Sky Fall

As much as I’d like them to be on par with the explosions in movies based upon a certain British spy, I really like this small collection of photos I took during some stormy weather along the coasts of Cornwall. Did you know I went there recently? I’m not sure I’ve mentioned it.

Capturing the waves hammering the rocky coastline at just the right point made it look as though clouds had fallen straight from the sky and stopped just at the waters edge.

Sky Fall @ Lizard Point

Sky Fall @ Mulion

Sky Fall @ Porthcurno

Talkin’ Dirty

I’ve always cleaned my equipment before going on holiday, or on a big day shoot but it’s not really occurred to me as much to keep an eye on how clean your equipment is during a shoot until recently.

It’s going to be fairly obvious if a big lump of mud lands on your lens, but start working in dusty wet or cold environments and what you may not notice at the time will potentially ruin some or all of your photos.

Below is an example of the sea spray attaching its self to my lens. I didn’t notice at the time, and couldn’t really tell when reviewing the shots on the small camera display.

Dusty and wet environments are fairly self explanatory, but cold? Yes! Particularly if there’s a drop in temperature your lens will fog up. I learnt this the hard way when trying to capture some star trails. With the camera sat on it’s tripod with it happily aimed at the sky clicking away every 30 seconds, it was a long and cold stand around waiting to see what I’d captured. Not a lot. It seems that the lens fogged up maybe two or three exposures in meaning a wasted evening.

That’s Milky Way Cool

I could take you back to the spot of my earliest memory of the Milky Way and I would probably do so without much help of a map, digital or otherwise. I can remember the location, but I can’t remember my age, or if this was my my introduction to what has helped form a small fascination with the night sky.

Little did I know at the time that listening to my father on the Cornish coast that night would have had such an effect on me in the future. It was the clearest of nights, there was no moon and the stars were the brightest I can remember. I stood in awe of one of natures many miracles, bathed in starlight. Way before having any knowledge of photography and most likely not armed with my red 35mm film point and click camera, I remember the shivers down my spine as my dad pointed out the twinkling constellations in the obsidian sky.

Until last weekend on a short camping trip, there’s not been a time looking at the night sky that’s stuck out as much that night with my Dad. Seeing the Milky Way for the first time since that primary encounter brought those shivers straight back to dancing down my spine. I think the combination of the mystery behind the Milky Way, and one of my fondest memories of my now late father made me love the experience more. Looking at the stars always makes me think of my Dad, but seeing one of the things that he originally taught me about was just extraordinary.

Admittedly, I have tweaked the above photo slightly to make the Milky Way more prominent and it’s not the best photo of the Milky Way ever taken, but photographing a memory of mine makes it special to me. I hope you don’t mind me sharing.

Not that it’s the greatest tribute, but this post and photo is for you, Dad. Miss you.

 

It’s all wide now

In what some might call a rushed decision, I’ve made a lens purchase. It ticked all the boxes… just be wide! A diamond in amongst the other more expensive diamonds stood out for me. The Sigma 12-24mm was purchased on a buy it now auction on eBay for a fraction of it’s retail price. It’s been delivered and I was more than relieved to find that it’s as the auction stated, “a particularly fine example”.

Since purchasing my camera and the lens, I’ve been a bit cautious. I say a bit, this basically means that I haven’t taken it out of the house. This had to change or I’d just as well sell it all and go back to my 400D.  And it did change.  What more could any mum ask for on Mother’s Day than to be dragged away to the beach for an afternoon to take photographs of a tiny corner of Wales’ beautifully rugged coastline. Luckily for me, my mum’s also a photography enthusiast and the one to blame for influencing my expensive hobby, so she didn’t take too much dragging.

Being a cloudy day, the lighting would be good for some moody coastal shots. We jumped in the car and were half way to Porthcawl to find that the sky had burst a pipe and I found myself blinded by the sudden, epic downpour. Rain and hale persisted for about two miles of the M4 motorway before openings in the sky flooded sunlight onto the glistening road. Things were looking slightly different now.

The seaside resort was busy when we arrived, the wind was blowing and the sea air was fresh. It would have been the perfect cure had I been suffering with a Grand Slam Hangover from celebrating the Welsh rugby team’s Six Nations victory. Fortunately, it was was only made better by the fact that I was fully sober. We walked towards Rest Bay, safetys off, trigger fingers ready to shoot. Landscapes were the focus of my day, in a no rush evaluation of my shiny new equipment. And I am pleased with most of my results.

The bright sunshine caused me a few issues with flare, but looking at the protruding front element of my new lens, it’s always going to be an issue despite the fixed hood. The lens is wide enough at 12mm to warp the horizon, while this distortion may displease some, I like the effect in certain situations. Some of todays photographs suited it. The camera is a lot heavier than my 400D. And it’s noticeable when holding it and carrying it on the shoulder strap or in my bag. I think  the next purchase on my list is going to have to be some new memory cards. 4gb just isn’t enough. There are lots of features and settings that I’m going to have to master over time, but I’m slowly getting the hang of it. I’m only 2 weeks into what I hope will be a long and happy relationship! You can see another handful of my photographs in some more eye pleasing resolutions at my GooglePlus.

Happy Mother’s Day mums of the world.