From the other side (Day 365)

Yes the final day has come and I have reached the end of the project and felt I should really do something a bit different.  So I moved to the other side of the camera for a self portrait session. When doing portrait / family / wedding sessions I frequently have clients concerned as they don't like to be photographed and are 'shy' of the lens.  Well so am I.  The camera can be unforgiving, all those grey hairs and wrinkles, fluff on the jumper etc. etc.   So to celebrate all those that I have cajoled into smiley poses, double clicked for the blinkers and generally had a laugh with to get the picture, I present myself unedited wrinkles and all.

As for the 365 project - I'm both happy and sad it's finished.  At times it has been frustrating as I haven't had an image that I felt was good enough to publish, but have published it anyway to achieve the final goal.

Yes at times I felt like giving up, but I am stubborn and know I would have regretted it.  So I invented more challenges, like the last couple of weeks using my mobile or compact.

The worst part was having a great colour image that just did not translate into black and white.  However, I do think it has helped my photography and in some cases black and white surpassed my expectations.  It also brought back a lot of memories of when I did my original photography training with a rolls of film and a twin lens mamiya.

 But now I move on and know that after a couple of weeks I'll be looking for another project.  Not sure what it'll be next time.  Any suggestions welcome.

 Maybe I'll go back to using film.  Maybe I'll try photographing a beards.  Whatever it is, it will be a shorter project than 365 days.  But I'm glad I did it.

I'm now off to get a large G & T and I'll raise my glass to my dad for the inspiration for the project.

The double day blog (Days 73 - 84)

For those who read my blog you will be well aware I am doing an extra challenge this month which has more to do with writing than taking photographs. But I will still be blogging my monochrome diary regularly and this is my latest batch of black and white images.

Day 73 - Goatfell across Brodick Bay

So the last 12 days have seen me get snowed on, blown off my feet and enjoy some sunshine.  On day 73, I set off in delightful sunshine – a beautiful spring morning and managed to capture a lovely picture of Brodick bay despite being snowed on! 

Day 74 - This tree survived against the odds.

The weather held and both my dogs decided they would come out for a walk (as you know Bowser doesn’t bother if it’s raining).  I had a moment of concern when I seemed to lose him and had to whistle, only to discover he was happily raiding a couple’s lovely picnic!  Thank goodness they were dog friendly and I slunk away trying to ignore the footprints on top of the bench! I did want to take a picture of their wicker and gingham picnic basket but thought it would have been a bit cheeky to ask under the circumstances, so settled for this bizarre tree root.

Day 75 - Mum giving me a death stare!

I now travel along the Ross every morning and am enjoying the spring lambs which are out in the fields.  I like it when they are a little older and start to frolic with each other a bit more. Mum was being very protective, so I didn't stop long (not that I had time).

Day 76 - Still waters

Wednesday I did a reccie of a wedding venue, to check the gardens and see how ‘firm’ the grass would be, that’s hoping the weather will be good enough for the service to be outside.  The sun was just right and created a lovely reflection in the water feature. If we can’t get outside on the day, not to worry as there are plenty of interior alternatives.

Day 77 - Arran distillery

Missing the convoy on Thursday I took the opportunity to drive round the north end of the island and drop some leaflets off at the Distillery.  I noticed they have changed the entrance doorway.  It looks much better (although the leaflets are now hidden) and more welcoming. I really must get here when there are no cars – it could make a lovely photo.

Day 78 - Cows

Friday saw some of my regular students completing another short course and we went for a walk at Cladach.  The cows didn’t seem to be camera shy, unlike most animals and the magnolia were in full bloom, along with some rhododendrons.

Day 79 - Old cones

Saturday was a day for chopping down a tree, sorting out the wood store and only realising late in the day that I still needed a photo – so many missed opportunities.  So a quick run out turned up a cluster of old fir cones, still clinging to a branch. Job done!

