View allAll Photos Tagged LeeStephens
The production of the final image each week sometimes follows a meandering route. It has proved such a huge benefit to me to have a like-minded, (more) talented friend to bounce ideas off, discuss and critique. It's fascinating how one person throws something in, it's crafted, honed and added to, then another idea comes in, which sends one off on a different (usually better) route and that is discussed, then another, then another and the whole thing spirals up to a level unreachable by solo effort, I dread to think what I might be subjecting you to without the support & inspiration I've received from Kim but also from my contacts and the general Flickr community.
This week's theme started off with "body parts" - I was worried - or at least a shot without our faces in (I know... we dropped that bit!), but went through a succession of related and not-so-related thoughts. I drew inspiration principally from one of Brenda's recent shots (picking up boys!), she loves to reference songs, and she picked one of my favourites, Estelle's American Boy - now I'm no chain blinger - I'm more the bloke with the suit. I struggled with a final choice and presented them together "head to head" for discussion. Kim immediately said, "they go so well together, do it like that - I wish I could do that" to which I responded - so do it.
I fear the right hand half looks a little like a watch advert, but then I'm very proud of that watch - a 30th birthday present from my beautiful wife.
So tell me, what do you think? Got any ideas for future weeks?
And ... thank you.
My self-portrait project involves taking a picture each week that I post the following week on a Thursday. Feel free to critique - I welcome it. Thanks
The theme this week had to be Christmas. I went out early the other morning to photograph the sunrise and the lovely snow, hoping it might stay until Christmas. I was delighted when, just as I set this shot up, it started to snow, it only did it for just a few minutes, just long enough for me to get this shot.
It snowed again last night, so looks like I’ll get my wish.
Speaking of wishes, it was my wish, when starting this project to improve my portrait skills. We’re halfway through now, and the fact that I say “we” is the greatest gift of this project. Kim has become the most amazing friend and I cannot imagine how I would have got to this point without her. Thank you Kim.
Please visit the video that sits just before this picture. Just a little fun.
Strobist:
Onboard flash 1/1
SB-600 (off left) 1/1
I mentioned before the terror that was Kim Price on Red Bull.
Here she is juggling. Well, I'm not sure it's technically juggling when you've only got two stones, but anyway ...
I've processed many of my decent road-trip shots now. I've got a big queue of (almost 100) shots and outtakes to share. I hope you are not bored of them. Interestingly I have almost as many portraits of one or more of the three of us as I do landscapes. I hope you don't mind looking at me, Jeff and Kim - you'll be seeing quite a bit of us!
Have a wonderful weekend.
I used the wonderful Moo MiniCards to make a memory wall of some of the best of the shots from the road trip. Not every shot can cope with the super widescreen format, but it's actually quite surprising how versatile it is.
Yes, I know I should have done something about the strange reflections. For those who are curious on the scale - it's a 100x70cm frame.
This is another view of Dancing Ledge. Taken on my visit back in October at the same time as this one and this one.
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other people's work and receive constructive criticism on my own, please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
I've mentioned before that my son has some significant physical disabilites and severe learning difficulties. As you can imagine, this makes life tough at times. Fortunately there are many people and organisations who do amazing things to help and support people in our position. Through their care, we were alerted to a fund of money available to provide a bit of a break for our family. Having applied and been given it, we decided to spend the half-term holiday doing something that Fenton would love. My father-in-law has been going to the Bluebell Railway, a 9 mile stretch of preserved railway, for over 15 years, volunteering as engine crew. He spends most autumn and spring half-terms driving the trains by day and sleeping in a 'converted' container. Fenton, like most boys his age, loves wheels, tractors, diggers, lorries and trains! So together we hatched a plan that would see us all stay locally (giving Grandad somewhere a little more luxurious to stay) and we would come along to the railway for at least part of each day.
I've got quite a few pictures to share. We also wanted to thank the people who helped us by getting them out quickly and so I've decided to blast them all out in a single week mirroring our trips. It makes Tuesday a little thin (we only spent a short time at the railway and then went elsewhere) and Thursday rather lengthy (you'll see why on Thursday - but I took nearly 500 shots) but hopefully it'll be interesting. I fear it is also a return to 'verbose' Lee - but then I know some of you like that. The rest can just enjoy (hopefully) the pictures. Anyway, enough of the pre-amble - let's get on with it.
This is the locomotive 'Birch Grove' an E4 class at Kingscote station. The driver (Ian Wright - more on him later) is checking the coal stocks. Monday was a very cold but sunny day and I loved the shadow of the lamp post. The swirling steam escaping from various locations was pretty but unpredictable.
See below for some more from the day (all clickable) or check out the set.
PS Any mistakes are mine, until father-in-law corrects me - then they'd be his ;)
I've said my thank yous. I've reached the end of this particular, remarkable journey. I'm not leaving Flickr, although I may not be around as much for a while.
I hate goodbyes - so with heavy heart I bid you 'au revoir.'
My 52 Week Self-portrait Project was not an exercise in narcissism but an attempt to further myself as a portrait photographer (albeit one with a lack of models!) Every week for a year, I forced creativity and learnt more about lighting and composition by taking a picture of myself. I posted the best shot on the Thursday of the following week. As far as I'm concerned, it was an amazing success - and I recommend you try it.
Kim's theme for this week was "lit from behind or silhouette" and I had two ideas. This was the second one. It was quite a technical challenge to shoot and process and I hope is an indicator of how far I've progressed over the course of this project. It's wonderful trying new things, my vexel image was hard work, but it gave me a comfort level with the pen tool that will stay with me for some considerable time and I used it in the post-processing of this image.
