Set Sail...

 Living close to the beach I have been lucky enough to see various activities; kite surfing, surfing, windsurfing, kite buggies and land/sand yachting. When the conditions are right these must be really exhilarating to take part in but they are also a great spectacle and provide some excellent photo opportunities.

Last weekend there was a Sand Yacht Regatta at St Annes on the Fylde coast and so I pooped along briefly to take a look. I only managed to watch one complete race and part of a second but even so I managed to get some really great shots. Freezing the action in a photograph does not always give a true indication of just how fast these chaps are going however when they go through water and create a big splash you can get more of an idea of how quick they are moving and perhaps how hard they work to stay on course. 

Cool As Milk

Three more shots from my lockdown session at the weekend.

These were the result of releasing the droplets from varying heights and I think they make for some cool images.

Gloop!

So much good weather lately and so many missed opportunities to get out with my camera I haven't felt too motivated to post anything for a few days. 

I thought today however that having finished work I would get creative and mess about with a few more of my water droplet images. I hope you like the results. 

When a drop of water falls and hits the surface it happens so quickly and there is so much that the eye cannot see in that moment. I love the way that freezing the moment and making a few adjustments with highlights and shadows you can capture the texture of the water and in the second shot I love the bubbles or individual droplets that are forming within the spout extending from the top of the main element almost like extruding glass.

Creative with Cordial

So although I have several more cool images from this lockdown photo shoot these are the last ones I will share, for now at least.

After quite some time practising with positioning, lighting and shutter speeds I was really pleased to get some nice sharp droplets as in my posts from the last few days I went on to add a drop of colour to see what different effects I could achieve. 

I said yesterday that I used a mystery substance but there is nothing really mysterious about it, it is Vimto a sweet cordial. I had no idea whether it would work but I am really very happy with the results.

I went on to experiment with food colouring but it didn't work very well, it was perhaps too concentrated and dispersed quickly in the water so I think something thick and sticky like Vimto keeps its integrity longer.

In future I might try with different coloured syrups or even different coloured reservoirs  using juices or even milk so watch out. This lockdown period could bring out even more creativity.

Waterfall

These abstract images are of a waterfall in the Dell at Bodnant gardens in north Wales.

I love to watch water falls and fountains, looking for patterns in the movement of water and in these shots I love the different colour as the light catches the falling stream.

I have rotated the first image through approximately 45 degrees which i think creates an interesting effect however I prefer the second image for the colours and the pattern of the falling water which makes me think of twisted strands of coloured glass.

Watery Crown

There is something quite primal about throwing stones and making the biggest splash possible and I will often do this whenever I am by a river or lake. These are at Wolf River just below the falls. 

I love the random patterns as the water sprays out, and there is so much going on in the shots above. If you look at the "wall" of water in the first image for example you will see tiny ripples as the droplets fall from above. 

In the second image where the splash looks very much like a crown you can also make out a smiley face if you look closely...

Making a Splash

I love this shot of the lower slope of Glwyder Fawr overlooking Llyn Idwal. I love the rugged slopes, the thin streak of snow lingering on the distant ridge and the clear blue sky, I also love the super splash courtesy of my rock throwing daughter to whom this shot is dedicated.

Icicles

These icicles have been formed from water splashing from a mountain stream onto an overhanging branch of heather. The rocks are glistening with ice too.

Creating Rainbows

Having been walking and taking pictures for several hours I decided to take a few moments to sit on the shore of a small inlet of Llyn Llydaw. I started tossing pebbles into the water as I find this a really satisfying thing to do. I like to watch the stone arc through the air and then hit the water with a reassuring "ploosh!" and then I like to see the water splash creating all manner of shapes and patterns.

After a couple of minutes the stones and the resulting splashes got bigger and I decided to try and capture some pictures. I recalled how at this time last year I was stood on the shore of Attersee in Austria with my son doing exactly the same thing and taking pictures of the splash while my son threw the rocks, so I decided to try and take pictures but this time throwing the stones myself. It was a little tricky but I found I was better able to predict where the stones would hit the surface when I was doing the throwing.

In the first image I like the colours of the rainbow as the sunlight captures the water droplets as they rise through the air.

I really like the second image which is cropped to show some of the detail of the water droplets, I love the way they change shape as they wobble through the air, in a matter of seconds they are gone so capturing them reveals the beauty of the moment.

In the third picture there is so much going on with the ring of water expanding from the hollow at point of impact as well as the fountain rising up from the centre and the rain of droplets thrown out from this central column.

Splishing and a Splashing

A few more shots from Le Verdon following on from yesterday's shots.  I like the random shapes and patterns created after the rock hit the water

Throwing Stones

Back in March on my road trip around Europe with my eldest son we took a drive along Route Napoleon north of Grasse.  The road winds and climbs through the Alpes Maritime and passes through the impressive Gorge Du Verdon.

We took a small detour and had a short break on the shore of Le Verdon a little way up from the barrage and hydro-electric station.  We spent a little while throwing rocks into the water and I tried to get some pictures of the water splashing as the rocks hit the water. Getting the timing right was a real challenge as was framing the shots because I was relying on my son to throw the rocks at the point I was focusing on. As you can imagine there were lots of missed shots but I managed to get a few that I am pleased with.  

Attersee

The reflections in yesterday's blog seemed to go down well so I have picked some more lakes and mountains pictures for today. (If you didn't see yesterdays click on the link to have a look, you won't be disappointed).

These were taken in the evening light around the shores of Attersee in Upper Austria, north of Salzburg.  There were a number of lakes in this region, Attersee being the largest, and it was huge. It was beautifully calm though so provided some lovely reflections.

We also stopped off to skim stones and make a splash as you can see in pictures 3 and 4.

The eye of the beholder...

No this post is not about beauty or about great photos its an exercise in subjectivity.

The four pictures above were taken within a second or two using the continuous shooting mode on my camera.

I can see a different shape in each picture and I would like to see if other people see what I see.  So I am inviting comments below just put the number 1 to 4 and next to each say what you see, go on its a bit of fun...

At Herne Bay

The three pictures above were taken on the beach at Herne Bay in Kent, The Garden of England.

I took a number of pictures of the breakwaters as they stretched down the beach into the sea, I think the one I have posted today is the best of them.  

I have chosen two other pictures of the waves breaking, one in monochrome and the other in colour.  Again I took several pictures to try to capture the right moment as the wave hit the breakwater, I think that they are  dramatic shots even though the waves weren't particularly big the effect as they broke was quite exciting.

I like water as a subject for photography and in the future I will experiment with different shots and different effects.