Light Trails on the Grand Canal 2

 On 13th March I had just got back from a trip to Venice and I was really excited to share a light trail image of boat traffic on the Grand Canal taken from the viewpoint on Ponte dell'Accademia.

It was my first attempt at a light trail and of blending images in Photoshop and although I was happy with the overall image I knew there was something missing from the process and I needed to do a little more research to improve the image.

What I have shared today is a result of that further research.

The first two images are composite images from 10 30 second exposures (so 5 minutes in total) which I have layered and blended in Photoshop. Given they are long exposures there is some blurring of stars in the night sky and while I have not removed any of that in the black and white image I have applied some correction in the colour image as the brighter colours made the blurring more obvious and somewhat distracting.

The final two images are composites of four 30 second exposures taken from a slightly different angle. This is the image I shared on 13th March but with a better blending process which allows more detail to come through. As the overall exposure time was less than the first two shots there is less distraction from the stars but also fewer light trails from the boats. As I said in the original post, at this time of year there was less traffic on the canals than would be usual during the summer months and so the light trails were less prominent, however the relative absence of visitors to the city meant that I was able to get these shots without getting in anyone else's way.

Overall I have to say I am very pleased with these images and I am really happy to have learned a new technique which I hope to develop further at some point in the future.

Slow It Down

 There is a quiet spot just next to the Ponte dell'Accademia in Venice which offers a fantastic view along the Grand Canal towards the lagoon. Surprisingly there were no other people there, most preferring top stop on the bridge itself and look along the canal in either direction. To be fair the views from the bridge are great too but to capture o long exposure like these shots would not be possible during the day with so many people passing by.

I know these are all fairly similar but I have used slightly different exposure times and I have tried to incorporate the passing boats in some of the shots and I hope you will agree that the effect works well.

Look Up, Look Down

 Although I had visited Venice several times before I had never been inside the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. I had photographed it from the other side of the canal but never taken the time to walk round to take a closer look. On my recent visit to the city the church had scaffolding covering the façade and when I walked around to explore I was a little worried that the whole building would be closed or have restricted access. I think many other people must have thought the same because while it was still open to the public there was no one else inside when I entered.

It was a warm day and so it was refreshing to step inside to the cool and shade and to enjoy the sense of calm.

What immediately struck me was the beautiful tiled floor, which is the subject of todays pictures. As with the exterior of the building there was restoration work taking place inside, and if you look carefully you might see pieces of yellow tape marking areas on the floor that need to be restored.

I am not sure that these photos really do justice to the scale and workmanship of this marble floor that has been there for centuries. I was mesmerised by the design and in awe of the creative minds behind it. I absolutely loved it and walked round a couple of times trying to take it all in.

I also love the way the whole design is reflected in the highly polished underside of the chandelier that hangs directly above. Was that, I wonder just coincidence or was it  part of the original plan? 

When Life Gives You lemons...

 Recently I visited the pine woods at Formby, a National trust managed nature reserve where in the past I have seen and photographed red squirrels, which are rare and in decline across the UK.

I had a very pleasant visit however I did not see a single squirrel which was quite disappointing as previously I have always seen at least one or two and often several.

Having gone hoping to get some nice wildlife photos it was a bit of a let down. I managed to get a few very poor shots of some rabbits in a field, a butterfly and a noisy magpie.

The only thing from a photography point of view that saved the day was this beautiful crow. That might sound strange to describe a crow as beautiful because when we see crows normally they look like big black birds and as they feed on carrion and scraps they have a poor reputation. But, if you look closely this bird is not just black, there are hints of blue and purple and grey which add depth to the overall colour. You can also see the powerful beak and piercing eyes. I was grateful that this one bird settled on a fence post close to me and allowed me to get these and other photos

Across the Harbour and out to Sea

 Ostensibly these photos are all of the same view, taken from the same spot on the pier at the bottom of Tate Hill in Whitby. All were taken within the space of one hour, probably less, but you can see how dramatically the sky has changed in that time. Ok, so the black and white images may give the appearance of a more stormy sky than it actually was but the cloud cover was certainly much thicker in the earlier shots.

At the same time the sunlight from behind me remained fairly constant lighting up the wall of the east pier, and the two lighthouses.

I like the way the sunlight also catches the seagulls in the first image as they flock around the lighthouse, I think the birds, the people on the pier and the brooding clouds add a sense of drama to that image. I think the song "The  Seabirds" by The Triffids goes well with this first picture.

Around the Harbour

 Walking around any town there is always lots going on and lots of opportunities for a photographer. While I do like to concentrate on the architecture, the landscape or wildlife it is also fun to capture random moments and a seaside town like Whitby will offer plenty of those. Whether that is a seagull taking a rest on some lobster pots, visitors stopping for "fish n chips", a chimney pot or even a random box of tools on a market stall there are lots of things that will catch my eye. Many random images will get discarded either just after I have taken them or later when I get to review the days "catch", others will get through to a final edit and possibly even be shared here in my blog.

Of course just because I like these images and have chosen to share them does not mean they will be to your taste. They are a real mixture, too, so you may like one or more, or none at all. For me however they capture some of the essence of the town which is more than the iconic sites such as the harbour or the abbey and that makes the effort of capturing them worth my while.

Lighthouse

 So not just one, but two different lighthouses and two what I initially thought were lighthouses or beacons but on closer inspection may be lookout posts. 

