mainprize.net Blog

26 August 2011 - Hipstamatic

2011-08-26T21:25:00.000+01:00

Littletown, Dornoch, Highlands

I have been playing with an app on my iPhone - Hipstamatic. It is a camera that you get with a couple of lenses and films built in, however you can purchase others within the app.

Shed, Skelbo, Highlands

These images were all tinted in Lightroom, but otherwise just have their Curve adjusted to increase contrast. The texture, degrading and vignetting are all added by the app. I love it's effects.

The road to Skelbo Castle, Highlands

The main thing I have learned is that you should have a main feature in the image to get the best out of it. Although I include no portraits here it is good for these, but you have to experiment as the effects are not entirely predictable.

Skelbo, Highlands

Dornoch cathedral, Highlands

21 August 2011 - Return from 2 weeks in Scotland

2011-08-21T17:30:00.000+01:00

Skelbo farming
Taken with the Canon G12 out of my cottage window at sunset

Just returned from 2 weeks in north east Scotland. The weather was good - changeable with sun and rain, fog and mist.

I have a lot of images and concepts to process and will be posting regularly to the blog, website, Flickr and photo.net. Hope you like the new projects as they are posted.

17 July 11 Photo of the day - Cayton Bay

2011-07-17T10:01:00.002+01:00

Cayton Bay sunrise III

On the sands by 0315 this morning I watched it get light and then there was a super sunrise. This is a panoramic stitch of 3 images blended and cropped in CS5.

16 July 11 Photo of the day - Scarborough rocks

2011-07-16T11:06:00.002+01:00

09 July 2011 - Why do we do it to ourselves?

2011-07-09T07:37:00.000+01:00

Filey Brigg sunrise

A landscape photographer has to take advantage of the golden hour, or so the books say. Today I got up at 3am and drove to the coast 5 minutes from my house. I then descended the cliffs and walked out to the end of a rocky promontory to watch and photograph dawn and sunrise. I spent time looking for the shot I wanted and then was watched myself by a grey seal and a flock of common eider that I could almost have touched. There was silence except for the waves, the gulls and the occasional oystercatcher. I did not see another human being until I was walking back to the car when 3 fishermen walked passed me.
So why did I get up so early knowing I will be tired for the next couple of days? Whilst getting there I asked this constantly, especially when the alarm clock went off, but once I was there I knew the answer and returned fulfilled. Then when I viewed the images on my computer I knew that in a couple of days I will do it all again.

Peeping over the horizon

21 June - an excursion into colour

2011-06-21T07:23:00.001+01:00

Scalby Rocks I
Canon 5D2 24-105L

A rare excursion into colour. The light was poor this morning but a trip to the sea and a while stood watching and the sun broke through. It was diffused by cloud, but I thought it may be good for a long exposure. The clouds were moving in different directions and this was the result.

19 June 2011 - Dalby Forest

2011-06-19T18:01:00.002+01:00

Staindale Lake

The family and I spent a day at Dalby Forest and after lunch took a walk around The Bridestones.

Path to Bridestones

Power of trees

Whilst walking in old woods one cannot help but be awed by the size and power of the trees. I wanted to capture this and I am reasonably pleased with this Lensbaby single-glass lens capture that has been turned into monochrome in Lightroom. I get the impression that power emanates from the trunk of the front tree.

Bracken breaks through

The Bridestones I

How do you like your coffee?

2011-06-16T07:38:00.001+01:00

Watching IX
Sheringham, Norfolk

Taken with a Lensbaby Composer with single glass lens on a 5D2.

Having just spent a week away with the family allowing 7 days in a row of image making I have to say that I still enjoy my photography, despite having moved genres and moved through several styles. I take pictures first and foremost for myself, and my pictures give me pleasure. In the past I wanted my pictures to be appreciated by others and generate income. I used to sell bird and nature photos all over the world, then I changed to insect photography and still achieved a reasonable amount of sales.

Since then I evolved into landscape photography and got up at ungodly hours to try to create Cornish pastiches. The sales continued and yet I was unhappy. Finally I moved through intentional camera movement and tilt and shift to the expressive artistic photography that I now enjoy.

I do not take pictures I think others might prefer to see.

Your photographs are unlikely to please everybody, so why try when you have to please your hardest critic - yourself.

Beach XXVII
Cromer, Norfolk

Taken with a Lensbaby Composer with single glass lens on a 5D2.

Remember I like my coffee with black, doubtless others prefer theirs with milk and sugar. So if you find yourself not enjoying your photography ask yourself why you are doing it and make images that you enjoy!

In the next week or so I will be uploading a set of the latest shots taken with a digital SLR using various lenses, but mostly Lensbabies or Diana lenses. I know some will love them, but most will be indifferent or hate them, but most importantly they stir the correct emotions in me!

So how do you like yours?

Fascination with the edge

2011-06-12T18:23:00.002+01:00

Now we are getting to the silly season. The tourists have flocked to the beach and we locals cannot get near, so early mornings and late nights rule and not due to the sunrise and sunset times. That is why I love inclement weather.

I love the effect the backlit rain has in this image.

The other alternative is to incorporate people into the coastal shots, but not being too keen on portraiture I like to find a way of minimalising the human element. This has been the mainstay of my beach project, depicting man's use of the beach. In many of these shot I try to silhouette the people so they are not identifiable.

The above image was taken with a 'normal' lens ie a 24-105LIS. This has recently been unusual for me as for the last 2 months I have almost uniformly used a Lensbaby - the Composer and the plastic or single glass lens. I shall post on the Lensbaby system on another occasion in the future.

New project uploaded - The beach

2011-04-28T21:01:00.000+01:00

I spend a lot of time at the sea as I live near it and it fascinates me. If I have a bad day at work or I want some peace and quiet I go to the coast, however there is often someone else there. Luckily, as a landscape photographer, I am often there at times that are prohibitive to most.
However as I have two young children as a family we spend time on the beach and I have been observing the vast array of different ways that we as humans utilise it. I am trying to capture our use producing fine art black and white photos of the different ways man and his friends occupy ourselves there.

