Bude Sea Pool

These images were taken at the start of the month, before all the current restrictions.

I was in Devon for a few days visiting my friend Vic.  Sea pools always make good subjects for long exposure and we knew there was a good example in Bude, so that was the first mission.  We were on site a few hours before high tide and were able to track the tide as it came in and topped the pool.

We had chosen a day of 'challenging' weather, a strong, and frankly bitter, wind with alternating sun and 'sharp' showers.  Despite doing my best to hold down my tripod, the wind proved too much for most the of the >30 second exposures.  I had a lot more success with exposures of around 1 to 2 seconds.  I particularly enjoyed capturing the movement of the water over the broad pool wall.

 

 

Fairground Lights

I am a little behind in my blog posts.  A couple of weeks ago was the Mid-Lent Fair in Stamford.  This year, for the first time in a few years, the riverside meadow was dry enough to be used.  This meant there were a few more (and bigger) rides.  I spent my time on these, but struggled to find decent angles.  Getting a full circle on the Airmaxx proved to be a real challenge.

Samba Band

On Saturday I went to the Mill Road Winter Fair in Cambridge.  As much as I enjoy street photography, when big crowds are involved, I often struggle to find good images.  It can be difficult to separate individuals from the numbers that surround them.  This time was no exception, and I had taken very few shots before I encountered the Samba band.  After watching them for a while, and taking a few straight pictures, I felt my images weren't successfully capturing the vibrance and mood of their performance.  So I chose instead to take some intentionally blurred images.  These I feel better capture the spirit of the performance.

 

Ghosts of Winter

The March snows, that covered the much of the country last weekend, reached as far as St Neots.  Although nothing compared with the north-west we did have a couple of centimetres worth.  I had intended to get some shots of spring flowers in the snow.  But the all the cold weather has delayed most spring blooms and the few that were out were buried.  A new plan was needed. 

I took inspiration from images that Sue had shown in a recent club talk, featuring intentional camera blur.  The churchyard of St Mary's Church in Eaton Socon made a suitable subject.  The brightness of the snow required a minimum aperture and a polariser to give me workable shutter times of an eighth to a tenth of a second.  Just enough to move the camera a little during exposure.   The technique is very hit and miss, but after a few hundred shots I ended up with some I quite like.  The ghostly feel of these shots conveys to me the mood of the day and location.

Wave Movements - Assynt Beaches

Some coastal shots from my recent trip to Assynt.  As well as the inland delights, the area boasts some beautiful beaches. Secluded little coves with golden sands.  On the right day you could think yourself in the Med (until you put a toe in the water).  Sadly, these weren't the right days.  But at least my previous trip to Sennen taught me how to may the most out of a beach with a poor sky. 

I did a lot of slow shutter speed shots to try and capture the motion of the waves against any handy foreground interest.  The dull conditions meant that a 1 or 2 second exposure could be achieved without resorting to the 'big stopper'.