Me and Boo head for the Great North Run

After Elaine was kindly given her place in this years Great North Run by Sue Ryder (SR Wheatfields) things changed at Winterbourne Towers. Elaine started a savage training plan that would work right up to the week of the actual event. The training plan was a huge step for Elaine as running 5k and 10K was her normal target. I will never forget the day that we took that call, the call to say she had been offered a place in this years Great North Run. It was just sheer excitement. You can read all about Elaine’s experience on her blog “Boothie is doing the Great North Run” here.

So, what about my experience… well, As it don’t do running my contribution was only ever going to be through a lens. You know me by now, if I havent got a camera glued to my face something is seriously wrong. I wanted to take photographs of Elaine coming over the finish line but I knew this was a very remote possibility. For starters, actually catching her running over the line was going to be a chance in a million and that would depend on actually getting a spot anywhere near the finish never mind actually being able to obtain a photo.

If you have read the story on Elaine’s blog “Boothie is doing the Great North Run” then you will understand the reason behind the sponsorship and her attendance at the run. In return for Sue Ryder offering her a place at the event I decided to offer my services as a form of “my personal contribution” As you will probably have seen if you read my blog regularly, I am already familiar with offering my services to charity as my good freinds at Cancer Support Bradford & Airedale will tell you. Sue Ryder and the staff at Wheatfields were very happy with my offer and that the way it was left, right until a couple of weeks before the race. I had assumed that by offering my skills I might actually gain access to a number of prime locations, I was wrong. Fortunately, I found this out before the day and the very kind staff at Sue Ryder suggest I apply for press accreditation as I was actually representing them. I went on to the website of the race and filled in all the necessary fields, click, click and lo and behold the following morning guess what arrives in the post.

Well, what can I say… it would be rude not to, wouldn’t it? I mean, come on guys…front row and press access. This got me all giddy to be truthful. My vision was to get a shot of Mo Farah racing to the finish line…I started drifting away, dreaming of him posing for me with his signature “Mo-bot” at the finish line…woken by the telephone ringing I realised it was all in my dreams. Yes, just a dream. For the next two weeks I lived in hope, hope for the shots and opportunities and hopes for the weather. I guess that was really selfish of me to be truthful, after all the main reason I was going to the north-east was for Elaine. Moral support and all that.

Time flew by, the next ten days actually merged in to what felt like three days. Seemless days and nights that were only separated by a few dark hours. Those hours were spent sleeping and Elaine spent them wide awake like an owl, worrying and fretting about the Great North Run. In hindsight that was the difference really, I knew what I was doing and my confidence at taking photographs enables me to be put in any situation and have the ability to turn something out. Elaine on the other hand was on a whole new grounding. She had never been to Newcastle let alone the Great North Run and this showed the Friday before Sunday’s race. As much as people say they are not worried, I could tell she felt uncomfortable.

Bags were packed on Friday; this was to allow time for checking and double checking. I thought my process of checking camera equipment was thorough but it took on a whole new level when a runner is in the same trip. Clothes for travelling, clothes for going out in, clothes for pre-race, clothes for race, clothes for post race, clothes for travelling home in. That was just the start…knickers, socks, you name it. Every item for every weather possibility. I’ve got to give Elaine ten out of ten, she had it sussed. I went through my usual check list of batteries, cards, sensor cleaned, lenses cleaned etc etc…job done.!

Saturday came and we tried to stay in the same routine. Saturday breakfast is always a treat day and a quick visit to our local patisserie for some french pastries for breakfast. Elaine was working at lunchtime which meant she wouldn’t get home until at least 14:30. This was a good thing, the work would keep her mind off the impending run and stop the nerves getting to her. I think I was wrong. Elaine was never going to stop a customer coming in the shop and shouting on exit “Good luck tomorrow Elaine !”. This is the sheer consequence of putting up a poster asking for sponsorship; everyone now knows when the event is as they get a subtle reminder when ever they go for fish and chips. This made the whole thing so much worse for Elaine. I had spent all week trying to keep her calm and less than twenty-four hours prior to the race the nerves started to tingle. I spent Saturday lunchtime checking the camera gear, you know the routine…Camera 1 …check …Camera 2 check…and so on followed by a lengthy attempt at loading the car. It was quite hard to believe how much luggage was required for a twenty-four hour visit.

Our very good friends in Newcastle Stuart and Tracey had kindly offered to put us up for the evening. This meant a night out and a good catch up was in order. For weeks earlier Elaine and I had discussed her dietary requirements the night before the race. A curry at a local establishment was our friends request and who would refuse that…? Elaine did. Indian food was far from conducive to running the next morning, almost on a par with alcohol. After a few telephone calls to the restaurant Stuart managed to convince the chef that if Elaine brought her own food would he be willing to cook it. Well, that was one hell of an offer wasnt it? Afterall, the event the following day was in a good cause . So, the scene was set for a big reunion. We hadn’t seen our friends for a couple of years since they attended our daughter Aimee’s eighteenth birthday party so there was a lot to talk about.

After many checks that all relevant bags were loaded we were ready to depart. Separate bags had to be packed so Elaine could change at the race start and dispose of her clothing accordingly. All was going well northbound on the A1 until we saw a road sign that said Newcastle 46 miles. It was then that I turned to look at Elaine and realised she had turned fifty shades of white. She looked quite ill. She slowly turned to face me and it was then that it came to me, Elaine had just faced the reality of the situation and the next twenty-four hours raced before her eyes. Yes Elaine, you are running the Great North Run tomorrow morning.

We made a very impromptu stop at Washington Services for obvious reasons before heading back on to the northbound A1 for the remaining ten miles to Blaydon on Tyne. I think the last ten miles were the worst of all. Elaine’s nerves were jangling as more and more signs showing advertisements for the Great North Run began appearing. It got worse the nearer to the centre of Newcastle we got. until the grand finale …. a mile marker !! They think its all over…well it was now. I think by this time Elaine had gone beyond being nervous.

We had a great night out at a very nice restaurant called “The Spice Garden” in Winlaton (link here), We chatted and laughed with old friend and met new friends too, had a laugh, told tongue in cheek jokes and soaked up the “Geordie” humour. We headed back to our friends house before closing time feeling that an earlier night might be best considering a six o clock alarm call was planned the following morning. By the time you get back and sit and have a coffee time really ticks by and before you know it bed is calling. So it was goodnight and as much as we said we could make a stealth departure in the morning our hosts were not having any of it and insisted on getting up with us and even cooking us some breakfast. Something that my dearest wife had already planned and had brought with us from West Yorkshire. A cooked breakfast was okay for the photographer but the runner needed a slightly different menu…Porridge was the order of the day. Elaine loses out again.

Sue Ryder had asked me to cover the finish line and document finishers racing for the charity. This meant my departure for South Shields would be around 7am. My drive would be about twenty-five miles as there were no direct roads. Stuart had therefore agreed to drop Elaine off at the start as it was not too far away from where they live. As I woke I could hear that familiar sound of rain hitting windows and felt like closing my eyes believing it was all a dream. It wasn’t a dream; it was raining…heavy too. This was all I needed, I wasnt too fussed about getting wet but photography in the rain of sporting events is not ideal. Action photos need fast shutter speeds, and fast shutter speeds need light. Something there seemed to be a lack of this morning. Breakfast was eaten, and after a quick photo of Elaine we said our goodbyes with a promise to call back on the way home and I set off on my way.

My Sat-Nav was employed to direct me around unfamiliar territory avoiding the roads that were to be closed due to the race. The journey was totally event free and apart from a small jam just before the sea front at South Shields that delayed me about ten minutes I arrived in plenty of time. In hindsight it was probably a little too early but as the saying goes, better early than late. As I drove along the Sea Road the traffic slowed to a crawl and I asked one of the Car Park Marshalls where I could park…errrr he said, I decided to show him my Media Pass and he immediately waved me through the jam and directed me to the top car park nearest the start line. Joy I thought, things seem to be going ok here…having media access might have its plus points.

The rain on the windscreen told the story of the pre race opportunities as a photographer…none ! My camera didn’t actually come out of my bag until 10:37am but there was lots to see and people to meet prior to this. I paid a visit to the charity village where Sue Ryder had a tent. I knew there would be a couple of familiar faces here and somewhere I could drop some of my bags before heading towards the finish line. Time was ticking by and I thought it might be best if I made my way to the finish.

