View allAll Photos Tagged microfournerds
There were several ponies who’d set up camp at the top of Rough Tor, and I loved how the low sun was catching their manes in the light. This one decided to keep a bit of an eye on me while the other continued with their dinner!
Last night we had a clear evening so I met up with Richard and Andy from the club and we headed up to Colliford Lake for some Milky Way shots, I’ve seen several night shots of these trees so we knew it was a good spot. It’s amazing how different the place feels at night, even when it’s somewhere you’ve been many times during the day!
I’m beginning to feel like I must have angered the sunrise god somewhere along my travels, I ventured out this morning and again have been greeted with wall-to-wall greyness along the coast of South-East Cornwall! Again I headed back to Portwrinkle this morning, and as the tide is now higher in the morning it gave me chance to revisit one of my other favourite rocks but this time I’ve been experimenting with some new software, Topaz Gigapixel AI.
This is an enlarging application and I’ve upscaled this image two times, taking it from 20mp to 80mp (remembering that it’s double the height and double the width) and the AI is apparently designed to look at the textures that are present and generate the extra details from that rather than just extrapolating the data from the existing data. I have to say that I’ve been quite impressed with the results and I’m looking forward to getting some large prints done to see what difference this makes to the final product; hopefully this will keep the GAS in check for a few more months!
Sometimes you have to take opportunities when you can. On Sunday evening we took our daughter to see a late night showing of Captain Marvel as we’re working our way through the Marvel films before End Game, and as we got home around 1am I noticed how clear the skies were, and a quick check of the weather app showed there was a 2 hour gap until the moon was going to rise around 3am.
Shooting at Brentor Church was something I attempted last year, but not planning the visit very well found that the Milky Way was in completely the wrong place for the traditional composition of the church.
During the 30 drive there, the sky remained clear but as I arrived on location there was mist completely enveloping the church! I could see nothing apart from the sky directly upwards, as you can imagine I was slightly disheartened… still, after sticking with my plan the fog eventually started to clear, and just before moonrise at 3am I finally got the shot I wanted, in fact you can see the moon lighting up the clouds on the left of the shot.
On Saturday morning I managed to get out for sunrise on Portwrinkle beach, I use the term “sunrise” in its broadest possible meaning as it was a bit of a non-event but it’s still a nice way to start the day! These rocks can only be seen at low-tide but it’s a nice set that you can isolate from the rest of the beach quite easily.
A bit of ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) tonight, taken at the tail end of a glorious sunset at Cambrils. I do love how this technique can concentrate the colours and remove distractions from the scene, leaving you with just a feeling about the actual location.
This morning I managed to get out to Golitha Falls as I’ve still not managed to get an Autumn shot from there that I’m happy with. The pre-dawn trek from the car park is quite tricky in the dark as there’s lots of roots and stones to trip over, especially as I decided to start further down the falls and head back taking pictures as that gives more shooting time before heading to work. Although there’s a lot of nice leaves on the floor, the trees are not quite in their full autumnal splendour so I think I’ll head back in a couple of weeks time.
Start Point Lighthouse is one of those places I’ve been meaning to visit for some time, and this time of year the sun rises in-line with the headland so despite the slightly iffy weather forecast I made a diversion on the way to work to have a look. Unfortunately the weather forecast was correct and there was a large band of low cloud over the water which did ruin any chance of a nice sunrise, it also meant there was dark cloud on the horizon with bright clear sky above so to rescue something from the morning I’ve performed a complete “cloudectomy” and replaced the clouds on the horizon with ones that were behind me… not something I normally resort to but I hope they look quite natural!
Star Trails is something I’ve wanted to try for a long time but recent shots by Warren Wise have prompted me to get out and actually do some! As I’ve never tried this before and wanted a trial run I chose somewhere close to home and knew that the local church would make a nice subject for astro… this is about an hour’s worth of movement, now I feel confident that I can capture and process star trails I need to try something a bit further afield.
Last night we headed out on the weekly walk with the camera club and headed up to Sheepstor, which towers over Burrator Reservoir. A first time visit for me and as we headed up we could see a bank of cloud which was looking a bit ominous, luckily there was a break further west and we ended up with a fantastic band of red on the horizon. A tighter crop than I normally shoot, but I wanted to show the colour in the distance along with some of the rain that was falling further afield.
