So here we are, it's New Year's Eve and my last post of 2014. We rarely get snow here and so there are limited opportunities for decent snow pics. I went out today in the hope of getting some good shots but the light was poor and so I didn't get as much as I had hoped.
When I got my first DSLR I took a similar picture to the ones above with my eldest son at more or less the same location, Llyn Brenig in Conwy, North Wales. Today both boys were kicking at massive snowballs and I love the effect as the ball explodes. I particularly like the second image because the angle shows the snow flying towards the camera in an arch.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to view my blog over the past few months and I hope that you will continue to come back as I post more in 2015.
I have now done the draw for the print that I have been promoting since Boxing Day. Thank you to all those who shared and retweeted, I am sorry there can only be one winner (who I will notify directly so that we can arrange delivery etc). For those who took part but weren't lucky don't worry I will be doing this again around Easter when I expect to reach my 200th post.
Please keep liking and sharing and feel free to leave comments either here or on the facebook page.
Three more pictures today from my early morning walk around the marine lake. At first glance the rocks in these pools were fairly dull and uninteresting but as I took a few paces along the sand and looked back I noticed how the morning sun had turned the rocks to a beautiful warm golden colour and the reflections in the still pools gave a sense of a big landscape in miniature. Getting low down to get the right angle and they take on a new dimension. My favourite image here is the second one. Leave a comment to let me know what you think.
Also remember to share the facebook link and/or retweet to enter the draw. Today is the last chance as I will be drawing the winner tomorrow and announcing who it is in tomorrow's post. It could be you!
I was really disappointed yesterday morning because although there was great early morning light and mist rising off the fields I wasn't able to get out with my camera and today there was no frost and no mist so I thought the photo opportunities would be more limited. However there was a beautiful sunrise and it was a cold and crisp morning and definitely worth getting outside for an hour or two. I joined the early morning joggers and dog walkers around the marine lake and took a number of pictures which I am more than happy with.
For today I have chosen a few pictures of some of the birds that I saw. The first I think is a Knot, which had been feeding in the shallow edges of the lake I had tried to get a picture with it reflected in the water but as I approached it took flight,in this picture you can see the water droplets falling from its feet and I like the way the primary feathers are highlighted by the morning sun.
The second picture is of a Cormorant which was fishing in the lake, just moments after taking this shot the bird dived beneath the surface, it reappeared some distance away making a second shot impossible.
The final picture is of a gull that had been resting on the path around the lake but had been disturbed by a dog. I like the silhouette of the bird above the Flintshire hills in the distance.
Remember to share the Facebook link and retweet on Twitter for a chance to win a mounted print in the draw on New Year's Eve.
Hoylake is a small seaside town on the Wirral Peninsula with a population of around 6,000 people (13,000 in the council ward which includes Meols). The town has a long history including being the place where in 1690 King William 3rd set sail for Ireland with an army of 10,000 men. More recently the town has hosted the British Open Golf Championship at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
The pictures I have posted in today's offering show scenes of Hoylake's past. The Town Hall Clock remains the only indicator of the local council office which is now a job centre. The chocolate shop has long since ceased trading and the lifeboat has now moved to a spanking new boathouse further along the promenade. The fire house which in this picture was a mortgage brokers and antique centre is now a gym.
Hoylake like most other towns is constantly changing and evolving so when I stumbled across these pictures which I had taken over 10 years ago I thought it was good to share them with you.
Remember to share the link on facebook or retweet to enter the draw... only 3 days to go!
I first visited this chateau in 1997 and again in 2008 which is when these were taken. It is a very simple chateau but is one of my favourite French chateau (perhaps because of it's simplicity). The gardens too are simply laid out without the extravagance of the royal chateaux and palaces. It was used as a location for the film Valmont starring Colin Firth and Annette Bening, based on the book Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos de Laclos and which to my mind was a far better movie than the John Malkovic/Glenn Close version Dangerous Liaisons.
I hope you enjoy these pictures. Remember that if you share the facebook link and/or retweet the twitter link then you could get a print of your choice in the draw on New Years Eve.
Today is a milestone for me because this is my 100th blog post and I have decided to make a special offer to mark the occasion. So take a look at the pictures then read on for details...
So today's pictures are of High Force in Forest-in-Teesdale. It is a spectacular sight most times but after heavy rain it becomes a raging torrent and the noise is incredible as the River Tees thunders over the falls. The first picture is actually of a small stream which feeds in to the Tees, here I experimented with a long exposure to get the milky effect. Getting shots of the falls themselves was tricky as I had to climb over the fence to get to the rocks which were treacherously slippery, then I had the spray to contend with, it was like being in the shower and the spray on the lens caused the autofocus no end of difficulty. Hopefully you will think the effort was worth it.
Now for the announcement you have been waiting for... I have now been blogging for 100 days consecutively and in that time my blog has been viewed all around the world, in the UK, Canada, the USA, in Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Nigeria, Morocco, Australia and all across Europe. I am so happy that it has taken off so well and hopefully this will continue.
