T6 Harvard in Flight

Last weekend there was a 1940s event a RAF Upwood in Ramsey. There were plenty of people dressed up in costume, of which more in a later post. The schedule of events included flight pasts of vintage aircraft. Sadly I was just arriving as the Spitfire was flying, so wasn't quick enough to get any shots of it. However, I was able to spend some time, and a lot of frames, shooting the flight of a T6 Harvard. For a first attempt at a plane in flight, I am quite pleased. Must try this again sometime.

Ilfracombe

Whilst back in Devon, I took advantage of the best of the weather to spend a couple of hours in Ilfracombe. I have always liked harbours and can happily spend hours wandering around them. The harbour at Ilfracombe, like many these days, has a mixture of private yachts, tourist boats offering day-trips sightseeing or fishing and just a few remaining commercial fishing boats. It is also one of the two ports of call for the MS Oldenburg, the Lundy Island supply ship.

Watersmeet

I was back in North Devon for a couple of days last weekend. The weather wasn't the best. Mostly the sky was grey with cloud. If you are shooting landscapes and the the sky is dull, it's best to keep it out of the picture. In North Devon, a great place to do that is Watersmeet, near Lynton & Lynmouth. There, the picturesque house, tree canopies and waterfalls offer interest on the drabbest of days.























Watersmeet is so named because it marks the confluence of the East Lyn River and Hoar Oak Water.

Fishing Gear Abstracts

I spent the day at Southwold on Saturday. I resisted the urge to photograph the pier, since I have done that before, and the beach huts were a little too busy. Instead I spent some time around the harbor shooting abstract images of fishing gear.

Abandoned Slate Quarry

A few more photos from my recent trip to Snowdonia. The first day we did a circuit taking in Cnicht (the "Welsh Matterhorn"). Sadly the top of the hill was firmly in the cloud, so the supposedly excellent views were denied to us. However, in the dip between Moelwyn Mawr and Cnicht there lies the remains of the Rhosydd quarry. This was an excellent place to stop for a bite of lunch and a few photos.

Fun With Flash and Firestick

On a recent camping trip to Snowdonia, one of the people I went with brought a firestick. Not a toy that I would recommend everyone try. Fortunately, Hannah seemed to know what she was doing. It was therefore a good excuse for me to try experimenting with rear curtain slow sync flash. This was the first time I had tried this technique. Despite only having the camera's onboard flash and hand holding, I am quite pleased with the results.

Abbey Horizons - Points of View

I have been distracted with other things lately and not done much photography. Certainly this occasional blog has become a little too occasional. Some catching up to do. A case in point being the mini points of view held by the Abbey-Horizons group (a photo group in search of a better name). I had a very enjoyable evening back in June doing the shoot. Sadly though, due to other commitments, I couldn't attend the judging evening the week before last. So I thought I should post my efforts here.

The rules for the night were same as the real Points of View competition. A set time inside a set area to take photos to a set brief. In this mini version we had 3 hours, 5 subjects and a good portion of Cambridge to play with.

The briefs were:

1. Vehicle - "Not necessarily a picture of a bus, car, bike, etc, but one where at least part of a vehicle contributes substantially."


2. Vibrant Colour - "Any colour(s). Any subject."


3. From a Low Viewpoint - "Where the impact is dependent on the viewpoint."


4. Window(s) - "Through it, reflected from it, a feature of it etc. Any way you like."


5. Free Style - "For those adverse to a prescriptive approach."