What Happened to Winter (and My Blog)?

Oh dear, oh dear. No postings here for 4 months. Am I bad at blogging or what?

Well my excuse is I have two lovely teenage daughters (need I go on?) who are both talented musicians and just over a year ago they started writing and performing together under the name 'Wolfhound'. Well, one thing led to another and to my astonishment (because these things generally never happen to me) they have been doing rather well for themselves. Very well in fact and while I'm not counting on a yacht in the Caribbean for a birthday present, I do believe they have half a chance at enough success to make a living from their music. If you like music please check out their website.

As a consequence of this they are receiving the full parental support that sadly many kids their ages don't seem to get from parents who would rather their children become lawyers or accountants. For my part this means I have become a part-time band manager / promoter / booking agent / tour bus driver / roadie / sound engineer / record producer / music video director and videographer. Sounds like fun? You bet it is, but the downside is that I don't have anywhere near as much spare time as I once did for those little extras such as writing this blog.

CHEDDAR GORGE, SOMERSET

One of the benefits for me from all this is I've picked up some new skills which includes making short videos and while I do not see this as a major part of my photographic career, it has got me thinking of producing some landscape based video clips. I'm thinking of specifically time lapse clips which may or may not come out of a music video project I am considering at the moment.

I am hoping to get writing for this blog again (this is a start) but perhaps will write something just once a month. Who knows you may see something from my video project in due course.

So, back to my question, what happened to winter? Here in the southwest of England we are used to mild winters, but the last two winters hinted that perhaps that might have come to an end. So what happened? Well we're just about to exit one of the warmest winters on record! I think I can count the number of mornings I had to scrape ice of my car on the fingers on one hand. I had such great ideas for some winter photography (and time lapse work) but unless there's a dramatic change very soon, I'll have to wait another year.

CHEDDAR GORGE, SOMERSET

So I thought I'd post a couple of images I made on the top of the cliffs at Cheddar Gorge just down the road from me during the winter before last. The weather wasn't brilliant for this trip onto the cliffs. It was it quite slippery carrying all my large format gear to the top and when I arrived a small blizzard had started which didn't stop until nightfall. This led to a rather misty look to the vista scenes which at the time I remember being quite disappointed with. Now a couple of years on I am rather fond of the look. There is a cold dampness about these images that remind me of the cold wind and the snow down my neck that day. On reflection, perhaps I'm not too disappointed it's been mild this year.

Image of the Week – Berrow Mudflats

I love pink! By that I don't mean it's my favourite colour. If you asked me that I'd probably say blue which is the colour I'd generally choose for a car, mountain bike, or a pair of jeans (pink jeans – agggh!). No, pink is my favourite colour in the landscape and in particular in cloud formations at the start and end of the day when the earth's atmosphere causes the sunlight to illuminate the clouds in this wonderful pink light.

PINK SKY OVER BERROW FLATS, SOMERSET

This weeks image is one of my favourite examples of pink clouds. The picture took no effort to create. All the elements just fell into place, literally without me having to move a muscle. There was no chance of seeing the sunset on this day, but the patchy cloud above me was turning a lovely pink. The cloud seemed to be avoiding Steep Holm island in the Bristol Channel leaving a patch of clear sky directly above it. It was as if the island was keeping the cloud at bay through some invisible force.

DUSK AT BERROW FLATS, SOMERSET

A short while later as the pink colour started to fade to blue I made this second image from a slightly different position on the beach. The subtle colour in the sky matched the smoother patterns in the mud when viewed from this direction. The result is a more tranquil picture than the first but one I still like just as much.

Both these images are available as fine art prints from my website.

Image of the Week - Portishead Quays Marina

A strange thing has been happening to me recently. Despite considering myself predominately a colour photographer, I have been “seeing” the landscape in monochrome more and more lately. I have no idea why this has happened, and perhaps I will revert back to my colour ways just as unexpectedly, but I must say I am enjoying my new vision immensely.