I took a wander towards media area to discuss my position with the events staff and the security personnel. As I approached the media platform I was asked for some identification and duly allowed on the stage. I really don’t know what I was thinking but I assumed that the best vantage point would be at the slightly elevated section at the back. The next person on the platform showed me the error of my ways and very kindly pointed out to me that the best place would be at the front. Now he didn’t have to do that and I suppose been the first here he had nothing to lose. We chatted about the subject for a while and he impressed on me how valuable that position in the front corner would be. He insisted that under no circumstances give it away to anyone, be that the BBC or local newspapers. I took heed of his advice and moved my gear right in to the corner and took up my position for the next few hours.

Well, what a view it was too….looking straight down the finish line. Maybe there was now the faintest glimmer of hope, hope that I might actually get my shot of Mr Mo Farah after all. As I waited patiently in my prime slot at the front corner of the media platform I observed the comings and goings of everything from BBC staff, Police Officers and Medical Staff to people wearing A-Boards and cheeky girls with painted faces. You name it, it was there…as the crowd began to swell all the prime positions at the barriers for the finishing straight were filled. The tannoy kept me fully informed about what was going on at the start making me more nervous for poor Elaine.

We had been keeping in touch via text since about 7:30 but this was to have its downfall as I was to find out, much later the very same day. I rang Elaine about twenty minutes before the start gun. She informed me that earlier on she had been very very nervous but now, and once people started arriving she had started relaxing more and more. In fact I got the impression she was really looking forward to it. This was good…I was so proud of her and all she had done.

At 10:54 the first athletes appeared over the horizon looking straight down the finishing straight. This was it..time to get my thinking cap on and start shooting. I had put the Canon 580EXII flash on top of the camera as it would come in really useful when the athletes arrive at the finish line.  The weather hadn’t improved much over the last couple of hours but at least it had stopped raining. For the photographically minded amongst you the only way I could achieve decent shutter speeds for sports photography was to shoot at the following settings.  ISO640 F4/F5.6 1/400th sec. I am sure you can now see the challenge I was faced with.

This left me with very little depth of field and photographing a moving subject that was heading towards me presented its own problems, with the focussing set on AI-FOCUS I hoped the camera would do the hard work for me.

The first to appear was six times London Marathon winner Mr David Weir CBE charging down the finishing straight in and completing the Great North Run 2013 in 43 minutes 06 seconds. The finishing straight was lined with British soldiers either side of the roadway. The possibility for a great shot using these soldiers for perspective compression was wide open…oh yes this was it…my big moment I started snapping away, composing and re composing my image to get the best that was available. The sound of shutters firing right next to my left ear was quite intense, not quite like gunfire but in my mind somewhat similar. I kept on looking for a single acknowledgement from David as he approached the finish line, just hoping he would raise his arms and roll the final few metres. My expectancy was right, my judgement paid off…as he approached the line he raised his left hand and put pointing finger in the air to acknowledge his presence..That was it, I had got my shot.

He rolled straight past my podium, now it was time to move on to the next finisher. The kept coming and within twenty minutes the wheelchair event was over. I took a huge sign of relief as I took a very brief look at my images through the camera back. YESSSS! They were ok…the lighting conditions were still far from ideal but as any good photographer will know, you have to make the best of what you have got in these situations… The next few minutes saw me preparing myself for the arrival of the elite women. I was happier now and this gave me time to reflect on where Elaine was and whether she was actually moving yet. I would later find out that despite the masses race starting at 10:40 she wouldn’t actually cross the start line until 11:05.

As expected, the first of the Elite women over the horizon was Priscah Jeptoo….here we go again Mark..just do what you are good at I kept saying to myself. It has been quite a few years since I have taken anything at this level and despite me questioning my confidence every so often, I was far from nervous. It was more a case of missing that most valuable shot. It wasnt going to happen…I was clearly confident about that.

Jeptoo appeared and I started tapping away at the shutter to get the shot I wanted. I was hoping for some kind hand gesture similar to what David Weir had instigated but it wasnt happening.

I zoomed back out and aimed for the finish line shot of Jeptoo. The weather was slowly brightening up and giving me a little more light to play with. In my head I was saying to myself…come on Jeptoo I want some sort of facial expression as you cross the finish line. I didn’t get the facial expression but she raised her arms quite triumphantly just before hitting the finishing tape. Yes, I got the shot….things we going well. What could dampen this day?

Time ticked by and the Elite women came over the line one by one, my initial assignment had been to shoot the Sue Ryder runners but this felt like it would just over shadowed everything. Next was the Elite men which according to the huge screens around the finish area looked to be very close affair. In between the gaps I could feel my phone vibrating in my pocket, I took it out to reveal 20 plus messages from friends and family..most just reading a few words “JUST SEEN YOU ON TELLY” …oh no, but I supposed this was to be expected. One in particular was a picture message which is shown below. Two points if you can recognise the photographer below? And no, his name is not Samsung.

Okay, my secret was out..No, seriously, it was no secret. I was loving this, things were really looking up. The weather was brightening even more now and it was time for the bit I was really looking forward too. As Mo Farah and Kenenisa Bekele rounded the bend on to the final straight they were absolutely neck and neck. Nothing separated them. This was going to be a proper sprint to the finish between these two. 400mm on the camera was not quite enough to capture the full expression at a distance of 100m but as they came closer the fight for first place became more intense. The image I am going to show you below isn’t a finish line image, but just 10 metres from the finish. I personally think this tells the story of the elite mens race and shows so much emotion. Mo Farah’s face says so much as he stares defeat while Bekele’s wry smile looks quietly confident.

Well, the shots I took in that final few seconds of the race to the line I was ecstatically happy with. Not perfect in terms of lighting but they really showed what this day was about. The mens elite athletes assembled just in front of the press gantry as they recovered from the final sprint. Mo Farah talked briefly with Kenenisa Bekele and as he turned away I took the initiative to shout his name. MO !  MO ! I shouted…I then mimicked his notorious “Mo-bot” to which he then turned to face me and duly performed the same “Mobot” by return. This was it…this was THE shot that I wanted. I was so glad I had put that flash on the top of my camera now…at a distance of three metres was my BIG shot. Yes, I got it….and I was damned happy with it. In a sheer fit of excitement I took a photo of the camera back and uploaded it straight to my Facebook page. I know, I know..its a little soft, but so what. I was excited, I had just achieved something that I could have only dreamed and hoped about a few hours ago.

How could things get any better than this. Above is the “In-Camera” preview and below is my final edit of this shot. If only Mo had won the Great North Run then this shot could have been so much more iconic. The Red Arrows screamed overhead flying the length of the finishing straight and then splitting it in two with a fly by from the sea-side. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck, it looked fantastic. I was so glad I was here and to be part of this felt awesome.

It was quite difficult to motivate myself after that. I had got what I really wanted, anything else would feel just second best wouldn’t it. However, like I said earlier..I couldn’t forget the real reason I was here. My task was to capture the Sue Ryder runners. This was more difficult than as first expected. For starters, once the Elite Men had completed the race they altered the finish line and diverted the runners off to the side in to lanes to make the processing of the masses quicker. This in turn, rendered the vantage point I had so gratefully obtained in to nothing more than a viewing platform for the sea front. If I was going to get a photo of my lovely wife I would have to find another location.  Myself and a couple of the other photographers repositioned to a spot just beyond the line where ropes spanned the road and diverted the runners. This was a good spot and would hopefully allow me a good view of the Sue Ryder runners and of course my lovely wife Elaine.

Things were not as clear-cut, the five or six lanes to the finish line were doing their job very well as there were no queues, however standing by lane six (the furthest away if you were a runner and the longest route to the finish) had its drawbacks. Simply put, very few of the runners were using it and in a bizarre twist every time they opened the far lane the Sue Ryder runners happened to appear. This left me with very little if any at all chance of getting a decent photo. Time moved on and the two-hour fifteen mark arrived since the 10:40 start….I was scanning the finish for my Elaine but no sign. Having never run the Great North Run before Elaine could only estimate her time and a two-hour fifteen was her guess.

It was another twenty minutes before I saw my lovely wife. She saw me too and turned and waved with a beaming smile. It was then that it hit me, the whole emotion of the day, the whole reason why she was doing this and the fact that we rarely spend three hours apart just came over me all in one split second.

