Commemoration

 This might look like something of a photo dump but I have been trying to find time to sort through my shots from the recent 80th Anniversary Commemorations of the Battle of the Atlantic at Liverpool at the end of May, and now I have done I wanted to share the best of them.

On the day there were flypasts from a small selection of aircraft; an exceptionally rare  Supermarine Seafire, a version of the Spitfire designed for flying from aircraft carriers, a Fairey Swordfish which was a submarine hunter that would fly low and slow before releasing its torpedo ( a tactic that left the crew very vulnerable). My grandad worked on these planes when he was in the Fleet Air Arm during the war. And then of course the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight consisting of a Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and an Avro Lancaster, always a magical sight to see these legendary aircraft in the sky.

Scenes from Vrango

 At the moment I am putting together a portfolio for stock photo sites in the hope that over the course of the year ahead I will increase the income from my photography. Whether I do or not remains to be seen but it will help me to focus on quality (I might have said this already in a recent post, I can't recall, I have been asleep since then) and improving as a photographer. As I have not been out much to get new pictures I am revisiting my older files and I am pleasantly surprised by many of the images I have put together over the years. I am also really pleased with the memories that come flooding back too. So most of the pictures I will share for a while at least will be from the archives.

These pictures were shot in Sweden in the summer of 2018. As I am writing this I am listening to the album Treeless Plain by Australian band The Triffids and the song playing right now is "Hell of a Summer" (click on the song title to listen for yourself).

I was on a road trip around Europe with my youngest son and we fulfilled an ambition to visit Sweden. We drove up from Copenhagen in Denmark across the Oresund Bridge which was a fantastic experience and then up to Gothenburg which was possibly the highlight of the trip (although there were several highlights to be honest) and while there we took a trip to Vrango, one of the islands in the archipelago close by. It was a really hot day and we had great fun walking around the island and enjoying the sun and the brightly coloured buildings that were all around the village and the harbour.

I have shared a mixture of colour and black and white images and while I like all of these photos and I would often prefer the black and white images today I much prefer the colour pictures because they are far mor evocative of the overall atmosphere on the island which although it was a quiet refuge from the busy city was still vibrant and uplifting.

Kings Dock, Port of Liverpool

 There is a nice contrast in these images of the historic architecture of the Albert Dock Warehouses (now the Merseyside Maritime Museum) and the modern architecture of the newer developments on the Strand showing how investment in Liverpool over recent years has helped improve the city centre and make it an attractive place to live, work or visit.

Even on a cold day this is a popular place for families to visit and explore Liverpool's rich history, to reflect on the positives and negatives and also to enjoy the sights and sounds of the waterfront.

Light The Way

 

In the first of today's images you can see the lighthouse which stands at the end of Stanley Road in Hoylake, it overlooks Liverpool Bay, the Dee Estuary and the Royal Liverpool Golf Course. It is not an active lighthouse but is a replica of one of the four lighthouses that were built along the Wirral coastline to guide shipping into Liverpool (two were in Hoylake and two in Leasowe) none of which are  now active.

There is a small slipway onto the beach near Red Rocks which on a summer day (or any day for that matter) is a nice spot for a walk or to relax and enjoy the scenery. It is also a good spot on a clear night to observe, or even photograph the night sky, looking west out into the Irish Sea or south along the Dee estuary (although that direction does suffer with light pollution from the towns along the river's edge) there are so many stars to be seen..

The second image shows Hilbre Island, there is a small,  functioning lighthouse on the island but it is a simple white tower with a red LED beacon that can be seen up to 5 miles away.

The island has an interesting history and as a nature reserve it is designated a  Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Cut off by the high tide it is possible to walk across to the island when the tide goes out, to explore rock pools, observe the flocks of wading birds and watch the grey seals that live on a nearby sand bank and swim around the island. 

The island has been occupied on and off since the stone age, it has been a site of pilgrimage with a monastic cell established there between 1080 and 1550. The monks were responsible for maintaining a beacon for shipping and on the island in the late 1600's rock salt was produced on the island.

The two images were taken on the same day. The shot of Hilbre island was taken first and then a short while later as the weather conditions improved the second shot of the lighthouse and the reflections on the beach things appear so much brighter because of the low winter sun.

Place Fell

Here is another shot from my recent visit to Ullswater. This view shows Place Fell which overlooks the lakeland villages of Glenridding and Patterdale.

It rises 262m above the lake with an elevation of 657m above sea level, so not particularly high but from the top it will offer great views of the lake and of the Helvellyn range.

