Heavenly Light

We had queued to get into St. Vitus Cathedral and it was definitely worth it for the stunning Gothic architecture. 

The cathedral holds the tombs of St Vitus, St Wenceslas and St Adelbert and while I won't pretend to know why they achieved sainthood the grand surroundings suggest that they were well revered and must have done something truly remarkable.

The cathedral also houses the state treasury.

I took the first image in black and white because I think it highlights the architecture and the darkly Gothic feel to the place and the cool of the interior. But when you then look at the second shot in colour I think you get a different feeling, of warmth and light. The nave is largely in shadow but as you look further into the church towards the chancel you can see how it is beautifully lit by the light through the windows up high on the right, shining down onto the alter. I love this shot but don't think it really does justice to the feeling of being there.

The third picture is quite a contrast to the first two which are open, welcoming and full of light. This one is closed off and yet I feel it still draws you in. I love spiral staircases for all sorts of reasons and I was curious about this one and why it was closed off. I like the stonework surrounding it and I like the ironwork of the gate and I would have loved to have been able to explore further but all I can do is imagine what was on the other side...

Above the City

I love looking out over the rooftops of the towns and cities that I have visited.

I had come to Prague with high hopes of seeing some wonderful architecture and I wasn't disappointed. As we walked up towards St Vitus Cathedral from the Malostranka metro station we were treated to spectacular views across the old city.

I think the view looks just as good in black and white as in colour. The monochrome image gives a sense of age or history which fits the style of the architecture. In colour though you get the richness of the rooftops and warm colours of the walls which stand out against the wooded hills. It looks particularly good as the sun comes through the clouds and lights up the old town.

In the second image you can see across to the business district, one of the high rise buildings on the horizon was our hotel. You can also see the Vltava as it cuts through the city and some of the many bridges that span the river.

In A Rose Garden

Today's selection were taken in the rose garden in the botanical gardens in Gothenburg.

There are so many different varieties of rose and these are old wild varieties and getting in close you can really see the beauty within.  What you can't tell from these shots is how amazing these flowers smelled.

Love Is In The Air

If you have followed my blog at all you will know that recently I have been on a fantastic roadtrip around much of Europe with my son and we had the most amazing time. I also took a huge number of photos some of which I have enjoyed sharing with you and many more that I will post in future. In recent days however I have mixed things up by posting pictures from a photo shoot on Skomer and others from a night shoot in the Lake District.

I didn't post anything last night because I was actually out again, spending another night up in the Lake District. I visited Aira Force, a spot I had never been to before and somewhere I will definitely return top. Given the prolonged dry spell the cascades and waterfall were somewhat depleted and I am told that after a good rainfall they are really impressive so while I will eventually get round to sharing some of the pictures I took I will also be back for what hopefully will be even more stunning images.

After my visit I headed off to Keswick for a spot of tea and driving along the A66 past Troutbeck I spotted this stunning view so I pulled over in a couple of spots to shoot what I think are iconic images of the West Lakeland Fells.

After eating my tea and having a wander along the shore of Derwent Water and up to Friars Crag I stopped off at another of my favourite spots, the stone circle at Castlerigg. I had expected it to be quiet there however with the Blood Moon and full Lunar eclipse the place was actually heaving with local families out to see this phenomenon. Unfortunately it was far too cloudy to get even the slightest glimpse of the moon however, the night delivered another spectacle in the form of a thunderstorm over towards Mungrisdale and this provided a fantastic light show lighting up the clouds with colourful flashes for at least an hour.  There wasn't a drop of rain up at the circle so it was lovely to seat against one of the stones and take in the show. At one point a cloud passed above and as I always like to photograph hearts in nature I wasn't going to miss this shot.

Misty Morning Light

Yesterday I posted some twilight shots of the stones at Castlerigg and today I have chosen a few shots taken just before sunrise from the Castlerigg site but focusing on the landscape  around.