She had done it ! Elaine had completed her mission to finish the Great North Run…she finished a little slower than expected but the sheer wet drenched her feet and subsequently gave her blisters, something she couldn’t have prepared for. Two Hours Thirty One Minutes and Seventeen Seconds of sheer hard work and I was so proud. So proud that I have the honesty to admit that I shed a tear at that very moment as emotion got the better of me.

I packed up my things and made my way down to the finish area which was way beyond the line. The weather had improved slightly but black clouds on the horizon looked quite threatening. I stood waiting for Elaine for what seemed like thirty minutes. My phone was almost out of battery but I decided to make the call. Afterall, she had no idea where my car was, she had no idea where I was so how on earth could we possibly meet up again. I spoke briefly with her and told her I would wait at the very end of the finish line where the St Johns Ambulance staff were. Thats ok, she said. I’ve just got to collect my rucksack from the baggage buses and I will come and meet you.

Nearly an hour and a half later and I was still stood there, by this time the rain was pouring down and my umbrella which had been conveniently stored along the back of my camera kit bag came in to use. One of the things that is probably a golden rule when arranging to meet up with someone is to never leave the place you agree. The chances are you will miss each other. Guess what? I decided to move. My phone had now switched off due to lack of power and I was left with two choices. Do I head for the car at the bottom of the hill and charge my phone or do I head for the Sue Ryder tent and wait there. I tried to think what Elaine would do, It was a no brainer really as she didn’t know where the car was. So I headed for the Sue Ryder tent.

It wasnt actually too far from where I had been stood. Once there It was nice to see familiar faces and sit down to shelter from the rain and have hot tea and biscuits. Time ticked by and I explained my predicament to the Sue Ryder staff…I was offered the use of a mobile phone and I tried ringing Elaine. Her phone must have run out of battery too….or to coin a phrase “died” as my grandson reliably informs me. As the rain continued to pour down as much as I was incredibly comfortable I began to wonder what had happened to Elaine. She had quite an area to cover if she was looking for me as the whole venue was a good five or six square kilometres. I will sit tight I thought. Within seconds of me contemplating a familiar face popped through the closed flap on the marquee. The words echoed out “Where the hell have you been?” I know….maybe I should have waited but nearly two hours had gone by since that phone call. The instant rage soon turned to cuddles, kisses and even a few tears. It was an emotional time.

We sat and had a cup of tea, chatted about what we had both seen and since the rain had stopped we headed for the car and hopefully a bite to eat. By the time we got back to the car we were still exchanging experiences and happenings of the days events. The best sight of all had to be the Burger Van on the sea front. We both looked at each other, nodded and agreed…Food! We sat in the car and changed out of our wet clothes, the preparation was worth it in the end. After collecting our food we sat back in the car in comfort. It was then that an image unfolded in front of my eyes. It was one of those moments that should my camera be in my hand I would have rattled off twenty to thirty images. In front of my eyes was an image that really epitomised the whole day. Two young children were chasing on the beach with two discarded foil capes from the run. They were running up and down the beach flying them like kites as they ran. Against the back drop of the North Sea and the blue sky it looked fantastic. My camera was all packed away by now and in the boot of the car. I couldn’t move another inch, had I made an effort by the time I had changed lenses and got set up the moment would have been gone.

There was one final image to take however, and it was left to my mobile phone to grab this one. Elaine with her finishers medal for the Great North Run 2013. As her husband I cannot tell you how proud I am of you. You can read all about Elaine’s quest on her blog here

This is dedicated to in loving memory of Anne Eileen Fawcett, Daughter, Sister, Mother, Grandmother, Partner and Friend.
I love and miss you more everyday, but I know you never left me. xx
5/5/55 – 13/10/12

Bronte Dash…..off the rails

The chain of unfortunate events have  prevented me from attending to things that I would regard as recreational. My blog and my photography rank as the highest in the recreation ranks and I will never turn down an opportunity for a day out with the camera.  Last Monday, the 3rd of June a window of opportunity presented itself; an opportunity that with it brought sunshine, blue skies and time on my side. This begs the question….Where to go? I have to be careful with this one as I have visited and photographed many locations over and over again. You only need to see my photo stream on Flickr to see that Yeadon Tarn is a well-worn path for me; there are only so many images you can obtain from one location. Well, I don’t actually believe in my own words there as every visit presents new possibilities.

After deliberating for a short while and mentally compiling a list in my head of the top contenders I decided to sit down and have breakfast. I had missed the best of the morning light as photography between the hours of 11am and 3pm are normally forbidden. After all, the light is harsh, the sun is bright, the shadows are non existent and I can quite categorically state that any images that happen to reside on my memory cards from within those times are only resting before being filed in the trash. By the time breakfast had finished and all other tasks for Mrs W were accomplished it was heading nearer the hours of the suns high point and departure seemed pointless. I stalled and decided that afternoon and evening light was much better anyway, trying hard to convince myself I had made the right decision. But where to go?

Haworth……for those of you that don’t know is a small historic town in the City of Bradford metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is located in the Pennines, 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Keighley and 10 miles (16 km) west of Bradford. The surrounding areas include Oakworth and Oxenhope. Nearby villages include Cross Roads, Stanbury and Lumbfoot. Haworth is also tourist destination known for its association with the Brontë sisters and its preserved heritage railway. Well, it would be rude not to wouldn’t it.

Haworth  village is built on the side of the Worth Valley and the Main Street is quite steep. As it was quiet I chose to use my car to obtain the various images, its much easier when having camera equipment with you. The image above shows the view down the Main Street. I thought monochrome really set the scene and gave a very good feeling of Haworth. Haworth is very “olde” and its a great atmosphere with small cafes and curious shops and a wealth of photographic opportunities. As you will already know, I don’t just shoot landscapes and scenery, I like to get in the heart of a town or village and shoot its’ inhabitants. People are the life of a place so what better way to give the impression of a location than to portray it with its residents.  The image below shows a small street cafe near the bottom of the Main Street. What better way to spend an hour on a warm late Spring day.

After making my way down the village and capturing the moods and scenes I arrived at the famous Haworth Railway Station home of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. The KWVR is a standard gauge branch line which joins the national railway network at Keighley in the north-east of England and runs 5-miles up the Worth Valley to Oxenhope. Other stations on the Line are at Ingrow, Damems, Oakworth (location of the film ‘The Railway Children’) and Haworth (the former home of the Brontë family). The Railway is perhaps most famous for its role in the 1970 film version of Edith Nesbit’s story The Railway Children. The Railway has published a book which describes the making of the film and includes over 70 photographs along with the recollections of many volunteers who were involved. The decision to recreate the atmosphere of a 1950s branch line has been hugely popular, not least with film makers and TV producers. Over the years, the Railway has appeared in many TV and film productions including Yanks, Sherlock Holmes, Last of the Summer Wine, Treasure Hunt, Sons and Lovers, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Poirot, Born and Bred, The Royal, Where The Heart Is, A Touch Of Frost, Songs Of Praise, and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. …

I have spent many hours taking images at this location. There are a few vantage points for different types of photography. One accessible place is the goods yard at the front of the main building. There are lots to see here if you like images of railways and their surroundings. As I started looking round the goods yard I heard that familiar sound of an engine whistling. It was time to head to a better vantage point I thought. What a decision that was ! Probably the second best move I made all day. It was from the platform that I achieved the best image of the day. I have a tendency to use the camera as a tool for looking through, this way should I see something I like I can waste no time in grabbing a few frames. It’s surprising how much time you can waste just having to raise the camera to your eye and compose an image. Anyway, I watched the driver as he leant out of his cab chatting away to the guard on the platform. The driver was so typical in his attire…you know where I am coming from…flat drivers cap, oily hands, white hair, craggy face and a long smile. A real photogenic character. Anyway…. have a look at my image.

As I am sure you will agree, it really was worth the image. There is a whole series of these, every one with a different expression. In the end it really told a tale. The late afternoon rolled on and I soaked up the atmosphere and tried my best to portray it within my images. I could quite easily spend a whole day in Haworth but like I stated earlier, I really wanted to avoid the glare of the midday sun. Below is a link to the remaining images from my day, if you have time, please take a look.

As always, thanks for looking and your comments are always welcome.

Ikea’s gnome advert sparks complaints & What happened to the week that was?

I saw this headline this morning and couldnt believe what I was actually reading… “Ikea’s gnome advert sparks complaints” …..The world has gone mad !! Lets face it, is this all we have to complain about? I doubt it. I, for one could complain about the weather until the cows come home. Hang on a wee minute…..is that seen as “anti-cow” seeing as they dont actually live in homes and I may be seen as being cruel. I think not.

