Same subject, same lesson, different location

A while back I wrote a blog about a trip to London to see Lee Evans and the impromptu photo session the morning after. If you cannot recall this, or maybe you havent read it then take a look here . To cut a long story short I was advised quite early in the morning of shooting images at Canary Wharf that I needed permission to shoot professionally at this location. Well as I wasnt shooting professionally and I had no intention of selling the images I couldnt see the problem. This moved on to them suggesting that I needed permission to use a tripod and would need public liability insurances for said tripod. Well, what a mess eh? In a way the police officers were right, the land at Canary Wharf is private property and a quick look on the website does in fact state that commercial photographers will require permission.

Why does a tripod, a long lens and the actual manner of looking like you know what you are doing make joe public think you are either a professional photographer or a member of the paparazzi? Answer…A sign of the time. My comment to this…does driving a 1984 Ford Escort make you a rally driver? Answer: No.

The very nice people at Strictly Yorkshire Photography Group had arranged a tea-time meet up at Clarence Dock in Leeds City Centre. If you are not familiar with this place then take a look here…(Wikipedia). This is a great locations for photography during the day but at night the scene is set for coloured lighting, awesome reflections, rippling water and countless silhouettes. Trip Advisor, Visit Leeds and various other tourism sites have good things to say about Clarence Dock including

“The docks are nice but nothing to rave about. However from behind it there is a really nice path through the canal. You can walk to Methley and even further enjoying the landscape. I highly recommend this if you have a day off with nice weather and a picnic”

“A pleasent walk on way to Royal Armouries, one can only imagine what this area must have looked like before it was re-developed. Seemed a very busy area, people taking boat trips, riding bikes or just sitting reading. Noticed nice selection of eateries.”

But no where in any of the reviews or details does it say you are not allowed to take photographs. This got me thinking how many images must there be on the internet of Clarence Dock and its waterways on the internet. My first port of call was flickr. Where I found this image and the quote “…this is one of my favourite locations in Leeds to come and test new (or old) camera equipment!” … mmmmm

The evenings photography had already started when I arrived and a few people were stood around arranging images and setting up tripods. I proceeded to do the same and within about 10 minutes of doing so I was approached by a security guard. His words to me were “Do you have permission to take photos?” to which I answered “Do I need permission?” he then began explaining that the land was private property but we could stand further back (approximately 20ft) and that was a public highway. Now this begs the question of signage. Surely if something is private property there must be a sign telling you so. There is a public footpath along side this area over Knights Bridge and within this area are local shops and restaurants i.e. Tesco, Mumtaz to name a couple.  If it was private proprty then surely this would limit access to the shopping area?

Looking at Google Images reveals thousands of images of Clarence Dock, even at night. The BBC Leeds website even praises and hosts an image by a local photographer from the exact location we were stood at. Our latest distant accquaintance “Mr Security Guard” whom incidentally refused to give us his name but insisted he had only worked here a week had stuck to his decision and insisted we couldnt take photographs.

I was tired, my head was in agony and as much as it was ideal for photography a clear night would have been so different. As the others headed off to find a new location, I headed back to my car and a short ride home with my single image. It wasnt a total waste of time but it just felt like Canary Wharf all over again.

Unlike Canary Wharf who have a website that clearly indicates that no commercial filming or photography is allowed, Clarence Dock has very little and the only item I can find relates to a company called “Allied London” who are a property developer who originally purchased the “New Dock” site.

Maybe one day I will find out. Until then, all photographers out there, watch what you are taking…..you never when you are on private property

The Owl, The Moon & The Checkpoint

There was to be no moon, no rain and no decent images. It would have been so much better had the moon been in view as we might actually have seen more than distant silhouettes and a faint burst of torch lights signalling the arrival of the first walkers. This was it, the scene was set for the Sue Ryder Wheatfields Starlight Hike 2013 at Temple Newsham, Leeds. By the way, we did see stars.

