behind one coming out of the water, and as he set the kite onto the sand and began to dismantle his rig, I took a sequence of images before the sun disappeared behind the cloud bank.

Easy





24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor.

Top: 1/8000 second at f/8.  - 1.33 EV compensation. ISO 400
Right: 1/3200 second at f/8  -0.37 EV compensation. ISO 400



© 2013

Leaves on the trees, and a marble count...

It is ridiculously warm, today, and it's set to get warmer as the week progresses. I had intended to shoot the fallen leaves of autumn, but because of the good summer it seems that the trees are hanging on to them for longer. Certainly more so than this time last year. I do get one or two pleasing images, such as the back-lit leaf (above), but soon give up and decide to head for the beach.



It's as I arrive there that the temperature soars, no doubt due to the clear sky and the sun reflecting off of the sea. By the time I reach the beach itself it is so warm I am down to shirt sleeves. There are people sun bathing, and two people can be seen swimming in the sea. Mind you, the water is still relatively warm - having not had time to cool down since the summer - so their quantity of marbles does not come into question just yet. I think we have the makings of an Indian summer.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor.

Top: 1/1000 second at f/7.1. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400
Below: 1/800 seconf at f/11 + 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 200



© 2013

At a later date...

It's autumn at its best as the weather changes from day to day. Yesterday, warm sunshine; today, wind and rain. Either suits me for picture taking.

The beach of Poole bay is deserted for the greater part of my walk, this afternoon. Now and then a cyclist appears out of the rain and darts by, and one or two others join me on the promenade at various intervals, but otherwise there is little human presence. Even the ubiquitous gulls are notably absent.

I always admire those that wrap-up and get outdoors for the fun of it in such weather, but what does puzzle me is the clothing they tend to favour in the rain. Typically, a waterproof top and jeans; the latter being a bad idea when it's wet as they take so long to dry once the rain stops. Why do they go to the trouble and expense of keeping the upper half dry, yet neglect the lower half? Curious, indeed. Perhaps they are intending to add waterproof trousers at a later date, or when finances allow. Maybe they just don't care. I have no idea. I also saw two people dressed in shorts, despite the coldness of the day. Hardy souls, indeed.

Today's image is of a sticker on a glass window in the windbreak on Boscombe pier. The fan-shaped background is part of the awning on the other side; there to keep the rain off of me - and others - should they be intent on being outside on such a day.


50mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor. 1/100 second at f/7.1. + 0.33 EV compensation.  - 0.7 stop fill-in flash. ISO 200.



© 2013

Unidentified Flying Object...

They said it would be cooler today, and they were right. Not as cold as they predicted, mind, and I soon discovered I was overdressed; and overheating, wrapped-up in fleeces and a woolly hat during a walk along the beach. It is a beautiful autumn day, with blue skies and warm sunshine, and I am shooting with a big lens. Nothing particular in mind; just lugging the thing about for the sake of it.

A sudden disturbance in bushes flushes-out three birds: a robin and two others, all three are small. The robin is defending territory but has its work cut out as no sooner does it chase one interloper away, the other takes its place. I stop and start making photographs; gradually moving closer, and to get better angles.

During this time a man passes me; stops, and says:"Go on then, impress me with what that is", pointing at the bird in the photograph. "I've no idea", I replied. "I'll have to look it up when I get home". I think that he thought I was some knowledgeable bird buff, but I'm not. I just appreciate their beauty.

So, back home; images uploaded... and then the problem begins. I can't find the species on any of the online bird identifier web sites. I tick various boxes that supposedly will tell me what I have here: beak size; body size; plumage colour, and numerous other characteristics that should reveal all... but nothing.

My friend Nic joins the hunt online. She is confident that she will find out what it is, and after twenty minutes or so of searching, she does. It's a Stonechat. When I told the man I had no idea what the bird was, it very nearly remained that way. Thank you, Nic.


300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR Nikkor with TC-14EII converter. 1/2000 second at f/5.6. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400. Monopod


© 2013

Walk the line...

It is a perfect autumn day, here in Dorset: above average temperatures, and just the right amount of cloud in the sky to keep things very pleasant. I also have spring tides at the beach during late afternoon.

At low water I am shooting from a local pier, absolutely determined to make the most of the warm colours of nearby buildings reflected in the exposed wet sand. What I need is someone or something to enter the area to give a focal point to a photograph, but it doesn't happen. Not for a good while, anyway. There are numerous near-misses, but they all miss the mark and the shot doesn't work. Now, if I wanted people to stay out of frame I would have had an endless procession of walkers coming into the picture...  It can be very frustrating at times, which ever way you look at it. Eventually, an obliging paddler ambles along the water line; shoes in hand, and I get something useable. She even has the courtesy to walk back in the opposite direction a few minutes later, but I think I'll stick with this one.