In the first shot is looking north east towards Bowscale which looks serene in the peachy glow of the early morning sun still just below the horizon.

The other shots look down into the valley of St Johns in the Vale and Thirlmere in the shadow of Helvellyn.

I love the layer of mist that worked its way along the valley floor. I think the layers of blue in the second shot make for a lovely atmospheric image but I also think the scene (from a slightly different angle) works really well in black and white.

Last Light At Castlerigg

Recently I shared a couple of pictures of the night sky over Castlerigg in Cumbria and today I am sharing a few images from earlier in the shoot (around 10.45pm) as the last daylight faded away. I used fairly long exposures to ensure some detail in these pictures and I think they all work really well.

The first shot is looking in the general direction of Helvellyn, the second is looking towards Blencathra while the third is looking towards the fells beyond Keswick. The low cloud gives the pictures a nice atmospheric feel and while they help create a powerful image I was frustrated because I was hoping for clear skies to get good shots of the stars. 

I got very little sleep that night as I stayed up in the hope of the perfect shot and then I waited for the sun to come up. You can see how that went over the next few days so please come back tomorrow for another selection...

Coming In To Land

Capturing images of Puffins in flight is incredibly difficult because they fly so fast and on this particular day it was made more difficult due to the fog coming off the sea so focusing was a real challenge. 

It is also difficult because you cannot predict where they will  land. I am always amazed that these birds can find their burrows and know exactly where to head for at such speed.  I didn't manage to get many shots of these birds in flight but I am quite happy with these few.

Very soon the puffins will be heading off into the Atlantic so it will be a while before I get to see them again but hopefully next spring I will get to go back.

Songbirds of Skomer

It is probably fair to say that from April through July the main attractions on Skomer are the Puffins and the other nesting seabirds that make this island their temporary home. But, there are lots of other things to see, lots of other creatures that find sanctuary on the island like rabbits, grey seals and a host of song birds. It would be a mistake however to think that it is a totally safe place because the Black Backed Gulls are ruthless predators feeding  on chicks and the Manx Shearwaters so all the islands residents need to be very wary.

Walking around the island the air is filled with birdsong but it is very difficult to spot the birds as they flit around the bracken and heather. With a bit of patience however I managed to get a few shots of a Stonechat and a Meadow Pippit. These are really beautiful birds and the pippit has a beautiful and captivating song.

Czech Underground

After a night in Dresden we moved on to Prague for a couple of nights. We were staying in a very modern hotel in the business district and so to get into the city centre we took the metro.  At first this was looking like it might be a problem since I didn't have change for the ticket machine and there was no ticket office. When I found a tabac where I could get tickets the vendor was not terribly helpful or friendly but we eventually got tickets and made it into the city.

As you can see we got off the train at Malostranska and were immediately impressed by the underground architecture and attention to detail. It was a bust station but I waited until the platform and then the escalators cleared so that I could get a couple of shots. The light was quite poor so I have had to use a very high ISO since these were handheld and I didn't want to risk a slow shutter speed. In spite of the grainy quality I really like these pictures and I hope that you will like them too.

Shooting The Breeze

Today's shots are again taken from our brief stopover in Dresden. 

I really liked the egg shaped seats in the cafe, they give the occupants a sense of being invisible even though they were alongside a busy promenade. They also look really comfortable.

I like the third image of the couple sat facing the river Elbe. Well they're not really facing the river at all as they are busy looking at each other sharing a romantic moment.

All of today's pictures share a common theme of people totally absorbed in conversation in public spaces but oblivious to what is going on around them. 

Street Life

As well as showing some of the great sights along the way I also wanted to capture images of some of the people as we travelled around Europe. In so many of my pictures I try to keep people out but when photographing in a city it is really the people that bring the places to life.

In the first image for example the people passing through this walkway are what gives the arch its purpose and I wonder how many thousands of people have walked through here over the years. To give the image a sense of age and history I shot this one in black and white.