I was quite happy to sit here on the waters edge and enjoy this stunning view.

Colourful Backstreets and a little surprise

Yesterday I posted three pictures in Black and White and I promised to post something colourful today.

I really like these shots of a hidden courtyard framed beautifully by the big arch and the narrow cobbled street. With the clear blue sky you might think this was a summers day but in fact it was early in February.

The next two pictures are an interesting insight into daily life for Venetians; it's the bin men... I spotted this small convoy making its way over the bridges and thought it would make a good image.

Lac de Joux

On our roadtrip travelling from Annecy to our final destination in Alsace we slipped across the border into Switzerland and we made our way through some small villages and along very pretty valleys.

Today's shot is one of the few that I got while in Switzerland because we were just passing through but I would definitely like to go back for a longer visit. 

This is Lac de Joux near L'Abbaye in Vaud region. I think the driftwood adds a nice focal point drawing you into the shot.

The second image just has a few minor adjustments to contrast and exposure in Lightroom and is as close to the real view as shot in camera. The first image though has been adjusted using a de-saturated contrast preset and I think it looks really nice.

Island Life

Canon EF 24 - 105 mm F/4 IS USM

ISO 100   28 mm   F/4.0   1/800 sec

ISO 100  32 mm   F/11   1/400 sec

I just love the colours in these pictures and looking at them I feel drawn back to Vrango. I hope that looking at them you also can see why I loved this place so much.

On Saturday I was chatting to a couple who had just come back from what they described as a disappointing cruise and they told me that they didn't think much of Sweden. I guessed they hadn't been to Gothenburg or the archipelago because if they had they would have fallen in love with the place just as I did.

Footprints

This holiday wasn't about beaches and sunbathing but the shores of Lake Superior are dotted with little coves and sandy beaches.

On advice from our friends who have driven the north shore route many times we stopped at Pancake Bay Provincial Park. Pulling in we were greeted by a young man who advised that there is a fee for day visitors to the park that would be refundable if we left within 30 minutes. I explained that I was just stopping to take a few pictures and he very kindly waived the fee.

Walking through the treeline I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a wide sweeping sandy beach and the clear water lapping against the shore. I took a couple of shots and then I couldn't resist paddling briefly. The water was cold, but not as cold as expected and as I walked away I turned to see my footprints slowly washed away by the waves. I took this picture as a reminder that I was there, it wasn't a dream.

Reflections On Llyn Llydaw

The first of today's pictures was taken from the spot where I had camped in 2012, it is a lovely view across the lake and is a really tranquil scene.

The next two images were taken from different vantage points around the lake with some lovely clear reflections.

The pictures show how changeable the conditions were with the clouds moving quite quickly across the tops of the mountains yet the surface of the lake remained calm.

More Views of Y Garn

Two more views of Y Garn today and the final image of the stream which flows from Llyn Idwal down to Llyn Ogwen here as it cascades at the bottom of the valley.

It was a beautiful day and so the blue sky helps to frame the mountains and scenery. I loved being here and I hope you can enjoy this beautiful landscape from the pictures above.

Y Garn and Foel Gogh

Two more pictures today from my recent day out with my daughter in Snowdonia.  I love being outdoors and I know that walking in this type of terrain is not for everyone so I was particularly pleased that my daughter pushed herself.  We were certainly rewarded with good weather and some stunning views.

Scales of Justice

More pictures from London, today they are all of the Central Criminal Courts at The Old Bailey.

I was lucky to be there early in the morning so there weren't many people around, but also the sky was a fantastic clear blue and so provided a perfect backdrop to the bronze statue of Lady Justice as she stands atop the dome.

Chirk Estate

In February I visited Chirk Castle with the intention of getting some photos of the snowdrops in the woodland on the estate.  Unfortunately the night before my visit we had had the most violent storm with high winds which caused a great deal of damage to the trees and grounds.  Driving up the approach road I had to carefully steer around the fallen trees and branches and when I reached the car park I was told by the National Trust staff that the Castle and grounds were closed and I had to leave.  

I was really disappointed but I was able to take a few pictures of the farm buildings and the old post box which served the estate workers before being asked to leave again, as the staff were going to close the gates to the park.  From the first picture of the farm and the focus on the weather vane it can be seen that it was a beautiful day with clear skies, giving no hint of the terrible storm just a few hours before.

It was another 10 days before I was able to return which was when the pictures from the past two days were taken.