Temple Newsam is one of the most admired historic houses in the north of England. Famous as the birthplace of Lord Darnley, infamous husband of Mary Queen of Scots, Temple Newsam is a truly stunning stately home and is set within 1500 acres of beautiful parkland landscaped by the famous designer Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in the 18th century. We had arrived a couple of hours previous in the chill of the late September air at the central area of Temple Newsham. Floodlights were set up on the main grassed land in front of the house along with a small stage and a few other tents. Elaine and I had volunteered to be marshalls for the event along with a handful of other kind souls giving up their Saturday evening in the name of charity.
As the masses started arriving for the 10km walk the volunteers were taken by Land Rover to the various check points on the course. The route was a figure of eight taking in the full expanse of the grounds. Elaine and I were positioned at Marshal Point 1, 8 & 13. Before you start thinking that we did really well to spread ourselves over such a large area the route took a figure of eight which meant that the walkers passed us on three occasions.

Elaine and I were issued with a two-way radio and dropped off at our marshalling point; MP 1. Was this the best? was it the nearest the toilet? did it offer the best vantage point? In a nutshell, none of the above. As the vehicle drove away Elaine and I just laughed out loud. What in the name of all that’s holy was this all about. It was quite dark. In fact, that’s probably an understatement. I said to Elaine, don’t worry your eyes will get used to it once they have adjusted. Nope……

I began to unpack my camera to test the theory of photography in THE DARK. Just for the sake of posterity I decided to take a photograph using my phone of the fantastic view that bestowed Elaine and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Oh this was going to be so much fun. I am unsure whether you will have seen the spin-off from Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights called Max & Paddy’s Road to Nowhere. If you havent there is a scene in this comedy where the two main characters decide to camp in the woods as thier motor home has gone in to a garage to be fixed overnight. They spend all night by a fire, hungry and practically lost. Next morning in the hours of  daylight they find they have been sleeping only yards from a twenty-four hour garage and a hotel. This felt so similar I can tell you. What is quite funny though is the fact that I checked on Google Earth just now and our checkpoint was only 0.72 miles from the M1 yet no traffic could b heard. Then again, how much traffic would there be on the M1 at midnight on a Saturday?

Seconds later we heard a very distinctive noise. “Control to MP1” ah I thought! There is civilisation still out there. They were just checking we had arrived at our post for the next four hours. Yes, you read it right… we were going to be stuck in a forest that resembled a scene from Harry Potter & Chamber of Secrets for four hours… AT NIGHT !

Within seconds of our first radio contact silence once again fell upon us. That was until an Owl decided that despite the presence of Mark and Elaine Winterbourne it would continue the hunt for supper. You could hear the rustle of leaves on the forest floor, the sound of twigs breaking in the canopy above. What in the name of all that’s holy was that? I looked over to where I thought Elaine was stood. So Harry Potter.

Oh this was going to be so much fun.  Time passed and before long we heard on the radio that the masses had started their ten kilometre walk. Elaine and I were trying to mentally estimate how long it would take the slowest walkers to complete the full course. It was very hard to even estimate as walkers were of all abilities…..

Flickering lights could be seen through the trees in the distance, it looked like we had our first walkers and the time was already 22:20. I went to grab my camera out of my bag and aimed to shoot my first images. It was then I realised the problem that presented itself before me. The lack of light for photos was ok if you had a flash gun, but the infra-red beam that the flash sends out to enable the camera to focus was really struggling. I couldn’t even compose the shot in the first place let alone take it. It was like catching flies in the dark with chop sticks. It was totally impossible. I tried illuminating the subject with my torch just so the camera had something to grab hold of but it wasnt having any of it. It was to be a very dry night for my camera, not quite.

The walkers came and went and so did the night, by 01:00 when all the walkers had passed we found ourselves heading back towards the start line and the comfort of food and a warm drink. A big shout out to all the fantastic volunteers at Sue Ryder for a fantastic fundraising evening and to all the walkers who were awesome. Also, a huge thank you to the guy upstairs who controls the weather …. it stayed dry. Which is more than I can say for my camera gear that got soaked with condensation after being stood in the cold night air until 01:00 am.

We finally hit the hay at 02:30 this morning…….. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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

Blemish here, a mole there….all in an edit

I think I may have become obsessive. Is there anything wrong with making everything correct down to the finest detail? I don’t know the answer to that to be totally truthful. I think I will come across as quite patronising if I say that I am totally obsessive because it doesn’t apply in every instance. I mean, if I sometimes forget to put my shoes in the cupboard I wont usually think twice. I can do methodical with obsession, I can honest. Here is a funny example that will show you more about me than I need to say really. A couple of days ago I offered to help my lovely wife Elaine clean up. The first thing I did was head towards my desk which amongst PC’s, printers and monitors  was cluttered with unopened envelopes and scattered notes of names and telephone numbers. I proceeded to remove the said rubbish from my domain which led to dusting and wiping. This in turn led to screen cleaning times two and before I could complete my simple task thirty minutes had gone by and Elaine had completed the whole house. Mmmm enough said.