PORTISHEAD QUAYS MARINA, NORTH SOMERSET

My family had been in Portishead last weekend and I had promised them an evening meal at a rather nice Italian restaurant that I knew of at the Quays Marina development. We had arrived a little early and the restaurant was still closed so I suggested a walk round the marina to kill time. Although it was a bright warm(ish) day, the sky was filled with cloud and a breeze was stirring up the water. Nothing like the lovely calm autumnal blue sky day it had been when I had last visited with my camera (see below).

As usual I took a camera with me for the walk and it wasn't long before the new apartment complex on the opposite side of the water grabbed my attention. In my mind's eye I could see the scene as black and white print.

The taller building naturally fell into the middle of my composition which I felt helped emphasize the regimental symmetrical nature of the structures. I only had one fixed focal length of “normal” length with me, but that did not matter because there was plenty of interest in the cloud overhead which added to scene. The picture would have lost it's purpose with a telephoto lens. Despite the ripples in the water, there was definitely the outline of a reflection to be seen (which would become much clearer after monochrome treatment) so I carefully adjusted the composition so that I include just enough of the water to show the full reflection.

PORTISHEAD QUAYS MARINA, NORTH SOMERSET

The finished image is quite a contrast to the images I came away with a few years earlier. While the blue sky and glass like water made for a nice pleasant pictures, I personally find my latest image far more interesting.

Image of the Week - Aira Force, Lake District

I've just returned from a walking holiday in the Lake District. This wasn't a work trip, just a family holiday so while inevitably a camera came with me, it was strictly a single DSLR, one lens and no bulky accessories such as a tripod. I didn't want a weighty back pack slowing me down while my teenage children charged off into the distance.

AIRA FORCE, DOCKRAY, CUMBRIA

It was my first trip to the lakes during the summer months and I immediately noticed how little colour variation there was. At this time of year lush bright greens of fresh growth have given way to a more uniform darker green, but I was still surprised how little variety there was. A world apart from the autumn colours I have become accustomed to.

For this reason the vast majority of my photography was approached with the intention of producing a body of black and white work. The greens all around me were after all almost monochromatic and the lack of blue sky for the most part (the hot sunshine was mainly through thin white cloud) helped reinforce the mono theme.

There was one notable occasion when colour seemed to burst though at Aira Force near Dockray. Unfortunately this occasion demanded my absent tripod and cable release so I found a suitable place to rest my camera and with the aid of a few rocks wedged it firmly in place for the relatively long exposure. I would have to make do with the self timer.

Aira force turns out to be a popular attraction with visitors and thus this picture took quite some time to complete. There was a constant stream of people across the bridge at the top of the picture. Everyone stopped and peered down the ravine but having done just that myself earlier there was little point in getting annoyed. My family, stood below my vantage point, were getting impatient judging by the cheer that went up when the bridge finally cleared.

The sun briefly burst through the cloud during my first exposure causing over exposure of the water and bridge. I pressed the shutter release for a second exposure but the wait for the timer was excruciating. Just as the shutter finally closed just the next group of visitors marched onto the bridge.

A voice called out below, “Can we go now dad?”

Image of the Week - Rydal Water

When I first started working with digital I wasn't very organised or as ruthless at editing out poor images as I am now. Consequently in my archives reside all manner of horrors that really need deleting to save space. So, I've been doing a little housekeeping in the last few days and delving into my old images from 5 or 6 years or so. To my surprise I have found a few gems lurking in there that my younger less skilled self dismissed.

RYDAL WATER, AMBLESIDE, CUMBRIA

This image was from my first trip to the Lake District in 2005. I had arrived in Ambleside to find low cloud and fog obscuring just about everything. I decided to take a stroll round Rydal Water and after a while the fog lifted a little to reveal the outlines of the fells on the other side of the lake. I made a number of exposures including this one.

A couple of the images I made that day were processed into final images, but this particular one remained unprocessed. An unprocessed image back then is the equivalent to rejecting and deleting one today so what was I thinking when I left this one? I can only assume my poorer image processing skills back then could not produce a satisfactory image and I abandoned it. Image processing software has improved dramatically in the last 6 years, as have my processing skills and my eye for an image. When I saw this yesterday I immediately saw its potential as a monochrome image.

