Light Trails On the Grand Canal

 I have just got back from a short break in Venice. One of the things I was keen to try was capturing light trails on the Grand Canal. I had been to Venice a few times before but had never taken a tripod with me so long exposures were out of the question. This time rather than pack an extra jumper and a second pair of shoes I packed one of my tripods and a variable ND filter along with my other kit.

I tried a few different shots and above is just one of them but in colour and in black and white. It is a composite image from three 30 second exposures which I have blended in Photo Shop. It is the first time I have ever tried this and some of what I had hoped would remain in the final image is not there so I need to practice a bit to see what else I can do.

Being early in March there was less traffic on the canal than there would be on a summers evening so again the light trails are not as standout as I had hoped but nonetheless I think these are really effective and for a first attempt I am pretty pleased. I have other shots to work on which will be composite of up to 12 exposures so there is the possibility that there will be even more detail in them although of course 12 images may be too many and I really need to experiment to get the best possible final result. 

This shot was taken from the Ponte dell'Accademia facing out towards the lagoon. I really like the black and white image because it has a cool night time feel however because Venice is such a colourful city I prefer the second image as it highlights the warmth and richness of the buildings and also because of the long exposure the stars are visible and show up in colour too, not just as the white or yellow dots we normally see when we look up at the night sky.

Ripples And Reflections

Following on from my tunnel reflections yesterday I have gone for this abstract image from further along the canal.

It may look just like a random reflection but from a certain point of view you can see that it is the reflection of a narrowboat and you can make out the windows and a splash of colour from the blue paintwork.

Mute Swan

I love swans, they are such regal and graceful birds and walking along the canal near Garstang I spotted this solitary bird swimming between the boats which were moored along the canal side. 

I approached to take a few pictures and getting down low to get the shot the swan made the most unusual noise, a rasping sound that made me think it had something stuck in its throat. It seemed friendly at first but as I leaned forward to get a better angle it lunged forward a couple of times almost hitting the lens so after a few shots I left the swan to itself and went for a brief but very pleasant walk along the canal and a happy ending to my day out.

A Trick On The Eye

So today I have a question for you, can you tell which of the above images are reflections and which are not?

Obviously the second and third pictures are reflections, but what about the other two?

Well the truth is all four pictures are reflected images of trees along the banks of the canal. It was remarkably calm in places and so the reflections have a really clear quality and actually make better images than the trees themselves. 

A Canal Walk

Today's shots were taken using my smart phone during a walk along the Llangollen branch of the Shropshire Union Canal between Chirk and Trevor.

I was walking with my daughter and we covered 8 miles taking in two aqueducts and two tunnels. The first shot is of a Narrowboat entering the Middleton Tunnel and I like the way the brickwork reflects the light and shines in different colours. As we walked back through this tunnel towards the end of our walk I pointed out the mass of cobwebs hanging from the arched roof and as both my daughter and I dislike spiders we decided that it was better to not direct my light towards the roof so we could pretend that they weren't there.

The other two pictures are of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct built by Thomas Telford and which opened in 1805. It is 12' wide including the towpath, 336 yards long and 126' high as it passes over the River Dee. It is a stunning piece of architecture and engineering, it was also quite fun walking across it although many people clearly had some difficulty and more than one person walked across with eyes closed and holding tight to their partners.

Reflections and Ripples Too

I really love the colours in these pictures particularly the final shot of the autumn leaves reflected in the canal.  

The second picture is a mystery, well not for me I guess since I took it.  Can you tell what it is?  If you can leave a comment below...

Looking for Rosie & Jim

There are so many reasons why I enjoyed my walk by the canal, for one I find it really tranquil and I can picture myself relaxing as I cruise along the waterways. I like the boats they're so colourful (but they also look good in the black and white pictures too) and they remind me of a children's TV program called Rosie and Jim that I used to watch with my daughter many years ago.

The people here at the marina on their boats were also very friendly, even the manager who initially was going to tell me to get off the car park but when he realised I was there to take photos he was very encouraging and chatty.

Walking along the canal I saw what seemed like an abandoned boat, it was definitely a fixer upper and I considered how cool it would be to restore it and use it as weekend get away.

Anyway I really like these pictures and I hope you do too.

P.S. I probably wont be posting anything tomorrow but I will definitely be back with some more pictures on Sunday so do come back!

Town Houses and Canals

I have taken a step back into the city for today's offering.  Here are a few street scenes from Amsterdam which I hope you will enjoy.

I have always liked the town houses of Amsterdam with their ornate roof lines and large picture windows.

I like the third image today, I think it works well in black and white with the metalwork and i like the way it frames the man on his front steps who was catching up with some paperwork while enjoying the late spring sun.

Unknown Model

While visiting Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice we stumbled across a professional photo shoot and so camera at the ready I joined in and snapped a few shots myself.

Although the sun was shining brightly there was a bit of a chill in the air so I felt sorry for the model who had to wrap up in a heavy overcoat between shots.  I hope you will agree that these are quite lovely images.

Amsterdam Streets and Houses

Day two of my Amsterdam pictures and I have chosen some street scenes.  I really like the style of the architecture in Amsterdam and these pictures give a real flavour of the city.

I think if pushed to pick a favourite picture from this small selection I would have to choose between the final two images but I really can't decide.  I'd be interested to know what you think so feel free to comment below...

Hatton Locks, Warwick

Many years ago when I studied at Warwick University I saw a poster of the flight of locks at Hatton just outside of Warwick.  I decided to go for a walk to see them for myself and as my house at the time backed onto the canal I set off, but it was much further than I had expected and I had to turn back.

In March this year a mere 29 years later I stopped off on a drive back from Canterbury and took a few pictures, I have posted a few shots today, I am happy with them but I was pushed for time on the day and would have liked to take more time over the composition and exposures.  The RAW files of these images are in colour and look really nice but the files are a bit too big to post.  One day I will sort some out in Lightroom and then I will post some of the better colour images, but for now please enjoy...