There's No One Home

 

A walk on the beach will invariably result in finding lots of seashells and along the shore between Hoylake and West Kirby there are millions upon millions of them. Each shell host to a creature (clam, mussel, oyster, cockle, whelk, razor clam etc) which in turn is a source of food for the many wading birds and gulls that can be found along the coastline here.

I thought this was quite a magnificent specimen, once home to a whelk (a type of sea snail) but now abandoned and exposed by the tide. I liked the way the light caught it and the reflection it cast in the shallow puddle in the sand.

Goose

 This was one of the first images I captured on my morning visit to Brockholes. I had been watching a couple of Brown Hares nearby when I spotted this greylag goose through the reeds, enjoying the early  morning sun. It was sitting so calm and serene and I think this image sums up how I felt in that moment with the sun on my back and total calm all around me.

Looking at in now I am also drawn in by the warm layers of colour (which actually are misleading because it was pretty cold at just 3C or 37F).

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.

On An Island

 Looking across the pond to this small island I noticed a tumbledown shack which on its own, at first glance was not particularly interesting but taking a ,moment to really look I noticed the reflection in the calm water and the variety of colours illuminated by the sun.

These shots were taken from different vantage points and used 4 second exposures to enhance the reflections. 

A Step Back in Time

 

This is Kaysersberg, a small town in Alsace, France. Not far from Strasbourg and Colmar, and close to the border with Germany. The heart of the town is comprised of cobbled streets and beautiful half timbered houses that date back more than six hundred years. It is a town that embraces its heritage and during my recent visit towards the end of November the town was preparing for its annual Christmas fair. I was pleased to be there before the crowds of people arrived because it was quiet and the charm of the place was unspoiled.

Surrounded by the hills of the Ballons des Vosges and the famous vineyards this is a wonderful place to visit at any time of year but in the winter with the clear crisp air and the smell of wood smoke there is a special feeling of calm, it is almost magical, especially with the Christmas lights.

The buildings are brightly coloured but as these pictures were taken during the evening and the light was poor I have chosen to present them in black and white. If it were not for the TV aerials and the fairy lights you could easily think these were pictures from long ago and that perhaps very little has changed here over the centuries.

Nicely Framed

The approach to the house at Lyme Park takes you about 1 mile through the deer park where there is a herd of wild Red Deer (I didn't spot any) and the façade of the house is grand but not as grand or ostentatious as the rear of the house that overlooks the reflecting pond. This is the side of the house that is made to be seen.

Visitors to Lyme would be invited to walk around the lake so that they can enjoy the spectacular view. As well as this view there is a formal Italian garden, a simple terrace and the orangery and for those with more energy there are extensive grounds, a mill, and of course the deer...

I love the lighting in these shots, I hope you will agree they really show off this magnificent building.

The final shot below is of the fountain in the orangery, in the almost tropical atmosphere the moss has really taken hold on the stonework of the fountain. I like the fact that rather than clear the moss the gardeners have embraced this growth to enhance the feature. The sound of the trickling water is slightly muted creating a lovely relaxing atmosphere.

 

Topiary

 I had such a lovely time at Sizergh Castle, the gardens are really wonderful. I didn't get to explore everywhere because I didn't have an awful lot of time but I made the most of what time I had.

One of my favourite parts of the gardens was the topiary, it was just so peaceful and I like the view looking through the gates as they welcome you into this hidden gem.

I would normally try to avoid getting people in my shots and anyone who has been with me when I take photos will have been frustrated as they wait for me as I wait to get the perfect shot. As it happens I didn't have to wait long to get people free shots in this part of the garden however as you can see in the second image there is someone there. I had watched them walking towards the end of this passage and I knew that they added something special to the image.

I love the third image because I had sat for a few minutes just soaking up the atmosphere and wishing I could stay a bit longer

West Kirby At Night

Just one picture for today's post and it is the last one from my Sunday evening visit to West Kirby marine lake. This was a 6 second exposure and I wanted to cut down the ripples and also highlight the illuminated edge of the pontoon. I like the reflection of the waterfront apartments too.

The lights on the horizon to the left are from shipping anchored out in Liverpool Bay waiting for the tide to turn before heading in to port to unload their cargoes from the far corners of the world.

Pontoon

Here are a few more shots of the marine lake after dark, these were long exposures to smooth out the ripples in the surface of the lake. It also brought out the detail in the sky and reflections that otherwise would have been missed.

Across The Lake

 As I write this I am supposed to be in the New Forest, one of my absolute favourite places, for a well earned week away enjoying lots of walks and lots of photo opportunities. However, thanks to the Liverpool region going into Tier 3 lockdown I had to shelve my plans and find some other way to amuse myself.

Yesterday evening I went for a short walk along the waterfront at West Kirby and since there wasn't even the slightest breeze the surface of the marine lake was mirror calm. I didn't have my camera with me at the time so I determined that if the weather held I would pop back this evening to try some long exposure shots. Although there was a slight breeze creating the slightest movement in the water it was still nice and calm so I managed to get some pretty good images.

Here are a couple of shots looking across the lake to Hilbre Island.

In the first image I have used the small buoy to create a little foreground interest and I have adjusted the contrast to bring out the detail in the sky.

The next two images are the same shot but with different treatment. I do think it works well as a black and white image but I think I prefer the pastel tones in the colour image.

