A bit of Black and white.

 Whilst on a short walk up by Low Force today I was looking for something different. I go here quite often as it is only a short drive from home. However, it is easy to come to such places and take the same old shot. It turns out that both of the shots which I was most pleased with worked better in black and white.

The three trees.

I have photographed this small stand of trees often and in all seasons. It's not difficult to do so, they are just by the path that leads down to the falls. Today my eye was caught by the patch of sunlight on the grass which seemed to replicate the shape of the trees.

Going with the flow.

Right place right time, a couple of canoeists were having a run or two at this cascade, a good chance for me to try some of the faster settings on the camera and the light across the water really added to the effect.

It's great to come away from a favourite haunt with something new, all in all a success. 

A night on The Toon

 I had a delivery to do up near Newcastle this evening so I made the most of the drive. Newcastle Quayside is often photographed in fact this at least my third time of getting this sort of shot. It is not my usual sort of subject but there is nothing like a challenge.

Grey Street.

Instead of just staying by the Quayside we had a walk up to the city centre. A place I haven't been to for years. Lovely to see the old buildings at night.

Theatre Royal.

Recently re-furbished and looking very smart.

Newcastle Quayside.

This is a regular subject for many a photographer and difficult to put my own spin on it. However I an pleased with how it turned out.

The Baltic.

More of a difficult shot, taken from the bridge which actually bounces slightly as people walk across it. Not very helpful for a long exposure shot.

Still, a very pleasant way to spend an hour or two at night in Newcastle.

The turn of the Plough.

 Something different from me today. A local farm was holding a vintage ploughing event so it was a great opportunity to drive along for a look. The weather wasn't up to much but the characters and their old machines were very photogenic.

In full flow.

The bright paintwork against the stubble and clay.

 

Keeping an eye out.

This combination was just perfect with the little terrier in his own box. You can see how muddy it was. A great setting to capture these rare sights.

Some recent work.

 Well the new camera is really proving to be a marvellous asset. I try to get out with it most days, even on the shot walks along the lane when I am giving bailey his run out. I love fiddling with the various settings of exposure, aperture and timings, it really takes me back to the days of film cameras.
 Currently I am only using 2 filters, a UV filter which is really there to give the front glass of the lens a bit of protection and a circular polarising filter. This helps to reduce reflections off water and enhance clouds and sky.

Pony in the Eden valley.

I just liked the setting, the pony on the fellside with the light on the lands behind.

Rutter Force.

This delightful waterfall is not far from Appleby. It is a wonderful setting even though the opportunities are limited due to footpath restrictions.

Hudeshope Beck

I took a wander up this small river and decided to give longer exposures a bit of a try. The polarizing filter came into its own here and the longer shutter speed really caught the swirl of the water.

Long-horned Cow.

Using a shallow depth of field I was able to focus on the cows head whilst putting the distant farm out of focus and less of a distraction.

All in all I am really rather pleased with my efforts with the camera so far. I don't think you can beat actually getting out and using a camera such as this. The main thing is not to be afraid of it and use the full range of settings and features.

Website re-vamp.

Well with the new camera it is more likely that the quality of my images will hopefully be improved so I have been spending some time thinking about a new way to display them. The current website is Ok but it certainly needs a better format. in the next week or two I will be investigating further into how to go about this. Those of you who also follow my gallery website will have read that recently I have had issues with uploading the sketches and photos from recent outings on that page so the whole look to what I do will get a total re-vamp. This should be fun!
 In the meantime, here's a couple of shots from the past day or two as I have been getting to grips with the new camera.

Hen grouse near Cotherstone.

Evening light on Bowes.

The quality of the images is really something, I can see that I will have plenty of fun with this kit.