The harbour walls at Whitby, when seen from above resemble a whales' jawbones in reference to the towns long history as a whaling port. As well as their aesthetic appeal the walls play a crucial role in protecting the port itself from the ravages of the North Sea.

On each wall there is a stone built lighthouse the one on the north side of the harbour is taller that the one on the south side, and at the end of each pier/walkway there is a raised tower with a small cabin on top which offer views out to sea.

You can see from these images that the sky over the sea was threatening bad weather however for the duration of my visit (apart for one brief shower) the rain was kept at bay by a strong onshore breeze.

Harbour Walls

 While seated on a bench overlooking the harbour at Whitby I spent some time watching people walking along the harbour wall across the small beach in front of me. As I did so I realised that with the layered clouds above and the weathered patterns on the stone walls this would make for an effective image. Add to that the people walking by I thought they would make great images.

Although in the first image the colours show off the richness of the stone really nicely I think the black and white images are better. Il like the lone figure walking, hands in pockets, his head slightly bowed, and illuminated by the sun which was fairly low in the sky directly behind me. I wonder what he was thinking as he walked alone, I could come up with a number of different storylines.

I was really pleased when the couple in the second image actually stopped in the frame and started to point at something off to my right, one shielding his eyes from the sun so he could more clearly see what he was being directed to. Again this scene lends itself to all sorts of potential storylines and makes this, in my mind at least and effective image. 

I 

Ruddy Turnstone

 I had been watching a small group of these birds feeding on the rocks at the bas of the harbour wall in Whitby. They were using their beaks to flip over the seaweed in search of a meal. It was quite mesmerising watching them as they were so focused. What I hadn't realised however was that there were more of them on top of the harbour wall just a few metres away and it seems like they were hoping for handouts from the people walking by.

I was able to capture several nice shots of them and have selected just a few to share with you.

They are seemingly quite tame but also constantly on the move. These birds are still in their winter plumage, in the summer they have very distinctive markings, much bolder browns and a lot more white on the heads.

Turnstones do not  breed in the UK, apparently there is only one possible recorded breeding event and that was in Scotland in 1976. Those that do visit the UK will breed in Northern Europe, Greenland and NE Canada. For a small bird they are very hardy and have been known to live to 22 years of age.

High Force

 Part of the Raby Estate just outside of Middleton in Teesdale, in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is High Force. "Force" being taken from the Viking word for waterfall. The waterfall is 21 metres high with a vertical drop.

The river Tees flows over the rocky outcrop and when the water level in the river is high it flows either side of the central column thundering into the cauldron below. In my 100th blog post in Dec 2014 I posted a couple of shots of the waterfall in full flow, from a similar position on the rocks as these shots were taken however that close to the falls on that occasion I was covered in spray as was the lens of my camera so the images were not so clear. It certainly wasn't possible to do long exposures like these however I would say it is worth a look just for the comparison so click on the highlighted link above.

I have heard that on very rare occasions the river completely covers the whole outcrop falling in one complete curtain of thundering water, I have not seen it like that.

These shots were taken on a relatively fine day (20th march 2023). I used my Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L series lens a variable ND filter with an ISO of 100 and the aperture at f22 The first image was at 45mm and the others at 58mm. the first two images were shot with a 13 second exposure and for contrast the third was taken using a 20 second exposure.

This final image was shot at 40mm with f/6.3 and an exposure of 1/40 sec. I have included a person in the picture for scale and at a faster shutter speed you can see how rough the water is and how effective the long exposures above have been in terms of smoothing out the falls and the surface of the water in the cauldron below.

Misty Morning Mood

 While I was in Venice I shot almost exclusively in black and white, but the beauty of digital photography (as long as you are shooting in RAW) you can process the final image pretty much how you want. When uploading the black and white images into Adobe Lightroom they are automatically converted to colour images so I then have the option of changing them back or working on the colour image.

I really like the foggy images in black and white although a slight adjustment to the blue channel in the fifth image of the gondolas in front of the Doge's palace adds another dimension which is really nice.

The sixth image is in colour and it highlights how much the fog has muted the colours that would normally be so vibrant along the Grand Canal.

As well as capturing the sights of the city I spent a lot of time capturing images of the people who live, work and visit Venice. I think Gondoliers make excellent subjects to photograph and although their persistent attempts to get people to take a ride  as they cry "Godola! Gondole!" (on almost every bridge over ever canal) can be a little annoying  I did enjoy snapping some pictures of them at work.

I really like the first image; three gondoliers had been talking to the guy on the path and discussing the proposed route they would take him along. During the course of this a fire service boat, with lights flashing passed by and as the tide was still quite high was having to approach each bridge with extreme caution and the one gondolier was watching the drama unfold while his colleagues continued their spiel.

Although it was mid week and still quite early in the year and tourist numbers were low there was still a number of large groups being led around by enthusiastic guides. I prefer to wander and explore on my own but I think I caught the tour group in a moment of intent interest as they craned their necks to see whatever their guide was talking about.

One of my bugbears is when people walk around constantly glued to their phones or mobile devices. The number of times I had to manoeuvre around individuals so intent on their little screens as they walked around that they almost marched into me. How crazy it is that you go to beautiful city like Venice and spend so much time looking down. Of course staying connected is important but it shouldn't be at the expense of appreciating the beauty that is around. At least the woman in the fourth image above had stopped to read or send her message rather than walking headlong into other people, if only more people had been like that. Ok sorry i will get off my soapbox now.

Hopefully that little rant hasn't detracted from your enjoyment of the pictures above.