05 January - Art, bigotry and philistines

2011-01-05T22:52:00.000Z

Yesterday I heard that one of my friends, who is a very talented landscape photographer, had been criticised for trying out new techniques of recording his vision of the world. Recently he has received the accolade of LRPS. He posted to his website some ICM (intentional camera movement) images that are beautiful. They remove the detail and concentrate the mind on the colours and light and their interplay together.

These critics commented on lack of focus (part of the idea of ICM) and I gather were negative about his exploration of new techniques. One of them was a professional photographer who runs photography courses, who should be encouraging promotion of vision and interpretation and not demoralising those that do not wish to continually produce what I call Cornish pastiches. If photography is an art we should aim for diversity and promote different interpretations of the world.

So what is the definition of art? According to Wikipedia:

Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging symbolic elements in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect.

So if you look at someone else's images and you do not like them ask yourself why and then be glad that they have stirred up an emotion in you, because that is art. When I look at many of the images that photographers create now I see Cornish pastiches and I hear people say "Isn't that nice." well nice is neither here nor there and it certainly is not art.
Those that drive for us all to constantly mimic or aspire to the art of the masters, should be encouraging development of personal vision and interpretation, after all if I wanted to see Joe Cornish like pictures all the time I would actually visit his website, or better still his gallery in Northallerton, where I could marvel at the genius and ask myself why are his images more aesthetically pleasing than all of those mimics that I see all over the web on a daily basis.

So those critics of my friend should perhaps look at their own websites and ask whether their images stir up emotions, or do they generally get the response "That's nice!".

Here are some images that I have taken in the last few months that have received comments saying that they are fantastic and yet other comments have said the same image is rubbish. All comments please me because that means someone need stimulated by them in a positive or negative way.

These images can all be found on my website.

04 January - The Humber Bridge at New Year

2011-01-04T22:51:00.003Z

Spent the New Year with family in Hull and managed a walk by the Humber Bridge in Hessle. What a magnificent achievement this bridge is.

I only took the Canon G12 and did several shots playing with ICM. At one stage the sun almost appeared and provided a few minutes of amazing light.

These two images were uploaded onto my iPad, with only the ICM above having been processed with the Photoshop Express app, brightening it a little and adding a frame.

Location:Home

Last photos of 2010

2011-01-03T11:51:00.001Z

Having gone away for the New Year here are the photos of the last trip to the coast in 2010. Scarborough North Bay was lit by early morning light and there was at last variation in the cloud, with the mist having cleared here.

Resilient

Interface VIII

From road to sea

These are three different types of image depicting the variation in my photography over the last year. The first was taken with the intention of being a minimalist monochrome, but when I converted it to black and white in Lightroom, I realised that the cloud formation was far to good to develop high key and therefore the above image emerged.
The second image is part of my interface series and is a long exposure of the sea and sky.
The third is an ICM (intentional camera movement), which I often use when humans or their impact on the environment are in the shot. This simplifies the landscape and allows the play of light and colours to come through. The first two were taken with a Canon 7D and the last was with a Canon G12 compact.

I hope you all have a Happy New Year and that yours is as prosperous as I hope mine will be.

Back to the blog

2010-12-30T21:26:00.001Z

Having neglected the blog I am going to keep more upto date.

Recently I have added lots of galleries related to the awful but beautiful weather we have had in Yorkshire for the last 6 weeks.

Doncaster Minster II

I spent a couple of nights in Doncaster and several in Saltburn.

Wave and gull

If you visit the website by clicking on the links above you will see that I have been using a Lensbaby Composer and I shall write on my experiences later.

24 Sept - Tilt and shift

2010-09-26T14:02:00.002+01:00

Walking The Spa

I have been minimalising my life recently and one of the key issues has been carrying too much camera gear. I therefore carry a maximum of 2 lenses at present, although these can change. One day in August I took just a 45mm tilt and shift lens into Scarborough and experimented with tight depth of field. It is interesting to do this and try and see the world in a different way. It is interesting how ou miss the lenses you have not got until you get into it, when the challenge takes over. I learned a lot by doing this, even though I have used T&S lenses for years.

Scarborough South Bay study 2

Wave along the wall

23 Sept - Hunmanby Gap

2010-09-23T10:50:00.000+01:00

Hunmanby Gap study 5

I dashed here for the sunrise today when there was a hint of pink developing. This was one of the occasions that my weather forecasting sites on the net had let me down predicting complete cloud clover. Unfortunately the full moon last night was completely hidden by clouds once again - I checked throughout the night! That means I have not managed a single photo of the full moon or by it's light this year so far as there has been cloud cover every full moon. Well there is always next month.

Hunmanby Gap has a cafe and not much else, except vast beaches - the best place for locals in summer as the tourists do not flock here as much as Filey and Scarborough.
High tide was only a couple of hours before I arrived and so it was still up. The sea was calm and so I even photographed from within it. This is helped by the beach being rather flat. There are no rocks and so one has to create foreground interest, such as using patterns in the sand as shown here.

22 Sept - Filey

2010-09-23T10:48:00.001+01:00

Filey pool study 1

There is a swimming pool along the seafront at the Glen Gardens end. I have wanted to photograph it for a long time, but never got round to it. In winter it is empty.

This is processed with a blue filter to highlight the contrast between the pool and its surrounds. I also wanted the sea in the background - blurred by long exposures of 30, 60 and 120 seconds, blended as an HDR in Photomatix Pro and then monochromed in Photochop and tinted in Lightroom.

21 Sept - Aldbrough - coastal erosion

2010-09-23T10:42:00.000+01:00

Aldbrough - Road to nowhere

Another village on the East Yorkshire coast. There is a caravan park and little else. Bleak in winter it has good Holderness cliffs to walk along as access to the beach is difficult. The village is just inland but as the photo below shows the sea is getting closer.

The Holderness coast is one of the fastest eroding coastlines in Europe, losing an average of 2 metres per year. Underlying the cliffs is Cretaceous chalk, but it is the glacial till (soft boulder clay) that is being eroded.

