Kicking Up A Storm

The storm in question... A Typhoon.

I recently travelled to Lincolnshire, where I once lived, with the intention to visit relatives, buy some sausages and to capture so images of the fast jets stationed at RAF Coningsby.

The trip was successful on all three counts, it was great to see family, the sausages are delicious and the jets were amazing. I will have lots of pictures of the jets in action to share over the next few days.

I had watched the Eurofighter Typhoon in these pictures do a fly past and land and in these pictures it is being readied for another flight. It was interesting to watch the ground crew going through the post flight and pre flight routines. I was also really pleased to capture a shot as another plane took off in the background as I think this makes for a dramatic image.

 

The Holly and the Bokeh

 So, following on from yesterday here are a few more shots experimenting with bokeh.

This time instead of lichen I have used holly as the subject but the naturally fragmented light in the shrubs behind the holly has created marvellous bokeh. 

I love the rich tones of the first two images but I also think it works well in high contrast black and white as in the third image.

A Little Bit of Bokeh

 After the Goldcrests (see yesterdays post) had flown away I hung around for  little while and tried to make use of the sunlight through the trees. 

I spotted a little bit of lichen on a broken branch so tried to get a nice image of it, in doing so I noticed the bokeh created by the light breaking through the trees and shrubs in the background. So I spent some time experimenting trying to capitalise on this interesting effect.

I practiced with some other plants as well as the lichen and I will share them in my next posts.

These were shot using my 100 - 400mm telephoto lens and 1.4x converter at F8, 1/1000 sec and ISO 3200 

Gold Crest

 A few weeks ago I saw a pair of Goldcrests while I was out for a walk, I managed to get a few photos on my phone's camera because they had flown onto a bush right next to me and stayed around for a little while. I wanted to go back and capture some more images using my DSLR so I went back to the same spot and waited.

Although it was a sunny day the light in the woodland was not that great and also the large number of dog walkers on my chosen day meant there was a lot more traffic than on my previous visit. The birds did appear after a short while but they were more skittish and wary than the last time so I was pushing my equipment to get these shots. They were all taken at 560mm F8.0 1/1000 sec and 10,000 ISO. Due to the high ISO there is a lot of noise in the RAW images so I have removed some of that in lightroom resulting in some loss of detail. Nevertheless, I was thrilled to see these beautiful birds again and I am fairly pleased with the above images. I am sure to go back again in the hope of getting some more, and better, shots of these stunning little beauties.

A Lone Tree

 Here are two, what I think are nice, atmospheric shots of the limestone pavement above Malham Cove.

The lines in the rock lead the eye towards the lone tree on the edge of the cliff in the second image but shot from a slightly different angle the diverging lines frame the tree against the sky.

Fans of the Harry Potter films may recognise this location as this was one of the locations used in the Deathly Hallows where Harry and Hermione pitch their tent... 

This is stunning landscape and well worth a visit, the views are spectacular and the atmosphere is magical.

Limestone Pavement

 This magnificent geological feature is the limestone pavement above Malham Cove. Over the years erosion has exposed the limestone bedrock and the wind and rain has carved these amazing shapes in the rock. I looks great but it is treacherous to walk across. I have been up here in sunshine, rain as well as ice and snow and whatever the conditions it is challenging to cross.

It is definitely worth visiting though and I would recommend approaching it along the path from Gordale and then down the steps to Malham because the climb up the steps to the top is really hard going.

I have some more views from the top to share so if you like these please look out for more tomorrow.

Along the Way

 Between Christmas and New Year I enjoyed a walk around Malham in the Yorkshire dales. I walked along Gordale Beck to Janet's Foss a delightful waterfall in a woodland setting and then on to Gordale Scar where the waterfall carves its way through the rock in spectacular fashion. This was also the location for a scene in the Netflix series The Witcher where Ciri comes face to face with a vicious monster.

Then I followed the trail towards the top of Malham Cove and the images above were captured along the way.

Crest of Wave

I have posted images of water many times before, often (like earlier this week) ripples and reflections but on other occasions I want to show water in motion like in the images above.