70-200mm f/2.8D Apo Sigma lens. 1/1600 second at f/5.6. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400



© 2013

Drama, and a sense of scale...

The forecast stormy weather this week never materialised in the south. Instead of strong winds and rain I actually got sunshine and a brisk breeze. It is said that it is necessary to check at least three different weather forecasts, and if they are more or less in agreement then what they predict will actually happen: in other words, a "dead cert". Otherwise, it seems, they are just guessing. I was out in shirt sleeves, today, as temperatures are above average for the time of year, touching 20º Celsius in the sunshine.

What I can rely on are tide tables and the time of year. There are several high and low spring tides over the next few days, and autumn brings with it some dramatic skies. Although the tide had already turned when I shot the photos from Boscombe pier, this afternoon, there was still enough exposed wet sand to make things interesting when the light came. The figures give the scenes a sense of scale.

                               

24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 

Top: 1/5000 second at f/8. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400

Below: 1/1600 second at f/8. + 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400

© 2013

Four feathers (minus three)...

The forecast bad weather has been postponed until tomorrow, so today I have to be content shooting in drizzle instead of near-storm conditions. I have the idea to photograph images that will lend themselves to split toning in Adobe Lightroom, and set off for an afternoon stroll.

It is always nice to go out with an agenda, although that can often be subject to change, depending on what I come across. Today I'm lucky.

Somebody had found four feathers, and pierced ivy leaves with them, creating an horizontal row resembling clothes pegs on a line. As I am still only using my fastest lens - a short telephoto -  I am unable to effectively include them all. No bad thing as I think a wider shot would have been less effective.







85mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor. 1/160 second at f/5.6. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 500. Split toned in Adobe Lightroom



© 2013

A flowery sharpness...

One more day of this dull weather and then apparently I can expect strong winds and heavy rain for the rest of the week. Something deep inside is stirred by this news, and I look forward in anticipation in getting out to shoot. Although it is far more challenging to take photographs, bad weather is one of my favourite subjects.

Proper bad weather, mind; none of this "Ooo, it's raining, so lets take a few snaps" sort of thing. I envisage a struggle against the elements; trying to keep everything dry and steady, scenario. Knowing the accuracy of the forecasts I may well end up being disappointed. Again. Still, it is going to remain mild, so that's a plus.

Today, I'm out photographing with a single lens, which also happens to be my fastest - aperture-wise. I'm looking for subjects to isolate with that razor-thin depth of field that such optics offer, and it is this bunch of flowers on a ladies bike on the seafront of Poole Bay, Dorset, that works best on such a dull day. The flat light produces no shadows, and shooting wide open does the rest. Such images can look over sharpened, but this effect is caused by the fact that most of the picture is unsharp. I don't know why I don't use this lens more often.



85mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor. 1/1000 second at f/1.4. ISO 200



© 2013

A silhouette, and something less exotic...

Not what I would call an Indian summer, but for the last week in September it is certainly mild, so I'm out enjoying the afternoon sunshine with my camera. I'm by the sea, but the hazy light is not going to give me any drama, so I just shoot into the light to produce silhouettes by way of a change - the most successful image seen here (left). Relying on shape only it is an easy yet effective way to make striking images.

The other photograph, although not exactly award-winning in content, relates directly to this post, having shot the original from an usual angle to create an image where the subject was not immediately obvious. As you can now see, it is nothing more exciting than a drainpipe set into the sea wall. I must admit that the original shot had something organic-looking about it; possibly the remains of an exotic sea creature washed up on the beach, but the reality is a tad more mundane.

Top: 85mm f/1.4 AF Nikkor. 1/8000 second at f/2.5. ISO 200. Split toned
Right: 24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/500 second at f/8. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 320





© 2013

Two photographs: few words...

                                                                                                 
                                                                    A walk in the rain, and autumn colours.





24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor.

Top: 1/60 second at f/4. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 640. Monopod
Bottom: 1/4000 second at f/5.6. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 200



© 2013

Landmarks...

Landmarks, in both aviation and birthdays, for this post, and a place I have wanted to visit for a long time.

As a small boy with an interest in flight and aircraft in particular, I was always captivated by the grainy footage of the pioneers risking everything when they went aloft in those flimsy-looking designs.