20 Sept - Withernsea

2010-09-22T10:29:00.000+01:00

On annual leave or a few days. Managed to take the whole day for me and went to Withernsea, where I spent all mornng on the beach. I love the solitude one can find just roaming on the sand and looking out to sea, listening to the waves and the gulls. Unfortunately one usually meets dogs and their masters/mistresses. Sometimes one even meets the presents they leave. Withernsea has a beach that is supposedly not for dogs, but as usual I met no-one to stop them and it seems to me that many dog owners come with a lable of not being able to read - certainly the dogs can't.
I spoke to only one person and she was picking up the litter in the 'protected' part of the beach - she said she did this voluntarily - good for her. Sad though that she has to do it because of our inability to see and appreciate beauty without the need to deface it.

Withernsea beach study 1

19 September - Lots of new photos due

2010-09-20T07:47:00.000+01:00

I am adding lots of new photos to the website in the next couple of days. This is because I have finally finished processing the photos from my trip to Scotland, and I have decided to put more local Yorkshire coast images on as I am being requested for a lot that used to be there or I have not added.

Bridlington South Bay beach

29 August - Whitby for dawn

2010-08-29T19:17:00.000+01:00

Although it was windy at least it was not raining. Long exposures require robust gear and I have a great carbon fibre tripod and am happy that it is rigid. I wedged it against a fence as well to decrease the chance of the wind blowing it over - this happened 2 years ago and broke my Canon 1DS3.

Across the harbour

I took a few shots today, all of which I am happy with. The exposures were upto 16 minutes, although this one was a mere 240 seconds (4 minutes). I converted it to black and white in Photoshop CS5 and tinted it in Lightroom.

I have put another shot from today on the main website.

29 August - Captive/Wild

2010-08-29T12:47:00.000+01:00

Cheetah

My latest project to be aired publicly is the above. It is now on the website mainprize.net, where 32 of the 72 images are displayed and available for purchase as 40x40cm limited editions. All the images will be collected in a book that will soon be available.

Black rhino

The project's main aim was to capture creatures in their native freedom and also locked up for our benefit, and perhaps in some cases for theirs. I did not set out to make tis a political project as some zoos undoubtably contribute to conservation.

View the images

Let me know what you think about the photographs.

Starling

27 August - How to relax

2010-08-27T18:16:00.001+01:00

Sometimes it can be so relaxing to just sit and watch the sea. This is a 150 second exposure of the sea at Bridlington.

Bridlington peace

23 Aug - Folkton field

2010-08-24T21:51:00.001+01:00

The patterns and light on this field often attract my attention as I drive passed. It has lots of undulations, and the bushes at the top always draw my eye. So today I stopped and captured the green lines of the field. This was converted to black and white infrared and levels were adjusted using Silver Efex Pro. I then tinted it in Lightroom to produce the image below:

Folkton field study 1

21 Aug - impressionism

2010-08-21T12:53:00.002+01:00

Ghost ship

The above image was shot in March this year and shows one of the tourist boats out of Bridlington harbour. It is one of my impressionist photos created by moving the camera during a slow exposure and is taken towards sunset to get the colour in the sky.

The images below are 2 of my favourite Monet-esque photos which are also created by shaking the camera during the exposure. With this technique you never quite know what you are going to get and the image depends on the speed of movement, amount of light and the length of time the shutter is open. Experimentation is paramount.


Rhodedendron wood

Through the wood

Here is one of my monochrome landscape taken on the recent trip to Argyll. It was taken at sunrise as a long exposure to get the dynamism of the sky and to smooth out the water.

Loch Etive

It is part of my 'Obsenity of Filth' project, in which I am documenting what I feel to be man's negative influence on the landscape. In this image there is the pylon and wires stretching across this gorgeous view. Other images I have displayed so far from this project include Double desecration on 2nd May.

16 August - Returned from Scotland

2010-08-16T21:31:00.001+01:00

Returned with hundreds of images to process. Needless to say most are of the kids, however I believe I have some excellent landscape shots that I am very happy with. here is the first of Loch Etive looking down towards the Connel Bridge:

Loch Etive study 1

West coast of Scotland trip

2010-08-10T09:37:00.000+01:00

I am currently in my second week of a trip to the west coast of Scotland. My present residence is a cottage attached to Toward lighthouse. This location is fantastic as it looks out on the sea from two aspects and e garden is straight out onto the shore. I have many long exposure shots and some beautiful sunrises to share. However it is currently pouring, which is good in a way as it gives me chance to go through some of the images.

The first week was spent on a caravan site at Bridge of Awe. It rained a lot and There was only one decent sunrise in the whole week. Unfortunately I got up every morning at 04:00 to check that the weather forecast was correct. Asa soon a I get chance I will post a few pics and expand the details of the photography week and the lessons learned.

Location:Toward lighthouse

29 July - Some photos from the last month

2010-07-29T18:47:00.002+01:00

Common woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) flies over

Here are a couple of shots from my 'Captive and Wild' project. This aims to show nature in its wild state and that that is held captive by humans, sometimes 'for it's own sake' and sometimes for ours. I'll let you choose which when I put the gallery on the mainprize.net website in the next month or so.

Wild - mandarin duck (Aix galericulata)

Captive - Hornbill

Red kite (Milvus milvus)

Art? - Go and express yourself

2010-07-29T13:41:00.001+01:00

Common woodpigeon (Columba palumbus)

I continue to explore photographic art. I much prefer the impressionist style as it allows me to create more than just a photograph. I appreciate this style is not for everyone, but as I surf many photographers sites I ask what is different? What is unique? Many take the same view with just slightly different light.

This weekend I visited The Red Bus Gallery at Burton Agnes Hall, to see a friend's photographic exhibition. He has taken some gorgeous images of the Yorkshire coast at the extremes of the day, and has started experimenting with movement and dynamism within his shots. I had told him about a programme called Fractalius that I had been impressed by, but cannot use as it is PC only and I use Macs. He had sold a great photo of Roseberry Topping to a couple who had appreciated photos by Joe Cornish and others, but bought Ian's shot because it was different to all the others. Check the image out on his website.

Whilst I appreciate straight photos are for some, why not experiment and put a bit of yourself across in your creations.

Check out Ian Meek's site here - Clearview Photos.