A slight change to the normal programming as I've just had a couple of days in London where Shaun and I went to see the legend that is Roger Waters at Hyde Park... needless to say he was awesome! We did manage to find some time to get around London with our cameras and one stop was the The Cecil Brewer Staircase found in Heal's. I have to say thanks to Rich Walker for pointing me in the right direction for this!
A bit of minimalism from Tuesday evening at the Liskeard Camera Club photowalk in Looe. Unfortunately I’d not planned this evening very well as it was low-tide right around sunset which did mean that reflection shots in the river were harder than usual, but I did like the colours out to sea at the end of the evening.
After spending a couple of days in Legoland we though we'd show the kids a little culture and take them to Windsor Castle before heading home. The Queen was in residence, and the room directly opposite is apparently her sitting room, so she may be peeping out of one of the windows if you look closely enough! :)
Saturday evening we took a trip down to Calstock, not realising that the bike festival was in full swing… certainly a bit busier than normal there! We still had a nice sunset looking down the river towards the viaduct.
We were lucky enough to have this Goshawk put on a bit of a display for us by flying back and forth between several low bushes while we took the shots.
Olympus OM-1, 40-150 F2.8 @ 142mm F5.6, 1/2000 ISO 160
#palechantinggoshawk #birdsinflight #birdsofafrica #birdsofinstagram #birdphotography
#LaikipiaWilderness
#Laikipia #Kenya #Africa #Safari #magicalkenya #lovelaikipia
#wanderlustmagazine #travelphotography #naturephotography #africanimals #safariphotography #adventure
#microfourthirds #microfournerds #omsystem
Another shots from last week's trip to Rame Head, this time with a little light painting to light up the inside of the chapel.
The first rays of the upcoming sun backlite a flock of Vulturine Guinea Fowl who have just come down from their night roost to forage on the early morning grasses.
Olympus EM-1ii, 300mm F4, 1/1000 ISO 2500
#birdphotography #vulturineguineafowl #birdsofinstagram #Acrylliumvulturinum #Guineafowl
#rememberigGuineaFowl
#LaikipiaWilderness
#Laikipia #Kenya #Africa #Safari #magicalkenya #lovelaikipia
#wanderlustmagazine #travelphotography #naturephotography #africanimals #safariphotography #adventure #sunrise #greatlight
#microfourthirds #microfournerds #omsystem
It’s been a long time but with the promise of a nice sunrise via SkippySky this morning I made the Herculean effort of getting out of bed and managed to drag my sorry sack of bones to Saint Michael De Rupe, otherwise know as Brentor Church.
As anyone who’s followed my page will know, this is a favourite of mine for obvious reasons… it stands proud by itself with uninterrupted views for miles. It seemed like a good choice this morning as high-tide is around sunrise so I didn’t think I’d get many compositional choices at the coast… still nice to be out for sunrise again!
I've not been out much recently so I've been having a play with composites, the poppies were taken at Pentire Head during the day (and lit with a flash as it was very overcast) and the sky was taken from a shoot at Rame Head... I think the two work together quite nicely!
Well, the miracle finally happened, I stopped thinking about it and actually got outside and took some Milky Way photos!
It was a really long day yesterday, as I’d got up early to go to the office, stopped at 3 tors on the way home (more of those to come later) and then at midnight decided to not get into the nice and inviting bed, but instead drive to Rame Head. As I’m new to astro-photography I decided to start with somewhere relatively close, and I’ve seen several shots from here so I knew it was possible and the sky was looking promising.
Arriving at about 1am I found 3 other people already there taking images, it’s always slightly worrying when you approach strangers in the pitch black but it was nice to share the experience too. I can see why some people get bitten by the astro-bug!
Another High key shot of the male cheetah sitting still and observing in the tall grass. I had plenty of time to play around with different ideas for the exposure and composition. In this one I also managed to capture something flying in front of him. NOt exactly sure what it is as it’s tiny but I dodged it a little to make it stand out more.
Olympus EM-1ii, 300mm F5.6, 1/1000 ISO 500
#Cheetah #BigCats #cheetahsofinstagram #HighKey #flyingant
#endangeredspecies #worthmorealive #rememberigcheetahs
#ElephantBedroom
#Samburu #Kenya #Africa #Safari
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A more gentle image from Friday morning, as I was waiting for the sun to rise I turned my attention to the boats moored on the Tamar. As there was little colour in the sky at this point I decided to go with an high-key style of processing which I think is suitable for the subject.