Day 80 - Old bones

Sundays challenge, was to photograph wagtails and getting to grips with my 2x extender on a monopod.  I can’t cart my tripod everywhere and wasn’t sure the mono would be strong enough for the job.  Taking Watson along with me, I did succeed and despite nearly dropping the main lens, the flighty wagtails were captured.  Watson was very quiet while I was ‘working’ and I quickly discovered the reason – not sure if this is bovine or seal!

Day 81 - Stuffed!

Monday is my manic day – cramming so much in, I rarely finish before 9pm.  But I snapped this greedy Chaffinch in my feeder when making a cup of coffee (I'm not the only one cramming too much in).  Seriously cropped but I think you get the gist of why I spend more on bird food than dog food!  I think I’ll rename him chipmunk!

Day 82 - A misty day over Lamlash golf course

Ahh, April Fools day and maybe I am foolish but I have added an extra challenge to my life.  Just for this month (hence the double blog day).  This is a daily blog and more for the writing than imagery but it should meet my need for some colour!  Not that I could find much on this grey day when I took a walk to Dunan Beag.  The sign says 200m – be warned its very steep! But after a choice of photo's I settled on this one, on route, with views over the golf course.

Day 83 - Millipede in disguise

I actually set off to photograph some large orange millipedes that had been residing under a piece of slate in my garden.  But true to form, despite having been there for weeks,as soon as the camera appeared they disappeared and I was left with this poor substitute beetle.  Very tiny and very active, it would not stay still!

Day 84 - Passable for the agile!

And the last of this series was taken on my krypton factor walk, which I undertook to get some images for my other blog challenge and letter E.  So to find out where it is you will have to wait for tomorrow's blog!

Please feel free to comment on my blogs and share.

Black and white rainbow (and another cheat) (Days 61 - 72)

Some things work and some things don't and I often get some things wrong.  One of them being the first day of Spring, as mentioned in my last blog, was clearly on the wrong day! So lucky me, I get to do it again in this blog. And it may not be the only 'failure' I admit to in this blog. 

Day 61 - Night time photography

On 11th March - Day 61, I ran the last of my night time photography workshops for the year.  I tend to run these in the winter so that its dark early enough to get a session in without staying up all night. We were lucky to have a clear starry night where it was very cold but dry.  I also set my camera up to capture my car with painted light as well as the stars. And  we played with ghosting, light and had a lot of fun.

Day 62 - Bowser comes out to play

After spending the evening out and leaving the dogs at home, the next day Bowser decided he wanted to come to work with me.  This is very unusual for him - he is a true duvet dog (I call him my living teddy bear). He prefers to stay in bed all day and just have cuddles. I should clarify here that its his own bed and not mine! So I rewarded him with a walk on the beach - his favourite place.

Day 63 - Misty cobwebs

Thursday and the island was enveloped in misty fog that hung around most of the day.  I was amazed by the number of cobwebs around - they coated the heather in a tangled mess, all saturated with moisture.  Despite looking hard I could not find any of our 8 legged friends that were responsible!

Day 64 - Rescue helicopter

When ever I see an emergency vehicle, including the rescue helicopter I always think 'someone's having a bad day', and it makes me appreciate my lot.  I can never understand people when they get irate from being held up by accidents, I was always just grateful it was not me. But maybe this only comes from working the sharp end of life for many years.

Day 65 - Greylag geese

On a happier note I am used to seeing large flocks of Greylag geese around Shiskine at this time of year, but I had never noticed them in Lamlash before.  Earlier in the week I had seen 6 Canadian geese in the bay, but on Day 65 I found a flock of about 70 Greylags near to the outdoor centre. They were still there yesterday (21st).

Day 66 - Common Gulls in flight

 I do like photographing birds, especially in flight, where even the most common of birds can look wonderful (well in my opinion)! There are several large flocks of common gulls around the island, with quite a few juveniles mixed in, the odd black backed gull, herring gull and other sea birds.

