End of Year Miscellany

To end the year, here are a few random shots, taken in the last couple of months, that I never got around to posting.

Welcombe Beach

Due to weather and commitments, there were only two days during my Christmas trip to Devon that were available for photography.  Boxing Day and the day after.  With limited time, for my second day out, I chose to visit another favourite location, Welcombe Mouth. 

Over the previous night, the second of the Christmas storm fronts had passed through the West Country. Whilst most of the rain, baring the odd shower, had passed, a strong on-shore wind remained and conditions were challenging.  The wind rattled my tripod making 10-stop exposures out of the question.  The sea was a boiling mess of white froth and the high tide was longer and higher than the previous day.  The sea did not begin to clear the beach until the light was failing, leaving only a enough time for a few shots.

Westward Ho! in Mono

I have heard it said that a tradition is just something you have done for 3 years or more.  One of my Christmas traditions, of recent years, is a Boxing Day visit to Westward Ho!, a place I spent many summer Sundays of my childhood.  The main  purpose was to get out the house and get some fresh sea air, but I usually find something to photograph, be it windsurfers or strand-line debris.  This time I was keen to try some long exposure pictures for mono conversion, particularly of the tidal swimming pool. 

I arrived at high tide, so I could shoot as it receded, uncovering the pool.  Sadly, this was also the middle of the day, the last of the 3 day lull between storm fronts, and I had to contend with bright sun causing difficulties for the long exposures I wanted.  I can't say I am very happy with the results either compositionally or regarding the mono conversion.  This just means I will have to have another go next year.

Sadly, as the tide went out, the cloud came in.  So it will take another trip to get a shot of this derelict house, that is slowly losing its battle with the sea, under better light and with a more dramatic sky.

Cambridge Market

A few more images from Sunday night's outing in Cambridge.  These were taken in the market as it was packing up.  Most of them using my wide angle lens.

Cambridge Christmas Lights

On Sunday afternoon, I joined other members of the Camera Club to photograph the Christmas lights and shoppers in Cambridge.  It had rained a little earlier in the day and rained a little more before we finished.  In a couple of locations the the reflections in the wet streets added to the lights on display.

 

Back to the Lakes

Last weekend I visited my friend Vic and we spent a couple of days in the Lakes.  The first day was  a walking day.  We did the Kentmere Horseshoe, my first proper walk since Africa.  It was a beautiful late autumn day, but a late-ish start and a long route didn't leave much time for photos.

Day 2 was a photography day.  An early start saw us trying to capture a sunrise over Coniston water.  Sadly we didn't get the break in the cloud we were hoping for, but we did manage a couple of shots to justify the early start.  We passed the rest of the morning getting waterfall and texture shots before having a decent lunch in Ambleside and calling it a day.

Midsummer Common Fair

Some images from the fair on Midsummer Common.  Taken before and after the fireworks.  Good weather meant the evening was well attended and the fair was crowded.  So I mainly stuck with my 10-20mm lens, in order to get close to rides and capture the light trials.

Cambridge Fireworks

On Tuesday night it was the annual Cambridge firework display on Midsummer Common and the annual CCC firework photography trip.  Turnout was rather limited, with just the 3 of us.  I started with a few wide-angle shots, to try and capture the fireworks within the context of the surrounding scene.  But after a dozen or so shots, I switched to a longer lens and abstract shots of the coloured light trails.