Back to the Ikea advert…seriously have we all gone potty. Lets consult the Oxford Dictionary shall we

Gnome

• a legendary dwarfish creature supposed to guard the earth’s treasures underground
• a small garden ornament in the form of a bearded man with a pointed hat.
• informal a small ugly person: a grizzled gnome of a man
• informal a person regarded as having secret or sinister influence in financial matters:the gnomes of Zurich

Yes, we have gone barking mad…We obviously have nothing better to do? Next will be someone suggesting that the legendary dwarfish creature should now be compensated for the slanderish remarks on a Swedish furniture stores television campaign. Injury Lawyers for you are now going to be inundated with phone calls from Gnomes all over Europe saying that a former relative has been crushed on live television in a bid to “big-up” gardens this summer. It’s just not going to wash is it? Seriously. If you are keen on seeing the rest of this article then the link to the BBC is here. I, on the other hand will refrain from dwelling on the “”small” subject and move on to the week that wasn’t. I had better be careful, as remarks like that will get me in trouble…I mean, who would ever suggest that a gnome was small…. tut tut. Moving on……

And that’s exactly what is was. A nothing week in terms of photography and weather that until Monday was up and down like the umbrellas that people actually needed to avoid it. After sitting in the garden on the 26th and 27th of May its has been quite unsettled. The opportunities to get out and about with the camera have been very limited however I did manage a trip to the airport for a few  “dull” looking frames but as a whole that was it.

I found it quite frustrating to be truthful. The few sunny days have been consumed by other matters from meeting friends, visiting family and a void of forgettable events. At the end of the day when opportunities arrive I found myself exhausted and photography at the bottom of the pile. This is normal and I should really be used to it by now. I am too much like my father and grandfather when it comes to the weather and knowing that I have mentioned this before I wont rattle down that road again. I think the next time it rains I will get Elaine to take a photo of me….Yes I will do that.

So the week merged in to a fuzzy clump and I hoped that this one would be better. Maybe the end of May would bring in “flaming” June. My hopes and plans came to fruition. Monday was lovely and yesterday wasn’t too bad either. The whole of May saw just 861 RAW images from my cameras; compared to 2012 this is down by around 60%. The running total for 2013 is also down by a similar percentage. Not good. Back to Monday and a day out in Bronte Country saw 151 frames in a couple of hours; mmm there is hope I thought. That was equivalent to 1/6th of May’s images all in a single day. I was on a roll as Tuesday saw more sunshine and I seized the opportunity with a quick wander up to the Dam closely followed by a lovely sunset from Rawdon Billing. Here I am up to 503 images and its only the 5th June….keep it up Mark.

As we approach the time of the year where the sun moves in the opposite direction at sunrise (21st June) I find it very difficult to grab the sunset and sunrise on consecutive days. For instance, June the 21st sunrise will be at 04:35 and sunset will be 21:41 the previous evening. Going to bed at 23:30 really limits the amount of sleep gained to about 4 hours and the result is a very unwell “me”. Monday saw me trying to do this, and failing miserably. I set the alarm for 03:15 to get up and head over the valley to Denholme. Why you ask? Well, facing east from the back of Denholme an image can be composed of the Wind Turbines against the sunrise. Trying to kill two birds with one stone (hang on a minute, is that statement going to land me in trouble) I planned on visiting Haworth which is just down the road after the sunrise. Anyway, it never happened. It nearly did…the alarm rang at 03:15 and one gaze out of the window sent my head back towards the pillow. It wasnt the weather or the view that did this, it was just sheer tiredness. This is one that will live to fight another day.

The view above shows the wind farm at Denholme on a Sunny day in June 2010. I am sure you are seeing where I was coming from with the sunrise. After sleeping in and eventually discovering that I had missed an awesome sunrise (again) I decided to head over to Haworth after lunch. I will write a separate piece about this later as there was lots to see….

Thanks for reading, and not forgetting me. I always feel that “not blogging” reduces your viewing but I guess it doesn’t really matter anyway.

Bye for now.

P.S. No Gnomes were harmed in the writing of this piece….just saying.

The week that was….week 17

Thats right…seventeen weeks in to 2013 already…..

Here we are today, Friday and I am yet to put even one article together for my blog. It’s been a hectic week at Winterbourne Towers with lots going on. Not all on the photographic front but as my life doesn’t quite revolve around a camera that’s probably a good deal.

Inspiration is good… to be inspired is in fact something that we all do without even knowing that we have done it. Keeping your eyes open, looking and observing is a fantastic approach for a photographer to learn. Even if you don’t have a camera with you (although these days most of us have a camera on our mobile phones) it doesn’t stop you looking and coming up with ideas for future images. Town Centres, Shops, Railway Stations, Parks, you name it…they all host a wealth of opportunity for images. Of course I am not just talking about images of people, there is so much more to see. Each day the sun moves round from east to west and as it traverses the sky changes the way we see things. The shadows are shorter and longer at either end of the day, just like they are at the end of each year. A static object such as a building or a statue, a monument or a tree will look completely different every hour of the day. As photographers we can use this light to be creative and use photographic techniques that can be learned by either trial and error or research in media.

Media is the biggest and most available source of inspiration available to us all. We all watch television, listen to the radio, read newspapers and magazines; most of which contain photography. We all pick up leaflets and publications which contain images either artwork or photography. The images used in these publications are sought by editors and publishing companies all over the world. Normally they are purchased from picture libraries which host many thousands if not millions of images on the simplest of subjects. There is never “nothing to take”….. A good photographer will find the simplest of subjects to take at home on the rainiest of days. Take a look at something I put together using sugar and water, a small pipette and a DVD disk.

A very good friend of mine, Jean Phillips (Please have a look at Jeans Photos on Flickr) invited me to pay her a visit over in Wrenthorpe near Wakefield. Having looked at Jeans images over the months I have to say that her photography has come along in leaps and bounds. Jean got the sunset bug and started taking the early morning and late evening sky and using my term “the best light of the day”. I posted one of Jeans images on April 19th here if you want to take a look. I headed over to Wrenthorpe on a beautiful spring day and after a quick coffee it was off to our first stop off  and Sandal Castle just a few miles away.

Sandal Castle stands in a commanding position, to the south of Wakefield city centre, overlooking the River Calder.
The castle is best known for the famous Battle of Wakefield which was fought nearby in 1460 during the Wars of the Roses in which Richard, Duke of York was killed.
Remains of the 13th century stone castle and the fine motte bailey can been seen on site. Steps lead to the top of the motte where visitors are treated to superb views of the Calder Valley.
A modern visitor centre features family-friendly hands-on displays about the history of Sandal Castle and its owners.
During the English Civil War in the 1640s Sandal Castle was besieged twice by Parliamentary forces. Afterwards it was stripped of its defences.

Now as photography goes, this was an opportunity for me….Ruins, landscapes, blue skies and white clouds….oh I feel some high contrast mono’s coming my way. And thats exactly what I did….Photostitches, angles…rugged stone work and a high viewpoint all made for some superb subjects. The ruins are very sparse now after nearly 600 years which somewhat limited my photo ideas. Nevertheless I managed a few decent images and if you click the image below that I put together in a monochrome format then it will take you to the whole set from Sandal Castle

As I am sure you will agree, the high view-point gives a superb opportunity to capture some sky images. The above image just cried out for some monochrome treatment and you can see why, beautiful dark sky and white clouds.

After an hour shutter crunching it was time to head to our next location. My guide had given me a brief idea of todays tour of unfamiliar territory but I was still unsure. My previous visits to Wakefield have either been to Police events or Pinderfields Hospital; the tourists sites were untrodden turf for me. Below is a map from our companion Google Earth showing Sandal Castle and its proximity to the next stop, Pugneys Country Park.

After a very short car journey we arrived at the waterside location in Pugney’s Country Park. Pugneys Country Park is a 250 acre site which was previously an open cast mine as well as a sand and gravel quarry and was turned into a country park in 1985. The park has two lakes, the largest of which is a 100 acre watersports lake. This caters for non-powered watersports such as canoeing, sailing and windsurfing. Equipment is available to hire or, alternatively, visitors can bring their own craft to use on the lake. The largest lake at Pugneys Country Park has a footpath which runs all the way around the lake and is approximately 1.6 miles long, making it suitable for running or taking a leisurely stroll. The smaller of the two lakes is only 24 acres and is a nature reserve which is overlooked by 2 bird hides, enabling visitors to watch the neighbouring wildlife in their own habitat.