The next two images work much better in colour especially because the colours are so warm and vibrant and I love these pictures of people stopped for their morning coffee. I really like the scene in the third which shows the terrace of the Grand Cafe on An der Frauenkirche in Dresden.

The final shot shows one of the carriages and drivers patiently waiting to start a tour of the city but it was a little early in the day. The fashion conscious among you might notice the drivers' choice of socks and sandals, never a good look... 

Fabulous Fledgling

Whilst taking a few quiet moments in the courtyard at Colditz castle I spotted this fledgling blackbird perched on the downpipe of some guttering. 

I was able to get pretty close as you can see and s/he was as curious about me as I was about him/her. 

I managed to get these few pictures but I could tell it was preparing to fly away in the final picture because it pooped so I stepped back to give it space and as expected s/he flew away.

Around The Castle Courtyard

These are all shots from around the courtyard of Colditz Castle in Saxony. It was a lovely sunny day and the sunlight reflecting off the castle walls filled the grounds. There were only a few shady spots and as you can see from the final shot a couple of old guys were taking full advantage while their partners were off exploring.

With the bright colours and with everything so calm and quiet it was hard to think of this place as it once was, an oppressive prisoner of war camp, and before that a psychiatric hospital.

There were some really interesting exhibitions inside and lots of good views to capture so we spent a good few hours here.

Renaissance

Canon EF24 - 105 mm F/4 L IS USM

ISO 125  50 mm F/14  1/250 sec

ISO 125  28 mm  F/14  1/250 sec

After three days in Sweden our roadtrip continued into Germany with Dresden being our main destination but on the way we stopped off in Colditz.

If wasn't for the TV series that I watched as a child or the book that I read about the prisoner of war camp located in the castle here it is more than likely that we would have just driven past but having seen that the town lay almost on our route I was keen to take the small detour and have a look at this renaissance town in Saxony. It was definitely worth it. The architecture was really beautiful, the castle was imposing and atmospheric and the cake we bought in the bakery in the square was really delicious.

These shots show the tower of the church which overlooked the square and was on the route up to the castle. It was quite a simple building but for the tower with its dome and spire.  If you are ever in Saxony I would definitely recommend visiting Colditz.

Luscious Curves

Canon EF 24 - 105 mm F/4 L IS USM

ISO 2000  99 mm  F/9.0  1/400 sec

ISO 2500  105 mm  F/9.0  1/400

In the palm house as I said yesterday the heat and humidity were almost unbearable and so we didn't stay inside for very long but I spotted these beautiful leaves.

I wondered what flower might be produced by this plant but the sign that identified it was understandably written in Swedish so it meant nothing to me. It said Karambola, Averrhoa carambola, Oxalidaceae.  I could work out that the plant grows to a height of 8 - 10 metres and that it produces fruit.  So a little bit of research was necessary to discover that the Carambola plant is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philipines, Nepal and other countries in that general region with similar climate and it produces Star Fruit.

I think there is so much to like about these leaves, the texture (or different textures) as they unfurl, the rich shades of green and the curves which almost give a sense of motion.

Light and Shade

Canon EF 24 - 105mm F/4 L IS USM

ISO 160   24mm   F/4.5  1/1000 sec

ISO 250  47 mm  F/4.5   1/1000 sec

Today's shots were captured in the Botanical Garden and Palm House in Gothenburg which is beautiful oasis in the city, bordered on one side by a canal.

It was a really hot day and so finding a few moments in the shade of some of the less formal gardens was really good but to see the brightest flowers we had to brave the heat of the day.

In front of the Palm House there were two ornamental basins with magnificent displays of deep blue flowers. I think this first image looks wonderful.

We nipped inside the Palm House to find a huge selection of succulents and Cacti and if we had thought it was hot outside the interior of the Palm House was something else, not just hot but really humid as well. We met a group of noisy school children inside too so with the heat and noise we didn't stay too long, just long enough to get a few pictures. I love these spiky balls of green and the way the light catches them.