These were taken on the beach at Trefor on the North Wales coast. The sky was overcast and the water had a dirty green tint so I have processed the images in black and white.

I stood watching the waves roll in and I could feel the power of the tide as each wave receded pulling the pebbles of the beach with it.

I love the shapes that are created as the waves break and the spray forms along the crest, I also really like the way the light comes through the waves and the spray. Each time the wave breaks the pattern is completely random but when you freeze that motion and look closely it is possible to see (or imagine) interesting things, for example in the last image I think it looks very like the tale of a whale starting to break through the surface as the water rushes off it.

Natural Contrasts

I spotted the lone feather in the grass on the cliff tops at Trefor in North Wales, before descending to the beach where I stood for a while listening and watching the waves of the incoming tide.

The feather is so delicate and I love the way each wispy frond is serrated so that they zip together to complete the structure.

I have chosen to share the image of the pebbles as a contrast to the softness of the feather. Not only is there a contrast in the textures but also the colours with the softness of the feather and the rough and hardness of the pebbles

Robins Appear when Loved Ones are Near

 

Meet my new friend.

One day in December I really felt the need to get out and take a little time to myself so I headed off to Burton Mere. I wasn't really bothered about taking photos and for much of the time I just walked or stood quietly to enjoy the peace of my surroundings. 

I had spotted a small, noisy flock of Long Tailed Tits in a tree next to the path so I stopped to watch them and as I stood there this beautiful Robin flew down to the railing next to me. For the next 15 minutes he kept me company, even flying onto my outstretched hand twice, despite the fact that I had nothing to feed it. As I spoke to it it cheeped back at me and it posed nicely for photos. In that short space of time I was totally absorbed in the moment, I felt at complete peace. Even now several weeks later when I recall the experience I feel that same feeling of peace. It was such a simple thing but it has had a big impact on me and my sense of well-being.

I am so pleased with these images too, the detail and the lighting are perfect and I am so pleased to be able to share them, I hope they give a little lift to your day.

Light Waves

At first I couldn't decide what to post today, I have some beautiful shots of a Robin that I have been wanting to share but I decided that will be for my next post and today I have chosen some abstract images.

You may have seen similar posts from me in the past and you will know that I have a fascination for the way light plays on water and the stunning images that can be created from something so simple. Next time you are by a lake, pond, canal or other body of water on a calm day take a moment to look at what is going on on the surface. Even gentle movements can create intricate patterns and the angle of the sunlight, or any light source if it is after dark will bring out the detail in what otherwise might appear a flat surface. It is always changing and by capturing a moment in time in a photograph will preserve that detail.

In each of the images above I have taken a photograph and cropped a section and adjusted the exposure and the balance to create an image that is more than was there at first sight, to bring out the subtleties of the individual ripples and reflections.

These were all captured at Burton Mere and other than the first image which is simply a reflection of the light coming through the clouds the other images are the distorted reflections of the trees around the mere.

I love these abstract images because each time you look you can see something different. 

I hope that you like them but if wildlife is more for you then be sure to take a look tomorrow because I will post something that I am sure you will like.
 

December Days

 I could have called today's post "Tits and Teasels" but decided against it.

These three pictures were captured at Burton Mere, the Blue Tits were waiting patiently but noisily to feed on sunflower seeds at a feeding station. I love these little birds with their black bandit masks. Talking of masks I have used a mask in the third image to create a black and white background so that I can show of the beautiful coloured plumage.

In the second image I have also chosen a black and white finish because I think it best shows off these wonderful plants.

Starry Starry Night

 

So I have interrupted my intended series of "A Few Days in December" by posting these night sky images that I shot last night and really didn't want to put them off to a later date.

As you can see from the first image (taken using the night sight mode on my Pixel 6Pro) I had set my camera up on the beach using my Sky Watcher Star Adventurer 2i Pro star tracking mount. It really is a cool piece of kit that I am just getting to know.

There have been a couple of nights recently when we were promised clear skies and I have been desperate to get out to shoot the night sky. Last week there was very little moon but sadly too much cloud spoiled things and I couldn't get any good images, I just got very cold for nothing. Although every minute getting to know your kit is time well spent (that's me putting a positive spin on a failed trip).