My self-portrait project involves taking a picture each week that I post the following week on a Thursday. Feel free to critique - I welcome it. Thanks
still on days off waiting for the sun to peek through...
this image is for Keith and Lee who both challenged me for a selfie...and may I add they're very hard to do!! and also for Regan who suggested i find my inner B&W side!
i'm passing on the torch and issuing all of you the same challenge, get out from behind the camera!!
When we went to the Bluebell Railway we stayed in Rottingdean. I did the usual thing of searching the Flickr Map to scope out potential locations to visit and shoot. One of the things I came across was a wonderful shot of a windmill and the night sky and I was determined to have a go.
Monday night was my only chance and I set out knowing only that my inspiration had shot at 18mm on a cropped sensor, ISO 1600 for 30s f/3.5 - and I could do the same. As it turned out, I suspect that Darren must have been shooting on a moonless night - because I could get away with a much higher ISO with the same numbers. Not knowing how the pictures would really look I experimented with lots of different exposures and ISO settings and also with a bunch of different compositions. I got a cool shot with some moon-flare in. I tried a 5 minute exposure. But this one was my favourite. It's looking north and I love the clear definition in the Plough.
Turns out more of a shot of the windmill than the stars, but I like it. I'll definitely give the stars a try another time - but on a moonless night perhaps.
Experimental Monday is an opportunity for me to try something new, different or challenging. I do not guarantee a good result (it is after all, an experiment) but I do hope you'll take the opportunity to offer some critique, your thoughts, questions or general comments. Flickr provides such a wonderful crucible for learning and sharing - please join in.
A few weeks back I posted a wall and door picture that was described as "just a little dull." A great suggestion was to open the door, give the viewer a sense of wonder about what is through it. Great critique, great idea - although it would have been tricky in that particular instance - what with the padlock and all.
I couldn't resist when I saw this door with a padlock at Calke Abbey.
Concept: Lee Stephens
Acting: Lee Stephens
Photography: Ros Stephens
Post-production: Lee Stephens
If anyone suggests this is "just a little dull" I shall cry. Haming it up Size
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other people's work and receive constructive criticism on my own, please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
... was the thought that was in my mind at this location. This was an unplanned stop. We'd seen the pilings sticking out of the water from the road. We'd all looked at each other and agreed, let's stop, let's get out, let's take pictures. I knew then that this trip would be a success.
10 minutes earlier I had seen my first (and second a minute or two later) wild bald headed eagle, I was high on Fritos and Vy-ta-min Water. The sun was shining. I was a happy boy.
Kim was intrigued to try a long exposure, Jeff was in full-on teacher mode, I scrambled down the bank and started taking pictures (oh and throwing stones in the water - I think I ruined one of Jeff's shots.)
I also got my first SP with Kim here. I'll share it later with another composition of the pilings.
I'm surprised at how few comments I got for my portrait of Kim yesterday. Good views, not many comments. Oh well. I love that picture, and you'll be seeing more portraits of Kim and Jeff in the coming weeks.
From the age of 6 I have been visiting Dartmoor National Park. My grandparents first took me and instilled in me a huge respect and love of this amazing place. It is a remote desolate moorland on a granite upland with the highest points capped with exposed granite outcrops known as Tors. From that early age my desire to scale at least one new Tor on every visit was very strong, whilst many of them are close to the road there are very many needing a significant walk. Last year for the first time, I took my daughter (then 3) up a Tor - to my huge delight - she loved it! One of my very first pictures on Flickr was of the view from that Tor.
This year on our holiday to Devon we *had* to go again, my daughter had been mentioning it all year. We'd had to postpone our first attempt due to the weather, and I was a little concerned on the second day as severe rainstorms were sweeping through the area. With a 4 year old in tow, we were clearly not going to be going on a route far from the road but wet granite is rather slippy and it is very exposed up on the moor. Hay Tor is one of the most accessible Tors (it even has steps cut into it) and so seemed the most likely candidate.
Imagine my delight when we got there and the sun was shining, we quickly scaled the lower rocks (the summit is split into two main parts - Wikipedia calls it a typical 'avenue' tor) and then went down and across to the summit. Thanks to my brother-in-law Laurence who acted as my human tripod. I took a lot of SPs last week whilst on holiday, but this was a no-brainer. Perhaps my best yet.
My 52 Week Self-portrait Project is not an exercise in narcissism but an attempt to grow as a portrait photographer. Please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
The Glory Hole
Edwards Junction, Arkansas
Newton County
LARGE - as requested
Pinch Me came on the radio when I was driving home after shooting this. I've always loved that song. It's sort of one of my guilty pleasures. Anyway parts of the lyrics seemed to fit. I dedicate this to Lee and Kim and their whole self-portrait series. Also to Tim Ernst, because I totally stole his pose! Although I doubt Tim Ernst had a muddy butt in his picture that he had to photoshop out. :-)
Big thanks to Brian for always offering great information before I head out in the woods - usually if I'm apt to fall to the death on certain trails or damage my car on certain roads. This is great stuff to know. While he shared a lot of useful things, my personal favorite from his advice was, "Be sure not to fall in the hole." It's pretty good advice, because I guess a few hikers have fallen through and were injured badly enough they had to be airlifted out.
12/21/2009-12/27/2009
This is some beach huts on the sea front in Felixstowe. I've cropped this to a square as the original had quite a lot of the hut on the far right (I thought it was a bit distracting). Curves and a kick with Saturation - despite having a polarizer on!