An attempt to frame the old lifeboat station at The Lizard in a slightly different way, I was going for a graphic style by looking down at the station straight on and keeping the angled walls pointing towards the bottom corners of the frame. It doesn’t really look like it, but this was another tricky shot as I was being buffeted by extremely strong winds again making it difficult to keep the composition straight!
Two male giraffes, Battling Giants, competing in a ballet of dominance.
Laikipia, Kenya March 2024
Olympus EM-1ii, 300mm F4, 1/1600 ISO 400
#Giraffe #ReticulatedGiraffe #Dominance #Reticulated
#LaikipiaWilderness #lovelaikipia
#Laikipia #Kenya #Africa #Safari
#wanderlustmagazine #travelphotography #naturephotography #africanimals #safariphotography #adventure
#microfourthirds #microfournerds #omsystem
Looking at the forecast yesterday it was predicting a clear sky all night so I decided to head up to Bodmin Moor and try some astro shots of Goldiggens Quarry and The Cheesewring. As there was no moon out last night it was pitch black and it’s amazing how much further it feels walking out there when you can’t see where you’re going… it’s also a good job there are paths that lead you from the car park to both destinations, though at least the Caradon Hill transmitter is there to guide you home in a worst-case scenario!
It feels like ages since I’ve been out with the camera so as I had a few hours to spare on Saturday morning I decided to take a trip up to Sheeps Tor. After a really grey and lifeless start to the day it turned into great weather for Dartmoor, lots of moody clouds with dashes of sunlight that danced their way over the hills.
One of my favourite finds of the holiday; I’d gone out looking for a nice view from the mountains outside Massarosa where we were staying and on a hairpin bend I found an abandoned farmhouse with some olive trees which appear to have been cut down. I can only assume that the trees had become diseased or damaged in some way as there were some healthy looking groves further down the slopes. I was hoping for a better sunset but given the subject, the moody clouds are probably a better match anyway.
A more classic view from Kynance Cove today, as it was so windy I had no chance of getting a long exposure so I opted for quick exposures and waited for the waves to form a lead-in line, taking you to the famous cove beyond.
A jackal lazing in the sun, spotted on an early morning game drive..
Olympus EM-1ii, 300mm F5.6, 1/800 ISO 640
#Jackal #blackbackedjackal #silverbackedjackal #MorningLight
#ElephantBedroom
#Samburu #Kenya #Africa #Safari #eastafrica
#wanderlustmagazine #travelphotography #naturephotography #africanimals #safariphotography #adventure #Iloveyou
#microfourthirds #microfournerds #omsystem
Another shot from Tuesday evening, there are some awesome rocks on Bedruthan beach and I was taken with this swirly rock that lead towards one of the sea stacks.
Another shot of the bird we tracked for sometime through the savannah grasses. I’m chuffed that I got a head on shot so you can see the head feathers.
Olympus EM-1ii, 300mm F4, 1/640 ISO 400
#SecretaryBird #sagittariusSerpentarius #birdphotography #best_bird_shots #king_birds #birds_adored #allmightybirds
#ElephantBedroom
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#microfourthirds #microfournerds #omsystem
Not sure what was going on with this little fella. He was sitting on a low bush and calling, maybe looking for a mate..
Olympus EM-1ii, 300mm F5.6, 1/1600 ISO 640
#Redandyellowbarbet #barbet #birdsofinstagram #best_bird_shots #king_birds #birds_adored #allmightybirds
#ElephantBedroom
#Samburu #Kenya #Africa #Safari #eastafrica #elephantbedroom
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A shot from the Science Museum in London; staircases do make good subjects as the repeated pattern draws the eye into the frame, and while this is not as dramatic as the stairs in Hele’s the windows also lend a nice symmetrical feel to the shot.
I'm returning to one of my Milky Way shots tonight as I'm putting together some shots for an upcoming club competition, hence why it's processed in the same style as my last effort.
This shot was taking in the harbour at Portwrinkle, lining up the Milky Way within the harbour walls.
A shot from Spring at Lanhydrock House, for this shot I used a thin depth-of-field to try and isolate one tree from the rest of the woods.
Not something I was planning but the skies were so clear on Friday night that I took a few minutes out to walk to the old Lifeboat House on Lizard Point to get a shot of it under the Milky Way, there was still a fierce wind and even with extra weight attached to the tripod the wind managed to knock the camera over which thankfully survived. A bit late in the season to get the full Galactic core, so one that will need returning to!