Cleaning is not my obsession though. Retouching and editing however is; I started working through my images that were shot a couple of weeks ago on my “hat shoot” and realised that my attention to detail may not exactly be the same as someone elses attention to detail. Small skin blemishes, moles, awkward stray hairs, blood vessels in the eyes are all little things that could be left untouched would bug me and make me feel like the job isn’t complete. Like I just said though, not everyone sees things in the same light. The subject of the photo-shoot was the hats, okay, that hats were sat on top of three lovely models but that is exactly where I went wrong. The edits took longer and longer whilst I paid attention to every minor detail. I think the editing procedure went something like this….

1.  Exposure
2. Brightness & Contrast
3. Saturation/Hue
4. Levels/Curves
5. Spot removal (dust spots not face spots)
6. Cropping
7. Masking & Layering
8. Artefact removal
9. Noise Reduction
10.Saving

As you can see from the list that this can be a lengthy job and each image can take up to thirty minutes to complete. This amounts to a serious amount of time when you have a couple of hundred images to do let alone over a thousand. In an ideal world it would be lovely if Photoshop could identify these blemishes and spots, it does in its own way but it’s not the best. So, I revert to Lightroom and manual and edit how I know best. Have a look at a few images that I have finished and see what you think. In my opinion, I am very happy….not sure what the models think as I have only seen messages on Facebook. There is much to be said about-face to face contact. Hope you like the images, as always… comments are welcome

A huge thank you to Stephanie, Margaret, Jemima, Missy, Martina & Rebecca, your help is so much appreciated and I will never forget your patience.

Credits:

StephanieJaneMillinery
Margaret Woodliff-Wright
Jemima Robinson
Missy Ellwood
Martina Peluso
Rebecca May

The dreaded Cellulitis…..

In 2007 whilst on holiday in Lanzarote I suddenly became mysteriously ill. It wasn’t like it was something obvious it was just a gradual feeling over a few hours. I recall coming back from a place called “Rancho Texas” and suspecting I had been bitten by a fly of some variety. It could well have been Spanish but as flies don’t speak I couldn’t really ask it could I? Whatever it was took a real fancy to my blood and within twenty-four hours I was flat on my back, sweating profusely and craving cold drinks. We were staying at Lomo Blanco Apartments in Puerto del Carmen and as far as I can recall with only two or three days to go until our plane ride home I did nothing but sleep. Much of this was down to heaps of Panadol kindly dispensed by my loving wife Elaine but with all good intentions she wanted to get me home. In hindsight she was right, ten days in the Leeds General Infirmary has a little more appeal than being stuck on your own in a Spanish hospital 1800 miles from home. I am sure you see where I am coming from here.

After getting me on the plane drugged up to the eyeballs I managed to get home. Looking back, two things spring to mind… firstly, I cannot even remember the journey home and secondly, how in the name of all thats holy did I get away with it? It would only have taken an eagle eyed flight attendant to realise how sick I was. Once home a call to “NHS Direct” for advice seemed the right things to do. When the call was made with all the symptoms it must have come across as a little misleading to the call handler and we awere advised that “deep vein thrombosis” was likely. I think the fact that I had just stepped off an aircraft may have swayed the decision in this direction to be fair. Anyway, that was not the point… Elaine was instructed not to panic and to get me to Accident and Emergency like…rapid. And thats exactly what happened.

My home for the next week or so was a darkened ward in the bowels of the Leeds General Infirmary called the “High Dependency Unit”. Here, I lay with my feet in an awkward postion much higher than my head and drugged up to the eyeballs much like I was in the final days of my holiday to the Canary Islands.

I was very lucky really, bites like this can be poisonous and if not treated can do real damage. Since then, my legs are painful and the skin is very soft and even the slightest knock will cause them to bruise quicker than an old tomato. The price I pay for this means I have to be careful, much like I wasnt the following year when back in Lanzarote when I scraped my leg on a the rough edge of a plastic sunbed and tore a hole on my shin. What I have managed to do is stay clear of flies and mosquitoes. Two more visits to the Canary Islands and I have stayed bite free. All down to special wipes, wristbands and a loving and caring wife who obvisouly doesnt want to see me in that state again. This was until last Friday…..when the unexpected happened…in Cottingley. Yes, Cottingley del Sol.

