December 3rd in my Winter Diary. I can’t resist getting out and about in these conditions and capturing whatever appeals to my eye. Here’s a selection of my favourties from last Friday.
Up!
Vimy Ridge, Kinoulton
Meadow
Monty
Monty is a beautiful Black Russian Terrier I happened to meet at Rushcliffe Country Park.
Grasslands
The Snowman
Milo
Lone Tree
A Winter’s Tale – A Picture Diary of my Outings and Adventures during the recent Snowy Conditions (captured on two different cameras; my Nikon D700 and my Panasonic Lumix)
Shadowlands
Totally Suited
In the Lane it was Glistening ..... Walking in a Winter Wonderland
Irony!
First Winter
Trudging Through The Snow
She Fell Over!
Highlander
Tracks
On The Scent
Keep Dairy Products Refridgerated!
Oh it's Ewe .....
Ice Ice Baby
Snowballs
The downside to having long fur is you take on a lot of baggage!
Observation Post – Costa Characters
A recent break on the Costa del Sol and daily sojourns around and about the area lead to some interesting candid shots of various Spanish characters that happened to catch my eye for one reason or another. I haven’t done any of this type of photography for a long while, so it made welcome and rewarding change.
Spot hangs out at a guitar makers shop!
Taking the weight off for a minute
Courting Couple
Basket Weaver
Breaking News!
Waiting for custom
Please release me!
Passing the time
Look No Hands!!!
Evenings' Catch
Last walk of the Day
Catching the breeze
"I can, I can definitely see Australia....."
Nautical Abstracts
This week’s theme is of a nautical natural;Â images taken on
"At the End of my Tether"
a recent trip to North Norfolk and pottering around the harbour and old fishing yards at Brancaster Staithe.
Chain Linked
Big Sky - Narrow Vista
"Abandoned"
"Weigh Anchor"
"Uncle Tom's Cabin"
"The World's your Lobster"
"What Knot"
"Net Profit"
"Old and Tyred"
Wocko The Woodman
This week’s offering is an environmental portrait taken during a Craft Fair at Sandringham, Norfolk last weekend. As I was pottering around I came across this great character busy working away. I got chatting to him and he was happy for me to take some shots while he was engaged in his task. The inclusion of the setting and his tools go to make this a mini environmental portrait series – you can see Wocko’s work at http://www.wocko.com.
Here Wocko uses his drawknife; pulling the blade toward him to scim off thin layers
In this shot he was demonstrating the bench or stock knife to thin a piece of wood creating these lovely curly shavings in the process
The Bench Knife in Action
The Scorp can be used for a variety of tasks, in this instance Wocko was enhancing the appearance of a natural knot in the wood
Wocko's splendid fresh water rush hat was made by wife
Right Place, Right Time
This image of the week comes direct to you from my back garden. I was busy editing some images on my imac when my attention was caught by some movement outside my office window. This magnificent Sparrow Hawk is a frequent visitor to our garden, but this is the first occasion that I have been close enough to get a shot of it. It was about 15-20ft away from where I sit at my desk, and the closest camera to hand was just my Panasonic Lumix compact. Due to the bird’s
Birds Eye View
close proximity I was very mindful that any large movement from me would alert it to my presence, so I had to act quickly and smoothly; with the Lumix at it’s fully extended 12x optical zoom I managed to grab four shots before it flew off – this is my favourite of the four which I’ve cropped so that the subject fills the frame.
This colourful collection is from a shoot I did two weeks ago with another of the lovely girls that have volunteered to model for me. I lept at the opportunity to shoot in this wonderful field of poppies along the banks of the River Trent and was delighted with the results. A big thank you to Nilli who did a great job having never modelled before, and thanks to her friends who put her up for it.
I loved Nilli’s carefree pose in this image but wanted to break away from the full-on bright colours of the rest of the collection, and so in Photoshop I firstly desaturated the picture, leaving the flowers just slightly pink, then boosted the red filter to make the poppies POP! Finally, I added a ‘grass-like’ border to complete the overall ethereal feel of the image.
I used a wide aperture for this shot as I wanted a narrow depth-of-field, in order to throw both the foreground and background out of focus.
I recently returned from a trip to Arizona; a land of varied and beautiful landscapes, and rich culture – and a land where at this time of year the temperature reaches 100+ degrees. Here is a selection of my favourite images from around Scottsdale and Central Northern Arizona.
'Gateway' - I took this shot because it reminded me of some of the old westerns on TV.