My return

2010-07-28T21:54:00.001+01:00

I have been doing photographic projects and the first has just been added to my website:
www.mainprize.net

This depicts an abstract view of the mountains and valleys in Switzerland. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen, having driven there from Geneva. Interestingly the Swiss transport network is so good and reliable that we did not use the car at all until we returned to the airport.

The photos were processed in Lightroom and Photoshop. If you want specifics just let me know.

19 May - Cayton Bay

2010-05-19T20:48:00.000+01:00

A gorgeous Cayton Bay sunrise just before high tide.

Cayton Bay ruins

Taken in RAW and processed in Lightroom, then converted with Silver Efex Pro to B&W.

17 May - Muston moths

2010-05-19T20:44:00.000+01:00

2 new species for the year with one male of each:
buff ermine
white ermine
Also 5 hebrew character, 1 common quaker and 3 powdered quaker.

16 May - Yorkshire coast impressionism

2010-05-16T17:52:00.000+01:00

Since my last photographic post I have concentrated on impressionistic images. These demonstrate the play of and interaction of light and often reduce the form of the subjects to abstract. Here are a few:

Bridlington south bay 1

Filey Dams 1

Filey Dams 2

Greylag geese

Mere water lilies 1

16 May - Muston moths

2010-05-16T17:41:00.004+01:00

Pretty poor. Twice in the last week I have run the moth trap and only got 6 species:

Powdered quaker (Orthosia gracilis)
Common quaker (Orthosia cerasi)
Hebrew character (Orthosia gothica)
Shuttle-shaped dart (Agrotis puta)
Flame shoulder (Ochropleura plecta)
Early grey (Xylocampa areola)

The highest number of any of the species was 5.

Flame shoulder

Shuttle-shaped dart

Things will hopefully pick up when the nights warm up.

02 May - A variable week on the Yorkshire coast

2010-05-03T08:34:00.001+01:00

A week of variable weather. It is hard to believe that a few days ago most were wandering around in short-sleeved T-shirts when now they cannot get enough layers on.

Here are a few shots from the week.

The herald

A bank of cloud approaches bringing with it another deluge to the North Yorkshire coast.

Into the bay

These rocks are rarely seen as they are located in an area of Scarborough that few seem to go, in fact I have never seen anyone else there unless the tide is right out.

Filey bank 2

This bank of lesser celandines and daffodils looked beautiful and heralded the arrival of spring.

Beach sun

Filey Bay - exposed for the sun reflecting on the wet sand then brightened with fill-light and dodging in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Raincliffe anemones

I used a 24 mm tilt and shift lens to shorten the depth of field and emphasise the flowers in the foreground.

Beacon and beach

Filey at night with Flamborough lighthouse in the distance.

Double desecration

Taken in Cayton Bay this is part of my Obsenity of Filth project - how man leaves a mark that defaces the beauty of nature.

Photographer of May - Simon Roberts

2010-05-02T15:42:00.000+01:00

Simon Roberts travels in a camper van and thoroughly covers his project. My favourite is his 'We English' project. This is my most visited site last month as I gain inspiration from several of his images. Currently he is covering the UK general election.

25 April - Muston moths

2010-04-25T13:33:00.004+01:00

I ran the moth trap last night and trapped 57 individuals:

38 Hebrew characters (Orthosia gothica), 5 Clouded drabs (Orthosia incerta)

7 Common quakers (Orthosia cerasi)

4 Early greys (Xylocampa areola)

2 Powdered quaker (Orthosia gracilis)

and a single March moth (Alsophila aescularia).

18 April - Spring is here in Filey

2010-04-18T18:00:00.000+01:00

Fantastic displays of mainly yellow flowers are everywhere. Tourists have arrived in droves. It must be spring.

Filey daffs

Searching a receding tide

18 April - Week to this date in Scarborough

2010-04-18T16:35:00.000+01:00

An early morning spent at North Bay in Scarborough, avoiding the rubbish on the beach. It is such a pity that people arrive at our gorgeous coast and cast their filth for others to clean up. Some have abused the council for inadequate cleaning but the miscreants that do not clean up after themselves must surely take the blame.
Anyway there was a flock of ruddy turnstones (Arenaria interpres) starting their moult into breeding plumage collecting by the lifeboat ramps. This shot was for 30 seconds to capture their movement.

Turnstones

Watching the ashy sunrise

This week there were supposed to be stunning sunrises and sunsets due to the ash cloud over the country from the Icelandic volcano. Unfortunately these have not really materialised on the Yorkshire coast due to too much cloud or too little! Above was one of the best as there was just a little cloud.

10 April - Filey sunrise

2010-04-10T10:54:00.001+01:00

A spectacular sunrise this morning. I was there on the beach at 0520 ready for twilight and sunrise. I wanted shots of the rocks and the calm sea today using neutral density filters to slow down the shutter speed and allow long exposures. The moon was just in the right place to assist in the shot below:

Moon on bay

Converted to B&W in Photoshop.

Burning Brigg

This is an HDR - 3 shots taken as soon after each other as possible 0, +2 and -2 exposure combined in Photomatix Pro to produce an HDR which was subtly adjusted in Adobe Lightroom and then Photoshop to produce the image seen here. (Click on the image to see a larger version)

09 April - more pics from Birmingham

2010-04-09T18:45:00.002+01:00

Here are some more shots from Birmingham city centre around The Bullring. I have never been interested in architecture but increasingly I look at buildings differently, looking for patterns and abstracts.

Photographer of April - Jonathan Chritchley

2010-04-08T19:48:00.000+01:00

Check out this site. Black and white photography at its best. A lot of long exposures and seascapes by this photographer based in France.

Jonathan Chritchley

07 April - Easter weekend near Birmingham

2010-04-07T20:46:00.000+01:00

A visit to Birmingham allowed me a chance to take some architectural shots in the centre, around The Bullring.

22 March - View from a train

2010-03-22T21:41:00.000Z

Here are the photos from the trip to London mentioned in the previous post. There are more on my Flickr site.

The pair

Pylon

Passing bush

The bridge

21 March - London

2010-03-21T09:48:00.000Z

This week involved a trip to London for a conference. I spent one night there and include photos from 2 projects: View from a train and London. All were taken on a Canon compact G9 and then converted using Lightroom and Photoshop CS4.