A beautiful summers evening and the last thing that was on my mind was the dangers of the British fly. I was at the Moonlight Walk hosted by ny good friends at Cancer Support Bradford & Airedale  — if you get a chance please take a look at the great fundraising and events the friends do…they are nothing short of fantastic.  They often ask me to take photographs for them and as its my passion I never turn down an opportunity. The event was to be held at Cottingley Fitness & Wellbeing Centre near Bingley. The place has fantastic grounds including a lovely water feature and open lawns. Ideal for an event of this kind I am sure you will agree. It also appears that it was ideal for an old friend of mine, one that was to come back an haunt me with a bang. The Fly !

It had never crossed my mind when getting ready that on a beautiful summers evening I would be better covering up my legs or caking them in Jungle Formula Insect Repellent. Afterall this is West Yorkshire not the Canary Islands.  I had been taking photographs of the participants (below)

and all was going well. I was sat by one of the tables near the edge of the lawn when I felt a sharp pain in the side of my left leg. I looked down and to my horror saw a black humped shaped insect drawing blood from the depths of my calf. How rude ! Without permission too, surely that constitutes theft? With a swipe of my hand I tried to remove said creature from my leg but it was going nowhere fast. I had to physically pick it from the hole itself had created. I was left with a trickle of blood and a feeling of nervousness came over me. What if this brought back my Cellulitis?

After a few panic ridden text exchanges with Elaine I thought nothing else of it until the next morning. I woke with a slightly more swollen pair of legs than I went to bed with, a warmer and hotter (not in the biblical sense) pair of legs along with a nauseous feeling. This was the last thing I needed. Once again, thinking nothing more of it I carried on my normal Saturday morning routine and my lovely wife went to work. Within an hour of her departure something went wrong. It was almost like it was waiting for her departure to create this problem because the timing was just that. My legs started to swell and the skin started to stretch. I took evasive action and lay on the sofa nearest the window and propped my legs up on the window sill. It was there I stayed until Elaine returned home from work at two o clock.

She knew….Straight away. Women know when something is not right, they have this ability to detect problems it’s a seventh sense (lol). No matter how much I could have tried to hide it, it was never going to work. The proof was in the size of my body parts so without removing my legs I had no chance. We both mutually agreed that a trip to Leeds General Infirmary was in order….Oh no, here we go again.

Saturday afternoon at casualty is no fun, nothing compared to Saturday evening but still no fun. Five hours later and a number of potions later and I was allowed home. This was only because no matter how much they tried they could for the life in them get a drip in to me. This has resulted in numerous bruises in my arms but I’m not going to worry about that. I will have to look like a temporary addict for a few days and deal with it.

And here I am, its Wednesday and I am still sat with my feet up and resting. Top Gear has been the highlight of my week. Thanks foe reading my woes. Call back soon for more.

A rapid change of plan….

Model: Jemima Robinson

Occasionally I need a kick-start, but then again doesn’t everyone? Maybe if you were to answer this truthfully and actually say “no” then subsequently email me; I would realise the problem is actually me. Once again we are heading mid way through the month of July and the photo count is quite stale.

There was the faintest glimmer however, a friend of mine Stephanie got in touch last week and asked if could take some photos of the hats she had designed. Well, firstly I never turn down the opportunity to help a friend and secondly when given the chance to get in to the studio how could I refuse.

I was introduced to three lovely models Jemima Robinson, Rebecca May and a very nice lady that to this day remains nameless. A whole day shooting a subject that I can honestly say I have no experience in shooting before….Hats ! Yes, hats.

Model: Rebecca May

I have to say these models were absolutely fantastic at their jobs. They made 1500 images roll through my camera like a breath of fresh air. With a large space to work in, air conditioning and every facility you could ask for it was like a dream. A big thank you to Margaret Woodliff-Wright (Hats) , Stephanie Murie (Hats) and Martina Peluso (Make-up) for the assistance during the day and also a big thank you to the technicians from Leeds College of Art for the lighting and equipment.

