Tuesday, August 31, 2004
North East Air Support Unit Helicopter
I had just a couple of minutes today to stop the car, grab my camera, attached a 170 – 500 mm zoom and take this picture of North East Air Support Unit Helicopter G-NESV Eurocopter EC135T.
The sun being in the right place and the blue sky made for a strong image.
Time 15:47pm Shutter 1/350 Aperture F6.7 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Monday, August 30, 2004
Harvest
The rain has held of again today so the harvest continues.
When it comes to a bale of hay you have to work hard to find a new view.
Time 14:50pm Shutter 1/180 Aperture F11 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Weardale Railway
I visited the recently re-opened Weardale Railway today which runs from Stanhope to Wolsingham.
The project has involved restoring more than five miles of track, reconstructing three stations and building a new engineering base and running shed.
The picture shows NER Class P3 2392 (BR J27 No. 65894) running through Upper Weardale near Frosterley.
Time 12:57pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F8 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Harvest
29th August 2004
This year is one of the wettest and slowest harvests on record with only 50% being completed according to the NUFU.
Harvesting in this field near Osmotherly, North Yorkshire, England, is nearly complete.
Time 12:21pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F13 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
This year is one of the wettest and slowest harvests on record with only 50% being completed according to the NUFU.
Harvesting in this field near Osmotherly, North Yorkshire, England, is nearly complete.
Time 12:21pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F13 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Party Balloons
28th August 2004
A quick snatch shot of some party balloons. I love the colours.
Time 14:40pm Shutter 1/180 Aperture F6.7 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
A quick snatch shot of some party balloons. I love the colours.
Time 14:40pm Shutter 1/180 Aperture F6.7 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Friday, August 27, 2004
August Bank holiday
It’s August Bank holiday week-end here in England and according to research by the Esure, 7.6 million people are planning a trip by car.
Already the A1 in North Yorkshire is starting to look busy as people head South.
When I head out latter I will try to avoid the predicted chaos be sticking to the country roads and avoiding the Motorway network.
Time 12:06pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F8 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Poppy
26th August 2004
As rain has stopped photography, here is a new treatment of an old picture, taken last year.
14-Jun-2003 10:38:12 FUJIFILM Fine Pix S2 Pro
As rain has stopped photography, here is a new treatment of an old picture, taken last year.
14-Jun-2003 10:38:12 FUJIFILM Fine Pix S2 Pro
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Shades of Grey
25th August 2004
This cloudscape was taken this lunchtime from our office window.
Time 12:16pm Shutter 1/350 Aperture F13 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
This cloudscape was taken this lunchtime from our office window.
Time 12:16pm Shutter 1/350 Aperture F13 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Rain, Rain, Rain, and more Rain
Rain, Showers, Thunder, Lightening, Floods, Downpour, Wet, Cold, Grey,
But how did I manage to take a picture of the rain
Well as always its all about the light. You can’t see it but despite this being a very heavy shower there is still some diffused sunlight shining beyond the edge of the shower. This is lighting the rain as it falls.
Then by using a slow shutter speed I have captured the movement of the rain as it falls. The use of the tree as a dark background is also important. Plus I have manually focused on the rain and not the tree.
Finally an umbrella comes in handy.
Time 12:02pm Shutter 1/90 Aperture F9.5 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Saturday, August 21, 2004
Charter Train at Yarm station
This is a special post for those interested in railways.
Its shows the West Coast Railway Company Class 37 locomotive 37197 on a Green Express Railtours charter train at Yarm station.
It had hauled the 13 coach train from Carlisle after problems with the scheduled class 47 which was left on the back, just in case.
At each station along the route rail enthusiast where surprised to see this very unusual working.
And as a special treat it ran from York to Northallerton, up the East Coast Mainline, using the fast line normally reserved for high speed trains.
Thanks to Nick and the team at Green Express Railtours for a great day out.
The Settle to Carlisle Railway
Today I went for a trip on the Settle to Carlisle Railway, one of Great Britain's most spectacular railway lines.
The Settle to Carlisle Railway consists of 72 miles of track, 17 major viaducts, 14 tunnels and 100’s of great views.
To stop any bluring, I used a fast shutter speed to photograph this view.
