Life

Harbour Flashing

in

I’ve always been slightly terrified of using flash. For me the split second of light has been impossible to predict with any certainty and the fear of missing a moment, ruining an image and also the attention it brings upon me as the photographer has made me shiver. The flash has seemed to me to be annoying to the subject and intrusive to most scenes and so I’ve always preferred to shoot things in natural light as what I see through the viewfinder is what the picture ends up looking like, barring any technical errors (camera shake, wrong settings etc). One of the messages I got from reading books on flash photography is that there are rules with using flash and these need to be understood in order to avoid eternal shame! This was one of the big reasons I felt intimidated. However, lately I’ve started to come around to realising (I know I’m late/stupid) how useful the flash is in making shots that wouldn’t be possible using only natural light, the additional creative element of bringing light to a scene and the potential to make images inspired by those I admire from others. It’s time to dive in.

I’ve used flash in my (makeshift) studio settings and enjoyed the process as it feels like a science experiment to adjust variables, move the light source and subject to suit and create images in a semi-controlled fashion. But outside of that controlled setting the fear sets in. Bouncing flash off ceilings or walls has seemed particularly hard to predict.

This year, I am making attempts to master the flash, at least as much as will be useful to me in creating the images I want to. The shots below are an early experiment in this process. I took a walk around the docks at Milford Haven with the flash firmly ‘on-camera’ and blasted it at vignettes that my eye sought out. On-camera flash is to be avoided according to much of the literature but it’s useful as a technique to give a particular look and feel. I think it worked well here with some creative editing to make a set of evocative images that stand apart from typical interpretations of dockside life.

The flashgun will be coming with me on more shoots and I think I’m going to enjoy its company.

Winter waves at Whitesands

in ,

Some winter surf action down at Whitesands from a few days ago. A nice sunset and some decent waves coming through meant for a bit of fun with the long lens.

River Swimming

in ,

One of the many hot days of summer this year and a trip to landlocked Wiltshire. A search for a suitable place to slip into the Avon led to a path through the undergrowth, a clamber down the muddy bank and a cooling swim amongst lilies and demoiselles in the afternoon heat. River swimming always feels a little different to the coastal waters of home; nettles and brambles threaten the route to ingress, lowering ourselves from the top of the steep bank is rewarded with a squelching of mud between the toes and a course is navigated, arms held aloft, through roots and reeds to the point at which one can tentatively push off from the bank into the slow flow of the river. What lies beneath in these waters is unfamiliar and there’s the stirring of memories from childhood; warnings of pike and their needle sharp teeth mingle with tales of the riverbank from cultures and rivers both local and from the pages of stories told. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, The Wind in the Willows and all those folk songs about the Mississippi or the Findhorn. The Wye, the Tay and the Spey, those evocative names for the arteries that carry the characteristics of their banks out to the sea beyond. The water feels different too; somehow it’s smoother and the abrasive sting of salt is replaced by the earthy smell of water that has percolated through the fields and woodlands that border the river. The source of the Avon is in Gloucestershire and hasn’t travelled far by the time it reaches Bradford on Avon. It’s journey will then take it winding through Wiltshire, the cities of Bath and Bristol and its industrial hinterlands before it eventually spills into the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth, a different river to the one that was born in the Gloucestershire countryside.

Elderflower foraging

in

It’s been a good year for elderflowers. On a warm day the sweet smell of the blooms is a treat as you cycle past the hedgerows. In the winter a glass of home made elderflower cordial is a nice taste of summer when its wet and cold outside so it’s nice to make it now before the flowers die off. We headed out on the bicycles and collected a good crop before turning it into a few litres of sweet cordial. To me it feels like bottling summer. We used this recipe from River Cottage.

A trip to Skomer Island

in ,

A trip to Skomer Island last week. I'd not been over to Skomer for a good few years so it was lovely to get the boat over and go and visit some of our feathered neighbours. There's so much wildlife to see on and around the island but at this time of year the puffins are no doubt the main attraction. It's easy to take for granted due to the fact that the island is just a short boat ride away but it really is a special place and going to see the puffins is an incredible wildlife experience. There's not many places on the planet that you can get so close to an animal population and watch them go about their business literally at your feet; wandering around, socialising, greeting partners with a tap of beaks, hunting and returning with a beak full of sand eels and toing and froing from their burrows; it's fascinating and of course they're pretty cute too!

We saw over 20 species on our visit which included common local sightings but also the resident short eared owl which was a treat. The razorbills and guillemots tend to be harder to photograph as they nest in areas that are a little less accessible. Greater black backed gulls watching proceedings from elevated vantage points are a reminder that many of the animals on the island are vulnerable to these predators. They will attack the nocturnal manx shearwaters that nest in their tens of thousands on the island. Also nesting in burrows, they emerge at night and so in the day the only reminder that they are there are the thousands of burrows and the carcasses of those that have been picked off by the gulls.

We were also lucky enough to coincide our visit with the red campion being in full bloom. Having missed the bluebells by a couple of weeks it was lovely that the backdrop to our visit was the bright pink campion and the vibrant green of the young bracken.

Birds in flight

in ,

There’s a local spot I like to sit of an evening. It overlooks the sea looking West towards Solva. Over the years I’ve noticed the gulls that habitually make their way along the coast in the evening. I presume they are heading back to where they spend the night. The small outcrop I sit atop is a speed bump on their way and they will come quite close to the ground as they swoop over the top of my position. Some will fly farther out to sea and skirt around, whilst others will be more inland. It’s always been fascinating to watch their flight and a meditative experience to sit and wonder where they are going or where they have been. I’ve recently been getting used to using a long lens so have been able to get some images of their flight. Here’s a selection of the good ones. Mostly versions of the same shot but they only fly left to right from where I’m standing so apologies!

Technically it’s a tricky endeavor as holding a lens zoomed out to 600mm is tiring and trying to pan with the flight of the birds is a hit and miss exercise. Focusing on a small object moving speedily through the frame is a challenge despite the abilities of a modern camera. I’m learning that there is lots to the art of getting good wildlife images and can only doff my hat to those who capture great images of birds in flight.