The sun was still making itself known by hiding behind clouds intermittently then suddenly appearing again. I have a theory that was passed on to me by my late grandfather many moons ago. If its sunny, between the hours of sunrise until 11:00 am and 3:00pm until sunset then the light is perfect for photography, sidelight is a photographers friend. Outside these hours it’s either dark or the sun is too high in the sky to create shadow. Shadows are a photographers friend; creating depth and adding interest to an image. Obviously, like any rule it has its exceptions and as the saying goes it was made for breaking. Press photographers don’t worry about the angle of the sun or whether it is actually shining at all when grabbing images of famous people, all they need is the image. As long as the public can see who it is, no one actually cares if the sun was shining. The landscape photographer on the other hand has different objectives and the sun is a helping hand in the majority of cases.

Today, the sun would be just that…a helping hand. In my early days of photography I would have used a day out as just that…”A day out”, nowadays I see it quite differently. A day out is also an opportunity for photographs. It doesnt matter where, why, who or what…everywhere around us things are happening; people are going about their everyday business and in a world of media this interests others. I have found that people are always interested in what others are doing, be it digging a hole or cooking a meal…people just love people. If I go out with the intention of shooting landscapes I will do just that; that is until I see two people sat on a bench eating lunch and think it looks interesting. Then I change my remit and see opportunities that are complete “one-off’s” and start wandering off track.

I was reasonably happy with the resulting images and a distinct lack of aircraft and sunsets made a whole change from my “stuck in rut” routine. Jean did a fantastic job and I am sure she will share some images on here Flickr Photostream at some stage in the future. You can find that here.Please have a look at the above and as usual all comments are very welcome

The story behind a photo…..

Over the years that I have been taking photographs, many people have asked me questions. Not just at clubs and social events but also whilst in the act of taking the image itself. The questions vary from the obvious “What are you taking a photograph of” to the more direct “Why do you need a picture of that”. Most are polite, friendly and always up for a quick chat, usually about their attempt at photography at some point in life. One of the more topical conversations, especially amongst the older generation is discussing the difference between traditional film and digital photography.

It can be quite hard to justify the benefits of modern technology when in deep conversation with someone who started photography as a teenager during the war. Someone who has had experienced world wars and seen photography move from 12 exposure roll film to the modern-day memory card. In their eyes there was nothing wrong with the traditional method. In the end the outcome was that they got what they wanted. There was no automatic exposure, no scene modes and light metering was limited to either a pocket version or if you were lucky your camera would have a guidance built-in. But the images were exemplary….always exemplary.

Without drifting too far off track I will get back to the image above. I didn’t have many shots of the Humber Bridge in my library, in fact I think the last one I got was on slide film back in the eighties. So an opportunity to spend a day on Humberside was never going to be turned down. I knew what I was looking for before the day even dawned. The weather forecast was quite good with a few scattered clouds thus giving some great light. Referring to the picture above, this was the angle that I had based my ideas upon. Without an ultra wide-angle lens getting the whole bridge in one shot from this location is impossible. Below is a screen shot from Google Earth showing the angle and location it was taken from.

For clarification the map is rotated to show the angle of the shot, and the North Bank of the river is at the bottom. There were a number of elements that I had set out as “must-be’s” for this capture. Firstly, the sky had to be at least 70% blue, this was so I could make it a rich black when converting to monochrome. I wanted the image to look top-heavy with the sky. Secondly there had to be some cloud content . Third, there had to be something in the image to show scale. Finally I wanted as much of the bridge in the frame as possible. This is how I tackled the ideas.

1. Firstly, the sky had to be at least 70% blue, this was so I could make it a rich black when converting to monochrome. This was something that I knew was totally out of my control. It would have worked if they had been a little more cloud cover but anything more and I would have had no chance. If you know what I am getting at then fair comment, but for you readers that have never come across filters and the effects they have on your images here is a small introduction on the effects in monochrome. In traditional film work filters were usually added to the front of the camera lens to give the desired effect. In this instance a red filter was applied to the image to darken the blue sky and add more contrast to the scene. It also darkens the reflected sky in the water too without affecting the whites in the image. As I am sure you will agree it certainly gives a dramatic look to the scene.

2. Secondly there had to be some cloud content Yes, the blue sky would have worked alone minus the clouds but in my opinion it was always going to look so much better with some fluffy whites in there. They seem to add another dimension to the whole picture. We slate them when there are too many and we cannot see the sun but in images like this, sunset and sunrises alike clouds make the shot.

3. Third, there had to be something in the image to show scale I was too close to capture anything going over the bridge from this angle so a few shots were obtained from further down the river, this obviously meant I had lost the angle and the along with it the whole point of the exercise. Having pondered for a while I decided that there was only one thing that would show the scale and size of this enormous structure and that was a boat. The waterway wasnt that busy but patience paid off and I got what I was looking for. I would have preferred it to have had a sail hoisted but beggars can’t be choosers can they. I waited for the boat to pass exactly under the bridge, but somehow it didn’t quite look right sitting near the shadow. I waited and tried a few in different positions. In the end I was quite happy with this as it sits on the second and third intersection of the image.

By putting the horizon low in the frame it allowed the expanse of the bridge and the underside of the roadway to complete the picture. I hope you like it and the small description that goes along with it. It was only ever going to be a monochrome shot and once you envisage something its only a case of trial and error until you get it spot on.

The image details are as follows:

Camera: Canon EOS 50D
Lens: Canon EF-28-135mm F3.5/5.6 USM IS
Aperture F10
Exposure 1/320 sec
Focal Length 28mm
ISO Speed 125
Exposure BIAS 0 EV
EXIF Date July 21, 2012. 10:56 am

Auf Wiedersehen Pet…. A very “German” connection

The annual pilgrimage to Germany was always something that I managed to miss out on. I was far too young to go. I knew it too. It was a male adult booze cruise to the continent and a road trip all in one. Alcohol fuelled frivolities in German Bierkellers was just a little beyond my reach at the young age of fourteen. The long-weekend jaunts were “a norm” for my dad and his friends and colleagues from work. They had connections in Germany. One of my fathers long-standing work associates Albert lived in Monchengladbach. Monchengladbach is a large town just over the Dutch and Belgian borders to the west of the city of Dusseldorf. It developed around a Benedictine monastery from which the name Mönchengladbach (“Monks’ Gladbach”) is derived. Today Mönchengladbach is a textile centre; its municipal museum houses a notable collection of Coptic textiles. The city is also a road, rail, and air hub, and its machinery (especially textile machinery), aeronautical, and cable industries are important to the local economy. For them, the trip was a break from the connections at work and a chance to let their hair down. A chance for a drink or six with little time to recover.

There were many options when it came to getting from Bradford, West Yorkshire to Monchengladbach. Over the years they had all been tried. They ranged from the obvious “flying from Manchester to Dusseldorf” which in all honesty was too expensive and hiked the cost of a weekend away up by 400% to the less obvious option of driving in a convoy of cars. The “overland” option was the normal route of choice but this varied from driving the full distance of 423 miles each way if you went on the ferry via Hull or 505 miles via Dover; or the alternative option of driving to Hull, leaving the cars in the car park of the companies Hull office,  grabbing the overnight North Sea Ferries service  to Rotterdam then catching the train through to Monchengladbach. For clarification and for the purpose of this catalogue of events, the later of the journey options applied in this case.

It was not normal to finish work early on the Friday, not even lunchtime. But, once a year in mid-February, half a dozen of this large companies employees (managers included) would creep out of the door and finish at 12:00. They would each head for the car park, rip off their ties and disappear down the M62 bound for Germany. The other members of the touring party were usually holed up in a pub and unsurprisingly, already be hitting the drink. This of course excluded the two or three designated drivers that would have to put up with a strict no alcohol rule until we boarded the ferry in Hull. One of the common RVP (Rendez-vous-Points) was a pub in the village of Eccleshill, Bradford called The Prospect. Once assembled, and a few shandies later the crew headed off in a three or four car formation for Europort Hull. More often than not this ended up in a pub stop somewhere en-route for an unscheduled toilet break. Someone always came out with the statement “while we are here we might as well have a drink, it would be rude not to, wouldn’t it?”  and suitable alcoholic refreshments be served around the party. As a result of this I always recall my dad looking at his watch. Long before Sat-Navs I could see him working out a mental route from the back roads of East Yorkshire to Hull in is head and estimating the arrival time. The North Sea Ferry service to Rotterdam left at 17:00 so it was essential we were there well in advance to allow time to park the cars up and obtain a lift to the terminal.

