Lac d'Annecy

 On my road trip after leaving Florence I drove through Pisa, I saw the leaning tower but did not stop to explore the town as time on this leg was tight. There was an interesting drive along the Ligurian coast and then inland via some exciting mountain roads to  a small town called Casale Monferrato in Alessandria, on the banks of the River Po where I stayed overnight. It was a lovely town but for some reason the only photos I took were using  my mobile phone and I don't have any to hand to share on here.

From there I drove to Courmayeur and then through the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Chamonix and then on to Lac d'Annecy where I stayed in a lodge on the edge of the lake just a few metres from the jetty in the images above.

This was in June 2018, in Italy the summer was in full swing and it had been hot and sunny the whole time. In fact apart from the thunderstorm and landslide outside of Dresden early on in the trip the weather had been nothing but hot. So it was a bit of a shock to the system arriving in Annecy where it was cold, and overcast. It was a welcome respite for my son however as he had caught a little too much sun in the preceding days so he welcomed the cooler conditions.

The town of Annecy is very picturesque and is a popular destination for French holiday makers all year round, for the lake in summer and the ski slopes nearby in the winter. 

These shots were taken in the early evening and as the clouds rolled in it was very atmospheric, albeit quite chilly.

Kings Dock, Port of Liverpool

 There is a nice contrast in these images of the historic architecture of the Albert Dock Warehouses (now the Merseyside Maritime Museum) and the modern architecture of the newer developments on the Strand showing how investment in Liverpool over recent years has helped improve the city centre and make it an attractive place to live, work or visit.

Even on a cold day this is a popular place for families to visit and explore Liverpool's rich history, to reflect on the positives and negatives and also to enjoy the sights and sounds of the waterfront.

Drip Drop

These are the last few of my water droplet images for now, I will try some more another day.

For the colour in these shots I  used Vimto in the first two switching to red food colouring in the last two. I wasn't sure how this would work out because the colour is so concentrated and as you can see it very quickly dispersed in the cold water.

I think they create some interesting effects.

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.

Red Bubble

Two more water droplet shots 

For the majority of the session I was using plain old water dropped from a syringe and with a few adjustments it creates a nice metallic effect.

Towards the end I switched things up and used a mystery substance to add some colour. I wasn't sure how it would work out because I thought it might just get diluted instantly but happily it didn't as you can see.  I have a few more of these for tomorrow. If you want to know what the mystery substance was I will tell you tomorrow.

Float On

There is something about swans, they're so elegant, and regal as they glide through the water seemingly effortlessly.

I like the way this one is lit by the early morning sun.

Sail On

Early morning on the banks of the River Ribble just outside of Preston I was photographing a beautiful Mute Swan on a stretch of the river that was mirror calm, the only movement being the gentle ring of ripples around the swan.  Then out of the corner of my eye I spotted this other swan coming, steaming in. Head down and wings curled he looked quite intimidating. Also with the rising sun breaking through the trees on the opposite bank this shot is beautifully lit. 

This image contains some of my favourite elements, ripples, reflection and wildlife. What more could you wish?

Trick Of The Light

There really is something special about this image. There is so much colour and so many intricate patterns and all it is is light on water.

A few moments before a small boat had chugged past creating ripples across the width of the canal and what had previously been a recognisable reflection of a beautiful building became an ever changing abstract image with light and shadow,and in places it was almost like gold leaf spread across the waters surface.

Abstract

I was going to crop two images from this one shot but I think it works really well as a single image with the transition from light to dark and with the contours giving a sense of movement and depth.

Venetian Sunrise #2

Here are two more abstract reflections of the sunrise in Venice. I love the gold and green in these images, unlike the pictures of the last two days where there was a bigger variety of colours. It gives a real sense of sunshine on the water.

When you look into these images you can make out the windows of the building that is reflected and each time you look you will see something different, like the contours on a map, or a heart, or maybe even some cartoon faces. Maybe you don't see any of these things but hopefully you will find these eye catching.

I will post something different tomorrow but I have more abstract images to share in the coming weeks.

Light As A...

Feather

Now that the Christmas festivities are over I am back to posting here.

I spotted this feather floating on the gently rippling surface of Marie Louise lake in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. I love the way it rests on the surface held up by the surface tension and it could blow away so easily without leaving a trace.

Friend Zoned

Something that I have wanted to photograph for a long time is the courtship ritual of the Great Crested Grebe and so when I spotted this pair of grebes I thought perhaps my luck was in.

The male was certainly interested and did a bit of flirting, swimming around the female for a bit but she clearly wasn't having any of it. Perhaps it was still too early in the season or maybe he just didn't do it for her because she swam off leaving him a little dejected and me disappointed.

I do like these pictures though, they are such beautifully elegant birds and they swim with such poise and grace and I particularly like the pose in the second image.

I also like the way the ripples in these pictures elongate the reflections of the birds.

Just a Shoveler doing what Shovelers do

Yesterday I posted a couple of pictures of shovelers in flight so for today I decided to share a few shots of a male shoveler on the water. I think these are really beautiful birds especially the male as this one in his breeding plumage, he is so colourful. Although their beaks are an unusual shape they are perfectly adapted to feeding on the food particles that they stir up with their feet which are working furiously beneath the water.

Often they feed in small groups because the action of their combined paddling makes the process more efficient but this one seemed quite content feeding on his own.

I like the sheen on the water and the reflections broken up by the ripples.

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.

Light At The End

I have chosen two shots of the Chirk tunnel on the Llangollen canal because although they are very similar they are taken from different points along the tunnel and I can't decide which one I prefer. 

I really like the first one because of the longer perspective, the light glinting on the brickwork along the length of the tunnel and the irregular line of the handrail. I also like the ripples from the water dripping from the roof. And then because of the length there is a feeling of being in a tube which I like.

I like the second one because there is more detail in the reflections and the shiny colours.

Now, having "analysed" them I have made up my mind which one I like best...

Reflection

you would be forgiven for thinking this shot was taken at the height of summer but in fact it was taken on a very cold New Years day. The colours are rich and warm and the reflections are beautiful.

It's A Teal

Today I have a couple more pictures from my New Years photo shoot at Mere Sands. This is a teal which is the smallest common duck and generally can be found in marshy ponds.

This one was part of a small flock that were feeding in the shallow waters around a reed bed. Although it looks quite relaxed it was very alert and they are able to take off almost vertically if alarmed. Luckily there was nothing to spook this chap and the still water provides nice reflections and gentle ripples.Te

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.

Ripples and Reflections

It was a cold and wet morning in the lakes and I was really lucky to get the first shot of Tarn Hows so still with a fairly sharp reflection, you can just make out the raindrops breaking the surface and just moments after taking this shot it poured down and the reflection disappeared.

In the second shot of the log extending into the lake you can see a white area in the distance which is not ripples it is actually ice. In the final image you can also see that the surface of the lake is frozen for quite a distance and although it looks thin and would not have held my weight it was thick enough that a stone thrown onto it skimmed along the surface.

My favourite images today are the first and fourth, leave a comment and let me know yours...

Watery Fowls

The theme for my posts recently has been watery to say the least with boats and ripples and reflections and today it continues with a couple of water birds and a reference to a famous comedy show from the 1970's, if you spot the reference leave a comment...

The first picture is a Redshank, captured down on the Dee Estuary.

If you saw my blog yesterday you might recognise the second picture as the big reveal of the mystery reflection.  Yes it's a Mallard Drake its not the sharpest picture but when I took it I was more interested in the motion and reflection.