The Dell

 I am sticking with a watery theme for today with this shot looking  upstream towards the waterfall at Bodnant  Gardens. I was stood on the bridge looking down at the falls for the abstract pictures I shared a few days ago. 

I knew as I walked along by the stream that I wanted to get this shot and I had to position my tripod on some stepping stones mid-stream to get it using another long exposure and my variable ND filter. I have also tweaked some of the colours in lightroom to add vibrancy to the overall image and I am very pleased with the results.

Fabulous Finches

Out for a walk I spotted these beautiful finches, I heard them first because they are such noisy little things.

It was really windy so their perches were getting blown around a lot so they are not necessarily the sharpest images but they are such beautiful birds. Getting out into nature, even briefly when things are the way they are right now can give an enormous lift.

More From Burano

Today here are a few images from Burano, a couple of picture postcard views of the coloured houses and canals and also of an old church viewed across the lagoon from Burano set against the backdrop of the snow covered Italian Alps.

There are a couple of shots of one of the posts that line the canals, I have chosen one in colour because with the colourful buildings behind it looks really good, the other one I have posted in black and white because it isolates the post from the background which was the effect I really wanted and I think it looks fantastic.

A Moody Landscape

Today's blog finds me a little closer to home than my recent posts. After a grey and miserable start to the day the skies cleared and we were treated to a brilliant blue cloudless sky and so after lunch I headed down to the beach at Caldy looking across the Dee Estuary towards Flintshire (North Wales). 

Normally from here you can see North Wales just a few miles across the bay and often you can see the mountains of Snowdonia but today the light meant things were a bit different. You may just about make out the Flintshire hills on the horizon but only just and even then only as a faint smudge or shadow.

Because I was shooting into the strong sunshine I have used a Cokin P series graduated ND filter to ensure these shots are not washed out and as such I have not had to do any real changes in Lightroom. There is a slight vignetting on the third shot but all in all I think it adds to the image.

I had experimented with shooting these scenes in black and white and I think they looked really good but as much as I like black and white photography I think the colours in these shots are spot on as they emphasise the moodiness and sense of isolation in each view.

Little House On The Rocks

Cano EF 70 - 300mm F 4-5.6 IS USM

ISO 100  150 mm  F/16  1/250 sec

ISO 100  135mm  F/16  1/250 sec

ISO 100  220 mm  F/16  1/250 sec

I am really loving the current spell of warm weather, it feels like a proper summer at last. The only drawback being that I have to be in work so I can't fully enjoy the sunny conditions. So when I was choosing these pictures for today's blog I was drawn to these shots of the little house on the rocks.

One of the things I was most keen to do on my roadtrip was to see something of the archipelago near to Gothenburg and on a hot and sunny day lots of other people had the same idea. If you ever get to visit this part of Sweden I would definitely recommend visiting the islands and even though lots of people take trips out from the city it is possible to find quiet spots and feel as though you are miles from anywhere and anyone else. What's more it is a cheap day out because a day ticket for the trams and buses is also valid for the boats which shuttle between the islands and you can get on and off to explore as many of the islands as you choose.

We headed to Vrango one of the southernmost islands in the group and it wasn't long after we got off the boat that we found ourselves away from the other day trippers. There are no cars on the island so it is really safe to walk around.

Here I have selected three different shots of a little red summer house which was perched on top of a rocky outcrop, it had stunning views in every direction and I think it looks great. I like the colour and black and white images but whereas I would often prefer black and white in this instance I think the colour images are much better. The colours really pop out and yes the sky really was that blue. This was one of the hottest days on our roadtrip and quite a surprise given it was the furthest north on our trip around Europe and we had expected things to be a few degrees cooler. 

There was lots more to see around the island and so I will be sharing more shots from Vrango in the days to come.

Olag IV C

So this evening we are in Dresden, eventually. I had planned on getting here late afternoon and thought I would get some good shots around the city in the evening sun. Unfortunately however we have spent the best part of 6 hours in a traffic jam as a result of flash floods so we arrived late to our hotel and we missed dinner too.

Earlier we broke up our journey by visiting Olag IV C or Colditz as it is better known.
The castle is now a youth hostel and museum but during the second world war it was a prison for allied officers who had escaped from other camps. It was supposed to be impossible to escape from Colditz but at least 30 successful escapes were made from around 300 attempts. There were lots of examples to read in the museum and it is worth reading up on some of them, like the Colditz Cock, which is not what you might think.