'somewhere to tie your horse'
Cathedral Rock - Sedona. The old knarled tree in the foreground made a perfect frame for this landscape.
Cathedral Rock viewed from Red Rock Crossing. I used a low vantage point from the middle of the creek to give a greater feeling of depth to the picture. The water was fairly shallow and although the rocks were quite slippery, provided a welcome cooling break from the intense Arizona heat.
Again rather than just taking of shot of the mountain range I used the foreground interest of the fallen tree and also used the gap in the trunks to frame the central section of the view.
Plant Life - A Prickly Pear Cactus
Plant Life - The cactus are in bloom at this time of year with gorgeous displays in yellow, orange and red.
Iconic Desert Image - the Saguaro Cactus.
The Saguaro Cactus - the largest species of cacti in the USA found only in the Sonoran Desert. Grows only an inch or two in the first 8 years, but eventually rises tall and skyward and between 50 & 70 years sprouts "arms" that can look like they're waving or saluting.
The Saguaro Cactus survives on a comparatively small root base, and it's insides are made up of a collection of narrow pole like structures similar looking to dried bamboo canes. Birds and small mammals will often nest inside the cactus body.
'Shadowlands' - For me the colours and texture make this image.
Cowboy Boots - a typical symbol of the wild west.
A macabre old west symbol - the hangman's noose
Does size matter? A spurs's a spur, right?
Cowboy in the Saddle
Home, home on the Range - I took this from aboard my trusty steed, 'Splash'
Although this is actually a fake, it looks like we all visualise them to be, does it not!
Time for Arizona's wildlife - this is a Jack Rabbit - notice the larger than usual ears.
And this little fella is a Ground Squirrel or also known locally as a mini goffer (that's goffer not golfer!!!) or prairie dog.
Horses letting off steam after their morning ride out. I used a vignet on this image to really draw the viewer's attention to the horses and isolate them from the background.
In some cases, letting off steam lead to biting and kicking ...
Then it got Full On.
Sunset on Camelback Mountain
Regular viewers will not be surprised to see some mutt images amongst my selection, so here's a handful for dog fans. This one's called 'mid-stream'.
'Taking a Leap'
Shall I, Shan't I
It's a Dog's Life
The Arts Centre in Mesa - I took this because of the colours and the 'lead-in' lines.
Deadly Warning!
Bloom’in Marvellous
Celebrate Spring and the latest glorious weather we’ve been having!
Cherry Blossom
Climatis Flowers & Buds
Images of the Week
Yesterday, I and some friends did a shoot with our lovely model, Olga, at Victoria Embankment and these are my favourites. I’m particularly pleased with the pictures of Olga on a carpet of blossom – I think they worked beautifully.
Thought I’d make a change from people photography and today captured some images of these wonderful Highland Cattle. Highland Cattle are my all time favourite of the bovine breeds, must be something to do with their adorable shaggy coats I guess. Local farmer, John, gave me permission to approach his herds and I spent an enjoyable 45 minutes photographing them through the gate, and smiling when their big shiney, saliva covered noses would poke through to investigate this stranger on their patch. I hope you find them as enchanting as I do.
Highland Cattle are one of Britain’s oldest and most distinctive breeds originating from western Scotland from as far back as the 18th century. They are majestic, hardy beasts with their renowned long, flowing thick coats, and
impressive horns.
Image of the Week. This reflection, taken in Lace Market Square, appealed to me because of the strong and varied shapes of the architechture and also the soft muted colours.
REFLECTION - Reproduce to Eye or Mind
Image of Week – Going Wild in the Country
I took this shot at Wollaton Park, Nottingham with a Nikon D200 &
70-300mm lens. Although the deer are very used to people at the park, you have to remain respectful, and keep a certain distance. On a separate occasion, one doe grew tired of my intrusion and started to come at me – I learnt my limit and backed off, but that’s wildlife photography for you, you have to take that element of danger if you want the shot.
I spent New Year in one of my favourite places in the world – New England. I’d like to share with you a few images of note; either for their beauty, drama, or general interest – enjoy and share your thoughts in the comments box.
The Perfect Storm
The Perfect Storm 2
The Perfect Storm 3
'The Tide is High'
Time for Reflection
Quiet Reflection
Downtown Boston
Local Delicacy - yum!
'Long Way from Home'
It's Chrismas Time ....
'In the Still of the Night'
'A Different Take'
'It Can be Good to Stand Out'
Lace Market Photography's Blog 