I have now created a dilemma. As I know from many past shoots, the selection process is probably as hard as the shoot itself. Having said that, having never subjected actual hats before things weren’t as easy as first thought. It quite easy to drift “off-topic” and shoot the model for her qualities leaving the hat to fall by the wayside. It just took a couple of frames to knock me back on the right track, redirecting my focus on the hat as opposed to the glamour side of the photography.

All three models were fantastic at modelling the hats and gave the images every quality that was required.

If you have never photographed in a studio environment before it can be very nerve-racking. Throughout my years as a photographer I have used many studios and lighting set-ups but I have to say the crew at Leeds College of Art have got the dogs doo dahs of set ups. I took a couple of images using my phone of the studio setup, these are posted below.

Leeds College of Art, Studio

Leeds College of Art, Studio

A great day’s shooting, somewhere totally different. Thanks for the opportunity.

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.

So where are they are all going…..

They are all disappearing fast. Views and figures that is…..The big changes at Flickr have impacted on my views somewhat considerably over the last week or so. Don’t get me wrong here, I am not grumbling at all. It appears to me however that one of the pitfalls of the “all singing, all dancing” Flickr is that large previews of images are actually deterring viewers from clicking the image to view it large. Simply because they don’t have to. Enough detail is shown in the larger preview to allow the viewer a decent view. This makes me think….does this actually matter. Certain Flickr users seem to think so?

I am not in the least bit bothered by this, my regular visitors to my Flickr pages are just that, regular and I appreciate the visits folks I really do. Others may stumble across one of my images by chance and for that I will say thank you too. It’s quite amazing where my views actually come from during a full twenty-four hours. Okay, they have dropped by about 1000 per day (which is about 66% by the way) and I find this a little disappointing. My average per day was around 1500 and they currently stand at 400-500.

Today’s biggest hit is a picture of HMS Belfast on the River Thames. HMS Belfast is a museum ship, which was originally a Royal Navy light cruiser, it is permanently moored in London on the River Thames and operated by the Imperial War Museum. Construction of Belfast, named after the capital city of Northern Ireland and one of ten Town-class cruisers, began in December 1936. She was launched on St Patrick’s Day, 17 March 1938. Commissioned in early August 1939 shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, Belfast was initially part of the British naval blockade against Germany. In November 1939 Belfast struck a German mine and spent more than two years undergoing extensive repairs. Returning to action in November 1942 with improved firepower, radar equipment and armour, Belfast was the largest and arguably most powerful cruiser in the Royal Navy at the time. Belfast saw action escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union during 1943, and in December 1943 played an important role in the Battle of North Cape, assisting in the destruction of the German warship Scharnhorst. In June 1944 Belfast took part in Operation Overlord supporting the Normandy landings. In June 1945 Belfast was redeployed to the Far East to join the British Pacific Fleet, arriving shortly before the end of the Second World War. Belfast saw further combat action in 1950–52 during the Korean War and underwent an extensive modernisation between 1956 and 1959. A number of further overseas commissions followed before Belfast entered reserve in 1963.

In 1967, efforts were initiated to avert Belfast’s expected scrapping and preserve her as a museum ship. A joint committee of the Imperial War Museum, the National Maritime Museum and the Ministry of Defence was established, and reported in June 1968 that preservation was practical. In 1971 the government decided against preservation, prompting the formation of the private HMS Belfast Trust to campaign for her preservation. The efforts of the Trust were successful, and the government transferred the ship to the Trust in July 1971. Brought to London, she was moored on the River Thames near Tower Bridge in the Pool of London. Opened to the public in October 1971, Belfast became a branch of the Imperial War Museum in 1978. A popular tourist attraction, Belfast receives around a quarter of a million visitors per year.[7] As a branch of a national museum and part of the National Historic Fleet, Core Collection, Belfast is supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, by admissions income, and by the museum’s commercial activities.

The image is another one of my Photoshop creations I am afraid to say. It was suitably adjusted to appear very early morning when the shot was actually taken at 09:35. It worked ! Well, I think it did and judging by the comments that came in on Flickr the viewers did too.

