I spent Christmas in Scotland, staying at the Kingshouse. The food and and accommodation were as good as last year, sadly the weather was less kind. The first couple of days were nothing but hard rain and strong winds. Things picked up a little on Christmas day. Boxing day saw blue skies and sunshine, before Storm Gerrit arrived the following day, to give an interesting drive home.
A few suitably festive iPhone shots, taken in London whilst walking back from the theatre.
Whilst those that knew what they were doing set up studio flashes, gels and smoke machines, there was plenty of time to explore the details of the pumping station. And there were plenty of details to admire. As well as the original steam powered rotative beam engine, there was the later diesel engine and a workshop full of bits and bobs.
Stretham Old Engine is the last complete survivor of more than a hundred similar engines that once worked the drainage network all over Cambridgeshire. It was used to pump water from flood-affected areas of The Fens back into the River Great Ouse. I visited there 2 weeks ago, with other CCC members. The intention was to use the pumping station as a backdrop for some portraits. David and Francoise kindly volunteered as models and brought some amazing Steam Punk and 1930s-style costumes.
A selection of images, taken during a visit to Welney last Saturday, with other CCC members. It was a sunny day, but during the morning a strong wind blew into the hides. This made it bitterly cold and the water rather choppy. Things improved in the afternoon. The wind dropped and there was some lovely light, before the sun hit the inevitable bank of low cloud.
Whilst in Grassmere, I had one morning with enough breaks in the cloud to give some lovely early light on the hills opposite. The water was still and their was a thin layer of mist. It took a bit of scrambling, but I managed to find a spot with some foreground interest.
The rest are photos I managed to grab whilst on walks.
I recently had a short break in the Lake District. I started off with 2 nights in a Travelodge just outside Penrith, before moving to Grassmere Village for 3 nights in much nicer accommodation. The main purpose of the trip was to knock another 6 hills off my 'to do' list (190 done, 24 to go), but I did leave one free day for photography. On this day, I chose to take a circular walk around Grassmere and Rydal Water.
The weather for the whole trip was better than deserved, in mid-October, in the Lakes. But, this was a largely overcast day. Even this far north, the unseasonably warm September/October meant that there was still little colour change to be seen in the leaves. I chose to concentrate on IR images with converted Canon 40D and either a 24mm or a 50mm prime.
