Glory Revealed

Sunset, Nottinghamshire.

Nikon D3s,14-24.

 A local hill I have visited on countless occasions revealed some glory to me the other evening. A rare combination of free time and one of the most amazing changing skies I have had the pleasure to witness. I don’t think I have ever shot so many images of a landscape in a single evening. What was happening? The skies were changing so much that every time I looked up another image cried to be created. I was just an amazing moment to be surrounded by dark gloomy clouds behind me, yet to my front a stunning combination of clouds and golden light unfolded. Photography’s power worked wonders to reveal the earths glory which we are all privilege to witness, it was just a magical time at a local place that I have over the years struggled to photograph , but always had a feeling something would ‘happen’ in front of the camera. Anyway enough ramblings hope you enjoy the image!  I have been out and about photographing mainly landscape and some concept work which has been very enjoyable. I have blown the dust off the 500vr for a brief shooting session with some swifts but didn’t nail anything of note. The nikkor 14-24 continues to amaze me with stunning sharpness and clarity, shooting wide landscapes with edge  to edge sharpness is a real joy and sure beats carrying around the 500vr! So the above image should be an encouragement to keep visiting your local hotspot and one day the glory will be revealed, make sure you are carrying a camera of course.

Last Light

Bandstand, Tavira, Portugal.

Nikon D3s,14-24,9 exposer bracket,tripod.

 I knew as soon as I had spotted this bandstand on an earlier visit to Tavira that I would love to capture an image. On the first visit the light was way too harsh but a return visit for an evening meal provided the perfect chance to capture the wonderful evening light which was cascading down the paved area. The biggest problem was waiting for some people to move that were standing in front the bandstand, but also  due to the low angle of the setting sun I was casting a long shadow directly into the lower part of my frame. I changed my viewpoint to the side which solved the problem of shadow and it didn’t change the composition that much. I ended up with a lovely golden spotlight onto the bandstand which turned out better than I could of hoped.

Game over

Board Game

nikon d3s,14-24,9 exposer bracket

 I hadn’t realised just how many images I had created and I thought I had a quiet weeks holiday! Processed all my brackets now with just a few wildlife images to do. After a wonderful pizza in Olhao we decided to have a nice walk along the front to watch the boats and catch the golden light. I came across this large board game that the local children had been playing and just knew I would need a set of brackets from it. The local children came running over and re-aligned all the parts just for me. Now that’s a nice moment in its self and then after just a couple of images the sun disappeared behind the town and it was time for me to rejoin the family. It was when I turned around that I realised I wasn’t alone. It seemed the children had stood behind me to watch what I was up-to. Interesting that not one bothered me while taking the images, all realising the process at work. I thought that was just wonderful and showed some great respect. I thanked them all and said goodbye. Re-joining the family who were sitting on a bench, my wife remarked ” You looked  like the pied piper with all those children”  We carried on with the walk with me carrying a big grin on my face.

Personal Development

Church

Nikon D3s 14-24

I thought I would have a look at where I am five months on from my small break from photography. What has been interesting is how muchI have learned in a short time relating to both how and what I photograph to understanding more about how I develop images. The above image is a good example, you can see my previous example in February’s blog. Hdr imagery has been a real eye opening experience and has led me down some amazing paths and lots more to explore. I have even reprocessed some images from my early days photographing with this technique which just shows how important it is to shoot in RAW. A deeper understanding on what can be achieved in the processing of an image has led to more refined look, very different from my early work in hdr. I have also looked at different areas within photography which has helped me look at imagery in a different way which has really freshened up my images.

Abandoned Hospital

Nikon d3s, 14-24

How does this all relate to my  wildlife photography?  A difficult question, but from the small amount of work that I have done so far this year I do seem to be adding more atmosphere into the work, whether thats working on the fringes of light early morning or late evening or going for spot lighting in really dark environments the changes are there when reviewing work so far. I am looking forward to creating more of the same in the coming months given any opportunities in the areas of photography which I am enjoying. Still lots to learn but one thing has changed is the amount of pleasure I am getting from my new work and that can only be a good thing to happen, standing still in creativity is not an option go explore.

Abandoned Coat

Coat

Nikon d3s,105vr

 I had hoped to be out and about photographing butterflies last weekend, however mother nature decided to deal the butterfly photographers worst nightmare, wind. I did however discover this abandoned work coat and thought it might be worth photographing. The nikkor 105vr micro so far just keeps delivering stunningly sharp images, testing is no longer needed its superb and worth every penny enough said.  I know when I visited an abandoned hospital recently I could have used a micro lens to photograph some of the amazing details which covered the walls especially. A return visit is planned and maybe I might just use one fixed focal lens like the 105vr which could produce a challenge to come up with some visually appealing images. Stay tuned.