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other peoples work and receive constructive critiscm on my own, please leave me a comment - however small. Thanks
Oh, btw I made explore yesterday! Yay!! Thanks
Goodland, Indiana
Newton County
I don't think I'm going to admit what edits I did this time other than I used the following cloud texture. With the edit it sort of looks like a tornado is coming. When I was looking up the town to mark this on a map and find out what county it's in, I found out that this place has 163% more chance of being hit by a tornado than your U.S. average town. It also has a greater average than that of Indiana. Crazy..
A few notes of pride: One, a photo of mine was used on a website! This is the first time that's happened other than a blog. Speaking of firsts, Lee left me my first testimonial. I never really expected to get one of those. Thanks Lee! Next thanks so much for the warm reception to yesterday's Chicago dusk photo. As I write this it's my 2nd most favorited and 5th most commented picture in less than a day! It also doesn't have any icon comment clutter which is just amazing!
I'm sure this is an image that has been done a million times but when I shared it with a select few, Clayton said "Interesting? Hell, yes!" and as the last cliché I posted hit Explore - I'll give it a shot. I love St. Pancras for three very different reasons. The architecture of both the train shed and the station are stunning, it signifies excitement at arriving in the bustling metropolis that is London and lastly happiness that I'm leaving and heading home. Having said that, it's almost always a place I rush through and I wanted to try and show the transient nature - I assume you've all seen one of these but I've never done it before - a great exercise for me.
Four images handheld with a little Casio P&S, Hugin'd and Photoshopped. Especial huge thanks to Jeff for suggesting a dodge & burn (interesting discussion on that technique on Clayton's most recent) - quite a difference.
Hey, what about Onions? Golden duck, first delivery goes for a boundary then he gets three dismissals in one over and 5 for 38! Magic. Whether you're in the West Indies or not - have a great weekend!
I've just noticed a grammatical error in previous versions of my little footer below - sorry - and how come no-one mentioned it?
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other people's work and receive constructive critiscm on my own, please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
Last week, Kim and I posted thematically linked pictures. This week we wanted to go one better and appear in each other's pictures. "What shall we do?" said Kim. "Well, I have an idea," I said, "but we might need some help," and so we roped Jeff and Clayton in too. More details on our original thoughts in one of the comments below (if you're really interested.)
Also below is a transcript that you may find amusing.
There are a few technical niggles but I'm really happy with the result. I hope you like it.
Please check it out Billboard Size
I'm guessing it may not be clear to the casual observer - but we each took our pictures in our own homes, me in Derbyshire, England and the other guys in three different parts of the US - we've never met. Although I hope one day we will.
My 52 Week Self-portrait Project is not an exercise in narcissism but an attempt to grow as a portrait photographer. Boy did this week entail some learning. Please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
Sorry for the essay this week. Feel free to ignore all this and just leave a comment on my photographic genius! ;) Please, don't read any of it, nothing to see here, move along...
Two weeks ago we asked for suggestions and received two great ideas for themes. Here's the first - nerdy, thank you David - which I can do. Last week I gave you a further insight into my character, and I'm going to continue the trend this week.
I.am.a.Nerd.
No really, I actually am. I like to pretend that I'm not, because nerds aren't cool. But I am. I have a first class honours degree in Computer Science and Electronics. That desk behind me is not a prop, that actually is my desk, all those things were actually on it. I do have four screens on it, a screwdriver and a disassembled camera under the monitor. That rat's nest of cables lives in a box that I use to keep all my 'might be useful later' nerdy stuff in.
Occasionally I slip up and let the nerd out in public, on the road trip we got into a discussion of the benefits of JPEG vs RAW and I brought up compression. Forgetting myself for a moment, I chipped in with "as long as you don't push it too far, the loss of high frequency information is negligible, that's the beauty of the Discrete Cosine Transformation algorithm." The silence was, in hindsight, rather amusing. I started to explain but when Jeff's eyes glazed over (to his credit, he lasted a good 10 seconds longer than Kim) I decided to stop. Anyway, I wrote a JPEG codec as part of my final year dissertation... this is not helping. Time to stop,
So, ha ha, what do you think of my hilarious 'made-up' scenario??
I hope no-one reads this.
Each week between Monday and Sunday I shoot a self-portrait. I post it the following Thursday. The idea is for me to learn and grow. So give me some critique, don't be shy - tell me what you really think! Thanks
PS (Phew, this'll divert you all from the Nerd theme) I've not been feeling great these past few weeks (as I mentioned) but the last 10 days have been pretty dreadful with a series of big migraines. The other day I saw that Clayton mentioned (on Facebook) he'd found a tick crawling on Lexie and one of the comments was from someone who said they'd had Lyme disease because of a tick. It hasn't come out, until now, but I got bitten by a tick on the road-trip and had put it out of my mind (I'm guessing you can tell where this is going already.) Anyway, Jeff had mentioned this Lyme disease as a risk but I'd not thought about it until this little reminder. Intrigued, just because I am an inquisitive fellow, I went to the wikipedia page only to realise that the picture of the infected bite looks rather like my bite (albeit mine is not quite so impressive) and that the list of symptoms really kind of matched what I've been going through lately. All things combined, this was enough to go to the doctor.
I laid it all out in front of the doctor concluding with, "silly me, shouldn't look at medical things on the Internet, eh?" Only for her to say, actually, no it does make sense, she looked up some stuff (I'm guessing she doesn't get too many in like this) and yes, you guessed it, she thinks I have got it. Just as I was about to leave she said, "oh, one of the indicators is a swollen liver, let's just take a look." So I hopped onto the couch, she located the right spot, told me to breath in and poked "OWWWW", she told me to breath in again, poked and "OWWWW." "That hurts then?" she said with a smile, "it's pretty swollen." I can kind of rationalise the other symptoms but that one is a little more tricky to explain away. They've taken 3 tubes of blood for various tests (although apparently even if it comes back negative, I still might have it - rubbish test if you ask me) and I've got 2 weeks of antibiotics (although they look more like horse tranquillisers) and a week off work.