There is plenty to do onboard, you have a choice of places to eat and drink, whatever your appetite – so you can enjoy a coffee and a snack in the coffee shop, or savour a wholesome cooked meal in one of the restaurants. Whether you choose The Kitchen with its world flavours and buffet-style dining, or the first class menu in the brasserie, you are guaranteed an excellent meal. After you’ve eaten, you can enjoy a pint in the bar, relax with a glass in the wine bar, or take in the breathtaking panoramic views from the Sky Lounge. For further entertainment watch the latest films in one of two cinemas, or catch the live cabaret show in the Sunset Show Lounge… you can even have a flutter in the casino! —- all in the words of P&O lol..But for us once aboard the ferry it was time to relax, have a few drinks and something to eat and then finally tuck up in a bunk for a good nights sleep.

After the 1984 airing of Auf Wiedersehen Pet it actually felt like we were embarking on a similar venture the only differences were that we were Yorkshire-men and we had no intention of looking for work; Just beer, fun and the odd bout of madness. The overnight service to Rotterdam is a journey of 235 miles and lasts around 14 hours so as I am sure you can work out this is a very slow speed of 17 miles per hour and nowhere close to the ships top speed.

Saturday morning we woke at 7:00am. There is a window of opportunity to go up on the deck at this point as there are lots to see as the ship enters Rotterdam. The Port of Rotterdam or Europort as its commonly known is enormous and you seem to be passing it for miles and miles before you actually dock. This is because once the ship enters the mouth of River Nieuwe Maas from the open waters of the North Sea there is a very slow 6 mile journey along the water to the Rotterdam North Sea Ferries Terminal commonly know as Europort.

The strangest thing about arriving in Rotterdam at this time is that you still have time for breakfast on board even though the ship is in port. This feels rather weird. It’s almost like stopping on an aircraft once it has parked up at the stand and waiting for coffee to be served. On previous visits we have actually been in bed and woken up to find that we had already docked. As it happens we were already having breakfast when the ship entered the docks and it was just a case of popping back to the cabins, packing up our belongings and disembarking. Getting on and off a ship this size is quite a lengthy process when you have a vehicle on the car decks as it means queuing. This is not the case if you are a passenger and it was straight off the walkway and in to the ferry terminal. Next stop Monchengladbach.

The terminal in Europoort lies approximately 24 miles from the centre of Rotterdam but with a station close by catching a train is not an issue. We were about to embark on a train journey of nearly two hundred miles. Across the whole of the Netherlands and creeping over the border in to Germany…just. There is no direct service so the route would take us from Europoort to Rotterdam, a change of train then onward to Eindhoven. At Eindhoven we had a good hours wait for a train to Monchengladbach. This second segment of the train journey also incorporated a stop at Venlo before a short twenty-minute journey to our destination …..Monchengladbach.

Now this is where my memory starts to test me, and before you say anything I made a call to my father who cannot remember either. Here was I thinking I was on to a winner by writing this blog entry with links to relevant information. I do recall that the hotel was quite close to the railway station as we walked the short distance. We all then wandered in to the lobby from the main road near the car park. I scoured Google Earth and cannot find anything remotely similar but having said that we are twenty plus years further on now and things do change.

After a quick shower and change we all assembled in the lobby. Over the years we had dressed up, dressed down and stayed as we were..this year we decided to hire fancy dress from a shop in Bradford. So there we were, all appearing in pairs at the hotel reception.. everything from Batman to Saddam Hussein, Admiral Nelson to Captain Caveman… cartoon characters and notable figures from the past all about to hit the old town of Monchengladbach. Oh no… the mind boggles.  We met up with one of my dads long-standing German friends and his family. We embarked on a mammoth drinking session with the local beer flowing, the singing and all round cheer. The night was memorable but yet no one could remember. We were welcomed with open arms by the locals and I couldn’t help feeling that our German connection with Albert was helping here. He came across as a figure of the community who everyone knew and we were his guests. The night seemed never-ending and we could have sang till dawn. English songs poorly translated in to German sounded out loud, and a group of men with little translation sounding the english version in the distant background.

I was first to wake. I grabbed the video camera and proceeded to knock on doors to record the consequences of a heavy night on the town. Downstairs breakfast was served and we had no time to waste. Today was as short as Saturday, drinking time was limited as come 1500 we had to dash for the border and a trip to the Netherlands and Europoort awaited. Everyone surfaced and the smell of German sausage cooking was enough to summon us to the dining room. Brief discussions across the table questioned what exactly had happened the night before. There was no lack of funds but the sight of grown men checking their wallets and counting the cost in Deutschmarks of the night before was quite entertaining.  The discussion was the why’s, where’s and what for’s of an awesome night in Monchengladbachs old town. And what a night too…..

We sat at the breakfast table and waited for everyone to finish. I sat near the window and before long I noticed groups of people adorning fancy dress wandering across the road. Clowns and Jesters, Painted faces and comical characters all heading for the town centre. At this point I got the impression that today was going to be a continuation of last night and that all we had done was take a half time break.  We packed our things, vacated our rooms and headed outside to meet Albert. He appeared in a large black Mercedes and exited the car wearing sunglasses and a dark navy blouson style leather jacket. If I hadn’t know him I would have thought he looked quite intimidating and would have probably turned the other way. After a brief rally of conversation we headed off to the old town for a 10am start. Let the drinking commence.

All the bags were stored in the corner of one of the taverns we were drinking in. After a while there was a route that emerged taking in four different drinking establishments. The map above demonstrates the route taking in appropriate refreshments in each venue. The whole square was full of people in fancy dress, singing, dancing and even take away food carts. The atmosphere was great. There were times when public figures stood on a stage and made speeches. Not been fluent in German it was difficult  to completely understand the gist of the subject in hand. It was then that I noticed a group of men entering the hostelry we were sitting in. The all had gold coloured face masks and were dressed in what I can only describe as “Farming clothes”. The were pulling small wooden crates on casters full of vegetables. Some of the vegetables were on ribbons and we duly presented to un-expecting drinkers. I ended up with a potato on a blue ribbon swinging round my neck which some very nice blonde Fräulein found quite interesting and proceeded to kiss me on the check. Albert must have known her and insisted that she sit on my knee for a photo. Mmmmm I clearly remember her and she was a stunner. She drew a love heart in lipstick on my cheek, kissed me then before I had chance to even open my eyes she vanished out of the door. Auf Wiedersehen Pet !

The frivolities continued throughout the morning and I arrived at the conclusion this was going to be a game of two halves. Saturday had been the first, the warm up, a time to get a feel of the ball with the scores level at half time and Sunday was the second.  A game in which the Bradford Crew disappointed, would have to leave the pitch before the final whistle. Not an ideal time to leave the playing field but we had no choice if we were to catch the Sunday sailing from Rotterdam back home to Blighty. If only we were to have known what was eventually going to happen we could have stayed around longer. Maybe my relationship with Frau Blondie would have been cemented, I guess we will never know.  The lunch hour came and went with the scores tied, the Germans brought on a substitute in the form of Albert’s son-in-law Wolfgang. The pace of the game slowed as problems in camp Bradford emerged. Funds were running low and the Deutschmarks that once sat in the kitty as rows of crisp colourful “Bureau De change” notes had now taken residence behind four of Germany’s finest ale houses. A problem shared is a problem halved.

The answer came through the door like a bull through a five bar gate. Kaiser Bill was not his name, but merely a mock title bestowed upon him by the lads with good reason. I suspect he was an acquaintances of Albert’s but I guess we will never know. He marched through the door to rapturous applause performing a mock hitler walk to some strange Oompah music blasting out on the duke box. It was as if he knew our financial status and was sent under orders from another town to keep the flow of alcohol going. The ale started flowing again, this time the Milky Bars were on him and my goodness, what an afternoon it was. An afternoon that will go down in history as one of Britain’s great invasions and one of the great escapes too. It will be written in to the mystical history books. the history books of the magnificent seven, the seven that left Bradford that Friday night, travelled over a 1000 miles and had a ball… but, the fun was far from over.