So why a sudden interest in this image? Who knows… It may be an article in another blog that has refered to my image, it may be just a link from elsewhere or even a BOT. A little while ago I had two series of images, 35 to be precise, that took between 10-20 hits per day, everyday for one year exactly. Yes…one year to the day they started they then stopped as abruptly as they began. All the images were aircraft related but split in to two sections; one set of 20 were all images of ETIHAD Airlines aircraft and the second set were of QATAR Airways aircraft. The latter of the two always received the least views. I tried in vain to find out the source of the views but to no avail. I wondered if they were being shown at a college or university or something similar but I never found out. Sometimes it can be quite easy to discover what is going on, topical images are easily sourced by a quick google search. Only last week with the anniversary of the Dambusters some of my images were shown in results of searches. This was clearly obvious as the search terms were revealed in my Flickr statistics at the end of the day. A number of months ago when a crane toppled in to the local canal, my images took a large number of hits in the days that followed. At the time, a Google search revealed that the link to my site was the number one hit…thus the reason was explained.

So, has the “Big Flickr change” had an impact on me? I can state quite categorically absolutely not ! I will keep uploading to Flickr for my benefit and should anyone wish to look at my images, then it is for their benefit also. As for the rest, well if you are unhappy then that is for you to come to terms with and to move on. May I thank you for all your comments and input and finally wish you all the best which ever way you go.

Thanks for reading, as always, comments are very welcome.

So where have all the blog posts gone…..

It has been a week like no other week; here I go with the excuses again. Almost every time I have sat down at the PC to actually compose something for No More Dead Pixels one of several things have happened.

1. I have been distracted and never got back to finishing anything
2. Been far too busy visiting Wheatfields Hospice
3. Tiredness (this sounds a lame excuse I know, but busy days take it out on you)
4. A lack of inspiration.

These do sound awful excuses I know. One of the things that crossed my mind last week was my commitment to writing this blog. I raised several questions in my head (to myself) that made me actually think about what I was doing. One of the things about doing a blog like this is to have a reason behind the whole project. I don’t! I don’t have a motive or a reason. No even a passion for writing really. I originally just felt like attaching words to my photography to give an in-depth explanation of my reasoning and ideas when taking a particular image.  This led to topical additions and current news of my interests been inserted here, there and everywhere. Does it work? Who knows…I have had views and comments, lots of them actually and I am yet to receive negative feed back. So I continue.

The last weeks have been spent doing things that have had to take priority in my life, in our lives to be a little more precise. Elaine is part of this too and at the end of the day I have found little time for recreation. Time devoted to loved ones is so precious and time that I will never shun or put off. My photography has been limited and the figures for 2013 are really starting to show. Compared to 2012 I am a long way behind. Current total for 2013 is 4647 RAW files in five months, compared to 2012 this is far short of the 7977 done then. So what is the problem? Like I mentioned above, time is a major factor. Cost is another, trips here, there and everywhere are expensive and are currently on a back burner. Weather is probably the number one reason, we havent had what you might call a wonderful Spring have we. The West of the Pennines seem to have faired a little better than the East but that s just the way the cookie crumbles.

Saturday was particularly nice and after several hours in the back garden with Elaine and our grand children I even managed to feel my forehead starting to burn. As the sun made its way down to the horizon, for the first time in weeks I felt and urge to grab a camera. Racing up to one of my many vantage points I tapped off a hundred images before and after the suns’ disappearance. I was actually happy with the sky that evening, it looked like Spring was here and Summer was around the corner. There was a gorgeous glow fading in to a bluer band of colour. One disadvantage of my selected location is a distinct lack of decent foreground and I was aware of this when I set off.  I knew what I was looking for and a minimalistic horizon with a few trees was going to be ample. Camera RAW offers the photographer a great deal of flexibility at the point of pressing the shutter and also back at the PC at processing stage so in front of the computer I was left with a few possibilities for this particular scene. Panoramas and photo-stitches I absolutely love and find them so much more realistic when it comes to trying to recreate what the human eye can see.

The images were taken with the panorama in mind and they were all shot within a few yards of each other.  I uploaded the results to Flickr today. Oh I forgot to say……We have a new Flickr…mmmm it seems that many are not so impressed. Me…well, I am ok with it and very happy to stay with Flickr, lets accept the change and get on with it. Others however, don’t seem to be seeing it this way but as Im not prepared to re-upload 11K images to another site then so be it. No way. So, whether the slide show facility that allows me to show a preview in WordPress will work remains to be seen….so here goes:-

Thanks for reading, all comments, as usual are very welcome

Bye for now