Prior to its use as a prison it had been a psychiatric hospital that had played a dark part in the T4 euthanasia program and there was a very fitting and moving memorial to the 84 people who died there.

I have only one picture to share today which is looking up through one of the arches into the courtyard and it is easy to forget the dramatic history when you look at the beautiful architecture. I'm glad we got to stop off here because the castle was well worth a visit and the slice of cake from one of the bakeries in the town square was an added bonus.

Cracking The Flags

There's an expression for hot sunny days that the sun is "cracking the flags" so on a hot day visiting Dunham Massey a short break in the shade of the orangery was very welcome. While there my eye was drawn to the shadows on the stone floor and I think it makes a really interesting abstract image which I hope you will enjoy.

Gulls in Flight

Sitting on the harbour wall at New Quay I enjoyed watching some of the gulls stretching their wings and taking to the air.

Today's images show a couple of juvenile lesser black backed gulls, the first being a year old and the second I think is two years old as can be deduced from their mottled plumage.

They're awesome flyers using the least possible energy as they loop and soar in search of food. In this particular spot they find rich pickings in the scraps from visitors. 

I live the second shot, particularly the curve of the wing.

Money Does Grow On Trees

This week I have been off work again and although I had stuff to do around the house some of the week I did manage to get out with my camera twice and I have a nice selection of pictures to keep me going for a while.

On Wednesday I couldn't decide what to do until a friend suggested that I take a trip up to Ingleton Falls in Yorkshire where you can walk around a 4 - 5 mile trail by some quite spectacular waterfalls. I had been many years ago when my children were small and before I had a decent camera too so I packed my gear into the car and headed off in the hope of good weather and some great images. 

Well the weather was really good and I will leave it to you to decide about the images but thanks to my friends suggestion I had a great day out and got some much needed time with my camera in the countryside.

So I can tell you will be wondering, if it was a waterfall trail where are the pictures of waterfalls? All in good time; because as much as I want to share them I also have other shots that I think are interesting and that deserve a spot here on my blog. I am also excited about the pictures I took on my other day out in Snowdonia but I am going to have to wait to share those too.

The pictures I have chosen for today are of the Money Tree, a feature along the riverside path at Ingleton. I remember this from my first visit all those years ago and how at that time we hammered a coin into the tree with the children. Now there seems like there is no room for any more money and people have taken to hammering coins in an adjacent tree trunk.

I don't know how or why this tradition started but it is an interesting feature, there is a similar one at Bolton Abbey and I recall adding my own coins to that one on my last visit.  I really like the way the coins follow the contours and the grain in the bark, I like the texture it creates and I like the colours as the coins have become worn and weathered. 

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 Life

I have some great pictures from Amsterdam, of canals, bridges and canal houses but for today I wanted to share a few slightly different images of some of the city's inhabitants all of which reflect the character and charm of the place.

The first picture was taken inside the Westerkerk on Prinsengracht (which is the subject of the painting in the top right of the photo).  I am sure it is a wonderful place to work as an artist, the light was great and there was an organ recital providing a super soundtrack.

The seagulls in the second photo appear to have an almost romantic connection with each other which caught my eye and seemed really fitting given the setting.

The cat sunning itself on a bench was also a really fitting image for this relaxed and laid back city.

I hope that you enjoy these pictures as much as I do, feel free to leave a comment below...

Mid-day moon

Today's  pictures are few a random  shots taken on day ten of our road trip.

OK, it wasn't mid day it was 1.45 but I was slightly surprised to see the moon so clearly while it was so sunny and warm.  Anyway having driven along the Route Napoleon my son and I stopped to take a walk in Saint Vallier de Thiey and I was able to take the first of today's pictures, obviously this image is cropped from the original picture which was taken using my 70 - 300mm lens.

There were hundreds of small lizards rushing around in the leaf litter and basking in the early afternoon sun and after trying unsuccessfully to catch one I took a photo instead.

The final picture is a sign we saw a fair way along the trail, warning that in order to protect their flocks from wild dogs, wolves and lynx the shepherds use guard dogs and advising walkers to take extra care.  We could see a flock of sheep on the hillside and we could hear the goat bells as they were being herded along a mountain trail.  Seeing the sign my son decided that it was time to turn back, not because he was worried about the prospect of coming across a wolf or a lynx but because he was worried about the guard dog... Hmmm!

Shivering Mountain

As promised here are a few more pictures from Mam Tor and a view across Edale towards Kinder Scout showing off some beautiful English landscapes.