It's easy to post-rationalise some of this stuff, and I don't want to dismiss the issues I've been wrestling with, but it does explain why I've been feeling quite so sluggish at least. As a young man (and a computer scientist) I was deeply logical in so many things, I must admit I still have a tendency to see intellect as a computer program, unaffected by the wetware upon which it runs (my friend, a nurse, called it the "pull yourself together mentality.") As the years have passed, and I suppose I've grown up, I am continually amazed at the interrelationship between the mind and the body.
I'm actually feeling quite upbeat about life today (emotionally at least, if physically exhausted), this is just another exciting tale from my holiday to America, so let's focus on the picture, please?
He is good.
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other people's work and receive constructive criticism on my own, please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
I featured as an outtake in Day 4 (Part 1) a shot of my father-in-law against the sunrise. It was a good shot of him, one that I was proud of - to a certain point. It had a lovely backdrop in the colourful sunrise but I also mentioned that I felt it was lacking in a number of ways. I'd been mulling over in my mind how to improve on it and when Dad suggested I come in again early on Friday morning I was determined to try it again. As ever, a confluence of events and influences came together to create this shot.
The day before I'd been annoyed at myself at getting engrossed in shooting and missing the opportunity to capture the crew (both of Dad's engine and the other), what I needed was an ambush point, a pre-arranged station where I could be confident of getting a good shot without holding them up. The biggest problem I'd identified with the previous day's shot was the lack of context - I wanted it to scream railway - and yet I wanted it to be clean and not full of distraction. On my American road-trip, Jeff had used a technique which I had long wanted to replicate. He positioned me on a long straight section of the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway and used his rented 85mm f/1.2 lens on his full-frame 5D to give super short depth of field and used an umbrella'd flash on a light stand to really make me 'pop' off the background. The rails seemed an obvious parallel and with no colour in the morning sunrise I was freed from the limitation of 'having' to use it - which actually helped out. I had a tripod for the camera, but I had to be the light stand - fortunately I had my remote. I did a quick couple of setup shots and then asked one of the guys to stand in place.
As I accosted him he put down the plastic bucket he was using and stood where I indicated, looked at the camera and bang, I took the shot. He scurried off to return to his task and as I reviewed the result it became painfully obvious that I should have asked him to keep hold of the bucket - he needed something to do with his hands. I cast around for nearby 'props' and the germ of this idea leapt into mind. The "Not to be moved" sign is another of those safety measures to protect the crew, but the same words go rather well with the 'strong-minded' character of our beloved driver Ian. When he passed by I asked him to stand in place and handed him the sign. "You can't move that" he said. I told him not to worry and that I'd personally make sure no-one moved the engine in the few minutes it was not in place. I told him to look 'unimpressed' - an easy task - and fired the remote.
I've bumped clarity, vibrance and saturation in Lightroom - but otherwise this is SOOC. I'm so pleased with it. It works on a number of levels and I'm very proud of the result.
Strobist: SB-600 iTTL +1.0 thru Lastolite Ezybox camera left fired via Nikon CLS
I sense from the dearth of comments yesterday, you are tiring of train shots. Well, this is the last and I'll give posting a break for a while. But to finish off, here's a few more from the final day. I say a few. There's nine. All clickable though.
This really is the last shot from our visit to Upton House in April. It's taken a little further up the stairs from my previous shot. I hope to return - that tree looks fascinating - although with leaves it may not look so dramatic.
I'm not quite sure why this isn't perfectly in focus on the right of the frame.
Due to the aspect ratio, please look at the Country House Size
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other people's work and receive constructive criticism on my own, please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
Bandon, Oregon was the final stop on the third day of our trip. After shooting some dance shots, doing some modelling for Jeff and some shots of Kim modelling for Jeff, I wandered off down the beach, and struggled.
It was curious how at different places, at different times, each of us seemed to ... dry up. With some of the things Kim found and Jeff took, I am surprised I did struggle. I did get a few shots that are halfway decent, I'll share some of them later. But then I thought, what now? Staring at this amazing sunset I decided I needed to try something different, a self-portrait, so I went to the back of the beach, found a big log, carried it to this spot and enjoyed the view.
At the end of a fun day out, I spotted yet another shot and while the family loaded into the car, I tried to get it 'just right.' Of course, I screwed it up and had to do it again. Hence the title. 25 seconds later, I grabbed the camera off the wall and ran over to the car (engine already running) and leapt in. A quick review of the LCD looked good, but you know how they lie!
Same sunset as this one (albeit a little later.) Light on the ground and the tree provided by a 30' tall portable floodlight rig serendipitously providing just the light I wanted. A crop and +10 of saturation sealed the deal.
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other people's work and receive constructive criticism on my own, please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
Oh, and have a wonderful weekend...
Kick | Kiss? | Wake up Lee...
This is the most ambitious final image I've undertaken to date. I suspect it's the last big hurrah as we enter the final stretch of this project and I know I couldn't have achieved this when I started. Our theme this week (if you've been in a cave) is The Matrix.