The Macro Legend Arrives

Pineapple

Nikon D3s, 105vr micro, tone-mapped

 I finally have a Nikkor 105vr lens in my hands, just in time for late spring and summer macro feast. I had just had to try it out just to see how sharp it is and would it match the Canon 100mm that I was using in 2010. The ripening pineapple in the kitchen would just do fine, my favourite fruit!  The colours and sharpness were just what the reports were saying,” stunning”, ‘a real no brainer if you are Nikon user”  and “sharpness that could cut”. Yep I think the reports are right it’s stunning. I am looking forward to trying it out more this weekend. Sorry about the subject matter but needed something to aim the lens at.

teabags

as above for techs

Nocton Hospital

Nocton Hospital

nikon d3s,14-24,

 A great week full of varied types of photography ranging from Fulmars displaying, panoramic in Suffolk, F15 fighter jets and to finish a stunning visit to an abandoned RAF Hospital. I would say it’s been a very exciting week blessed with some wonderful images, a rare treat to have  no problems with the weather. I have decided to post some images from my visit to an abandoned hospital just because it produced such a memorable set of images. Walking along empty corridors and wards certainly had all my senses on full alert. I used the 14-24 nikkor which proved ideal in such tight working environments providing great perspectives. The image above certainly took quite a while to frame correctly. I just love the view through the round window of the door taking your eyes to the never ending corridor. I have almost managed to get my levels correct using a small spirit level which sits in the hotshot of the camera, but I must start to use the internal level which comes with the Nikons, I think it might be more accurate. The set of images I produced from Nocton were developed with some new software which I am trailing from Nik Software called Color Efex pro which is really helping me produce a more finer textured hdr image which I am liking a lot. Hopefully you will like the new look hdr images as I think I might be using it in the future.

The hospital dates back to the WW11 so it has loads of history and is well worth a look at its full history on the web, just type in Nocton Hospital and you can discover more. What is sad is the amount of vandalism of this historical site , our country just seems to forget about preservation until its just too late. On a positive note it is a photographers dream with all the decaying rooms and paint peeling off the walls, revealing wonderful patterns and textures although after a few hours I decided I had covered what I wanted. One incident which made me think I wasn’t alone was when I had adjusted a door which took quite a lot of force to secure open, when it suddenly swung open right before my eyes, spooky!  Time to leave, I finished the set of images I was taking and left for the journey home. Finished with a Lancaster bomber flying low overhead, nice. I will be posting more images from Nocton on my flickr site during this week so check it out if you can.

“Going Off At Half Cock”

Uniform

d3s,24-70, iso 400, tone-mapped

 Amazing, taking the family out on a bank holiday Monday and not spending a fortune. £5 pounds entry and a few hours of fun wondering around a camp and photographing wonderful colours and textures and getting to watch a re- enactment of a Napoleonic battle. Just wondered around with a 24-70 and photographed to my hearts desire, well until the family started to give me the dagger eyes. Still nailed a few nice images and had a bit of fun. What’s amazing is the huge amount of effort that people go to, from the glorious uniforms with fine details to what soldiers would eat and drink all down to the finest detail, outstanding effort. Also found out where the term ‘going off at half cock’ comes from. A few more on my flickr in due course, just check it out next time a similar event is in your area, well worth a few hours.

The Journey Continues

Moth Face

I continue in my belief that photography can yield some amazing journeys, paths within this medium that allow us as photographers to explore light, form and textures which reach beyond and give us opportunities to express. Interpretations on how we “see” and push beyond can only lead to more exciting images. When I came back into photography a couple of months ago after a short break, I began to “see” more in my images. I had begun the journey even if I hadn’t noticed. Many years of exploring what I wanted to convey in my images and failing from lack of vision had indeed left a mark, even if I hadn’t noticed. I suppose you could call this visionary development, understanding what message I wanted to make. I think a lot of image makers must go through the same journey, and the journey continues. I still understand photographers who just like a great technical type of image and I do also to some point, but I am wanting so much more. I see very little evidence in the UK at the moment of any such development, most just happy to produce standard images which have been taken a million times before. Even an element such as light has been forgotten, the quality of light which has a huge impact, has disappeared. Where to look to understand what I am talking about, well I think the scandinavians and some of the eastern europeans seem to be more able to express their vision and are willing to explore what makes for an engaging image. Try some web searches and you will be surprised on how different they “see” their world. I hope you take the time to do some searches and explore and maybe, just maybe your journey may begin. To help you along check out the work of Sven Zacek, ( link in links tab) enjoy.

The image above is of a?  have fun!

Langwith Mill

Nikon d3s, 14-24 lens, 7stop bracket, tone mapped.

Due to rugby being on tv on Saturday I didn’t have much time to take all the images that I had spotted in the afternoon, so a return today resulted in some more images from this incredible location. I have never photographed in such a location before so it was quite exciting to explore without any restrictions.  I was amazed at all the wonderful textures on the various floors and walls. I couldn’t get any higher than the 2nd floor due to a collapsed stairway but still managed some  great images. The flour that has passed through this mill must have been amazing with lots of families working hard.  It must have been a very busy place. Of course you have to be careful in such a location and it’s certainly not a place to take the family!

Millstone

Nikon d3s,14-24, 7stop bracket, tone mapped.

I am really glad that I have made the effort to explore this abandoned mill and maybe bring it back to life in a strange way through some of the images I have created . It is classed at high risk by the Notts Council but were any money would come from to rescue such a fine place is unlikely. Maybe location such as this should be allowed to fade into history and not be turned into a tourist shop, not an easy answer. I will placing more images on my flickr site in due course so check it out if you get a minute.

2nd Floor

Nikon d3s,24-70,7stop bracket,tone mapped.