Here are some photos from London:

Oxford Street 1

Oxford Street 2

Rushing by 2

Building in the mirror

Telecom tower 1

14 March - the Yorkshire coast

2010-03-14T19:24:00.001Z

Some photos from this week:

Scarborough Spa

This is a single image processed in Photomatix Pro to increase detail and then put through ColorEfex Pro with a 'glamour glow' filter then converted in to black and white in Photoshop CS4.

Scarborough South Bay

Taken from Holbeck, this is a long exposure for 150 seconds at 0530 in the morning.

Wigeon

Taken from Scalby Mills.

Colours

Here is something different.

The Grand

This is a refection at sunrise and then inverted to give more of an impressionistic feel.

Here are 3 sunrises from Scarborough South Bay (two of which I included in a previous post). The first is traditional, the second and third are impressionistic:

Orange sunrise 1

Orange sunrise 2

Orange sunrise 3

Let me know which one of these you prefer and why.

Many have asked me about my new style. I have to say that I now feel as though I am creating art, as there has been more discussion regarding impressionistic photos than anything else I have done. It seems that you either love it or hate it. Isn't this what art is? The stimulation of emotion.

Photographer of March - Emilian Chirila

2010-03-14T19:07:00.000Z

Born in Brasov, Romania. Emilian tries to capture reality using unusual angles and circumstances.
He tries to present common and trite things that are most often ignored and passed by with indifference. He shoots in black and white.

Here is his website: Emilian Chirila

09 March - New pics from Scarborough

2010-03-09T19:34:00.000Z

Here are some pics from the sunrise in South Bay, Scarborough on 7th March.

This is a straight photo of the sunrise taken on a tripod without moving the camera - something I do rarely now.

A real impressionist sunrise.

Five Steps to Sunrise

This is taken by moving the camera horizontally during the exposure to emphasise the variation in colour and light by removing the detail. I am collecting a whole series of images from Scarborough and Filey for a gallery using this technique.

05 March - Filey in B&W

2010-03-05T21:03:00.003Z

Some monochrome images from this week taken in Filey:

Shooting upwards at a seafront light.

The above two images are opposites with one focussing on the distance to imply what is visible through the telescope and the other focusses on the scope. Which do you prefer?

04 March - Filey

2010-03-04T18:42:00.004Z

Here are some impressionist images taken in a half hour period this week just before dusk:

Strolling

Sand bars

Brigg orange

Red walker

Ghostly tide

Into the beach huts

Psychodelic shell

Tree bank

27 February - Photographer of the week

2010-02-27T21:15:00.000Z

Check out Vincent Munier. A fantastic French nature photographer, who specialises in frozen places. I have been marvelling at his photos for years. Make sure you look at his D3S and Vosges galleries.

25 February - studies of trees

2010-02-25T17:10:00.000Z

I have developed more studies of trees in my garden in Muston during the snow falls last weekend.

These photos are all created by moving the camera whilst taking the photo. They are part of a genre called Intentional Camera Movement (ICM).

23 February - Changeable weather leads to a variety of shots

2010-02-23T20:54:00.002Z

Changeable weather has meant a variety of shots in the last couple of days. Here is a photo trees whilst it is snowing, taken in Muston, North Yorkshire.

Trees in snow 2

Taken with intentional camera movement and overexposure.

Filey sea walls

Taken by panning during the shot

Black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus) taking flight

Taken by following the bird as it took off with a 2 second shutter speed.

Filey Bay sunrise

21 February - Stunning sunrise then snow for most of day

2010-02-21T14:16:00.004Z

In Filey there was a stunning sunrise, shown above from the seafront as it was high tide. The good start to the day did not last though and the snow then came down - for hours. It made the winter aconites and the snow drops seem particularly seasonal.

Yesterday afternoon I took the girls on to the beach and whilst they enjoyed splashing in the sea and the pools I took advantage of some bright light.

21 February - Yet more snow

2010-02-21T13:21:00.000Z

More snow on the Yorkshire coast: We woke up to it again today. Here are some shots from the garden. These are minimally edited in Photoshop ie levels and curves.

20 February - A week back on the coast

2010-02-20T19:15:00.008Z

Back home this week on the North Yorkshire coast, the weather has been better. There has been less snow and we have even had a couple of reasonable sunrises and a sunset!

I have managed to get to the sea on several occasions and here are some of the shots from Scarborough:

19 February - Photographer of the week

2010-02-20T07:19:00.001Z

Tony Sweet

I am into photography that is truly art ie. that which challenges emotions. Most photography now seems to be along the same lines: 3 phases the foreground, midground and background with all leading to each other. A style whose master in the UK is Joe Cornish. So many try to emulate and few try to be individual. Tony Sweet comes form the US and asks questions with his art. He uses the RAW file as a canvas and has embraced digital photography to do more than he did with film. Afterall what is the point of using digital if you don't embrace it's full potential?

Let me know what you think.

Tony Sweet's website

17 February - Freezing at North Bay

2010-02-17T15:27:00.000Z

It was freezing today due to the clear skies and therefore there was a mild sunrise over the sea. I therefore visited Scarborough North Bay just before work and managed a few shots of the sea. The light was subdued due to a bank of cloud on the horizon and patches of fog, producing the muted colours of the sea and sky:

Scarborough North Bay

Fishing off North Bay

07 February - Haworth

2010-02-07T21:00:00.002Z

Haworth in West Yorkshire is where the Bronte sisters lived in the parsonage with their father. This is where they wrote their novels.

Haworth graveyard

This image was photographed as a RAW file and then adjusted in Lightroom so it was overexposed by 1 stop. I then processed it in Nik Color Efex 3 with a midnight filter to get this effect.

Haworth

Produced with ND filters to cut down light and then panning with the shutter open for 2 seconds.

06 February - Scarborough North Bay

2010-02-06T10:00:00.002Z

A visit into work before setting off for Haworth let me stop at North Bay to develop my impressionism. I am experimenting with various techniques to depict the landscape in a different way. So expect some bizarre images as I play with my camera and processing to produce art rather than pure photographs.