I had started with the idea that I would recreate the famous shot on the rooftop of Neo falling backwards as the bullets pass over him leaving shock wave trails behind them. There were two problems, no coat like Neo and no idea how to do the bullet trails. I also was very worried that the shot would end up looking rather dull, much of the magic in the film is that this is one of the iconic bullet time moments where the camera swings around and a still had the potential to look rather pale by comparison. I was chatting to Scott about the theme and he was worrying about what to do, I pointed out that much of the film has a massive comic book feel, many camera angles mimic classic comic book panels and urged him to watch the film again. With my own worries, I figured I ought to follow my own advice and thoroughly enjoyed watching the film. I was once again blown away by the sumptousness of the sets, the costume, the lighting but also took in the many 'moments' which led to this idea, wouldn't it be so cool to be in this film, to recreate a scene and with a twist at the end that sees me asleep at my computer, but with the iconic message on the screen. You can see my concept sketch below.
I set to that night and shot the computer scene. The next night I went to a location I had thought of as ideal to shoot the 'scene' and shot all the principle photography. I set to at my computer and started the process of editing. Two days later, out with my wife, I came across 'the' leather coat, in a charity shop for £20! I had to do it, so bought it and found myself back on location a second time to reshoot all the elements with Neo.
Thanks are also due to Kim for agreeing to be my Trinity...
A lot of photoshop later and with some sound advice and support from Kim, Jeff, Clayton and Scott. Here we are. I've included links to all the individual shots and thoughts on them all, if you're interested to go look.
My final comment is to mention that I asked my wife did I make a good Neo? She replied, without hesitation "yes, it's nice to see how Neo is doing ten years on." Ouch.
For all who have agreed to join us, thank you. Kim has created a group to hold all our work in one place, let us know (if we haven't already) and we'll send you an invitation to the group so you can add your shots.
I've been loving the swathe of waterfall shots I've seen here recently, particularly the work of the one and only Mr Clayton Wells and the unique and amazing Mr Andy Kearton.
Shouldn't have done that, I won't see you for hours now.
Anyway, for those of you who have stayed (thanks) this is also in the Buxton Pavilion Gardens and if you turn to the right you'll see a heron stood slightly further down the stream.
For the first time in a long time, I really struggled with colour vs. b&w.
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other people’s work and receive constructive criticism on my own, please leave me a comment – however small – and don’t be afraid to criticise. Thanks
Sorry for the delay, I've been in bed the past two days. Improved now. Hopefully all better soon. Man-flu - it's been bad - mostly for my wife.
Back to the railway. On Monday and Tuesday we did the standard tourist bit and but for a small excursion on the footplate (when I got the shot of Bruce) when the engine did the run-around at Kingscote, we had not yet utilised the fact that Dad knows everybody (and everything - but that's another story for another day.) On Wednesday though, Dad arranged for us to have a private tour of an area that is off-limits to the general public, the signal boxes at Horsted Keynes and Sheffield Park.
To compare with my own hobby of the theatre, the engine crew are clearly the principals, the guards and station staff the chorus. They are 'on stage', in costume, performing the public and visible role of the railway. But as in the theatre, they are only part of the team, and without the huge efforts of the backstage team, the railway would not run. The signal crew are - I guess - on the book, controlling the running order, who goes where, who does what and keeping everyone safe. It was fascinating to have this side of the operation explained and to understand the huge complexity of backups, safeguards, backups to the safeguards and safeguards to the backups. Added to which the knowledge of the team about the circumstances that had led to the introduction of each element.
Part of the reason for the criticality of the team is that there is only a single track between each station. When this branch of the railway (from East Grinstead to Lewes) was originally constructed, it opened in 1882, there was capacity for two tracks, but the double track was only laid as far south as Horsted Keynes (and later removed.) This presents a fairly critical need to make sure that there is only ever one train in the section of single track and that when a train arrives at a station (which all have double tracks) that they arrive at a open platform. This is solved by the use of a token system whereby the driver cannot (on pain of instant dismissal - or worse) enter the track section without a physical representation of his permission. At each end of the track section are the token machines that are linked and will only allow the release of a single token at any one time - and then only with both signalmen's permission. The points and signals are interlinked mechanically and electrically and everything must be done in the correct sequence - and cannot be reversed until certain conditions have occurred. One really understands the term "fail safe" when observing the intricacies of such a complex system. Of course it is a mere fraction of the complexity inherent in a major mainline hub station such as Birmingham.
This is the lever frame at Horsted Keynes and, because the station was a spur station, it is the most complex on the railway. Each lever controls either a signal, a set of points, or both, or a combination. I got the chance to throw one of them into place - and also was invited to throw one incorrectly - which, of course, the system prevented. I loved the colours and the repetition. I chose to focus on the "King Lever" just because of the name and the colour. Of course, having done so, I needed to ask about it. In the event that the railway was ever short staffed, they could, theoretically put the station (and its immediate environs) into a locked down state whereby the signalling staff could be withdrawn - of course, this would increase significantly the section of locked down single track. After a dizzying amount of setup work, the final act would be to throw the king lever - truly the one that rules them all.
PS I just realised I never made any of the outtakes public - you really can click on them now - sorry!
I've started collating the best shots for a Blurb book that we plan to make of our road trip shots. This is one of my favourites, definitely worthy, in my opinion, of being a full page image. Curious then, that I haven't posted it, and a number of others. So I might 'clear them up' this week, well some at least.
This is Mt. Hood, same location as my week 38 shot and its outtake. This was one location I fell foul of 'not enough compositions.' I have this shot, in a few very slightly different guises maybe 20 times, the portraits and a few nothing snapshots. Admittedly, it was cold, we didn't have masses of time, I was very tired, we did mess around doing the SPs for some time, but seriously? One of my biggest learning points has to be that no matter how splendid the light, the view, the picture you've found, make sure you change it up, look around. Sounds obvious, but I was surprised how easy it was to fall into that particular trap.
