A mixed bag (Days 31 - 40)

Day 36 - My Valentine Days Picture of Jim

I now seem to be getting into the swing of this and must admit to finding it a little easier with the odd day of sunshine - ok that may be an exaggeration, but it hasn't rained every day and it could be described as positively bright on occasion!

Day 31 - Snowdrops: The flower of hope

Spring is definitely on the way and my snowdrops (a topic I have previously covered) have put on a good show over the last few weeks, the daffodils are starting to poke their heads up and so are the croci.

Day 32 - Heather showing some early colour

Strangely enough my heather has also started to bloom, which I was not expecting until May or June! However these are probably confused plants as I rescued them from a B & Q store last year for 50p as they were essentially dead!

Day 33 - Clouds lift to show the snow capped mountains of Arran

For most of the last few weeks we have had snow on the mountains and when the clouds clear this looks awesome. Inviting and scary all at the same time; Arrans mountains are definitely not to be underestimated in full winter conditions.

Day 34 - A visit to the Business Gateway office

The bad days have seen me catching up with paperwork - a worthwhile exercise as the tax man has now paid me back some money - and I'm starting to get ready for the coming season.  I always find it interesting to see how other people work and am amazed at the different styles of office (good and bad).  Not everyone has a tuba sat in the corner.  But that's what you can find in Derek Shand's office.

Day 35 - Surreal steam

Thursday afternoon was another cold one, and I was running a catch up session for a couple of students where we needed to be outside, so I took the opportunity to grab a shot of the stream before returning home.

Day 37 - North Glen Sannox bridge

Friday the 14th was memorable, and not just for being Valentines day. It started bitterly cold and yet again my students turned up for their outside lesson the last one of a short course where all their skills are put into practice - hard when fingers are frozen to the core! In the final exercise I found some warmth in the Holy Isle Ferry cabin on Lamlash pier where Jim (see above) was good enough to let me photograph him.  Men with beards are very photogenic and this is my favourite picture from the last 10 days. The afternoon brought the island to a standstill with vicious snow storms and howling gales.

Day 38 - Remains of Kildonan castle 

A free weekend loomed and I was frustrated at not being able to get into the mountains due to a leg injury but shorter low level walks, just to the snow line kept me out of trouble and meant that I could take both dogs (Bowser isn't fit enough to do full mountain days).  A saunter up North Glen Sannox followed by a day on the beach at Kildonan ensured I had sufficient exercise and fresh air.

Day 39 - Watson

Monday came round quickly, and with it more of the wet stuff - it's hard to believe we were all screaming drought two years ago. Tuesday and day 40 was fine again in the afternoon, so I decided to take a walk somewhere a bit different to usual and explored a little of the coast around Imachar.  The sea was calm so it was great for bird spotting - albeit the majority were too far away for a photo.  The Eider duck seem to have survived the storms well and large flocks floated off the shore, along with smaller groups of razorbills.  Other divers were there (photo's still being looked at for id purposes) including the Great Northern Diver, Black and Red Throated divers.

Day 40 - Shags at Imachar 

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

Day 4 - 10 of 365 Monochrome 2014

Well the project goes on (unlike a lot of New Year resolutions), and even in these early few days I have found out it really is a challenge.  Now it's not difficult to take a picture every day, but trying to find something interesting is; especially when it is lashing down with rain and I'm a bit fussy.  I also want to provide a bit of variety, even in the very limited world of monochrome.

Day 4 - Misty

Day 4, the 13th January, proved lucky for Misty as she had wandered from her home and I picked her up on the String Road before anyone hit her.  She had a lovely day, playing with my dogs, walking on the beach and gaining her moment of fame through facebook and twitter before being reunited with her owner.

Drainage pipes

Day 5 provided me with a lot of laughs as I had set off on a dog walk and came across some large drainage pipes.  The texture of these were ideal for the project and I set about getting a shot when the light shower turned to torrential rain.

Watson takes refuge

Watson had the right idea and he took refuge inside, providing another shot, and he thought it was a great game running through all the pipes!

The following couple of days, gave me little time to think about photo's, so shots were taken on drives to and from different jobs, with a pair of curlews taken from my car window on day 6 and showing a lovely stone wall on day 7. 

Day 6 - 15th Jan. A pair of Curlews from my car window.

Day 7 - 16th Jan. Stone wall and rotten post. Machrie.

The sun shone, albeit briefly, on the 17th and I had a 1:1 workshop with one of the islands residents and although I usually don't take my own camera with me for these, I slipped a bridge camera into my pocket, just in case!  This was rewarded with some beautiful shots of sunlight streaming through the trees (colour versions have been tweeted and are on my facebook site) on the path to Goatfell.