A standard shot with a blue filter.

This shot is all about movement.

A walk along North Bay

05 February - Photographer of the week

2010-02-05T18:08:00.002Z

As I did not post a photographer of the week last week I will recommend a collossus of black and white photography:

Michael Kenna

He has his own distinctive style and prints only 7" x 7" prints, which are sold by galleries all over the world. His philosphy is to use as few details as possible to suggest the emotion he wishes to convey.

“Nothing is ever the same twice because everything is always gone forever, and yet each moment has infinite photographic possibilities”. - Michael Kenna

I am away next week in Haworth, Yorkshire and will hopefully get a few images.

03 February 2010 - Scarborough impressions

2010-02-03T21:31:00.002Z

I have been experimenting with photographic impressionism. Those who know me know that I am frustrated with the similiarity of most photographs now - so many people all taking Joe Cornishesque images. I have tried to expand my horizons by finding new inspirational photographers and have promoted some with 'Photographer of the Week' and will continue to do so.

On the east coast we have had 2 decent sunrises in a row! Pics will be forthcoming.

Here are a couple from the weekend at Scarborough harbour:

And high tide in Filey:

For prices and more image visit mainprize.net.

22 January - Photographer of the Week

2010-01-22T19:36:00.000Z

Check out the fantastic bird photographer Arthur Morris. An ex-teacher his site, bulletins and blog have oodles of educational tips and comments, interpersed with stunning bird photographs and the occasional landscape.

Arthur Morris Website Birds As Art

Arthur Morris Blog

15 January - Chartridge

2010-01-15T15:45:00.001Z

Last weekend brought a somewhat hairy trip down south to Buckinghamshire for the wedding of my sister-in-law. I managed a couple of shots in the snow.

15 January - Photographer of the week

2010-01-15T15:42:00.000Z

Chris Friel is based in the south of England. He uses a Canon 5Dii and shoots with tilt and shift lenses. He shoots mainly in black and white in JPEG with a red filter on within the camera. He has done well in the Take A View Landscape Photography competition and is one of the stars of Flickr. He has a somewhat unique style and experiments alot. I find many of his photographs inspirational and he challenges a lot of the standard landscape techniques.

Check out his Flickr site here.

And his main website here.

08 January - Photographer of the week

2010-01-08T09:05:00.001Z

Check out the French minimalist master Michel Rajkovic. Although minimalism is not to everyone's taste I like it and enjoy trying to replicate it's masters.

07 January 2010 - Snow and more snow

2010-01-02T16:15:00.000Z

Another day and another snow storm. This is a long exposure of a storm over the coast south of Filey and I have left it in colour as I like the monochrome feel. I used a B&W 10xND filter to reduce the light hitting the sensor of my Canon 7D and shielded the lens from the snow with the tailgate of the car and a Lee filters lens hood (which is a huge beast!)

01 January - Happy New Year

2010-01-01T16:06:00.001Z

Unfortunately for some the snow limits the celebrations. I managed to get to the coast (only 2 miles form the house) to get some more long exposure shots. I have not taken any shots of the snow yet!

This year I am going to recommend sites that I visit and enjoy or inspire me. I hope to add one each week. The first is that of David Burdeny. He has a unique approach to minimalism and I am particularly fascinated by his photos from 2009 of Paris and Venice.

27 December - Seasons Greetings from a swine flu victim

2009-12-27T10:49:00.000Z

Since Cumbria I have not taken a single photo. Work has been hectic and then I got swine flu. Now just about recovered the snow is melting and the mist has gone. I must be one of the only humans in this area to wish it would return.

Next year I have a couple of ecological projects to do, which I am looking forward to. I am also considering an offer of a book on The North Yorkshire Coast, but Blurb may be a better option.

Happy New Year to all.

12 December - Whohub interview

2009-12-12T18:37:00.002Z

I was invited to give a Whohub interview about my photography. Check it out here.

05 December - back to the Yorkshire coast

2009-12-05T08:05:00.002Z

Our holiday ended and we returned home.

04 December - stroll around Elterwater and in Little Langdale

2009-12-05T08:03:00.002Z

Sunrise over Coniston Water from Blawith Common

We had a wander around a picturesque Elterwater, with the sun occasionally breaking through the cloud and lighting up The Langdale Pikes. A rainbow appeared for about 30 seconds.

Elterwater and The Langdale Pikes

We had morning coffee in Skelwith Bridge before walking to Colwith Force. This is a multistage waterfall that eventually splits into dual cascades. It is difficult to get clear views due to trees and one cannot get down to the level of the river at the bottom.

Skelwith Force

We then wandered into Little Langdale before returning along the riverside path. There was significant flood damage to a lot of the paths making walking difficult in places. In fact everywhere we have been the impact of the flooding in the environment is huge. The National Trust and National Park teams will have a huge job ahead of them to clear it up and make the paths safe for next year's tourists. I cannot imagine the impact on some of the farmers.

Reflections in Elterwater

03 December - a day of rest

2009-12-03T21:04:00.001Z

We stayed in Coniston and looked around The Ruskin Museum and it rained most of the day.

02 December - Fog and snow

2009-12-03T15:06:00.012Z

Last night we went to see 'New Moon' at Bowness. Unfortunately it snowed and we could not get up the hill out of Skelwith Bridge and so we returned to Ambleside and stayed at The Low Wood Hotel on the banks of Lake Windermere.

Lake Windermere from Low Wood

By the morning the roads were clear, although we nearly collided with a snow plough. We then went to Keswick and Buttermere, with the morning giving dramatic skies and light with snow and fog. The Honister Pass road was closed and we could not get to the Buttermere Lake though.

A wet pine tree at Waterhead, Coniston Water

River Brathay at Brathay

Derwentwater

01 December - Ascending the Coppermines Valley to Levers Water

2009-12-03T15:00:00.007Z

A pleasant walk admiring the waterfalls. We joined a procession of walkers up to the Youth Hostel in the valley and then left most behind as we continued. It was a leisurely walk as we appreciated the scenery and avoided the ice. It had been -7 at lake level the previous night. The Old Man and Wetherlam were covered in cloud and showed their summits only briefly.