Photographs are notoriously poor at showing elevation and this one is no exception, the slope that I decided to scramble down was very steep, covered in a perfect wind blown snow bank and with a very cold looking stream at the bottom, a dubious move. Of course, being an idiot, I set off without hesitation. I must confess to one moment of panic when, hidden by the smoothness of the bank, I 'stood' on a pocket in the slope and plunged deep into the snow, stumbled and fell. Fortunately, having innate grace and balance (yeah right, really a lifetime of such dorkish falls behind me) I saved myself and the camera gear from tumbling into the stream.
We'd asked Jeff about the climactic conditions we could expect. His answer was suitably vague - anything from freezing to 20 degrees or so, bring a coat (although not a massive winter one) and shorts - but expect it to be wet. Reality was -8 to 25, a coat was certainly required here and I wish I had remembered to pack my shorts for day 3 - oh and yeah, we did wet too.
Amazing really those few days, dancing bare foot on the beach and hip deep in snow...
This is the last of the shots of the beach at Westward Ho! I spoke to one of the kite surfers when they came out, you could see the exhilaration and exhaustion fighting within him. Maybe one day, I'll have a go - it looked a lot of fun.
Previously The Pebble Ridge at Westward Ho! & Together
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other people's work and receive constructive criticism on my own, please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
This is the picture that I put on the back of my Blurb book of 2008. I thought I'd posted it, but obviously I didn't and a couple of you mentioned you'd like to see it.
It was very cold, very, very cold, but we were all wrapped up and we had a lovely time wandering about. I loved the way the grasses had gone white with the rime frost and with my wife and daughter further down the path, magic. Undeniably one of my top memories of 2008.
I don't care what you think of this one, I love it, but leave me a comment - perhaps of your memories of a cold day out. Thanks
Not my house, obviously...
This is the doorway to the Entrance Hall from the inner courtyard at Lyme Park famous as Pemberley in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice. Lyme Park is on the north western edge of the Peak District and is pretty high up - it's very often cold and wet - hence the green.
I'm guessing that the 24-120 lens the camera shop lent me while my 18-200 is repaired may have a little bit of distortion as this is straight in some places and not in others - or maybe the building is a little wonky?
After my last posting (and the small rant) I was cheered by the comments I got, I also smiled when I saw this morning that two more people have marked me as a contact despite not having commented (or favourited) any of my pictures. I know I'm expecting too much that everyone will comment at least once - that fact that someone liked something enough to 'bookmark' me in some way is encouraging. I've noticed that some of the people who have marked me as a contact have several hundred (or more) contacts and I wonder how they deal with it. I think my own approach is summed up well in Jeff's profile - specifically he says "If you add me as a contact without having commented on anything in my stream, I probably won't add you back. I try to keep a lower number of contacts so I can have the time to interact with each of them." Jeff - if you don't mind I'm gonna steal your words and use them myself.
I was also cheered the other day when I'd looked at (and commented) on the beautiful photos in Kim's stream. She sent a lovely flickrmail thanking me and saying she'd reciprocate when she had some time (which she has done now). Perhaps I should look to
combine the two elements in my search for people who are giving and sharing with comments and constructive feedback.
Thanks also for the thoughts on reaching a bigger audience, I'm feeling more chilled today - it'll happen when it happens - but as a priority I'll keep looking for people who comment on my contacts photos and then comment on theirs. Hopefully it'll spread.
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other people's work and receive constructive critiscm on my own, please leave me a comment - however small. Thanks
Taken the same day as my shot of Cordelia riding her bike. The sky was so blue and it went on forever.
---
I've picked up work on the description of the road trip again. Finished day 2 and now on day 3. We're going to put together a Blurb book of the trip. I'm very excited about it. Narrowing down the selection of pictures is *so* difficult though. I'm enjoying re-living the memories.
I've been levitating for a few good years now. Not very often, it's true, but it's like riding a bike, once you've got it, you can't lose it. So when I saw Lee's 6th week shot, I felt the urge to go on a levitation session of my own.
Apart from that, I have to say that having a bunch of people doing 52week shots on a common theme sounds much more fun than doing it by one's self.
I will do Comedy at some point but not just now. My brother-in-law's funeral is tomorrow so I'll not be about, I'll wish you a great weekend now.
My self-portrait project involves taking a picture each week that I post the following week on a Thursday. Let me know what you're thinking. Thanks
Unfortunately my wife was extremely ill on Monday night and so she was unable to come out with us on Tuesday (she's all better now - just a 24 hour thing.) The only good bit of Monday night was that I was sent out for more supplies which gave me the opportunity to indulge in a bit of truly Experimental Monday photography (the results of which I will share with you all later.) The knock on of being on my own with the children was a much more limited opportunity to shoot. Added to which, we had always planned to do other things during the week and so after a quick run up and down the line, we headed off to Bateman's (the home of the author Rudyard Kipling - again, pictures later.) So only two shots for you today.
This is taken from the footbridge (the one with the beautiful light) at Sheffield Park. We've just been up and down the line pulled by this engine, no 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair (a Bulleid Light Pacific) and Dad (who is driving this engine today) has promised he'll blow the whistle as he goes under us. Fenton is sat on my shoulders and I'm trying to balance him and take the shot. Wisely I stopped shooting as they got closer and hung on - all the while warning Fenton. He either didn't understand or didn't listen or most likely it didn't make any difference - when Dad pulled the whistle, Fenton started and grabbed hold of me (lacerating my scalp with his fingernails) as if his life depended on it. It's hard to tell from this shot just how enormous this engine is. I've got a shot from Thursday that may be help, but I'm over 6' and I'm sure it's easily twice my height and very, very long. It's also very, very loud and unpredictable - it's no wonder many of the children we saw - and my own - were very, very wary of it.