Inspired by Stu Graham, yesterday I decided to make a detour on the way to the office and head to Paignton Pier for sunrise. The day didn’t really start that well, as expected the sunrise was a no-show, the tide was too high and I forgot my wellies so only had my smart work shoes so no wading in the water. After trying some more standard shots I ended the morning by trying for ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) shots, I usually find these work best if you have some strong lines in the image already such as the posts on the pier. I didn’t notice it at the time but lights on the pier are obviously flickering slightly as they’ve left a dotted pattern in the blur which I liked.
On Saturday we stopped off at Kynance Cove for sunset, always worth a visit when you’re on The Lizard. Unfortunately the sunset didn’t really amount to much and after a few minutes what little colour there was faded to grey. I decided to try layering some of the other rocky outcrops, using the orange lichen on the foreground rocks to balance out the orange in the sky.
A shot from another failed sunrise shoot after New Year! This is one of my favourite rocks (sad I know!) but I’ve not taken it from this angle before and I really liked how there are five separate points, each leading up to the highest point, so we have symmetry and an odd number of subjects, both of which score points on the composition scale!
My last post was a bit left-field… I think this is even further left! Another shot from the Illuminate festival at Royal William Yard in Plymouth, where I wanted to get something a bit different. I was standing just in-front of one of the main lights that shines directly in the sky and noticed the drizzle being caught in the light, so I focused as closely as I could and positioned the bokeh within the frame.
Another experimental shot of the Tamar Bridge tonight, this time trying to keep the outline of the bridge in the distance while concentrating on some of the flowers found around Saltmill Park. Let me know what you think!
One of my diversions on the way to the office, this time I stopped off at Trenchford Reservoir which is somewhere I’ve never been before. As sunrise is getting later this might be my last morning diversion this year as I won’t have enough time to stop and then get to the office, as it was I only managed about 10 minutes there which clearly isn’t enough time to do it justice but at least this control wheel provided some nice foreground interest.
Back to the UK tonight with a shot taken last weekend at Golitha Falls. After walking along the river I realised I was just taking the same shots I normally do so I thought I’d give the grasses and fallen leaves some love instead. The river was really running fast after all the rain so I was being more careful than usual along the edge of the water!
From the genus Burhinus. The Burhinus are commonly called thick-knee, stone-curlew or dikkop. They are medium-sized, terrestrial waders, though they are generally found in semi-arid to arid, open areas. Only some species of Burhinus are associated with water. Burhinus are characterised by their long legs, long wings and cryptic plumage. Most species have a short, thick, strong bill. Stone-curlews are found all over the world except Antarctica. They are mainly tropical, with the greatest diversity in the Old World.
This particular one had a young chick with it. I failed to get a decent photograph of the pair of them, foliage and a far too long lens were to blame.
Olympus EM-1ii, 300mm F5.6, 1/1250 ISO 800
#Burhinus #thickknee #stonecurlew #birdsofinstagram #bird_brilliance #feather_perfection
#LaikipiaWilderness
#Laikipia #Kenya #Africa #Safari
#wanderlustmagazine #travelphotography #naturephotography #africanimals #safariphotography #adventure #Iloveyou
#microfourthirds #microfournerds #omsystem
Another image taken on foot, tucked away behind a bush, watching elephants come down to drink and play at one of the dams at Laikipia Wilderness Camp.
Olympus EM-1ii, 300mm F5.6, 1/400 ISO 1000
#Elephant #Elephants #Family #endangeredspecies #worthmorealive #rememberingelephants
#LaikipiaWilderness
#Laikipia #Kenya #Africa #Safari
#wanderlustmagazine #travelphotography #naturephotography #africanimals #safariphotography #adventure
#microfourthirds #microfournerds #omsystem
Last light of the day and this cheeky young calf finally emerged from behind its mother to give our vehicle a disapproving head shake before it ran back to hide behind mum’s legs.
Olympus OM-1, 40-150 F2.8 @ 82mm F4, 1/250 ISO 400
#Elephant #Elephants #calf #endangeredspecies #worthmorealive #rememberingelephants #elephantlove #elephante #elephantsofinstagram #elephantconservation #dumbo
#ElephantBedroom
#Samburu #Kenya #Africa #Safari #eastafrica
#wanderlustmagazine #travelphotography #naturephotography #africanimals #safariphotography #adventure
#microfourthirds #microfournerds #omsystem