The entrance to one of the mines

The engine house

Interesting ice formations at the base of the rocks

Levers Water

30 November - Walking near The Old Man

2009-11-30T19:48:00.003Z

I felt like an old man as we set off to ascend The Coniston Old Man. At the summit of Brown Pike we abandoned our attempt as it was so windy that my wife was blown over.

Water gushes down to Coniston Water

29 November - Cumbrian rain

2009-11-29T12:44:00.002Z

Not surprisingly it is raining and has been all day. No photos today so far, however I am going to have to learn to chill out.

It did clear by the evening and we did get out along the eastern shore of Coniston Water.

28 November - Arrival in Coniston

2009-11-28T20:45:00.002Z

A week in The Lakes, leaving the kids with their grandparents.

One cannot avoid taking one of the endless jetties projecting into the lakes. This one is near the public launch site in Coniston itself. It was taken with a 7D and converted to B&W in Photoshop. The moon is almost full.

More images on the mainprize.net website.

28 november - new pricing and more photos

2009-11-28T10:53:00.000Z

I have added a new pricing structure to the website. There are also loads more photos from 2009 added to the existing galleries. This is due to requests to add more of my colour photos.

Check it out here.

27 November - Flooding

2009-11-27T08:19:00.000Z

We are off for the next week to practice swimming with a week in Cumbria. The flooding may hinder us and will certainly limit the walking, however the landscape changes regularly and produces new challenges and variations to record.

22 November - Flamborough

2009-11-22T09:29:00.000Z

A trip pre-dawn to Flamborough to eye up some shots of the old lighthouse. This is actually an old Beacon light tower, dating from circa 1674, and it is the only known example in England. Doubt has been cast as to whether there was ever a fire lit at the top.

21 November - Filey Coble Landing

2009-11-21T11:33:00.004Z

Down to the shore for dawn. It is remarkably calming to listen to the sea and the haunting call of flying curlews, whilst watching someone else strip off and go swimming in the North Sea.
I got a couple of shots of the Coble Landing at Filey at high tide - exactly what I wanted.

However the clear star revealing sky was soon consumed by a bank of fog that slowly moved north from Flamborough. This yielded fantastic light off shore, but only fleetingly before it was all dull and miserable.

The first 2 photos are taken with a 5Dii and 17-40 lens. The last is with a 7D and 70-200.

14 November - Take a View

2009-11-15T12:24:00.000Z

I have been studying the book from the competition Take A View Landscape Photographer of the Year. As in previous years there are some spectacular shots. Many I wish I had taken. However there are some photos that have generated a lot of discussion. There seems to be an increase in HDR's influence and some clear Photoshop manipulations delivering images that would have been impossible otherwise.

07 November 2009 - Cayton Bay

2009-11-07T09:08:00.000Z

3 shots taken in Cayton Bay this am. High tide and pre-sunrise. Used a Canon 5D mark 2 however this registered an error 30 when 3 shots old. What with the 1D3 fiasco Canon certainly seem to have a quality control issue. I am now thinking of switching systems entirely.

31 October - Fireworks at Filey

2009-11-05T19:24:00.005Z

The family and I went to the Filey Lions Firework and halloween Party. Lots of fireworks and a huge bonfire were joined by loads of people:

All images are handheld and taken with a Canon 500D and 24-105LIS lens with exposure upto half a second. Due to the crowds and looking after the children I could not use a tripod.

31 October - week in Norfolk

2009-10-31T09:28:00.003Z

Half-term week was spent in one of my favourite places - Blakeney, on the north Norfolk coast. It was extremely busy wherever we went - perhaps everyone was staying in the UK, rather than travelling abroad, and it was not even all families with children.

It was always peaceful pre-dawn and around sunrise though, with the ubiquitous dog walkers appearing around sunrise.

I did not just concentrate on coastal shots but also wanted to record the autumn.

The hues were still stunning, especially on the only damp day we had, when the moisture brought out the colours.

Photos will be added to my Flickr site with favourites added to Mainprize.net later.

22 October - Now on Flickr

2009-10-22T21:52:00.002+01:00

I am now on Flickr. Check it out as there are more images than on the website.

14 October - Website is back. New travel galleries.

2009-10-14T19:17:00.001+01:00

I got the website back in its usual place a couple of days ago and have added photos from Borneo in 2002 as a new Borneo gallery. These are my B&W images from a 2 week trip to see orang utans.

Borneo gallery

This gallery compliments the Iceland 2002 gallery and I will be adding further travel galleries in the next couple of weeks.

Iceland 2002

10 October 2009 - the return

2009-10-10T20:46:00.006+01:00

Having had a few months away from the blog I am now back. Entries will be less often, as I am now taking far fewer photos and have moved almost entirely into black and white landscapes. A new website is imminent with a new address to boot.
I am into the minimalist aesthetic and am experimenting with long exposure times.

Currently the images are on the website (temporary address).

02 August - Muston moths

2009-08-02T20:46:00.000+01:00

Minimum temp 12.0 Centigrade
Number of moth species 40
Total number of moths 89

This is a lifer for me, a micromoth called
Agapeta hamana. It is fairly common throughout most of Britain, where it lives on waste ground and other places where the foodplant, thistle (Carduus spp.) is found.

It flies from June through August, mainly at dusk or at night, but it can easily be disturbed during the day

New for the year was a blood-vein, a rosy rustic, a magpie and a lesser yellow underwing.

Rosy rustic (Hydaecia micacea)

This is a common moth in August to September, occuring throughout Britain in gardens, fields, hedges and open woods. It is usually this colour but can vary.

Dipleurina lacustrata

This micromoth is found between June and July in open country.

Acleris forsskaleana
Another micomoth which is common in July and August is this striking one. It is only 15mm.

Large yellow underwing (Noctua pronuba)
The commonest moth at the moment, these photos show the variation in the species.

02 August - End of Muston scarecrow festival

2009-08-02T20:40:00.005+01:00

It's finished!

This was meant to be humpty dumpty but some thief took the star off the wall on the first day - how sad some humans (?) are! Two youths were caught vandalising another exhibit - playing football with the head of one of the calves off the green. Luckily they were frightened off by one of the farmers and the calf was reassembled so no-one could tell.