Tomorrow's lead shot will not be of a train and it will be in colour. I hope you're enjoying the series.
To answer some of the questions/points raised by Jeff yesterday: this is not the same location as my 52 goodbye shot (that was Cromford station near my house - which is still an operational mainline station) and Fenton absolutely loved the trip - the excitement was so apparent - as long he was not being surprised by unexpectedly noisy engines!
Lee requested I upload another shot from the road trip (apologies for neglecting those!). Here's a view we haven't seen too much - and was actually not even an intended stop. We originally wanted to shoot sunrise on Rainier from Lake Tapps, but the park was closed, so we made our way to the Washington State Capitol in Olympia where we were lucky enough to capture some cherry blossoms and have some nice streaky clouds in the sky.
It was at this location that Lee scored his first interview of the trip. Haven't seen Kim post one of these yet . . but I know she's got one somewhere . . . we should go pester her . .
The theme this week, as chosen by me, is "In My Car" and to be honest, I had the image in mind before I came up with the theme.
Two weeks ago I gave you an outtake that had some behind the scenes info for you. This week I've tried to improve on that and I have made an entire video for you. The actual shot above I did at a different time and location, but I used the exact same technique...
and just a reminder...
KIM AND I NEED YOU. Yes, you.
As you (probably) know, we choose a theme each week for our 52 week project. For our post next week (Thursday 20th May) our theme is The Matrix.
We want you to join us and post a self portrait that same day on that theme. Please don't pull something from your archives, a new picture, taken between now and then.
Can we count on you? Go on, if you haven't already, leave a commitment to join us in your comment.
3/52
I mentioned yesterday my need to expand my vocabulary, I didn't mention that I had also stumbled across an ancient method of doing so (although strictly speaking, the sweet chilli sauce is not part of the method - it just made it a bit easier going down.) Boy, did I feel sick after the second thesaurus.
Still, look on the bright side, eloquent is my new middle name. Great!
Thanks to Lord & Lady Fenton for the use of the library at Kilburn Hall (and so many other things!) and to Windy, Clayton, Kim, Kyle, Jeff, Kelly & Justin for help with tuning my interpretation.
The Complete Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.
My 52 Week Self-portrait Project is not an exercise in narcissism but an attempt to further myself as a portrait photographer (albeit one with a lack of models!) Every week for a year, I am attempting to force creativity and learn more about lighting and composition by taking a picture of myself. I'll post the best shot on the Thursday of the
following week. Please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
One of the only thing I really wanted to see in London was the Millennium Bridge, which spans the River Thames. I'm not sure why it's so intruiging and interesting to me. Maybe it's due to it's modern design, or that it's pedestrian only, or how it connects the old (St. Paul's Cathedral) on one end to the new (Tate Modern) in the other. Whatever the reason, I wasn't thrilled about seeing it being torn apart by the Death Eaters in the movie, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." And of course, the bridge also offers a wonderful view of London, as seen in Lee's photo here.
The outtake below is my lame attempt at street photography. The rainy and damp conditions on my first day in London made for a moody photo.
This is another tone-mapped image (qtpfsgui Reinhard02) from the same time as the last cartoon HDR shot I posted.
Personally, I am still unconvinced.
No idea what the stone was for.
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other people's work and receive constructive criticism on my own, please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
Rehearsals are over,
Race to the theatre,
Then calm down,
Time to perform.
Rehearsals are over,
Better know your stuff,
Now or never,
Time to perform.
Rehearsals are over,
Keith lets us know,
The 30 minute call,
Time to perform.
Rehearsals are over,
Mind in the zone,
Dispel the distractions,
Time to perform.
Rehearsals are over,
A moment of serenity,
Then game face on,
Time to perform.
Rehearsals are over
Shave off the shadow,
Put costume on,
Time to perform.
Rehearsals are over,
Head to the stage,
Act One Beginners,
Time to perform.
Rehearsals are over,
The orchestra tune up,
Overture is played,
Time to perform.
Rehearsals are over,
Time to perform.
--------
Getting to the theatre for a performance is always a stressful business, I'm usually rushing, often having just cooked a meal for my family and wolfed it down. I have things to remember to take. And, perhaps most importantly, a personal desire to do a good job. The theatre is a busy place, everyone else is preparing to perform, getting hair, make-up, costumes sorted. Last minute technical details are being resolved. A high-pressure environment.
I always like to try and take a little moment for myself, a moment to calm down between the stress of getting there and the stress of performance. Switching mode if you like. Getting into character. With this in mind, I felt this was a good opportunity to try and capture the theme of the week - decided before I thought of this idea - of "a moment of serenity." All the while I was working on this shot, I had elements of the poem above rushing around in my head, and I've tried to capture it here.
I tried a number of shoots in a number of places throughout the theatre. I must confess, I've never before had my calming moment in the stalls, but actually, it's quite a good location - very quiet and still. Of course, the house opens at around the half hour call - and I'm usually only just rushing into the building.
Thanks again to Morven for her assistance during one of my shoots. As I'm doing thanks, I should also take a moment to thank you, my loyal contacts, for the huge and very gratifying response to last week's shot. I was genuinely surprised at the colossal response it received. I still rather think it's just lanky old me looking too big for the chair. But I'm glad you liked it.