Day 67 - A testing couple of days

I want a new lens (amongst other things) but am not sure if I can justify it - or really need it; so despite the rain I set off to test a combination of body and lens that I don't usually use to see if that would do the job instead and I could save that money and put it towards a different coveted new lens!! But after setting foot out of the door the rain lashed down and I couldn't really put it through its paces albeit I did enough to be able to cross that lens off my list (and move the coveted lens up a bit).

Day 68 - Pharos through the window

 Another day where it decided to rain the minute I got my camera out, and storms were forecast.  This boat appeared in Lamlash bay, and through AIS  I identified it as the Pharos, which was built in 2007 and is a bouy laying vessel. The following day it was off Lochranza.

Day 68 - Take 2 (black and white rainbows)

 On the same day but a little further round the coast at Brodick, the sun briefly put in an appearance and created a wonderful rainbow.  Curiosity got the better of me and I wondered what a rainbow would look like in black and white! I'm not quite sure about the effects of rain and light and at the moment cannot explain the bizarre ripple effect, so feel free to comment below.

Day 69 - Lunch time convoy

For the next 12 weeks I am making the dash to get the lunch time convoy across the String.  In the mornings I am using the Ross which is a road I love for the scenery even if it's not an ideal commute. The chap was happy to pose for the camera and said everyone was very friendly.  Regardless of our feelings on closure I don't think anyone doubts the roads need repairing!

Day 70 - Baby fir cones

Oh but how this photograph needs colour.  These cute little buds the size of my little finger nail are bright pink with little green tips. Black &white does not do mother nature justice.  So I apologise for the 'cheat' but the colour version is at the bottom of the blog (that's 2 cheats in 72 days - I'm not sure if that's good or bad). Oh and I think today is actually the first day of Spring?

Day 71 - Trees

 There is something about trees and the form they take.  Changing throughout the year, from naked stark shapes to vibrant green and autumnal decay - I am fascinated.  This one seemed to be weeping fine strands, possibly of lichen but I couldn't reach it to see. I reminded me of a blood vessel diagram - no morbidity intended, from large artery to fine capillaries.

Day 72 - Hardy souls

I cannot begin to describe how cold it is today.  The wind is cutting through my fingers as I take this picture, my ears have fallen off and my nose hurts.  I marvel at the crew on both the boats as they must (I assume) be enjoying themselves. As a former winter kayaker, I understand their drive to be out and the pleasure derived from it. Whatever our passions, it is just about getting on and doing it.

The 'cheat' - Baby fir cones 

Did I really sneak a colour photo in? (Days 21 - 30)

Another 10 days has passed and the weather is still dominating the news nationally as well as locally.  Ferries have been erratic and on one day the timetable was completely reversed causing confusion if nothing else. But remembering to take a photo is becoming easier, although colour opportunities seem to tease when I'm staying strictly to monochrome! As the days are still short and the weather abysmal the majority of images are captured during my normal working day or routine such as dog walking.  Fortunately, being on Arran does mean that we don't have to pound the pavements as we easily reach forest tracks and paths.

Day 21 - Kings Caves

I do try to vary my dog walks although I have a few set favourites which I know how long they take, how muddy the path is and how messed up the dogs will be when I get them back to the car.  The Kings Cave circuit is one of my regulars and I often go 'camera less' but not when I need my daily piccie.

Day 22 - David looking dry - it didn't last for long!

Friday 31st January brought another bout of terrible weather; I had a teaching class booked for the morning and it required some outdoor photography.  The students were split and took turns between braving the elements and sitting in a hide with blankets.   Fortunately the location provided some shelter and after suffering mild hypothermia we all returned to a warm studio.  The conditions are not reflected in the photo.

Day 23 - These trees are still standing

Now into February, Saturdays effort was fairly woeful and lacked inspiration as conditions remained the same and I got stuck into some decorating, with just a short dog walk for fresh air.

Day 24 - The water is blown back over the top of the waterfall

On Sunday a friend had asked for some help with his PC so a trip over to Kildonan and a walk on the beach in high winds blew any cobwebs away and nearly everything else.  The small Auchenhew waterfall was also fighting the wind with the water being pushed back up the flow.

