Dead Calm

 

                                                                                                                                                   

So yesterday I said I would be posting the last of my shots from my walk on the beach and that I would post multiple images, and that is what I have done...

I was a little surprised to see so many boats on the water at the marine lake because it was almost completely dead calm, with barely a breath of wind at all. Progress on the water was incredibly slow and by the time the first group of boats was coming back the crews were having to stand up in their boats and flap the sails back and forth in order to create enough momentum to get back to the jetty. I was really surprised then when a second group of boats went out as in the last image and they were standing up, flapping for all they were worth to get out onto the lake.

All the same I thought the colourful sails reflected in the still water of the lake made for some great images, I particularly like the first image with the three boats line astern with the sails tilted at different angles.

I really wanted to add a link to some music to go with todays post and I was trying to find something that fit with the sailing motif, however I didn't actually think what I observed and photographed could fairly be described as sailing (and I thought Sailing by Rod Stewart would be a bit cheesy) so I have gone a little outside the box on this one. The song is  "Nothing Is Easy" (click the link) by Jethro Tull, it is track 1 side 2 from the classic album Stand UP (1969). I think it is definitely worth a listen and I think both the album title and song title fit well with the images. Enjoy!

Sunrise over Ullswater

I think yesterday's image was pretty special but I think today's morning view is even better.

At the far end of the lake there is a light covering of mist and on the side of the fells you can see frost and ice.

I love how calm and still the water is, almost glass like and reflecting the sun perfectly. I call this a sunrise but actually it was almost 11a.m. but the winter sun remains low in the sky throughout the day.

A few minutes before I took this shot I met a couple who were also enjoying the lake, the woman went in for a swim but the water was too cold for her to stay in more than a few minutes. I asked her partner if she was doing it as a punishment or if she had lost a bet. He replied that actually it is good for you, leaving me to wonder if it is so good for you why didn't he join her.  Of course I know why he didn't, it was too flipping cold.

Holy Grail

For so long I have wanted to photograph a Kingfisher, I got a few shots in this location a couple of years ago but they were not really very good as the bird was  much further away and only stayed put for a few seconds. It has become a been a bit like the search for the holy grail.

I cant say how many times I have gone back and how many hours I have sat patiently waiting without even the slightest glimpse. This Saturday I went back, after a long and stressful week in work I was happy just to sit quietly to clear my head and unwind even though it was really cold (just above freezing) and with heavy rain on its way. I was so thrilled when this beautiful bird flew in and perched nearby and sat scanning the water for its next meal. He moved to a different perch and then onto another (I am saving a couple of shots for tomorrow) again patiently searching for a tasty snack. He stayed around for almost 15 minutes giving me plenty of time to get several shots and basically making my day.

I really am pleased with these pictures although I know they could be better, the light and weather conditions meant that I needed to use a wide aperture and very high ISO which gives the images a grainy quality and trying to compensate for that I have lost some of the finer detail. So in the search for the perfect shot I am sure to go back. Who knows how long I might have to wait but I am up for the challenge. 

In the meantime I am pleased to be able to share these shots and if you like them please look out for more tomorrow. And feel free to leave a comment below...

Old Yellow Legs

I am stepping back in time a little bit for today's blog. I have mostly been posting landscapes (though not exclusively) over the past two weeks and so I thought I would go back to some wildlife shots.

I have shared a similar shot of this Lesser Yellow Legs previously but its such a lovely little wader that I wanted to post another. It was nice still evening and the light was perfect. I love the way the light reflected off the water makes the birds white breast glow.