We left the alcohol where it belonged. We reluctantly emptied our glasses and were dragged one by one from the conversations with the locals each of us were embroiled in. My old man knew the problems should we miss the sailing from Rotterdam and so did I. The next sailing was 24 hours later, one we couldn’t afford as we were all at work from lunchtime the following day. We caught the train from Monchengladbach and headed back the way we had come. We all sat in compartments on the train and the groups shared stories about people we had chatted with, stories that must have been partially adapted through a definite language barrier but none of us cared. The tales of Kaiser Bill and his bottomless wallet, Albert and his never-ending jokes and Wolfgang and his broken English. As for me, well I rested my head dreamt of Frau Blondie and hoped the photographs came out.

We all boarded the ferry, each carrying a grey plastic bag containing a fancy dress suit and ready to hunt for their respective cabins. It was a routine sailing back home and we were due to dock in Hull at breakfast time. The night on the ferry was similar to the one on the outbound journey except the conversations were about memories not expectations…reflections on good times and at last the ability to spend english money. Normal practice was to wake and find we had already docked in Hull so after waking suitably refreshed I looked out of the west-facing window and I was shocked to discover that we were still at sea, and worse still we were heading south. This was so confusing.  At breakfast the conversation was halted by a tannoy announcement updating us on the current situation. The service from Rotterdam to Hull follows another service from Zeebrugge to Hull in to the port of Hull and it appeared that the sister ship had damaged the lock gates in to the docking area whilst manoeuvering and effectively closed the port. This was due to server storms in the United Kingdom on Sunday. So much for getting to work at lunchtime. We spent most of Monday on board that ship sailing in long circuits up and down the east coast between Teesside and The Wash. This was until around tea-time when it was decided that the ship would attempt to dock at the port of Immingham. Immingham is not a passenger port and the facilities were non-existent but as long as we could get off the ship nobody cared.

We eventually disembarked down a makeshift walkway and were met by staff that had been ferried over the bridge from Hull. A coach was organised to get us back to the other side of the Humber to collect our cars. The whole trip had been a success. An eventful one, but one that will never be forgotten. A tale of laughs, fancy dress, German translation and of course a potato on a ribbon.

We phoned home and then phoned work, as a major transport company they already knew what was going on. It was then we were informed that the weather had been so bad that it had blown the office roof completely off. Oh no….talk about overshadow our german tales.

Thanks for reading and “auf wiedersehen“

Duddon Estuary Monochrome High Contrast

Duddon Estuary Monochrome High Contrast, a photo by Mark Winterbourne | P H O T O G R A P H Y on Flickr.

Well its been a very dry 2013 on the photographic front. For example, I have taken 2877 images less this year than in 2012 and its not even April yet. So, what do you do. You look back and re-edit images with a different approach.

Here is an image taken on the 13th March in Cumbria (blog here : – https://nomoredeadpixels.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/modems-mobiles-tablets-who-needs-an-excuse-for-a-photo-session-well-it-would-be-rude-not-to-wouldnt-it/ )

Hope you like my different take….

Via Flickr:
A variation edit on an image already on Flickr.. Something to do on a Sunday

Modems, Mobiles…The Flickr Images

An excuse for a photo session…., a set on Flickr.

Modems, Mobiles & Tablets – Who needs an excuse for a photo session? Well, it would be rude not to……wouldn’t it?

Modems, Mobiles & Tablets – Who needs an excuse for a photo session? Well, it would be rude not to……wouldn’t it?

Wednesday 13th March – 03:15 The recent weeks have been pretty poor when it comes to the weather, well so I thought. Having spoken with my Mum and Dad yesterday it seemed that the little pocket of Cumbria called Haverigg had missed out on all this inclement weather and somehow the rest of us have ended up with quite a raw deal. Before they went to New Zealand for Christmas I informed my lovely mum that she was paying way over the odds for her telephone and broadband package and a better deal was to be had elsewhere. Changing before they went to the far-flung corner of the globe wasn’t really an option so it was decided to leave it until they came back. Anyway, yesterday was changeover day; well it was originally Tuesday but twenty-four hours wasn’t going to make any difference was it? By the way, had that situation been in reverse and I had needed assistance being told I had to do without my broadband for a night would have driven me mad.

Watching the weather is something that seems to have descended through the male ranks in our family. My grandfather used to watch the weather and I can go with that, like me he was a photographer and it made all the difference to have a sunny day for your images. It just makes them sparkle and stand out by comparison. My dad is just the same as his father, ruled by the weather, an outdoor person who finds been stuck indoors akin to life in a prison cell. With views from home of the Lake District mountains the Duddon Estuary and the Walney Peninsulas it has to be said that it doesn’t look quite the same in miserable weather. I find it hard to admit this, but I think I have caught the very same disease but maybe just a lighter strain of it. I will quite happily take photographs in poor weather, after all you are reflecting a moment in time and if the weather was like that on the day…then c’est la vie that’s the way it rolls. So after checking with the Met Office website and finding out that Wednesday was going to be more than suitable, it was time to set my stall out.

Sunrise was 07:12 at Windermere. I knew in my head what I was looking for but a little bit of research was in order as you cannot pause the rising sun while you move locations. Using modern computer applications can save you a lot of time and effort. Google Earth as a reconnaissance tool is fine but it doesn’t give you much idea when it comes to location and the position of the sun. What there is to offer on the wonderful www is Suncalc . This is a fantastic little tool for working out where the sun comes up and sets in relation to your current location. A screen shot of yesterdays is shown.

As you can see, this is ideal for planning sunset and sunrise shots. My original intentions had me down for Waterhead; this is about two miles north of where I ended up at Wray Castle. I wanted some shots looking across the lake with some reflections and a nice morning sky. After using suncalc I decided that this location would have been no use whatsoever as the sun would be emerging too far to the east of there to get any decent water reflection shots. Bouncing out of bed and grabbing a quick coffe I left home at just before 4:00am and joined the A65 heading north-west towards the Lake District. I only saw a handful of vehicles in the quiet two and a half hour journey and actually managed it without stopping. I actuallt felt like I was in a race. A race against the rising sun, Jeremy Clarkson east your heart out. As I approached Ambleside the sky was already paling, I got my bearings and decided that suncalc had it spot on so proceeded to head over to the edge of Lake Windermere near Wray Castle. I followed my nose, my instinct and the Sat-Nav and found a small car park well off the beaten track near the shoreline at High Wray. The trees were very close to the edge of the water but it was perfect for the sunrise. Whilst waiting for the sun to show its face I looked around from my spot by the lake for the possibility of other photo opportunities.  As I looked towards the North-East I noticed the pink glow tinging the side of Fairfield this was a tell-tale sign that the sun was on its way. With the low light prior to dawn I opted for a tripod and got myself in position for my first shot. I knew exactly what I was looking for and panoramas were the order of the day. Below is my first attempt of the “Morning”….

The shot above is a composite image, it has been stitched together from 6 single images hence the unusual cropping. Even without the sun in the shot it just seemed right. I had a good look around and tried different angles and in particular kept taking several images that overlapped in order to stitch them when I got back home. The whole set on Flickr seems to lean towards the photo-stitches but I quite liked the panorama effect over the lake and after all that’s what I had planned to do. As the sun rose higher the colours started to kick in. It wasn’t as intense as I had hoped but it still left a golden glow to the whole scene. As I said earlier the road where my car was parked was very close to the water’s edge, this left very little option for stepping back and obtaining some distant shots which was quite frustrating. A pair of swans made an appearance and drifted across my view… it was like they were summoned to be there just for me. I just kept tapping away and making minor adjustments to the settings to make life easier for when I got the images in to the computer. It wasn’t long before the beautiful colour started to dissipate, once the glow had gone and the sun rose above the low-lying southern fells of Cumbria an early spring like atmosphere set its stall out for the day. I can’t post all the images on here but I have included a small slide show below. Failing that head over to my Flickr page here to look at them in more detail.

I jumped back in my car, not literally, and attempted to get back to a more appropriate road. Preferably one that was wider than six feet, surrounded by thicket and one that I was confident would lead me south-west. I sat in the car pondering my options; do I head back towards Ambleside for some more images or find my way towards the peninsulas, my parents home and breakfast. I opted for a quick peek over the hedge at Ambleside and headed back where I had come from along the B5286. Parking is quite difficult at the best of times in Ambleside and this was 07:45 on a Wednesday morning and there was no where to park. So, I made a quick pit stop for a bladder drainage and observed the view from a small car park near Waterhead whilst parked in a drop off zone. The angle I had chosen for the sunrise images from Wray Castle had me intentionally facing in to the sun, now the sun had risen a little I was presented with a problem from this end of the lake. It was far too bright and way too “contrasty” for any decent images so I made the decision to call it a day for Windermere and turn around yet again.