Day 25 - Sea at Lamlash

More storms on Monday, with high tide around 2.30pm I readjusted my college students timetable a little so we could go out on a field trip to see the waves.  Lamlash was under a flood alert warning, but it is perfectly safe place to see how high the tide would come in.  Roads were closed between Sannox and Corrie (parts having been washed away) but Lamlash stayed dry.

Day 26 - Brighter skies and fresh sea spray

Day 27 - A pair of Shelduck in flight

Tuesday and Wednesday saw more beach opportunities with seaspray and a pair of Shelduck in flight. I am often on the look out for birds and keep up to date with the Arran Bird website.

Did I really sneak in a colour photo?

Day 28 - a snapped tree trunk

Thursday brought another day where the colour of something attracted me to an old broken log stump.  The wetness was reflecting a fabulous blue colour, which was rapidly disappearing as I moved my camera into place as the light changed with the clouds. But it still provided an image for the day.

Day 29 - Diana focuses for a long exposure

Friday again and amazing the students arrived for another session on how to survive hypothermia (this time they had been fully warned that standing in water may form part of the day)!  But I managed to find dry bank sides for their first lesson on long exposures.  Some of their pictures I posted on facebook as I think they did really well.

Day 30 - Simple photo demonstrates multiple composition 'rules'

And yesterday I was actually looking for a photo to demonstrate some of the composition guidelines I plan to teach my college students next week and although I won't be using this one, it reminded me that spring and summer are not far away.

It's all about the rain (Days 11 - 20)

Day 11 - It's all about the rain

For the last 10 days it seems to have been non stop rain - not a very conducive state for inspirational photography.  I recently read an article that said the majority of photographers don't bother when its raining - mainly for reasons of keeping their kit dry and it sounds a reasonable excuse.

Day 12 - The Clansman is still with us

Mastering the art of holding a brollie whilst taking a shot is fine until the wind goes above a couple of knots, especially when it's a golfing brollie! There are lots of waterproof covers available but a plastic carrier bag seems to work well enough in a lot of situations!

Day 13 - Caution man at work (between showers)!

But I thank my lucky stars that I'm not down south and actually underwater, neither have I resorted to staying indoors but this may have more to do with owning a couple of mad spaniels. I have, however, packed my bridge camera more often as it will fit into my pocket.

Day 14 - Day trip to Dunoon, first building (hotel) from the ferry

The last 10 days have actually been quite busy, unusual for this time of year.  Most of it has been planning events for the summer and meetings with regular clients and in some instances these have provided opportunities for a quick photo.

Day 15 - Derelict house on the dog walk

Another opportunity arose when I took a day trip to Dunoon on the Cowel Peninsular.  A lovely little town and to get there and back in a day (remembering that requires 2 ferries, Brodick to Ardrossan and then Gourock to Dunoon) was actually quite easy. And the drive down the coast was scenic.  Not that it stopped raining!

Day 16 - It's still raining

On day 17 I actually sat in the car for 10 minutes while a torrential shower passed, not wanting to walk the 20 yards to my door.  So this could be classed as an interior image - one of 2 in the last 10 days (not bad considering the rain - did I mention the rain again).

Day 17 - View from the car in torrential rain

Mondays are particularly busy days for me (fully booked every Monday till June) and again I ended up looking for a subject once I'd donned my pj's.  This time the tulips that were going in the bin filled the gap and I have to admit there is something about how the dying petals curl and twist.  For  a change I added a softer filter despite my passion for harder grainy snaps.

Day 18 - Soft focus tulips

More rain followed and I had to find something on the regular dog walks.  It's amazing how I'm starting to look at things from a different view point, knowing some of the landscapes just will not work, and seeking out texture and contrast.  I found a fabulous patch of slime fungi - flourenscent yellow/orange, but alas not one for this project!

Day 19 - Rusty padlock

Only another 345 to go!

Day 20 - Sodden leaves on the path