Day 8 - Sunlight streams through trees on the path to Goatfell

After another soggy walk on Day 9, I finally decided that I should retire a pair of my boots.  These have seen some mileage and are totally worn out.  Maybe I'll put a plant in them in my garden come spring? I perhaps should say that it was about 10pm when I realised I had not done the obligatory photo and I was searching (in my PJ's) for a subject.

Knackered boots!

Another dog walk provided an opportunity to watch the local shepherd work his dog with a small flock of sheep. His calm stance while the dogs and sheep raced around cleared said everything was under control!

Shepherd at work.

So with a start made I only have to come up with another 355 ideas!

365 MONOCHROME 2014 - aka 'Plan B'

Introducing the Project - Day 1 - 10th January

Now with 'Plan B' being in the title you may think that 'Plan A' has been ditched but it hasn't, I'm still developing it, but it's not ready to put in front of the public just yet and it could be a while!  So meanwhile I needed something that I could do over a period of time and that would provide all those things a project is supposed to, motivation, inspiration, challenge etc., etc.

Dying Rose

In searching for ideas, the commonest one seems to be the 365.  It sounds simple, take a picture everyday (yes everyday) of anything.  What to do with them varies between, posting on social media sites, blogging or creating calendars. I wanted something with a little more focus (no pun intended) and this brought to mind last October when I ended up rooting around in one of my old boxes (you know the stuff that languishes in the attic) and came across some of my original black and white images from my photography training.

Desaturated Rose

That was in the pre digital era, back in the day of hand rolling film and wet processing.  I trained using a huge twin lens Mamiya and Pentax K1000.  Decisions were made well before any photograph was ever taken as to the type of film to load, which ultimately had an effect on the final image. There is something about a good quality black and white print, where colour plays no part, and I tended to gravitate towards the grainy harsh films and papers.

Day 2 - Kildonan. Isle of Arran - 11th January

With no decision or start made on a project, the catalyst came when I was throwing out a bunch of flowers that had lasted since before Christmas.  Some of the roses hadn't opened but had dried on the stalk and I decided the time was right to get off the fence and actually do something! So 10th January 2014 is day one of 365.

Day 3 - Harder to recognise without his red breast - 12th January

In deference to the digital era I've decided to go monochrome and not just black & white. But all images in the project will be of a single hue, and I hope to blog every couple of weeks with some of the results.

Monochrome Rose

Dark Rose

A red squirrel's tail

Here's a tale about a red squirrels tail.

Introducing Stumpy the red squirrel

I am very lucky to have red squirrels visit my garden on a regular basis along with many wild birds, voles, mice and some other less desirable wildlife.  I spend many an hour watching out of my window and have placed feeders in strategic places, where I can see them but the wildlife feels safe to visit - and is also safe from predators such as cats and more exotic hunters such as the sparrow hawk.

Stumpy's tail

Mr Blacks tail

Like a lot of people I give some of my visitors nick names.  I cannot understand why this is frowned upon, arguments being that 'we' are projecting human personalities and traits upon wild creatures or become too involved and attached.  Well I disagree and find it a really useful tool to help me identify different members of the same group and also invest into their welfare.

Stumpy in the box

A full sized tail 

So let me introduce Stumpy.  Now you may notice that it is not a flattering name albeit apt, and that tends to be the nature of how I name my wildlife.  Well that's apart from Scary Fred, the 8 legged beast that occasionally visits my living room, and I know is likely to be female (because of her size) but I digress.

Lack of a tail does not seem to affect Stumpy balance

So Stumpy is one of a group of 4 red squirrels that visit daily, especially at this time of year.  Stumpy is at least 3 years old as this is the 3rd winter of visiting my feeder and he is very easy to identify due to his stumpy tail.  The first time I spotted him I did not have a feeder in place and as he never stayed still or in full sight I was not sure about his tail, but the last couple of years he has sat happily on the table giving me ample opportunity to compare his tail with that of Mr Black, and Red - two of my other regulars. The fourth squirrel, Flash, named for the very bright white flash on his front and the speed he moves is a less frequent visitor and rarely sits on the feeder.
 

Stumpy defends the feeding box

Stumpy's tail does not seem to impair his ability to survive or move in the trees.  Tails are primarily used for balance but they are also used to keep warm in winter by wrapping them around the body when sleeping and also in summer to keep cool, as the squirrel pumps more blood into the tail to help dissipate heat.  Neither does it make him subservient to the other squirrels and he defends the table should another visit at the same time.

Meet some of my other 'named' visitors....

Fat Controller

Mr White

The love birds

All photo's copyrite of Arran in Focus