girafferacing's PhotoBlog

Blue sky blessings (theme)

2009-11-25T13:48:08Z

After the incessant rain of the last week today started with a glorious blue sky which struck me as being an ideal inspiration for today’s ‘blessings’ theme. As I walk into school on a Wednesday I pass this rather imposing statue of St. Richard (by the sculptor Philip Jackson), who was Bishop of Chichester from 1244 and is buried inside the Cathedral. I took this shot during my lunch break and used my polarising filter to bring out the colour of the blue sky.

Community punishment

2009-11-24T14:25:13Z

I decided to stop off at South Harting church on my way home from school today in search of today’s photo. In the end I got no further than the gate to the churchyard as my attention was caught by the remains of the village stocks and whipping post just outside the gates. I guess these must have stood here for many centuries, serving as a point for the punishment of wrong-doers in times past. I was rather taken with the colours and textures of the weathered padlock which currently locks them shut. I presume they are left locked up to prevent any attempts to try the stocks out for size by tipsy folk at pub closing time!

Caturday

2009-11-23T14:37:54Z

Gracie has decided that today should be a duvet day as the weather has been so atrocious and she’s spent virtually all day snoozing under the pink fluffy blanket on our bed. When I got back from the gym this afternoon I crept up there with my camera and lifted the blanket to see if I could capture a shot for Caturday. This was the best of the bunch, although you can see she wasn’t best pleased at being disturbed!

What are you doing?!

2009-11-22T21:46:02Z

During my journey to Reading this afternoon I stopped briefly near Midhurst to take some photos of a rather impressive rainbow which lay ahead of me. By the time I found somewhere safe to stop the colours had faded and my shots were decidedly underwhelming. However, as I stood by the road deciding what to do next I noticed this character in a field on the opposite watching my activities very closely. She seemed to have an expression on her face as if to say, “What on earth do you think you’re doing?!” Having taken a few photos I jumped back in the car to continue my journey with my every move still being closely scrutinised!

Jackson Pollock??

2009-11-21T21:51:45Z

Today’s shot was taken while speeding along the M4 motorway at 70mph… you’ll be pleased to know I wasn’t driving at the time!! I’ve been busy teaching and conducting in Bristol today and Kevin drove me there to give me a little time off. As we travelled home this evening I decided to try my hand at painting with light, especially as I hadn’t taken any photos at all by that stage. I started off with my camera on the dashboard of the car but this kept it too static and all the car light trails merged into one narrow band. Instead I set a shutter speed of 10 seconds and held the camera up to my face in the usual way. As the car moved this introduced some movement into the lines and I added some extra shape by moving the camera diagonally during the exposure. Inevitably every shot came out completely different but this one appealed the most with a satisfying mixture of straight and curved lines. It reminded me of some of Jackson Pollock’s abstract paintings – hence the title – although I suspect this will never make it onto the walls of the Museum of Modern Art in New York!

Blustery Bognor

2009-11-20T20:18:46Z

I had a couple of hours to while away between appointments in Bognor Regis this afternoon so I decided to bring my camera and take a stroll along the seafront. It was fairly mild but quite blustery and it certainly wasn’t ideal photographic weather. However, looking west, towards the pier, the setting sun was just trying to peep through between the clouds, creating some atmospheric lighting above the head of the solitary chap who was fishing from the pier. My second shot was taken as I headed eastwards. This chap was standing with his bicycle, apparently studying a sign about beach safety. It seemed such an odd thing to be doing in these conditions that I took a few shots before he realised I was there. As I walked further along I realised he wasn’t looking at the sign at all but talking to someone on the beach below who wasn’t visible from my original vantage point! I converted this shot to monochrome as it seemed to emphasise the bleakness of the scene.

Cutting edge

2009-11-19T21:10:16Z

Today’s posting is another one of those ‘help, I’ve reached 9.30pm without having taken a suitable photo – what shall I shoot?’ efforts! I shot these small nail scissors using a large aperture (f2.8) on a black nylon folder and lit them from the side with a small torch. I found the narrow beam of light brought out an unexpected sheen in the nylon and I decided it worked best as a monochrome image so the colour of the light didn’t distract the eye.

These boots are made for walkin'

2009-11-18T14:17:42Z

I had the idea for today’s photo several weeks ago when I took the train to Brighton. On the platform of our local village station there’s a bright yellow painted line for passengers to stand behind so as to be safe when fast trains pass through. I noticed that it made a good contrast with the blue shoes and socks I had on that day and wondered if it would make a good image. As I travelled back from Sheffield today it occurred to me that I was wearing the same combination of footwear so when I arrived at Fishbourne this afternoon I took the opportunity to grab a few shots. Luckily both platforms were empty at the time or I would undoubtedly have received some strange looks, standing there photographing my own feet! I decided a widescreen format worked best so only the yellow line is visible under my feet. I’ve boosted the saturation a little in Lightroom to make it pop a bit more.

St. Pancras Station

2009-11-18T00:10:14Z

I travelled through St. Pancras Station in London today on my way to give a concert in Sheffield. Ever since I visited the station the first time two years ago I’ve been itching to take some photos but have either never had the time or the right equipment with me. Today I made sure I allowed an extra hour between my trains and spent the time snapping away contentedly. It was the perfect day for it with a beautiful blue sky beyond the glass roof and the quality of light was just magical. I made sure I took my wide angle lens with me and used it to capture an enormous bronze sculpture called ‘The Embrace’ which stands at one end of the station. I purposely included the station clock in the background of this shot to emphasise the sense of passing time before this couple have to part. They are truly enormous – I guess I’m probably shorter than their legs! I could have spent all day capturing the magnificent Victorian roof – resplendent with its fresh blue paint – I just love the lines and patterns created by the enormous iron beams.

Abstract in green

2009-11-16T13:33:07Z

I was chatting to my friend Steve at the playing day yesterday and he commented on how he liked my macro shots for the hidden details you notice close up. It got me thinking and I realised I haven’t done an abstract shot for a while so I decided to create one today. This is the Stella Artois bottle which I featured on 1st January this year. I really like the way the texture becomes visible in the glass at such close quarters. Thanks Steve, for the inspiration!