Frozen in Time

 

Here are a couple more shots from my recent visit to Chirk Castle. This is definitely one of my favourite castles and even on a very cold winter's day with the sun frequently interrupted by heavy snow it offers lots of great photo opportunities.

The building itself is closed for the winter but the grounds are open and the exterior as always looks marvellous.

Whoosh

As I said yesterday I went to Chirk Castle to see the annual display of snowdrops in the castle's beautiful grounds. I took a few photographs of the carpet of flowers but I wanted to try something different and I would love to know what you think of the images below.

 I have used a long exposure for these images (2 seconds for the first image and 0.8 seconds for the other two) using my EF 24 - 105 mm f4L USM zoom lens. While the shutter was open I pulled back through the full range to create the movement in the finished image.

I was inspired to try this effect because on the way to Chirk I drove through a snow storm and I wanted to create something that represented the experience of driving through snow. With the snowdrops it seemed appropriate. I think that maybe in the second image I have come closest to what I had hoped and I think that pictures two and three are the better images but as with any abstract image it is open to interpretation.

I would really like to know what you think.

Looking at Yew

I have been feeling a little under the weather this past week so hadn't been out for a few days so today I headed out to Chirk Castle near Wrexham in North Wales to look at and possibly photograph the display of snowdrops .

On the way there I almost turned back due to a heavy snow storm but when I arrived although the conditions were very changeable it was definitely worth the effort of getting out and as well as some shots of the snowdrops (including some experimental images) which I will eventually share I got a range of other images from the castle and grounds which I am really pleased with.

The best display of snowdrops is found in the "Pleasure Ground Woods" and on the entrance to the woods there is an old yew tree. I was struck by the depth and the detail in the ancient bark and took the above shot to showcase some of the detail. As I looked more closely at the image I noticed a chilling face so I rotated the image and cropped it slightly to bring the face into focus as you can see in the image below. It looks to me like an alien face either with the creature's own hand covering its mouth or perhaps being restrained or silenced... I hope you like this as much as I do.

 

Wet n Wild

Here are a few more images from my shoot yesterday down at the New Brighton seafront during storm Eunice.

The first shot shows the storm surge breaking against and over the wall of Fort Perch Rock, the walls range in height from 24 feet (7.3m) to 32 feet (9.8m)  and I think the corner in this photo is towards the higher part of that range so that gives a sense of how high the waves were, as the surge hit they got even higher and it was necessary to retreat to a safer spot.

The lighthouse is 94 feet (28.5m) and at times the waves obscured most of the building, which even allowing for perspective shows how high they were.

This last image is very similar to the one I shared yesterday, it was a little earlier in the sequence of shots, I love the curl of the wave as it retreats and is fighting against the wind. I have applied a mask to the sky to enhance the layers of cloud and help add emphasis to the foreground.

 

Storm Surge

Today we were visited by Storm Eunice, one of the worst storms in the UK for decades, the South & South West were worst affected with gusts of 122mph recorded on the Isle of Wight but here in the North West we have had winds of 60 - 80mph. With such strong winds combined with a high tide I was sure there would be some dramatic scenes along the coast and as you can see from this image I was not wrong.

The waves have churned up the sand on the beach adding some interesting colours to the waves and the heavy clouds create strong layers in the sky.

 I think the image works very well in black and white too, I have increased the black tones to increase the dramatic effect, let me know what you think.

The conditions were at times quite dreadful, and I almost didn't go out as the rain was coming sideways, not to mention the sleet and hail, but I am so glad I did and I look forward to sorting through all the images and no doubt I will share a few more with you.

I have to give a shout out to the coast guard who were out on duty today, probably slightly bemused by the number of photographers out in these awful conditions, but more so I am sure by the three people who thought it was a good idea to go swimming and the one idiot who kept walking towards the waves and who argued with the coast guard, despite their warnings about the imminent storm surge, telling them "You can't tell me what to do, I don't have to listen to you!" 

I was really grateful for the calm way they handled the whole situation and how they also allowed all the photographers to get in position for their shots but also gently shepherding everyone to safety as the conditions changed. Their experience was evident as their advice was timed to perfection and it was only the few people with unsuitable footwear that actually got wet as the surge broke over the promenade to where we were stood.

Tail End of the Storm

 Once again I brave the conditions so you don't have to...

