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Cumbrian Spring
Most of my friends already know that I don’t manage to get up for a dawn shoot very often…I can think of three or four times is all. Last week I was lecturing in Cumbria and a photo-friend, who lives in the area, offered to spend time with me photographing the northern lakes. No surprise that it was almost 12 noon by the time I was ready to leave Cockermouth. All things considered, we were very lucky, with some lovely mild weather (for March) and calm waters on Buttermere and Crummock Water. The Buttermere pines are a favourite subject for many photographers but it is probably 20 years since…
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Shooting into the Sun
We’ve had some clear sunny skies during the last week or so but from our house I can never see a sunset, because the sun goes down behind a hill way before it sets. So I’ve taken to going up even higher, or going around the hill, where I can to shoot against the setting sun and use flare to reduce the contrast and romanticise the picture. This suggests a question “can shooting into the sun damage the digital SLR camera sensor?”. There is much advice on the web but it is hard to find the definitive answer and it is all a matter of degree. The sun’s brightness can vary…
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The Pennine Way at Millstone Edge, Standedge
I was pleased, yesterday, when the postie brought me a package. It turned out not to be a birthday present, but instead was the Pentax 16-50 DA* lens, which had packed in at Whitby in November and has been about three months away for repair. The repair cost an arm and a leg and included a new motor, so I was keen to try it out and make sure everything was working fine. Luckily, this morning was fine and sunny. We decided that we would go out for lunch to the Church Inn near Saddleworth Church before going for a walk with cameras. My husband likes the beer at the Church…
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End of Year round up of some of my favourite images from 2014
My end of the year round up is a selection of some of the pictures I have enjoyed making the most over the past year. To share their blushes, I have left out family portraits…naturally they would be at the very top of the list – pictures that bring back memories of the events of the year, from the birthday of my grand-daughter in January to the birth of my second grandson in July and the birthday of my first grandson in November – moments to treasure…along with the photos of my father with his new great-grandson only a week before he suffered a stroke which took his life. These…
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Langdale Fells and Blea Tarn
“Lets have a couple of days in the Lake District – the weather forecast is really good.” Although the autumn colours have not yet developed, the bracken is turning brown and the colours on the fells are quite attractive at this time of year and, after all it’s our wedding anniversary…so off we went. Good Forecast? Well, just don’t believe it. The weather in Cumbria can change from one minute to the next and one valley to the next. Add to that our inevitable BAD CHOICE of when to go anywhere and hey presto, three days of rain with just a glimmer of sun to tease us for a few…
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The Making of the Media City Panoramas
I haven’t done any really low light outdoor photography in some time, so John and I made our way to Salford Quays in the late afternoon so that we could pick the absolute best time to start taking our photos. At this point I should say (as most of my photographic friends know) that I hate using a tripod. But for this outing a tripod and a good firm head were required. I couldn’t find the quick release plate for my favourite head, so I had to make do with a ball and socket head, which is not ideal, though it does have a rotation facility and a scale at…