Last night however the sky was clearer but the moon was more than half full and very bright so as well as the light pollution from Liverpool and Deeside I was up against excess light. Never mind, I am not making excuses and I didn't let that or the biting cold stop me.

In the first image you can see my camera mounted on the tripod and tracking mount pointed north west over Liverpool Bay, the lights along the bottom are from the Burbo Bank wind farm and in the distance you can just make out the shadow of the Pennines in Lancashire. More importantly you can make out a few bright stars, the bright one most central in the image is called "Vega" and top left there are a few from the constellation Cygnus, the bright star at the top is called "Deneb".

The second image is the shot that I captured it is an image comprised of 5 stacked photos using some software called Sequator which is fantastic and so easy to use. Each individual photo was a 2 minute exposure so using this process lots more light is picked up by the camera sensor and more distant objects that the naked eye cannot see become visible. Hence in this patch of sky which has the constellation of Cygnus we can see thousands of stars which are just not there in the first image, if you zoom in you will see what I mean. For reference the brightest star lower right in the second image is Vega. What you also can see in the second image is the range of colours of the different stars and galaxies which are not just white but reds, greens and purple. It really is a beautiful universe.

The third image is also comprised of five stacked images. It is facing south and although the stars are not quite as crisp in this image I really like the picture because the foreground adds context to the overall image. Also I think the stars are probably more recognisable to most people this being "Sirius" (the brightest star lower down in the centre) and the constellation of Orion with the three stars in a line forming Orion's belt and above that are Betelgeuse and Bellatrix. If you look closely you will see more than just three stars along the belt and the three stars below it are actually part of distant galaxies. As this was shot using a wide angle lens I couldn't get more detail of the distant objects but in the future that will be something I will want to explore more. For now I need to hone my skills and practice with the equipment and hope for clear skies.

A Few Days in December

 So, I know that we are now part way through January, almost a third of the way actually so it may seem a bit late to post something with a title "A Few Days in December" but that is what these pictures and those that I  will share over the coming days represent.

I managed to get out for just a few days last month, although I have had a fair bit of time on my hands the poor weather and a lack of motivation on my part meant I didn't get out as much as I would have liked and when I sat down to review my images I actually thought that I wouldn't have very much to show for it. 

As it happens on those few days out I did get more than a few shots and perhaps more important than the images themselves I had time to unwind, to reflect and to connect with nature in a way that I really needed. Although I had my camera with me the primary purpose was just to get out and enjoy being out, without putting any pressure on myself to get the perfect shot.

Above are a few images from my first day out, a short visit to Mere Sands Woods. The weather was not great, the lighting poor and I really should have used a faster shutter speed but as I say photography was not the most pressing thing for me, I really enjoyed my walk and mostly just watching. The pictures, well they are a bonus.

I hope that you enjoy the images above of a Great Tit, a couple of Blue Tits, a hungry Nuthatch and  of course, what winter walk would be complete without a Robin?!

Some of these images were made possible because someone had left out some seed on a tree stump where I stood a while and watched the birds come down in a frenzy to feed. 

The Robin shot was captured right at the end of my walk, I think it is quite a nice image but I had an even closer and perhaps more meaningful encounter with a Robin on one of my other days out, which no doubt I will tell you about in a future post.

Dog in a Dickie

 So here are the last few images that I will share from my recent road trip in Europe (I briefly visited France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium) my last stop being Bruges and I spent some time people watching.

The first couple of images are from a scene I observed in the main square where a large group of people had gathered apparently for a wedding. Somewhat bizarrely it seemed to be combined with a fencing display, perhaps the bride and/or groom were members of the fencing team, who knows? Anyway the star of the show for me was the dog in a bow tie.

The following three images were captured around the city, one of a walking tour guide who has the attention of his tour group, another of a happy cyclist and finally of an interesting character who passed me on a bridge.

I do enjoy people watching and trying to capture these candid shots but it is also frustrating when I see scenes a fraction too late and realise I have missed a good shot. I guess I just have to get out there more...