 Today, I was able to stand on the very spot where one of those "magnificent men" crash-landed his plane in 1909, near Dover Castle, Kent, after being the first person to cross the English Channel by aeroplane.

If you take the time to click on the "Location" link below, and zoom in, you will see how lucky he was to have missed all those trees.




12-24mm f/4G AF-S Nikkor.

Top: 1/40 second at f/8. ISO 200
Below: 1/100 second at f/7.1. + 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 320



© 2013

At last, and over the Garden of England...

It is good news: confirmed the night before, we are flying this morning. Although the alarm was set for 5 am I am awake long before that, so the early start is less of a wrench when we leave the house at six to get to one of the pre-arranged pick-up points. Today it is to be Hamstreet, Kent.

There are ten of us on the flight, and having been identified on the list we all pile into the minibus to be driven to the takeoff site. The sun has yet to rise by the time we arrive, but there is enough light to start taking photos of the preparations (top image). It is customary for the passengers to assist the pilot and ground crew in this, but I do admit that I shirked my responsibilities to a large extent, purely to get the shots I wanted. Hey, it was my first time off the ground in anything and I didn't want to miss it.

Matt - our pilot - tells us that it is perfect flying weather - and having inflated the envelope with the propane burners (see how quickly I pick up on the technical nomenclature?) we leave the  ground at 7.20 am.    

There is no real sense of climb - and certainly no breeze felt since we are moving at the same speed as any wind - but it is a memorable experience as we slowly move across the Kent countryside, the total silence only broken by the occasional blast from the propane burners and comments from the man flying the balloon (and fly it he does) and the rest of us. It is also a superb opportunity for photography.

Although we are in the air for just over an hour it is over all too soon, and we make a very gentle landing in a stubble field. The pilot and ground crew were in regular communication with each other, and the latter arrive on the scene to collect us as we touch down. Once the balloon is deflated and packed away into its bag - bottom image - (who'd think that something like that would be so heavy?), it is a glass of champaign all round for the passengers, although I opted for orange juice since I don't drink. All in all a throughly enjoyable - and magical - experience, and something I wouldn't hesitate to do again or recommend to others.

Second best birthday present, ever, Nic. Thank you, and thank you, Merlin Balloons: http://www.merlin-balloons.co.uk/

Lenses: 10.5mm f/2.8 AF-S Fisheye Nikkor (images 2 and 4)

             12-24mm f/4G AF-S Nikkor

© 2013

Bike...

I'm spending the weekend with my best friend Nic - talented photographer and musician - partly to share in my birthday celebrations, and partly in an attempt to get airborne for the first time in my life. Both events are entirely connected. The chosen mode of transport will be by hot air balloon, but of course entirely dependant on weather conditions. Several times over the past year or so the pre-arranged flights have been postponed at the last minute as a result of less-than-ideal flying weather, but that's all booked for tomorrow morning, and we spend the early evening walking the local fields.

The abandoned bicycle, stripped of most of the useful parts, is photographed as found. I am lucky enough to get a brief break in early evening cloud to make my subject interesting, and manage three shots before the light disappears for the day. But that's okay. I'm always pleased to get something when out with a camera.


24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/60 second at f/8.  -0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400. Monopod



© 2013

Lost and broken...

I read it online, so it must be true: summer stopped in the UK on 9th September. It certainly has got much cooler from what was a warm season for us, but since autumn is still 5 days away we must be in some kind of seasonal doldrum. What I do know is that it is raining.

One thing is for certain; sunglasses are not required, - at least for the time being - as I come across this lost and broken pair on a wall on Boscombe beach, Dorset, this afternoon. Bent frames; a missing lens - the remaining one rain-spotted -  and it quickly becomes a target for my lens.

As I take a series of shots the idea of converting to monochrome and split toning the image enters my mind for the finished photograph, as shown in the image on the right. I have included the original colour picture so that the viewer can make up their mind if the treatment lends itself to the subject, or merely which one they prefer.



24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/2000 second at f/2.8. - 0.33 EV compensation. ISO 400



© 2013

A growing concern...

I have been using Adobe Lightroom since March of this year, and from my point of view it almost replaces Photoshop for all my post processing needs. I say almost as it still lacks a decent clone tool, but as soon as one is incorporated I feel I can move on and not look back.

Now, there are numerous tutorials available online - and for free - that pass on tips and techniques to anybody willing to learn, to master various software programs, and I am constantly in search of new tricks to get the best possible image from a file. Some are useful; others not so. Most, if not all, is sound advice, but as software becomes ever more powerful I am left wondering if it is such a good thing for all applications. Obviously discretion of the photographer is paramount, but it can be all too easy to apply the same processing techniques to every shot I take, and this is possibly a mistake.