Colours on that day were very muted, but I felt the depth created by the mist would still work best with all the colour removed. I first started working in colour to bring out the best colours I could before converting. I work like this because different colours will create different tones in monochrome and by bringing out the best colours first I have more to work on during the conversion. By doing this I can also better pre-visualise how the final image should look and then make the appropriate adjustments in the monochrome conversion to match my vision.

To me this image is all about symmetry and depth. The depth comes from the layers created by the mist. The trees on the small island are the darkest and most clearly defined part of the image. The trees on the far shoreline behind are lighter and much less defined, the distant tops of the fells are lighter still and finally the sky the lightest part of the image. All these layers are mirrored in the almost glass like surface of the still water. My one slight regret is the gap between the tops of the trees and the top of the fells in the reflection is not as much as I would have liked. Could I have done anything about this when I set-up my camera? I honestly don't know, but I am very tempted to have a look when I am back in Ambleside in a few weeks.

Image of the Week - Bluebells at Prior's Wood

Talking of bluebells (the subject of last week's post) by coincidence I just discovered I have made a recent sale for one of my other bluebell images through one of my representatives.

PRIOR'S WOOD, PORTBURY, SOMERSET

I realised that this image has probably generated more interest than any other image of mine. It hasn't sold as well (nor brought in anywhere near as much income) as others but it has generated interest. Unfortunately much of that interest was from people unwilling to pay, but that's another story.

I have a few bluebell images that I think are better, but it is this one that people seem to notice. So what is it about this picture that works?

I like the winding path through the trees, but although it was a fairly straightforward picture to make, there was one small complication that might have led to the picture having that little extra quality that has generated the interest.

Although I prefer to photograph woodlands when there is cloud cover to avoid harsh contrasts, the sun had emerged from the cloud cover by the time I was in position and it wasn't in any hurry to go away. Sun was forecast for the rest of the week so today was my only chance of the light I wanted, but it appeared I had missed it. The high contrast was giving me a problem which I pondered for a while until I remembered I had a soft focus filter in my bag. I don't normally use this filter (in fact I am sure it's the only time I have ever used it) but I wondered if it might help reduce the bright highlights that were causing me so trouble.

Sure enough when I compared the filtered and straight images later on, the unfiltered image has ugly contrast that spoils the image. The filtered image is... well soft, and the softening of the highlights, particularly in on the leaves of the beech trees, has created a pleasant dreamy glow. Maybe it is the soft focus filter that draws people?

If only I knew the secret, but perhaps I might dig out that filter and see what effect it has on other woodland images.

Image of the Week – Bluebells at Rumps Point

I've noticed I've previously made two postings about images made at this location. Is this because it's such a beautiful location? Well partly, but it has more to do with my return visits in an effort to catch the bluebells I spotted growing there on my first visit.

RUMPS POINT, CORNWALL

When I first visited on the first day of June in 2009, I spotted a a large patch of bluebells, but sadly they were well past their best so I made a mental note to return a earlier in the season the following year to photograph them.

This I duly did at the end of April last year when everywhere else was awash with these little flowers. To my dismay, there was no sign of any bluebell flowers and only the first signs of the leaves could be seen. Their exposed position obviously meant these bluebells were later flowering than most.

Roll on another year and with the spring flowers emerging unusually early due the hot weather I returned during the second week in May. With a little trepidation I peered over the grass in search of the bluebells and there they were. In my previous visits I had already planned out my composition so it was a simple task of setting up and waiting for the evening sunlight. I had been hoping for some more cloud in the sky, but the cloud cover that had lingered most of the day had blown inland about an hour before.

The bluebells don't stand out in this image as much as I had imagined they would. The warm evening sunlight has largely robbed them of their striking blue colour. Silly really, because I have always found bluebells work best out of direct sunlight - I should have known better. I could have done with the bluebells being in shade. A little more cloud cover might have presented an opportunity for some passing shade. Better still, morning sunlight soon after sunrise at this time of year should put these little flowers into natural shade due to the slight depression they are glowing in.

Still, I was nevertheless pleased to have finally photographed the flowers and there's always next year. Another work in progress piece then.