Time 16:32pm Shutter 1/750 Aperture F9.5 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Friday, August 20, 2004
Big Splash
About 40mm of rain fell overnight and flash flooding is expected as heavy rain continues throughout the day today.
By lunchtime the media had descended on Bishop Auckland, County Durham, so I grabbed my camera and headed out to join them.
The guys in this Pickup Truck spotted the camera and put on a fine show for me.
Time 16:52pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F11 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Evening Sun
Just for a few minutes after a day of rain the sun came out this evening.
So I grabbed my camera and took this picture of the sunlight reflecting off the clouds.
Time 20:23pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F8 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Traffic Cones
So their I was, travelling at 50mph into some roadwork’s, seated in the passenger seat with my camera.
The picture above required a fast shutter speed, a steady hand and a good timing to keep everything sharp and in focus.
Time 9:49am Shutter 1/500 Aperture F8 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Wet Look
Taking pictures of the rain normally involves getting wet!
Not today - This picture was taken from inside a dry office but still looks wet
Time 13:42am Shutter 1/250 Aperture F13 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Monday, August 16, 2004
Roof Tiles
After two weeks travelling in the South of England it was back to work in the FreeFoto.com office today.
With sun streaming in my office window I did leave my desk for a while to take a few pictures in the village.
I do like a repeated pattern and I am pleased with this tight view of some roof tiles.
Time 11:34am Shutter 1/500 Aperture F8 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Sunday, August 15, 2004
Apples
My mam pointed out to me today how well her apples were coming along in the garden.
So armed with a Macro lens and a hand held water mister I went out to explore.
After posing for Photographs these Apples are heading for a home made Apple Pie.
Should taste nice along with a little custard.
Time 15:14pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F11 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Blade of grass
I had an email recently asking for a picture of a blade of grass with some dew on it
So far this is my best shot
Time 15:45pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F5.6 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Friday, August 13, 2004
Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire
Six weeks worth of rain fell in the last two days in the North East of England and many rivers are now on Flood watch
Here at Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire the River Ure is well up.
Time 16:55pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F8 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Brighton Beach
The weather has been very poor today so I haven’t taken any pictures.
So I have a good excuse to share another image I took yesterday in Brighton.
Time 09:54am Shutter 1/125 Aperture F16 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
The famous Seven Sisters
This evening I went to photograph the famous Seven Sisters that form part of the Sussex chalk cliffs on Britain's heritage coastline.
The light was not ideal but after waiting a couple of hours some diffused sunlight did break through.
I will have to add this location to my list of places to visit again
Time 19:21pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F5.6 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
The Bluebell Railway
This afternoon I took a little side trip to The Bluebell Railway which was the first standard gauge passenger line to be taken over by enthusiasts.
Running from Sheffield Park to Kingscote it is the classic Victorian Southern branch line.
The light was very poor so I went for some nice close ups of the British Railways steam locomotive 4MT 4-6-0 75027
Time 15:47pm Shutter 1/125 Aperture F5.6 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
English seaside resort of Brighton
This morning I explored the English seaside resort of Brighton.
Sandcastles, Sun, Sea, Surf, Fish and Chips, Kiss me quick hats, Deck Chairs. All are essential ingredients of the great English Seaside Holiday.
A Brighton academic estimates that there are approximately 100 billion pebbles on Brighton beach. It would take one man about 2,500 years counting at one a second to add them all up!
Time 10:23am Shutter 1/250 Aperture F11 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Harvest
Whilst most of the United Kingdom faced flooding today, caused by the heavy rain, here in Dorset the sun was shining.
So all the farmers were out harvesting their crops before it started to rain in the South of England
The round bales left after harvesting are now a familiar part of the English landscape and great to photograph.
Time 09:47am Shutter 1/180 Aperture F13 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Monday, August 09, 2004
Rain
It’s raining today as the tail end of Hurricane Alex, which battered the eastern United States last week, passes over the United Kingdom.
So armed with my umbrella I have had a quick walk in the rain to see what interesting things I could find to photograph
These rain drops on my car turned out to be my favourite shot.
Time 14:32pm Shutter 1/125 Aperture F5.6 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Fun Fair, Bournemouth
Armed with my camera and tripod I visited the Fun Fair on the sea front at Bournemouth this evening.
I created the picture by increasing the exposure to two seconds long.
This allowed the motion of the Dodgem Cars to blur and create a sense of movement.