Just this evening we witnessed some children 'playing' with the above display. Their parents stood and watched. Parents should teach their children to respect others property - what hope have they in life if they are not taught standards now?

01 August - Field near Burton Fleming

2009-08-01T20:10:00.002+01:00

One of my current projects is to photograph the local farmland, so in between showers I was to be found in this field listening to a quail singing it 'wet my lips' song. As usual it didn't show itself though.

31 july - Muston moths

2009-07-31T17:45:00.012+01:00

Red twin-spot carpet (Xanthorrhoe spadicearia)

Minimum temp 10.9 Centigrade

Moth species count 19

Total moth count 59

The rain has prevented good moth trapping recently and with the scarecrow festival on at the moment I am also reluctant to leave the moth trap on, so this is the first time I have run it this week.

There was nothing new but there has been an increase in broad-bordered yellow underwings and common rustics.

Udea prunalis

Dun-bar (Cosmia trapezina)

This is a moth that is very variable in colour, but its pattern is very distinctive. It fles between mid-July and mid-September and occurs anywhere, but particularly in woodlands.

Acleris forsskaleana

Lesser broad-bordered yellow underwing (Noctua janthe)
This resident moth flies between July and September and is found everywhere.

28 July - Muston Scarecrow Festival

2009-07-28T21:18:00.001+01:00

Two heads are better than one

Walked around some of Muston with the kids last night and looked at the scarecrows. So far I have seen people just avoid being knocked down by cars, trespassing on peoples property, looking into house windows and wandering onto drives and into gardens, as well as wandering around in the rain. However on the whole most appear to be enjoying the increase in the use of straw and the decrease in plaster of Paris and papier mache this year.

Here is my favourite entitled 'The evolution of the scarecrow' (note the sticks, straw and old clothes).

27 July - Filey

2009-07-27T22:10:00.002+01:00

The sun has been out and it is the school holidays - you won't see Filey this empty unless you get up very early!

More images in the North Yorkshire Coast gallery.

26 July - Muston Scarecrow (?) Festival and Competition

2009-07-26T18:38:00.006+01:00

Well it is that time of year again. This began yesterday, but we were away.

We must start with a question: What is a scarecrow? According to the Collins English dictionary it is ' an object, usually in the shape of a man, made out of sticks and old clothes to scare birds away from crops.'
What is a model - 'a representation, usually on a smaller scale, of a device, structure etc'.

There are some complex designs this year. So come along to Muston and see if you can spot a scarecrow. However - and here is a plea - please do not come round in the dark. Yes, unbelievable though it is, there are visitors witnessed every year wandering around the village looking at scarecrows in the dark!

To see what can be achieved with papier mache I would recommend visiting these sites:

papiermache-art.com
The papier mache resource

I'll try to add some pics this week, but it has not stopped raining - and so most of the papier mache is covered.

25 July - Cleveland Way

2009-07-25T17:44:00.007+01:00

Nettle Dale

One of my current projects, that has been ongoing for a couple of years, is to produce a series of fine art prints of the Cleveland Way. So every now and then my wife and I walk another part of it. The secret to this is not just to walk in one direction. Most set off from Helmsley and walk to Sutton Bank. We decided to get the bus to Sutton Bank and walk back to Helmsley. If we had not I am sure we would have missed this view of the town and castle:

Helmsley

The great thing about walking at this time of year is the wildlife. There are more species of butterfly than any other time of year and the flowers are stunning. All you need is good weather (although as a photographer I like changeable weather).

Rosebay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium)

Scented mayweed (Matricaria recutita)

24 July - Helmsley

2009-07-24T21:46:00.002+01:00

The wife and I went to Helmsley for the weekend with the kids left with one set of grandparents. The wife likes castles and there is a good one here. The above shot is an HDRI created in Photomatix Pro and converted to black and white with Silver Efex Pro.

If you can find a spot without people Helmsley is a beautiful town.

A rain cloud rolls in across the classic British countryside near Terrington, which is north of York.

For more images see the North York Moors and the North Yorkshire - the rest galleries.

18 July - Muston moths

2009-07-18T06:55:00.012+01:00

Minimum temp 15.1 Centigrade
Moth species count 34
Total moth count 122

I got up for dawn and landscapes, but it was dull with amorpous grey cloud, as well as windy. The worst weather for landscapes, so I stayed in.

Moths included the tiny Phyllonorycter geniculella which was new to the garden:

This image was taken with a 40D and MP-E65 at 3x lifesize. Fill flash was from an MT24EX.

Eudonia truncicolella.
This is a common species that flies between July and August in woodland.

Grey/dark dagger (Acronicta tridens/psi)

These two species can only be separated by dissection of their genitalia.

Timothy tortrix (Aphelia paleana)

It flies in June to August in damp, rough ground. Note it is plain with a yellowish tinge.

Barred straw (Eulithis pyraliata)

This moth flies from late May to late August in all but northern Scotland. It is found in gardens, woodland, roadside verges and rough grassland.

Dark arches (Apamea monoglypha)

Silver Y (Autographa gamma)

Interestingly there were 6 of these in the trap this morning having had less than this all year, despite seeing upto 20 feeding in the garden at dusk on the red and white valerian.

Diamond-back moth (Plutella xylostella)
This species of micromoth migrates to Britain from mainland Europe.
This is another photo taken at greater than lifesize with the MP-E 65 at 2.5x lifesize.

17 July - Muston moths

2009-07-17T15:59:00.034+01:00

Clouded border (Lomaspilis marginata)

Minimum temp 13.6 Centigrade
Moth species count 60
Total moth count 145

New for the year was this buff arches (Habrosyne piritoides)

Gold spot (Plusia festucea) preparing for take-off

Mother of Pearl (Pleuroptya ruralis)

Common rustic (Mesapamea secalis)

Smoky wainscot (Mythimna impura)

Eucosma cana

Grey tortrix (Cnephasia stephensiana)

Ancylis apicella

Eudonia mercurella

Scalloped oak (Crocallis eliguaria)

Dark spinach (Peluga comitata)

Acleris forsskaleana