Horrible day

Today is a horrible day. It's cold, dull and raining. I was supposed to be going out with a friend for a walk and to take some photos, but having spent 90 minutes out with the dogs this morning and getting very cold and wet, I decided against it. I still took my camera out with me on the dog walk on the off chance that I'd spot something I liked and I did. However, disaster struck when I realised I'd not put my SD card back in the camera from my last foray. What a silly mistake. My saviour was my iPhone and I took this.

I really like trees in the winter silhouetted against the sky. Maybe not my best shot, but this and my iPhone saved me from disappointment of not taking anything today.

Stairway to heaven

A friend of mine recently visited Cornwall and took some great photos of the coast around the Minack theatre which is an amazing place. This prompted me to revisit some shots I took on a walk between Sennen and Treen a few years ago.

Cornish boats

Continuing the boat theme, this was taken at St Ives harbour and I have cropped it a number of different ways but am still not sure I'm happy with the final result.

Oxford boats

This shot was taken some time ago but I have only just got around converting it to black and white. It was taken in Oxford.

Bridge over troubled water

Christmas has indeed come early! I have a new dSLR. A lovely Nikon 3200. Only problem is is that I've not really had chance to use it and this is the only photo I've taken with it and the shot is not very good - my fault, not the camera. Hopefully, I'll be back on track taking more pictures soon.

Unsurprisingly, this was taken in Northumberland. It's at the south end of Beadnell Bay.

A bridge too far

A recent attempt at the three peaks in the Yorkshire Dales reminded me that I had this shot of the Ribble viaduct in my archives. A great walk in lovely surroundings.

Back again

In Seahouses on a cold autumn day and it's as amazing as always. The only thing that spoils this shot is the fact that my dSLR is not well and I'm getting what look like water marks appearing in my shots. Looks like my sensor needs cleaning or it's time for a new camera. Hopefully the latter as Christmas is nearly here!

You shall not pass

Continuing my fascination with straight lines that lead the eye. I like the way these bollards are there to prevent, I believe, cyclists from using this path, and appear to stand guard over the path behind.

Morning shadows

This was taken yesterday morning when the sun was just coming up. I had taken the dogs on their usual walk and thankfully had my camera with me. The shadows that the trees cast across the dirt road were amazing.

Poles apart

Today was a little dull and not much had inspired me on my walk today. However, I have always liked the way that telegraph poles and their lines create straight lines dissecting the sky and these two in particular caught my eye.

Door envy

It seems I am not the only one with an interest in photographing doors. A quick google image search revealed an absolute myriad of fantastic shots. Not sure why I never thought to look before. However, the only down side is I now have door envy as there were so many great shots. Anyway, here's my first door for November.

Double door

I could not get this shot to work in black and white but I will keep trying. However, having tinkered with it in colour I thought I'd publish it and see if the colour version grows on me.

Ship on the horizon

A friend has just sent me some amazing shots he took in Cornwall earlier this year, which made me revisit some of mine again. There is a ship on the horizon in this shot but it is very small. However, I think the sky is the main ingredient of this shot.

A little hoarse

I'm off work at the moment with a chest infection which has given me a bit of time to update my blog now I'm feeling a little bit better. This shot was taken while taking the dogs for a walk just a short distance from where I live. It was not taken today as still not 100% fit. I like this picture as it's a white horse in a black and white shot.

Doorway to heaven

These two shots are of St Nicholas' Chapel that sits atop St Ives Island which isn't actually an island but a peninsula which has amazing views of St Ives on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. The pictures don't give any clue to the amazing views around, but I like the angles of the first shot together with the sky and of course the second shot indulges me with my fascination of closed doors.

Mist or fog

This shot was taken using my Apple iPhone 4. It's a path that runs between two reservoirs just up the road from where I live. For the last two days, the clouds have been really low leaving the trees shrouded in mist.

Behind the green door

I originally published this image in black and white, but it keeps catching my eye in colour in my photographic archive and after tinkering with it decided to publish the colour version too. Originally I preferred the black and white shot, but now I'm not sure.

A dog's life

This is one of my dogs. She's a labrador and called Meg and she has very expressive eyes even if she looks a little cross-eyed in this shot.

Dylan's delight

Mousehole is a tiny fishing village in Cornwall which was described by Dylan Thomas as being the loveliest village in England.

Cream of Cornwall

This is a shot of the harbour at St Ives in Cornwall, a place we visited every year for 15 years. Shot was taken a few years ago during the summer as can be seen by the number of boats in the harbour. During the winter, the number of boats reduces dramatically.

Shadowy circles

This is the shadow of a gate in an archway at Alnwick gardens. The shadow is cast over a small stream that disappears under some wooden boards. I like the patterns of the intricate cast iron swirls in the gate.

Island life

This is a shot of the Farne Islands from Seahouses beach. Not t most interesting shot, but its a great view when you're actually there.

Not too colourful

For my first non black and white shot I've not published something that has too much colour. I did try converting this to black and white but couldn't quite get it to work so just tweaked the colour shot slightly. The subject fits slightly with my door theme.

Sun on sand

This shot was taken on a very cloudy day, but the sun kept appearing and its reflection off the wet sand was fantastic.

 

Roll of the dice

My only thought as to why these concrete blocks are on Bamburgh beach is to act as wave breakers. However, whoever thought to paint two of them a dice gave photographers an interest subject.

Holy indecision

This church is situated in a little coastal village in Spain near Murcia, but I can't remember exactly where. I will update this entry with the exact location when I catch up with my friends who have a place nearby. Not really into churches, but I like this shot but can't say why exactly other than I think it looks better in black and white rather than colour.

Nice tarts

Lac Blanc (2352m) is a very well photographed location in the Alps, so I thought I'd add my shot to the many already on the internet. It is an amazing place. However, while the mental images of the place are diminishing, I seem to remember better that the mountain hut there sells great coffee and tarts.

A sprinkling of salt

Salts Mill in Saltaire, West Yorkshire, is one of my favourite day trip destinations. It has it all; one of my favourite artists, David Hockney, the building and architecture are amazing and the diner does a fantastic burger. One final thing, it also always smells of lilies. An amazing place.

Doorway to anywhere

I have a thing about closed doors. Not just any doors, but old doors on old buildings. Buildings that you can't see into. If you could see in, there would be no mystery to what lies behind them. It's left to your own imagination...

Hanging around

On a recent trip to the Alps the chair lifts were all hanging stationary and looked a little forlorn compared to the amazing scenery around them. The sun was shining that day, but in black and white this could have been mid-winter.

Life or soul saver

Is the life belt there to save lives and the cross it's fastened to to save souls? Another shot taken at Seahouses beach.

Mad monkey

This was taken in Alnwick Gardens and the monkey head is part of a much larger piece in the gardens. It was an interesting thing but a little freaky.

Seahouses sky

Location is again Seahouses beach, but there's very little beach to see in this shot as the amazing sky takes up all the image.

Clouds, sand and sea

I thought it appropriate to start my postings with a shot of one of the places I love the most. It's the beach at Seahouses in Northumberland. A recurring theme a lot of my shots are clouds.