I mentioned to my wife the reaction to yesterday's picture. "Experimental Monday?" she said. "Oh, and you have err.... Friday err..." I assisted, "Friday Best." "That's it" she said. "Do other people do things like that?" "Similar" I hedged. "Ooh", she enthused "what other days could you do?" My instant retort was "Mediocrity Tuesday?"
I hope that you laugh too.
This is another Oilseed rape field in a place called Staunton. Nestled between the fields were a line of 15, or so, bee hives that caught my eye (I'll post a shot of them later) but the sky was so blue, the clouds so fluffy and the colours so vibrant, I thought I'd start with this one.
Circular polariser - you've got to watch them - underexposed slightly but nothing a little kick with Levels couldn't sort!
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other people's work and receive constructive criticism on my own, please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
I'm continuing my "bokeh is the aesthetics of the oof stuff" plan. This is Flax, growing at the Eden Project, taken on my Devon summer holiday.
Have a super weekend everyone.
The main reason I am on Flickr is to be inspired by other people's work and receive constructive criticism on my own, please leave me a comment - however small - and don't be afraid to criticise. Thanks
The opera goers, costermongers, flower sellers and dustmen of Edwardian London.
I set up an ambush station in rather cramped conditions back stage at Buxton Opera House last week. This is the cast's Act 1 Beginners costumes. Three great performances in front of 1300+ last weekend and another three performances this weekend at Derby Live - and apparently we're close to selling out all three.
Bob, David, Mary, Cheryl, Peter, Julie
Colin, Sandra, Lee, Gary, James, Joseph
Hannah, Jim, Christine, Louisa, Jon, Laura
Rob, Joan, Celia, Jayne, Ann, Mike
Strobist: Nikon SB-600 in Softxbox camera left via Nikon CLS
As you might guess, I've been busy this month. More shots from here to come. And I have plans for 2011. Let's hope I can realise them. I'll catch up with you all, later...
This is Harris Beach in Brookings, Oregon, the office of Richard, a private investigator. Originally from Washington and having lived much of his life in Crescent City, California, Richard had recently retired as a Sergeant in the Prison Service, "I was getting too old, and the job's changed, the prisoners just don't have any respect for authority any more." He'd moved to Brookings ("Taxes are much lower in Oregon!") and had set up as a private investigator. "This is my office," he explained, "I have an ocean view, when clients ring up I tell them the noise in the background is the sea, my office is on the beach. They say 'what you can see the beach from your office' and I tell them 'no, my office is on the beach'" but I tell them my fees don't reflect it" and he laughed.
His phone rings and he excuses himself and answers. I step away a short distance to allow him some privacy and it is clear this is a business call. I can't hear the detail but he is clearly reporting on progress and then makes an appointment to relay his findings.
After his call, we continue to amble along the beach. We discuss the trip, where I've been, where we are going next and he mentions a few things to look out for. At various intervals he pauses and roots around in the sand with his stick. "I'm looking for agates" he says, "they wash up here from somewhere up North. I got a whole jar of 'em at my house." With this small comment, my eye is drawn to the massive variety of different colours, shapes and sizes of pebbles, every colour imaginable, rough, smooth, small and large, dotted on the sands.
I asked him when was the best time of year to be on the beach. He pondered and then said "Winter. When the storms come in off the pacific and the sky is black, the waves are thundering and the sea boils. Yep, we get some amazing storms."
By this point we had turned and ambled back and with best wishes we parted company and I returned to Jeff and Kim. Richard continued to wander along the beach. Thirty minutes later we were all set to leave and as we set off, Richard walked by and I waved him goodbye, off on another circuit of his amazing office.
This is Richard, #3 of 100 strangers, taken for the 100 strangers project.
Kim told me she preferred a tighter crop on just Richard, but his office was so much part of his story, I wanted to show it. I'm sure many of you will have worked out the inspiration for the theme of the video I made on this beach. It's also a great opportunity to remind you of Kim's amazing and now award winning shot of this beach!
This is Patrick, #2 of 100 strangers, taken for the 100 strangers project.
As I mentioned on the first post in this series, I wanted to use the road trip as a kick start to get a few more portraits done. So it seemed auspicious that on our first proper (snigger) stop on the road, this opportunity arose. I'd borrowed Kim's wide-angle lens and was taking some shots of the daffodils and blossoms with the Capitol building behind when Patrick walked by. We introduced ourselves (he is an assistant to the secretary of state) and chatted about the trip and the beauty of the blooms and then I asked about his lanyard - it says U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq.
Patrick explained that he had been stationed in Iraq and had helped to set up the recent elections, working to make sure that as many people as possible could vote and take part in what we (in the Western world) consider a basic right. I think it's easy to be cynical about those in public service but my own experience is that many of them are doing amazing work in support of the communities in which they work. Truly inspiring. Since I got back I did a search to find out a little more - and he was awarded a medal for his work - and not one they just give away either.
As I asked him if I could take his picture, I realised I had the wide-angle lens on the camera, hardly ideal, but not wanting to hold him up while I messed about, I figured - go for it. So, leaning in to what was probably unnervingly close, I grabbed a quick couple of shots.
Or in Lee's case, a British Holiday.
Either way, Welcome to Paradise!
How many times did our parents pull the car over, get out the instantly gratifying Polaroid, place us right next to this sign or one similar, and snap away?
I wanted to scan some of those shots and post them...I still may. Feel free to post your own here.
Went with a wacky Color Efex Pro template here (ink) in honor of vacation's past.