Time 21:44pm Shutter 2sec Aperture F19 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Saturday, August 07, 2004
Autumn Colour in August
Today I had chance to explore Exbury Gardens, Hampshire with local guides John and Jaki.
Created by Lionel de Rothschild in the 1920s, the Gardens are a stunning vision of his inspiration, offering 200 acres of natural beauty and horticultural variety.
What I didn’t expect to see in the height of summer was some Autumn colour.
Time 16:03pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F8 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Friday, August 06, 2004
Sunset, Burton Bradstock
Chance for me to get my feet wet tonight photographing the sun setting from the beach at Burton Bradstock in West Dorset.
Time 20:28pm Shutter 1/90 Aperture F9.5 Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n
Thursday, August 05, 2004
London Visit
I made a quick visit to London today to have the CCD sensor on my Kodak slr n digital SLR professionally cleaned.
After 10,000 exposures in 6 months little dust marks where starting to show up when the images where checked at 100% in Adobe Photoshop.
I visited Fixation in Vauxhall, London who offer a while you wait CCD cleaning service that cost £30 - $60US.
Afterwards I had a couple of hour’s photography before a thunder storm rolled in.
Red London buses are always a good subject to photograph – I like the reflections in the bus window.
Time 14:42pm Shutter 1/350 Aperture F4.8
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Sunset
After a great days photography I have had a tough time selecting an image for the Blog.
In the end I have chosen the Sun Setting against the backdrop of the Port of Southampton.
I selected a 500mm lens for this shot and used a tripod to keep everything sharp.
Time 20:38pm Shutter 1/125 Aperture F9.5
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Queen Mary 2
Queen Mary 2 is the largest, longest, tallest and widest passenger ship ever built.
She sailed from Southampton at 18:00 this evening on a Jewels of the Mediterranean cruise to Piraeus, Athens, Greece.
Being in the South of England taking new pictures already meant this was one photo opportunity I wasn't going to miss.
So I joined the crowds at Calshot on the West side of the Solent to watch Queen Mary 2 depart.
Time 18:41pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F9.5
Monday, August 02, 2004
Gold Hill, Shaftesbury
This view of Gold Hill, Shaftesbury has featured on countless chocolate boxes and calendars, and was made famous in the Hovis TV advert.
The problem with this view, as always, is the light.
The street is south facing, on a hill, with a wall running down the right hand side of the street.
Leave it too late in the day and the houses are in shade.
Arrive too early and you are shooting into the sun.
So far I have visited Gold Hill 6 times to try and capture this view.
I reckon the best time to capture this scene is 2 to 3 in the afternoon in November or February.
As it is now August this is my best shot.
Time 14:35pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F8
Sunday, August 01, 2004
All at sea
This evening I boarded the Solent Scene for a 90 minute Sunset cruise from Poole Quay along the Dorset coast.
Taking pictures from a moving boat requires a set of sea legs to keep you up right and a high shutter speed to keep everything sharp.
Whilst taking pictures of the setting sun I had just a few seconds to decide where to place the speed boat in the frame as is sped past.
Of the four frames I took this is my favourite.
Time 20:48pm Shutter 1/350 Aperture F5.6
Wi Fi Problems & a Field of Lavender
Travelling in the United Kingdom and using wireless broadband is still very hit and miss.
Before you leave you need to research the hotspots on your route and make sure you’ve looked at a map to make locating them easy
Yesterday was great. I used McDonald’s in Lincoln in the afternoon and McDonald’s in Spalding in the evening
Today on the other hand has been a total failure. Problems with the low signal strength at McDonald’s in Wisbeech meant despite trying for 30 minutes I was unable to get on-line for more than a minute. All the manager could tell me was the equipment was in the office at the back of the store. This doesn’t strike me as a good spot when you want to cover the front of the store where the customers are.
The back up plan was to use a pub in Kings Lyn that was part of the Cloud network
By now it was 9:30 on Friday night and I discover the town was very lively. Bouncers were on the door of one Cloud Hotspot and the Police where talking to the Bouncers on the door of the other
Decided getting my Laptop out in that environment was not a good idea.
In the end I have given up
It’s a good job I took this picture of a field of Norfolk Lavender earlier in the day to help me relax.
Time 17:16pm Shutter 1/250 Aperture F8
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