This was New Brighton lighthouse as Storm Dudley came to an end earlier today. There were a few spectacular moments but none of the really big splashes that I had hoped for.

Oh well with Storm Eunice due to arrive tomorrow promising even worse conditions I will be out there again... 

Garden Beauties

 The beautiful blackbird in the first image stopped by to feed on some seed that had been put out on a tree stump. Blackbirds are easily overlooked because they are a common species and they lack the bright plumage that many other garden birds have. However they really are quite beautiful and their feathers have a gorgeous sheen so every now and then they deserve to be noticed.

The robin appeared in the window of the hide where I was sat, he was a fearless little chap and happily took a mealworm from my fingers and ate seed from the palm of my hand. I think you will agree he is a handsome specimen and although they are a very familiar sight I couldn't resist sharing these lovely shots.

TITS!

 Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit and my favourite... Long Tailed Tit

I was able to get out for a couple of hours today to visit Mere Sands Wood where despite the biting wind the sun was shining  I was able to photograph a few different varieties of our beautiful birds.

These were all some distance away, at the limit of my lens in some cases nevertheless they are all rather nice.

Locked In Love

 I am dipping into my archives for todays post, the first two of todays pictures were shot on the bridge across the River Neckar at Heidelberg, the last two were shot in Paris on one of the foot bridges across the Seine.

It is clear that the tradition of securing these locks is more established in Paris than in Heidelberg although those pictures were taken in spring 2015 so it is possible there are lots more now. On a subsequent visit I saw that the city council in Paris had had the locks removed in sections because of the weight and I am not sure whether there are many there now.

Iconic Landmarks

 Notre Dame and the Eifel Tower, two landmarks that are instantly recognisable and must be among the most photographed sites in the world. Rather than posting the typical "tourist snap" type image I have looked for different views to capture. I hope you will agree these make for interesting images. Which is your favourite???

Shedding Light

I thought these street lights made interesting subjects, especially against the backdrop of Parisian architecture, (the first image using the famous rose window of Notre Dame as the background).

For each blog post I input the location where each photo was taken, I put "Notre Dame" in the search on the map and Google selected a town in Indiana USA, which was founded in the mid 1800's rather than one of the most famous landmarks in one of the most famous cities in the world. The cathedral's construction commenced almost 700 years before the town that takes its name and although it wasn't finished for almost 200 years it still predates the town by over 500 years. Apart from the 6,646 people who live there and the students who have studied at the colleges there I am sure that Notre Dame IN is not the first place people anywhere else would think of.
 

City of Light

 I have gone through my archives for today's pictures and over the coming days  I will share a few more images of one of my favourite places.

Ordinarily I would rather be out in the wild, close to nature where I can take things at a slower pace but I have always had a lot of affection for Paris since I first visited with my pen friend's parents when I was just 10 years old (almost 50 years ago). I have been lucky to visit many times since then and I have lots of happy memories there. These pictures help to recall some of those memories.

True Colours

 My visit to Coningsby was finished off watching this Typhoon in its display livery. My first thought was that's pretty poor camouflage but of course for displays you want something that stands out and shows pride in Britain. 

I would have liked to hang around to watch it return to the base but as I had a four hour journey home I couldn't stay. Nevertheless I am really pleased with the shots I got and I hope you have enjoyed my posts over the past few days.

Now I need to get back out there and get shooting again. Bear with...

Thumbs Up!

These shots follow on from yesterday's mini flying display, the two Qatari pilots did several low passes with landing gear down too, it genuinely seemed like they were aware of myself and the other people observing them. They also seemed to be really enjoying themselves and even though this is their day job I am sure that they get the same buzz every time they take to the sky in these incredible machines.

After landing as they taxied back to their hard standing the pilots acknowledged me with a wave and a thumbs up. Huge respect to these pilots for their skill and their commitment, if you look closely at the last image you will see the name of the second pilot, below his grinning face.

An Air Display Just for Me!

 

I waited some time for some action but I was ultimately not disappointed. This pair of Qatari jets took off in formation and flew right above my head, breaking just above the perimeter of the airfield. As they flew overhead I didn't know which one to follow but I got a real buzz as they thundered above me.

Over the next 20 minutes these two did several low level fly pasts before coming back to land and then taxiing past me. More pictures tomorrow so if you like these do come back