265/223: 30 Sept 2010: Cloudscape 2

An altogether more natural approach this time. I was attracted by the thought that even Skiddaw looks tiny under a big sky – although I have emphasised the difference by using a wide-angle lens. Taken across the fields from a couple of miles east of Aspatria, looking towards Fletchertown.

365/222: 29 Sept 2010: Cloudscape

These rather interesting clouds got even more interesting when I fiddled with the contrast. Looks quite threatening really.

365/221: 28 Sept 2010: 2nd Curtain Flash

I’m a firm believer that things should be fun. So although I take photography pretty seriously, I still like to experiment and see what happens. Thought I’d have a go at some 2nd curtain flash this evening, coupled with a longish exposure. As I was in a hotel the options were a bit limited so here’s the ceiling fan. I make no great claims for it as a photo, but I think it is at least interesting.

365/220: 27 Sept 2010: Mmmmmm!!…Shepherd’s Pie

I love Shepherd’s Pie. SImple, tasty , home cooking at it’s best. Served here with butternut squash (hardly traditional, I know) and green beans straight from the vine (plant?). Not a spinach coulis or panache of Mediterranean vegetables in sight – who writes restaurant menus anyway, and where do they get these terms?

365/219: 26 Sept 2010: White rabbit

Why is it that the world’s cutest animal, the white bunny, looks quite sinister when produced by a graffiti artist? Perhaps for the same reason that Jefferson Airplane turned the same cute pet into a drug icon in their classic song White Rabbit.

365/218: 25 Sept 2010: These boots are made for walking….

…and apparently singing as well. According to my daughter they were calling to her from the shop. Judging by the number of pairs she looked at it must have sounded like t’Uddersfield Choral doing the Hallelujah Chorus.

365/217: 24 Sept 2010: Shopping Village, Street

Went to Clark’s Shopping Village, Street today. Intended to visit the Rohan shop to get some new travel jeans and some replacement work trousers. What actually happened of course is that I bought a pair of shoes, Naomi bought a pair of shoes, Marion bought two pairs of shoes, and a top. C’est la vie. Teach me to be a cheapskate and go to the outlet store.

Anyway here is a picture of the rather lovely carousel (posh for roundabout) in the middle of the village. Sadly a bit of motion blur in the roundabout itself, but I still like the picture.

365/216: 23 September 2010: You only need two tools

WD-40 and Gaffer tape. If it doesn’t move and it should – free it with WD-40. If it does move and shouldn’t – fix it with gaffer tape.

With thanks to Steven Winterburn for the philosophy

365/215: 22 September 2010: The eyes have it.

Have had this model of a wolf (actually a pair of wolves) sitting on the sideboard for several years. I think there is something uniquely beautiful about wolves and this ‘collectable’ from Country Artists seems – to me anyway - to capture something of it.

365/214: 21 Sept 2010: On the road again.

Or perhaps more accurately, observing the road. Looking back over the last couple of hundred entries I notice that I’ve not really included much of where I spend a significant lump of my life. So here’s the M56, looking eastbound from J10, at about 18:15. A surprising amount of my life looks like this.

365/213: 20 Sept 2010: A late splash of colour

Just as I was resigned to autumn the sun comes out again and the ice plant in my front garden is covered with butterflies – mostly small tortoiseshells like this one. There were a couple of red admirals as well but they were distinctly uncooperative.

365/212: 19 Sept 2010: Cotoneaster berries…

Cotoneaster horizontalis if my memory serves me correctly, which I’m prepared to concede it seldom does. Outrageously cheerful – these things cover my garage wall in colour for a while in autumn until the starlings realise they’re free and tasty.

365/211: 18 Sept 2010: Mobile phone

..and not a very good photo of one at that. Scraping the barrel in a hurry here. Normal service will be resumed asap.

365/210: 17 Sept 2010: Autumn is here

The swifts went a while back, I noticed the swallows were gone last weekend and the number of house-martins is rapidly falling. And to cap it all, harvest is essentially over in my neck of the woods. All this says autumn to me.