The photograph of Throop millpond is an example of this (above). Exposing for the highlights, this rendered the foreground of the shot as a deep black in the RAW file, but I am able to control the shadow - and the resulting digital noise - by tweaking the relevant sliders in the Basic module in Lightroom. This greatly increases the dynamic range of the photograph and retrieves shadow detail, but to my mind it seems to be bordering on the overdone HDR (High Dynamic Range) treatments you can find littering portfolios and galleries on the internet these days.

Not that this image falls totally into that trap, but I shall have to keep a more watchful eye on what methods I use, I think.




12-24mm f/4D AF-S Nikkor. 1/500 second at f/14. - 1stop EV compensation. ISO 400



© 2013

Ephemeral light and dancing leaves...

Summer is all but done; the leaves on the trees are beginning to turn and fall, and morning mists are becoming more frequent. It is also getting cooler. However, nature continues in all its glory whilst the changeable weather produces dramatic, fleeting light for the landscape photographer. (left)

I was beginning to think that I was not going to get anything worthwhile with my camera, today, but for a few moments it all came together and I was in the right place at the right time on the Dorset Stour Local Nature Reserve (left).

The other image simply presented itself to me as I rode past. The brown, dry leaf, caught in a spider's web; fluttering and dancing on the breeze; the blue painted wall and oblique angle of the sun's rays, and it was too much to resist. I simply had no choice but to stop to make photographs.


I love this time of year and I love this light.















Top: 12-24mm f/4G AF-S Nikkor. 1/400 second at f/11.  -1 stop EV Compensation. ISO 400
Right: 24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/800 second at f/8. - 0.33 EV Compensation. ISO 400



© 2013



   

Weedy reflection...

Making the most of what is possibly the last of the summer weather, I'm out on my bike again in the late afternoon with a camera and three lenses.

As it happens, I only needed the one when I come across this feeding Grey Heron on the Dorset Stour. It keeps a respectable distance from me for the hour I stand and watch it feed, so frame-filling images were not going to happen. But no matter. I am more than content to portray the bird in its natural environment, allowing the weeds and reflections make the shot. There was little else I could do, really.












300mm f/4D AF-S Nikkor. 1/2000 second at f/5. -1 stop EV compensation. ISO 400. Monopod



© 2013

Common background...

Another glorious late summer's day (but there's rain on the way by the weekend), and it is out on the bike with a camera, following the same route as yesterday. I am pleasantly surprised to find the revamped footbridge across the Dorset Stour at Throop open for business - two days before the official opening. I stop briefly to record the occasion for posterity (it still isn't quite finished), before continuing to the local nature reserve.

I have dragonfly in mind. I did yesterday, but none were close enough, or still enough, for my lens. Today I was lucky. Although being somewhat elusive, it was quite by chance that I spotted a Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) land on a grass stalk as I rode along the footpath on the river bank. There is always a tense moment as I unpack the camera, mount it on a support of some kind, and start shooting. All too often the subject gets spooked by the attention, or simply flies off because it was bored with being where it was.

I get but two shots of the darter set against a background of floating weed, thrown completely out of focus by the wide aperture set on the lens, before it is gone. Quite possibly the same one returned a number of times - they are very territorial - and I continued photographing it, but the background was not as good.


300mm f/4D AF-S Nikkor. 1/2000 second at f/5.6. - 0.67 EV compensation. ISO 400. Monopod



© 2013

The Leaden Stour...

Although some regard summer as being over at the end of August that still leaves a three week gap of nothingness, apparently, before autumn starts. However, judging from the weather at the moment, summer continues for the time being here in the south, at least.

I went for a ride today, mostly for the fun of it, but also to check out my mountain bike. Yesterday I gave it something of a much needed overhaul, replacing the chain-set and crank; gear cassette; chain; rear derailleur and front and rear gear cables and housings, and needed to make sure all was well with an extended test. It was.

I chose the Dorset Stour as the basis for the trial, stopping here and there to make photographs when something appealed to me. The image is taken on the Leaden Stour at the site of a Ford  - known locally as Pansy's Bathing Place - after a local resident's golden retriever. The Leaden Stour, which branches off from the main river at Throop, Dorset, is as its name suggests: a much slower moving body of water, that eventually rejoins the main waterway roughly 1.4 miles downstream.



24-70 mm f/2.8G AF-S Nikkor. 1/80 second at f/10. - 1 stop EV compensation. Polariser. ISO 500



© 2013