To celebrate the 100th post I wanted to do something to say thank you for the support that people have given me so I am going to give away a mounted print of one of my pictures. To be in with a chance of receiving this offer please either retweet the link on Twitter or share the link on Facebook saying which of the pictures you would like to receive. For every tweet or share on Facebook I will enter you into a draw and on New Years Eve I will pick one lucky person at random, the more tweets or shares the more opportunities to win and there will be four more posts between now and the draw itself so come back every day and get tweeting and sharing, and good luck .
Merry Christmas!
As promised I have posted a few festive shots for today's offering. I have been experimenting with my Christmas present, a 50mm f1.8 lens and trying to create a nice Bokeh effect with a wide aperture and the Christmas lights. I have to admit these are not great pictures but we have had a house full today and so I have limited time to play so for now they will have to do.
In the last photo I have tried a new technique (for me anyway) to get a heart effect with the lights. I think that works well and I am pleased with my first effort. I still need practice to get to grips with the technique.
Don't forget to come back tomorrow for my special announcement.
It's Christmas Eve (Yay :) ) and I don't really expect too many people to be sat at their computers or checking their smartphones to look at this blog, not when there's presents to wrap and mince pies to put out for Santa but I determined to post something every day and so here is today's offering.
All of the above images are of the village of Blanchland a conservation village in the Derwent Valley in Northumberland, as you can see it was a cold, wet and grey day and the monochrome images set the atmosphere really well.
The first two pictures show the White Monk Tea Rooms which is a nice place to get spot of lunch or afternoon tea.
Anyway enjoy the pictures and more importantly have a fab Christmas. Look out tomorrow for what I hope will be a festive post... and look out on Boxing Day for a special announcement!!!
Today I have chosen a couple of very simple shots on of a Great Tit and the other a Blue Tit which I snapped near the car park in Blanchland in the North Pennines. It was a miserable grey day with non stop rain but it didn't prevent me from getting out for the day with my mum.
We had been to High Force in Teesdale and then called in at Blanchland for lunch at the White Monk Tearooms which is in the former village school. Before heading back home I took a few pictures of the birds that were resting in the trees near the car. It was hard getting a clear shot because of the rain on my lens and these while not perfect were the best. The Great Tit has a crumb of biscuit clasped in its beak, I think he was pleased for an easy meal on such a miserable day.
Over the next few days I will post some more pictures from the day out including the waterfall and some photos of Blanchland which is a lovely village and definitely worth a visit in better weather.
In February I visited Chirk Castle with the intention of getting some photos of the snowdrops in the woodland on the estate. Unfortunately the night before my visit we had had the most violent storm with high winds which caused a great deal of damage to the trees and grounds. Driving up the approach road I had to carefully steer around the fallen trees and branches and when I reached the car park I was told by the National Trust staff that the Castle and grounds were closed and I had to leave.
I was really disappointed but I was able to take a few pictures of the farm buildings and the old post box which served the estate workers before being asked to leave again, as the staff were going to close the gates to the park. From the first picture of the farm and the focus on the weather vane it can be seen that it was a beautiful day with clear skies, giving no hint of the terrible storm just a few hours before.
It was another 10 days before I was able to return which was when the pictures from the past two days were taken.
Chirk is one of my favourite castles, it has such character and having been in use for over 700 years there is so much interesting to see. The gardens too are really beautiful with sculptured Yew hedges, expansive lawns and colourful beds. There are secluded gardens to sit and relax and there are sculptures dotted around which add extra interest. In the winter the woodland walk is a mass of snowdrops and well worth the drive to see it.
Today I have selected a few images of the castle and grounds. I like the simplicity of the latch in the first photo and it works well as a black and white image. I wonder how many hands have worked the latch and what lies on the other side of the door.
The picture of the castle itself reminds me a little of the castle in the opening credits of The Blackadder, I know it really isn't that similar but there is something about viewing the castle from this angle which makes me think about that scene.
The avenue of yews is part of the more formal garden close to the castle itself and I love the precision and attention to detail.
I am really pleased with the final picture, I love the round towers but I also love the ironwork of the gate which really is the main focus of this image.
I hope that you have enjoyed today's pictures, tomorrow I will post more of the grounds and the Chirk estate.
The castle for today's blog (and over the next few days too) is Chirk Castle near Wrexham in North Wales. This Medieval castle was completed in 1310 so was built some time after Portchester Castle which featured in the last two posts.
I have chosen a mixture of colour and black & white shots today. The colour images show the warmth of the stone walls. I think the door in the second picture is a really nice feature and the picture of the lantern also highlights the quality of the stonework.
This is a great place to visit any time of the year, there is always something new to see and as the place is managed by the National Trust there are often special events which bring the castle to life.
Today's pictures are linked to yesterday's blog from Portchester Castle. The first two pictures are of a wooden jetty. I particularly like the perspective in the second photo. As a kid I would catch crabs and small fish from this jetty and in the moat.
The third picture is of the castle keep framed in the gateway of the 12th Century Priory Church which sits in the Inner Bailey of the castle. I have attended weddings and funerals in this church.
The final picture is looking across the water to the Historic Naval Dockyard at Portsmouth. It is just possible to make out several naval ships and by enlarging the picture it is possible to see the mast of Nelson's flagship HMS Victory.
