Living on the Edge

 I don't think I can say much about these shots, other than it was so exciting to be able to get close to these beautiful creatures. They really are such special birds. I am always amazed at how hardy they are given how small they are and the life they lead, 8 months out at sea, 4 months on a rocky island in a burrow underground.

In a few weeks when their eggs hatch these birds will be on a constant round of fishing and feeding the little pufflings, who when they have fledged effectively just hurl themselves off the cliff into the air and they too will very soon head off out into the wild ocean.

Take a break

 

There is a different pace to each of these pictures.

In the first a man is casually looking at his phone while enjoying a glass of wine at lunchtime. He is alone and unhurried, perhaps he is waiting for someone, or just delaying his return to the office, it is a lovely day after all and a few more minutes won't hurt.

In the second image there is so much happening, one woman is on her phone while her friend in the white blouse and a star tattoo on her wrist is holding back her dog as another dog walks by without its owner. People on the next table are deep in conversation but some are drawn to the dogs in case some drama develops. Meanwhile the couple sat at the open window talking to the barman who has become very animated, I wonder what has been said.

In the third image a waitress is taking a break, leant against the doorframe while customers are talking inside the café. Has the lunchtime rush just ended or is this a pause before the rush begins? What or who is she looking at, has something just happened along the street that is more interesting than going back in to work?

I like taking pictures of wildlife and landscapes, and architecture too, I like to create an image that evokes memories but as I look back through my portfolio some of the images I enjoy coming back to most are the ones that tell a story, or that I can create a story from. These images were shot during a brief stay in Venice in 2018 while on my road trip with my youngest son. We spent a lot of time walking round and people watching and every now and then I would try to capture a scene. I have lots of pictures of buildings , bridges and canals which I think are pretty good but the ones of people feel a little more unique. My last post also shows some interesting people with interesting stories too so if you have not seen that it is worth a few minutes to take a look... 

Blue Flame

Sometimes it is really easy to choose a picture to share, sometimes I even know days in advance what I will post here and I get impatient as each day goes by waiting to reveal the next picture.

Today however for some reason I have had a hard time reaching a decision.

This is another of my Reflections of Venice. Originally it was in a portrait orientation and I had cropped it a little tighter and while I really liked the image I wasn't 100% convinced by it. However rotating it through 90 degrees and expanding the view slightly it became a different image altogether and I love it.

I have called it "Blue Flame" because I think it does look a bit like flames only blue with white highlights. It also looks a bit like sand art and I really like the range of different shades and the different layers of light and dark.

As with all of this series of pictures there is so much going on in the image and each time you look you can see something new.

More Reflections Of Venice

This is another of my reflections of Venice, I was sat on a jetty on the island of Murano looking across to the city of Venice and this reflection caught my eye. The bright afternoon sun lit up the posts supporting the jetty and created this lovely pattern in the rippling surface of the lagoon.

With a lot of the pictures in this series it isn't immediately obvious that you are looking at reflections or that it's water, but here there's no doubt. As with the others though each time you look you can see something different. In this one I can see a Seahorse, at least an abstract representation of one although that maybe because I love seahorses and i may be "programmed" in some way to spot them.

Seeing The World Through Reflections

Today it was my intention to share more pictures from my recent trip to Venice but instead I have picked some images from a photo shoot this morning that were inspired by some of the pictures I shot in Venice.

So, I went to Burton Mere RSPB Wetland Reserve. I wanted to get there early before the weather turned bad and I almost turned back because the sky was clouding over and I thought it would be a washout. I was glad however that I didn't turn back because as well as getting a few nice shots of birds I was also able to capture some more ripples and reflections.

I have always enjoyed sharp and clear reflections but I have tended to look at the bigger picture, to see mountains reflected in the surface of a calm lake in the early morning for example. However, in Venice I noticed the more abstract scenes that appear when you look closely at the reflections in detail. There is so much going on in these images with the play of light on the surface of the water, the contours and even textures that you simply would not see if you just glance casually as you pass.

The first two images are cropped from the same picture and I think they are amazing, especially the first one which looks as though it is lit from below.

I like the third image because of the blue highlights reflecting a break in the clouds.

You cannot tell from these pictures what is being reflected because they are just a small part of the overall scene but I think they work really well and I know that I am going to enjoy looking closer at reflections when I go out with my camera in future.

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.

Venetian Sunrise #1

So from the title of today's blog you might have been expecting to see the sun coming up above St Marks Basilica or some other Venetian Landmark but if you have seen the post from yesterday you may have been prepared for these more abstract views.

Just like yesterday's images these show the sunlit reflections of Venetian buildings in the surface of the canals. The sun was still low in the sky so the reflections weren't washed out. With the naked eye and given the rapid movement of the water the light was glinting brightly and the reflections seemed more complete but by freezing the image and looking a bit more closely all of these intricate and unique patterns appear. 

I am really really pleased with these pictures because they are so unique.

Feel free to leave a comment.

Sometimes It Is All Just Black and White

I took these shots of different parts of the Grevy's Zebra to highlight the unique and intricate patterns of stripes.

I wonder if you can work out from looking at each picture which part of the zebra they are from. I will give you a clue; the fourth one is the head. You will have to work the rest out for yourselves, leave a comment if you think you know.

Fratercula arctica

I have rather a lot of photos of the Atlantic Puffins on Skomer, well with so many to see it would have been rude not to take them, and it is tempting now to post them all over the next week. 

However I don't want to overload you so after today I will change things and for a day or two I will post a few different subjects.  You can be sure however that because I am so pleased to have such wonderful images of these wonderful birds I will definitely be choosing some more puffin pictures for you.

As I said yesterday this trip was the fulfillment of a long held ambition and getting up close to some of these birds (less than a metre away in some cases) was actually quite an emotional experience for me. Call me soft if you like but I know I was not the only one affected in this way. While taking this group of pictures I was talking to a Polish photographer who also quite clearly couldn't believe that he was there, and he was almost rooted to the spot. There is really something magical about the Puffin.