Hoar Frost

While I'm in "catching up" mood, here are a few pictures taken on the coldest day of the year so far (11th February 2012) when our outdoor thermometer went below -12C.  There was a fabulous hoar frost that morning, so I took my camera with me when I went for a walk with Amber.

We bumped into two of Amber's mates, Dylan and Bailey, who were also thoroughly enjoying the conditions.

IR Snow in Harston

Only a few weeks after the event, I finally got round to processing some Infra Red pictures of Harston in the snow.  Better late than never, I suppose...

Fowlmere Nature Reserve

Joy of joys: a weekend off from the normal run of family and Camera Club commitments.  The only downside is that I'm suffering from a stinking cold, but then one can't have everything!  The weather was so beautiful this afternoon that I wandered down to the RSPB reserve in Fowlmere - not so much in the hope of seeing lots of wonderful wildlife, but just to get out in the fresh air.

There was a small amount of bird life visible (a handful of greylag geese, a coot, a couple of lapwings and some rooks).  Everything else had probably been scared away by the kids running around, but it was still very pleasant sitting in the hide.

Having run out of feathered subjects, I was forced to look at the plant life (of which there wasn't much).  Luckily the Pussy Willow was in full "bloom", although it was tricky trying to find a clean and sympathetic background.  The two pictures below were shot against a reed bed and a chalk stream respectively, both in shadow.  I think I prefer the blue background, as it complements the yellow pollen beautifully.

Cambridge at Night

I'm embarrassed to see that it's over a month since my last post, but life has been very busy during January.  I've had no time to process any pictures; in fact, I've had precious little time to take any pictures either!  One exception was a Camera Club expedition into Cambridge to do some night photography.  I've done very little full-night photography before, and wasn't completely sure how to process the images for best effect.  The result is surreal, no matter how it's done, so I decided to use HDR Efex Pro to try and squeeze as much tonal range as I could from the shots.  A couple are three shot HDRs (-2, 0, +2 stops), but the majority are images processed from a single RAW file.  Anyway, make up your own minds as to whether you think the processing was successful...

First port of call was the area around the Mill island and the Garden House hotel.

We then wandered to King's Parade.  Well, you have to, don't you?

We then headed off to Garret Hostel Lane bridge, which has great views of the river in both directions.  The only problem with 30s exposures was that cars kept coming and going over Trinity bridge at random intervals.  My favourite subject of the evening was the Jerwood library in Trinity Hall.  These two shots were true HDR, as the contrast range would otherwise have been totally unmanageable.

 The final two shots are of Clare and King's, taken from The Backs.

The evening finished with a well-earned hot chocolate at the Graduate Centre, with the inevitable accompaniment of club members drooling over each other's equipment (photographic, of course).

Sea Palling

After the sunny and breezy trip to Happisburgh, we all headed off for a well-earned bacon sandwich (or equivalent) at a wonderful cafe in Sea Palling.  I couldn't resist the scene opposite our table, where a rather beautiful Lakeland Terrier was showing the kind patience and - let's face it - unjustified optimism for which all dogs are famous.

Sea Palling itself is rather bleak backwater, and is one of the areas on the Norfolk coast which was devastated by the floods of 1953.  The cafe had lots of fascinating pictures on its walls, some of which can be seen in the picture above.

The desolation of the place seemed to call for the same gritty treatment which I gave to West Kirby a few weeks ago.  Like it or loathe it, this processing demonstrates what Sea Palling "felt" like to me.

Braving the conditions were a couple learning the ancient art of kite surfing on the beach.  Very impressive and exhilarating, even for an observer.  As can be seen, the wind was such that it was sometimes difficult to remain earth-bound.  The lady, in particular, had to be held down in order to avoid being carried out to sea!

Rough Seas and Intrepid Photographers

After braving the wilds of Great Yarmouth on a Saturday night, the rough seas at Happisburgh were chicken feed for our happy band of intrepid photographers.  It was cold and windy, but the glorious sunshine and spectacular spray made for a highly enjoyable time on the beach.

The last two pictures are actually of the same couple, the first shot in colour with the 100-400 and the second in Infra Red with the 24-105.  Given the fairly harsh (for December) sunlight, I think I prefer the IR version.

The sea defences (well, failed sea defences) are what draw photographers to this spot.  The waves crashing into them were spectacular, but according to a notice posted at the scene, it seems that the old defences will be removed relatively soon.  What will we poor photographers do without rotting wood and twisted metal?

Again, one picture in colour and one in IR to show the difference.  As well as the straight shots, I've also been playing around with blending several to create a more surreal effects.  So far I rather like the result, but maybe I'll revise my judgement when I've had a chance to make a print?

Some IR pictures, taken later in the morning, as the sun was getting too high for good colour shots.

Finally, it's time for my fellow Homo photographicus specimens to take centre stage.