Smoke over Patterdale

This is such a lovely view, looking south from Glenridding Pier through Patterdale with Place Fell on the left hand side.

Although it was quite overcast there were brief moments when the sun broke through the clouds illuminating the fells contributing to this fantastic image.

Although this looks really tranquil just moments before I took this shot two RAF Hawk jets flew fast and low through the valley (and I mean low; they were below the height of Place Fell which has a prominence of 262m or 850ft so they were probably around 500ft above the surface of the lake).

I have some good memories of visiting here, a few years ago I camped on the fell just to the left, it was a cold, damp night and I needed the help of a group of young people to push my car as I got stuck on a slippery slope. Although that was slightly embarrassing I had a great time and waking up to a view like this was just perfect.

Secluded Courtyard

Over the last few days I have been sharing pictures from a recent visit to Dunham Massey but before then I was posting more pictures from my roadtrip earlier this year.

Today's picture is stepping back to the trip and my visit to the Boboli Gardens in Florence.  We had spent a couple of hours walking around the gardens soaking up the atmosphere and the summer sun and as we were making our way to the exit I spotted this wonderful little terrace/courtyard. I love the colours in this picture and the contrast between the warm stone  floor, the rich colour of the walls and the cool green of the climbers around the gateway, And the gate, slightly rickety adds such a lot of character to the scene.

The gardens were quite busy but this little terrace was an oasis of calm and so so beautiful. 

Island Harbour

Canon  EF 24 - 105 mm  F/4 L IS USM

ISO 100  105 mm  F/20   1/125 sec

ISO 100  40 mm   F/20   1/125 sec

Today's pictures show the colourful harbour at Vrango taken from the vantage point of the Lotsukiken (the red house or observation deck from yesterday's pictures). 

I really like the row of huts in the first picture I like the uniformity with the bright white walls and the dark grey of their roofs.

As I review my roadtrip pictures I think this was definitely one of my favourite places along the way. Maybe because it was so relaxing and away from all the crowds. I will certainly go back here in the future.

Living The Dream

Recently I was offered a narrowboat for free and I was genuinely tempted by the offer. I have often thought how nice it would be to travel England's waterways on a barge, I imagine it to be such a relaxing thing to do, cruising along at such a leisurely pace enjoying the countryside as well as connecting with England's industrial heritage. I only went off the idea when the question of mooring fees, insurance and restoration costs came up and I realised that for now at least this is not an option I could take up.

But as I thought about, albeit briefly, I recalled this scene from the Llangollen canal between Christmas and New Year. Along the canal there were lots of moorings on the towpath which offered a place to stop for 48 hours before you would have to move on. Then there was the large marina at Chirk and a smaller marina at Trevor where obviously there would be mooring fees. But on the opposite bank I spotted this isolated little camp where the bargee had obviously set up a more permanent camp next to a little clearing with their washing strung between the trees and a bicycle on hand for trips to the nearest town/village. I think this is an idyllic scene and looking at these pictures I can feel myself drawn to this type of life.

A Life Afloat

I have chosen these three shots to share for my end of year post because they are such peaceful scenes and after a hectic and trying year this peacefulness is what I wish for myself and everyone. 

To all who have followed my blog or looked at my pictures and even shared them in 2017 thank you. I hope you will stay with me through 2018 wherever it takes me.

Happy New Year!!!

Bolton Abbey Village

So today I am repeating the theme from yesterday with these shots of dusk and dawn in the village. It was really quiet and peaceful, the sounds of sheep in the fields and birdsong complete the picture but you will have to use your imagination for that.

A Place To Sit And Think

So today's picture has taken quite a bit of time to prepare. I have recently been experimenting a bit with a technique (I don't know if it has a name) trying to highlight colour in a black and white image. Sometimes it works and others it doesn't. Today's effort is a work in progress rather than the finished item and I will be coming back to it at some point as I really want to get this right.

I love this image but in black and white it is lacking something and in colour the beautiful floor gets lost. So I tried something different. At first i actually wanted to make the chair pop out becaue the colour of the wood and the straw seat is really beautiful but in lightroom which is what I have used the process is quite tedious and not very precise so after three or four attempts I gave up and decided to bring out the floor which is also quite amazing. Again the process hasn't worked as well as I had hoped so more practice is needed. Maybe I need to try in photoshop using layers, if anyone can given me some pointers I would be very grateful.

In spite of its imperfections I hope you will agree that  the image is good and the overall effect is really nice and so worth striving for perfection.

A Gentle Ripple

I loved this view and I took a shot with the water dead calm but as I was moving along the water's edge I stepped in the water making a slight ripple and so I decided to take another shot but one where I deliberately created a ripple and watched it slowly spreading out across the surface of the reservoir. While I really liked the image with the perfect reflection I thought the small rock centre left of this image combined with the ripple extending out from where I stood added extra interest to the image.

Night on the Dock

This lovely scene was taken on the dock at Marie Louise Lake in the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. It was a dead calm evening and this was taken using a 30 second exposure. I hadn't been able to take my tripod on this trip as it is a bit too bulky. Instead I used a beanbag to keep my camera steady for such a long exposure. It was the first time I had used this set up and I am rather pleased with the result, the stars stand out really nicely and the warm glow to the left of the picture is from Thunder Bay.  I had hoped to get some clear shots of the milky way however there was a full moon and so there was too much light to get a clear view.

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!