These straw bales seem to catch it well:

365/209: 16 Sept 2010: A shot in the dark

The fact that it’s getting dark earlier gives me the chance to get out and take some photos by available (and usually artificial) light, which I love because the colours are so weird. It’s also a bit of a challenge because of the technical limitations of digital cameras, which just adds to the fun. This one is taken at ISO3200 which, if you believe some of the garbage on the photography forums, is ‘unusable’ on my camera. I guess that’s a matter of opinion and creative vision.

365/208: 15 Sept 2010: Always a welcome sight…

…especially after the long drive home. A mug of tea and a chocolate digestive – no-one could say I was hard to please.

365/207: 14 Sept 2010: A room with a view…

..of a windsock and a tennis court. Perhaps not the most attractive scene in the world, but the windsock caught my eye.

365/206: 13 Sept 2010: More hotel abstraction

Amazing what you can find to make an interesting photo when you’re pushed. No prizes for guessing what it is.

365/205: 12 Sept 2010: Working on my degree

Having a go at roses in black and white today. Never tried real B/W photography before so quite looing forward to the challenge. Will be posting the assignment on y other blog when I’m happy with the results, but this shot is making me wish I could stick with the colour version.

365/204: 11 September 2010: A stroll in Allonby

Went for a stroll along the beach in Allonby today looking for props for my latest degree project. Popped this one off while I was out and about. It’s at the north end of the village, and so, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s called North Lodge. Background info here

365/203: 10 September 2010: Carnations

Not entirely happy with this shot, which fails to capture the ludicrous lemon yellow of this plant. tried all sorts of light balances and brightness settings and can’t quite get it. BUT..as this was essentially the only thing I shot today, here is the best I can manage.

365/202: 09 September 2010: A long night on the M6

This sums up my evening very well. Check the times and the distance travelled. I’d already be essentially motionless for 2.5 hours when I took the first shot.

 

365/201: 8 September 2010: Walnuts in the wild

Another night at the Gloucester Ramada, so went for a stroll before dinner, and came across a walnut tree in a park. Don’t recall seeing a walnut tree in fruit in the UK before so though I’d go for the shot.

Straightforward really, just wish I’d upped the shutter speed a tad, ‘cos it’s a bit too soft for a stock library.

365/200: 07 September 2010: Milking it a bit

A bit of catching up to do as I’ve got behind on my posting. At the Gloucester Ramada tonight and rather short of inspiration. Went for this little arrangement in the end. The room was rather dark so I used a long exposure which I lit with a small torch which I waved backwards and forwards while the shutter was open to reduce the harshness of the shadows.

365/199: 06 September 2010: Aubergine/Eggplant–whatever

I love aubergines, they’re so dark and shiny, and a really fresh one is really tactile and smooth. And they taste good too. So – here we are in praise of the humble aubergine:

365/198: 05 September 2010: Childhood memories

Rhiannon, our eldest, was clearing out her wardrobe and came across this rabbit. It’s the first toy we ever bought for her, and for some reason lost in the depths of time we called it ‘Wuzzle’. I never have the heart to throw these things out.

365/197: 04 September 2010: A Gadulka

Or more accurately a model of one. The gadulka  is a traditional Bulgarian bowed string instrument, and we’ve had this model since we went there about 8 years ago.

365/196: 03 September 2010: A very sad day…

Said goodbye to my father-in-law today - I shall miss him.

365/195: 02 September 2010: A bugs life

Found this Shield Bug in the berries of this rowan tree. They do look quite alien in close(ish)-up

365/194: 01 Sept 2010: Mmmm!…Chocolate Sponge

Marion is in the kitchen baking things – like this chocolate sponge. Seriously guys – its the best chocolate sponge in the world. But I’m not allowed to eat it because apparently – and unknown to me – I’m on a diet.

365/193: 31 August 2010: It’s beer o’clock

Well, lager to be more accurate. Beginning to think that this project is telling me something I already knew – that I enjoy ‘product’ photography and still life more than the other sorts.