World Heritage Night

Liverpool's waterfront is a world heritage site a status that is well deserved. Central to that are the Three Graces which are (from left to right) The Liver Building, The Cunard Building and The Port of Liverpool Building. I think they are really spectacular and look marvellous lit up at night. Liverpool is now a regular destination for major cruise lines and this would be the site that first greets visitors as they disembark for a tour of the city.

There is a debate about whether the heritage site status is a benefit to the city or not. On the one hand it is a recognition for the wonderful architecture and it helps to boost much needed tourism to the city. On the other hand it is argued that it creates a bar to innovation and development. I am sceptical about the second argument because if you draw back from the three graces you will see the development of hotels on one side and the new Liverpool Museum and Open Eye Gallery at Mann Island on the other all of which are great examples of stand out modern architecture. It may be that there is little room for further development along the waterfront but I think the new and the old combine really well.

Historic Docks

 

I know that by experimenting I will improve my photography so recently I have been practicing with long exposures and night time photography and I am enjoying the results, hopefully you are too. 

As well as extending the exposure times I have also tried using different settings for the white balance and if you compare the first image with one of the similar shots I posted yesterday you will be able to see the difference quite clearly.

In the second of today's pictures I am looking into the heart of the dock. At one time this would have been full of ships unloading and loading their cargoes and there would have been a real energy to the place. Now there is a maritime museum, the Tate Gallery, boutiques and bistros and the warehouses are now loft apartments and the only boats to moor here are pleasure craft.

If you look carefully in the second image you will see a couple of light traces on the water. These were caused by a group of kayakers who were exploring the docks after dark. I can imagine it is quite an experience to do that and although I was surprised to see them I wouldn't mind having a go at that myself.

Waterfront at Night

Having done some early evening long exposures at West Kirby marine lake the other day I thought it would be good to try some night time shots down at Liverpool's Albert Docks and the waterfront.

The third image is a 30 second exposure looking towards the Museum of Liverpool (the white building on the left) and Mann Island. The Liver Building is just visible in the centre.

West Kirby At Night

Just one picture for today's post and it is the last one from my Sunday evening visit to West Kirby marine lake. This was a 6 second exposure and I wanted to cut down the ripples and also highlight the illuminated edge of the pontoon. I like the reflection of the waterfront apartments too.

The lights on the horizon to the left are from shipping anchored out in Liverpool Bay waiting for the tide to turn before heading in to port to unload their cargoes from the far corners of the world.

Pontoon

Here are a few more shots of the marine lake after dark, these were long exposures to smooth out the ripples in the surface of the lake. It also brought out the detail in the sky and reflections that otherwise would have been missed.

Across The Lake

 As I write this I am supposed to be in the New Forest, one of my absolute favourite places, for a well earned week away enjoying lots of walks and lots of photo opportunities. However, thanks to the Liverpool region going into Tier 3 lockdown I had to shelve my plans and find some other way to amuse myself.

Yesterday evening I went for a short walk along the waterfront at West Kirby and since there wasn't even the slightest breeze the surface of the marine lake was mirror calm. I didn't have my camera with me at the time so I determined that if the weather held I would pop back this evening to try some long exposure shots. Although there was a slight breeze creating the slightest movement in the water it was still nice and calm so I managed to get some pretty good images.

Here are a couple of shots looking across the lake to Hilbre Island.

In the first image I have used the small buoy to create a little foreground interest and I have adjusted the contrast to bring out the detail in the sky.

The next two images are the same shot but with different treatment. I do think it works well as a black and white image but I think I prefer the pastel tones in the colour image.

Coastal Defence

 Here is a shot from a little closer to home.

These are some of the sea defences along the shore near New Brighton. I think they make a really interesting subject and I have an idea for a different shot which, if the weather is kind tomorrow I might go and capture as the tide goes out. Who knows I might be lucky.

I am so lucky to be living so close to the sea, I love the sights, sounds and smells of the sea.

Smoke over Patterdale

This is such a lovely view, looking south from Glenridding Pier through Patterdale with Place Fell on the left hand side.

Although it was quite overcast there were brief moments when the sun broke through the clouds illuminating the fells contributing to this fantastic image.

Although this looks really tranquil just moments before I took this shot two RAF Hawk jets flew fast and low through the valley (and I mean low; they were below the height of Place Fell which has a prominence of 262m or 850ft so they were probably around 500ft above the surface of the lake).

I have some good memories of visiting here, a few years ago I camped on the fell just to the left, it was a cold, damp night and I needed the help of a group of young people to push my car as I got stuck on a slippery slope. Although that was slightly embarrassing I had a great time and waking up to a view like this was just perfect.

Tranquil

I have visited this spot at Glenridding on Ullswater a few times. Last year I visited early morning when it was -6 C there was a thick fog and the edge of the lake was frozen. These boats were barely visible.

On my most recent visit there was a light breeze and the surface of the lake was  covered with small, even ripples. The light was not very good because of the low cloud but I had came here with a particular image in mind. I wanted to get  a nice even image with a degree of symmetry and I knew that I needed a good reflection. I used a 2 second exposure and I layered two ND filters to flatten out the ripples and create a smooth surface for the reflection and then in Lightroom I have adjusted the contrast to bring out the detail in the sky.

Overall I am really happy with this image and it is pretty close to what I had set out to achieve when I set out at the start of the day. I also got to try out a technique for long exposure that I hadn't really tried before so I would say it was a successful day out.

Messing About in Boats

Derwent Water, near Keswick is a spot that I always enjoy visiting. On my recent visit I was tempted to take a boat out and enjoy the lake from a different perspective but in the end I settled for a walk along the shore.

Old Stones

So yesterday I shared a picture from inside the stone circle at Castlerigg looking out towards Helvellyn. It is such a mysterious and magical place.

Today I have chosen another shot from inside the circle, focusing on four of the stones but giving the image different treatments in post processing.

One of the great things about digital photography is the range of tools that are available that mean you can turn a photo from a simple record into a piece of art. I do always try to get the image a close to what I want in camera but then I will use Lightroom or photoshop to make some minor adjustments to get the scene as close to what I saw on the day. 

In the first image I have tried to stay faithful to the scene although I have adjusted the contrast slightly and emphasised the dramatic sky.

For the second image I have converted the original to black and white and used a pre-set in Lightroom to create a more punchy image.

For the final picture I have used masks in photoshop. Originally I used the mask to show the background in colour and leave the stones in black and white but while that was quite effective the stones just looked grey and that could have been taken for their natural colour so I chose to highlight the stones against a monochrome background for what I think is a really striking image.

Prehistoric!

 

Yesterday I was able to take an unexpected but very much needed day off work and I headed up to the lake district for a scenic drive and a few hours of photo therapy.

I stopped off at a few of my favourite spots and I managed to get some really good shots and I am pleased to share one today.

This is Castlerigg, a 4,500 year old stone circle high on the fells above Keswick in the shadow of Blencathra, Skiddaw and as can be seen in this image Helvellyn. The low cloud provides heaps of atmosphere and the sun breaking through lighting up the distant fells lifts what would have been a sombre scene.

I will post a different view from here tomorrow so look out for that...