It was time to head south-west and off towards the small village of Haverigg. I usually don’t have a problem getting from A to B and I have been to Haverigg more times than I brushed my teeth last year, but what I have never done before is visit this place arriving from central Lake District. I had it in my mind which way to go so I assumed that the Sat-Nav would follow suit. Err, no…it had different ideas. So off I went, exploring ! My parents were aware of my impending visit and as a result they informed me that they would be up and ready earlier than usual. I wasnt entirely sure what “usual” was for them but I reckoned on 08:45-09:00 as an estimate and a good time for breakfast too.  I made my way across the county following the Sat-Nav to the letter. I kept looking at the stunning views and couldn’t help noticing the snow adorning the summits of the higher central peaks. There were so many photo opportunities that I missed and it became frustrating as stopping was impossible. The narrow road and a lack of lay-bys, passing places and farm gates prevented me from taking up those opportunities. It really cheesed me off and round every corner a glance over my right shoulder only confirmed what I was missing. I was like a child been dragged away from Santa’s Grotto without actually meeting the big guy himself and getting a present. Still I managed a couple from the comfort of my driving seat whilst waiting for a tractor to pass me.

After 45 minutes on the road I finally pulled in to the small seaside village of Haverigg. I have said this in previous posts but I will say it again, as sleepy as this village may be it always excites me. I think I am looking at that from a photographers perspective as the subject matter in this location is endless. I always think that I need to spend at least a week here providing the skies were cloudless and it was warm and dry throughout. As I came off the main coast road and turned on to  the seafront along Sea View I stopped in awe at the view.  I have seen this view a thousand times but this morning it was stunning. I grabbed my mobile phone and took an image that had my name and style stamped all over it. I shot straight in to the sun creating a very contre-jour style look. The image is below and is straight from the phone with no edit involved.

After getting my shot I looked back over my shoulder and considered whether  should stop again and open my camera bag. All I could think was “ive got this shot so many times it would be totally pointless.” I was right to consider this as I do have this image in many variations, different seasons, alternative weather and alternative angles. I moved on and parked up outside my parents house.

It has become apparent that in this day and age that companies no longer seem interested in keeping your business. I came across this just last week and covered it well in my blog post entitled “I dont always listen to what they say…do I” I also mentioned that my parents had changed their phone and broadband contract from BT to Sky. In my opinion this was a wise move, cheaper and effortless too. My job (after a small breakfast) was to remove all the BT equipment and install the Sky modem and eventually get my mums’ lovely computer back online. In addition to this I had a number of smaller jobs that involved connecting a tablet to wireless, connecting a laptop to the same network and demonstrating how to use a Samsung Smartphone. Oh, and connecting that to the wireless network too. All in a days work for me and a piece of cake.

As far as setting up the equipment goes, this was like taking candy from a baby and I had it done in less than fifteen minutes. I even had the PC online and wireless up and running within another five minutes. The fun and games started when setting up the email address. Instructions were fine for setting the primary user but were not so clear when you wanted to change the email address generated by Sky’s computer to something a little more user-friendly. Rumplestiltskinsunderpants1245@sky.com doesnt exactly make things that easy when you are stood outside Tesco chatting to a friend you havent seen since school and he or she asks for your email address. By the time they have typed that in to their phone you could have emailed it yourself, packed up the car with the shopping and gone home. So my first job after getting online was to create a new one. I did it, but it took a phone call to an operative to complete the task. Instructions were not that obvious and the help facility online ranked much closer to “unhelpful”. By the time all this was done I needed to stretch my legs and get some fresh air so I persuaded my dad to drive me a couple of miles down to Devonshire Road. This location provides some excellent views looking inland and eastwards towards the Lake District fells. The location (Borwick Rails) used to be a harbour as around Millom there was a local coasting trade in coal, iron and slate. The discovery of large quantities of iron ore led to a huge increase in shipments out of the area from the Hodbarrow Mining Company’s pier at Crab Marsh Point (Borwick Rails), with almost 600 vessels using  it in 1864.The ironworks of the Cumberland Mining & Smelting Company Limited began production in 1867, and in the following year started to build their own pier at Borwick Rails, only a stone’s throw from the mining company’s pier. Millom Pier grew to be nearly half a mile long, and included the original harbour. On one day in January 1892, eight steam vessels shipped 4400 tons of ore from the mines. The last shipment took place in 1940, and the pier was derelict by 1951.

This was a place that I had been to a few times before, as a child and in recent years too. I always seemed to leave my camera behind or bad weather would hamper any opportunity for a photograph. Today, I was half way there. The sun was out on the distant fells but a large mass of cloud blowing from the north-east put my chances of getting a sunlit foreground as slim. We waited for about thirty minutes and then gave up. The cloud was swirling and moving very slowly, it was very difficult to work out exactly where the sun would emerge which made it very difficult to predict its appearance at all. I decided to make the best of a bad situation and grab some images anyway. The shot above is a composite image of twelve individuals and as you can see the foreground is very dark. I wanted to create this “HDR” look despite it not actually been an HDR image. I was reasonably pleased with the outcome.

The loitering, lingering and very dark cloud that spoiled my images from Borwick Rails continued to hang around for much of the afternoon. I had hoped it wouldn’t. For years my journeys to Haverigg usually involve a routing from Leeds to  Kirkby Lonsdale and then the A595 along the southern tip of Cumbria. This is a beautiful part of the world and the view from one particular point in this journey is absolutely spectacular. The panoramic view from the hill above Grizebeck near the Burlington Slate Quarry is somewhat stunning. A very old friend, Richard Sugden captured an image from this location that caught my eye and all I could imagine was how this scene would look like at sunset? I feel a challenge coming on !

I checked the sunset times and gauged my departure time from Haverigg to co-ordinate an arrival at the quarry for the setting sun. I got it spot on too, I kept looking in the rear view mirror whilst en-route and could see the sun from only a couple of spots on the main road. The mountains and fells in this location are high enough to block the sun from the valley roads especially in Winter. As I drove up the hill out of Grizebeck I could see the sun about to dip behind fells and the sky was turning in to a gradient from blue to orange. The clouds were illuminated by the golden light and looked like lampshades lit by an orange bulb. The scene was perfect. I turned in to the entrance of the Quarry at the top of the hill, this was uncharted territory for me. I kept driving, there were no barriers or security gates. No bollards or warning signs. I kept going, over the cattle grid and climbing even higher. I reached the summit and pulled over on the right. There is only one word that describes the view from up here…. WOW ! I will let you judge for yourself when you see the image below, but I am confident you will agree with me. From the north I could see a snow storm blowing across the mountains. This would be spectacular if the storm would blow across the setting sun. Would it move fast enough, it was a race between the sun and the cloud, would it be quick enough for me to capture the setting sun and the storm in one shot. It was leaving a haze on the sky that almost looked like fine smoke from a grass fire … oh if this was to move fast enough and cross the path of the setting sun I would be in for a treat. I wasnt so lucky, I did however manage to capture the blowing snow in the right hand side of the images.

There were a combination of elements that in my opinion would make this image look special. In the valley the Duddon Estuary was calm, still and reflecting the glow of the sky against the black of the shadows. To the North was the impending snow storm, and to the south was a bank of cloud with a rim of iridescent reds and oranges contrasting against the blacks. This was perfect, a perfect end to a perfect day. I will say no more, other than I arrived home 18 hours and 225 miles after leaving with 300 images that were well worth the effort. Oh and mums’ broadband is working too. I hope you enjoy the images, I did. Remember to look on Flickr as they are many more.

A sunshade..and deckchair in one !

A sunshade..and deckchair in one !, a photo by Mark Winterbourne | P H O T O G R A P H Y on Flickr.

In Winter you forget what the heat of the summer months feel like. Mind you, in the United Kingdom thats becoming an impossible task as Summer seems to have been a non starter for the last few years.
This was taken on July 18th 2005 at Royal International Air Tattoo, Fairford, Gloucestershire. Please take a look at the whol set here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/lbaviation/sets/72157624679274970/