A snapshot of the UK

2009-10-14T20:43:00.000+01:00

2009-10-14T20:41:00.001+01:00

2009-10-14T20:36:00.000+01:00

Thought I would start adding some images back in here when I do a series. One or two of my associates

Publish Post

from the Canon Fodder Forums are starting to do it, so I'll refresh the blog... :)

2007-11-04T20:38:00.000Z

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Flickr Slideshow

2007-11-04T20:23:00.000Z

Just thought it would be nice o see all my Flickr shots on here.

11788

2007-05-22T21:52:00.001+01:00

11788 seems like a better name than "Eggs on a black plate in the kitchen"... lol...

Preston - why my City is famous...

2007-05-09T09:18:00.000+01:00

Top ten things that made Preston famous

The city is home to Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2 in Star Wars, lightweight boxer Paul Burke, Sir Tom Finney, the former England and Preston North End football player, cricketer Andrew Flintoff, ex footballer and commentator Mark Lawrenson and Nick Park, the Oscar-winning animator and creator of Wallace and Gromit.

Richard Arkwright's Water Frame (invented in Preston) brought cotton mills to many northern English towns.

St Walburge's Church designed by Joseph Hansom of Hansom Cab fame and which has, at 94 metres, the tallest spire in England on a church that is not a cathedral

The Preston by-pass, opened 5 December 1958, became the first stretch of motorway in the UK and is now part of the M6 with a short section now forming part of the M55.

Preston North End is one of the founder members of the Football League.

The first Kentucky Fried outlet in the UK was opened on Fishergate in Preston.

The parents of legendary American outlaw Butch Cassidy reportedly emigrated from Preston to escape religious persecution of their Mormon faith. It was said that, unlike Paul Newman's cinematic portrayal, Butch spoke with a thick Lancashire accent.

Preston has the largest civilian cemetery in Europe.

The town of 'Coketown' in Charles Dickens' book Hard Times is based on the city of Preston. In order to gain research for an 'industrial' novel, Dickens visited Preston in January 1854 during a strike by cotton workers that had by that stage lasted for 23 weeks.

Benjamin Franklin (one of the founding fathers of the USA) apparently once owned a property on the site of a coffee bar on the corner of Cheapside and Friargate. A plaque on the wall of the building commemorates the spot.

2nd Place

2007-04-19T22:43:00.000+01:00

I finally did OK in the photographic competition in my local camera club - acheiving second place in the Monochrome category with my photo of "The Guardian Trees" which you can see by clicking on the title in the text here highlighted in yellow. :)

It scored 9 marks out of 10 and I was chuffed to get my name read out!

All quiet

2007-04-16T07:39:00.000+01:00

I haven't added very much here recently. I don't know why not - I just never seem to get around to it.

I thought I'd best mention though, I have a lot of new photographs on my Flickr page. You could go and have a look and leave a few (complimentary?) comments there if you have a spare few minutes..

Mothers Day Flowers

2007-03-18T21:58:00.000Z

A posy from my daughter.

A rose from myself.

Flowers on Mothers Day.

For my wife, who I will always love.

Still Life

2007-03-05T23:40:00.000Z

I was looking around the house for something to put in my new lightbox (£10 from Maplins) and found this balsa wood rose. I chose the subtle coloured one (there were 6 to choose from all told I think) and opted for this one. Frames and matte courtesy of "Bud's Frames" @ Action Central.

Macro photography

2007-02-27T16:08:00.000Z

Using extensions tubes on your camera is the poor man's way of taking macro photographs. I did these 3 in the lightbox made at home (thanks BB for the link) using natural light and a reflector.

The top one is obviously a child's painting set with brush, the second is a set of toy dominoes, and below that is a syringe for giving medicine to kids who won't take it from a spoon (kindly supplied free with every bottle of Nurofen !) The first two were taken at f/9.0 to keep as much in focus as possible, the last was at f/2.0 to deliberatley blur out most of the subject, to pull the eye onto the 2.5ml measure line.

Enjoy.

Roman Ruins

2007-02-16T21:44:00.000Z

Old ruins from Ancient Rome, at Ribchester Roman Museum. Not a large museum by any means, but nonetheless an interesting place. These were all dug locally from the area, on the outskirts of Preston.

"I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat !"

2007-02-06T21:44:00.000Z

This is our cat. Looks soft enough but he is well capable of ripping an inch into your hand if he isn't in the mood to play... Which is usually the case...

As it happens, here, he is intently watching another cat looking to usurp his territory - i.e. his garden poohing spot and moments after this he was off to challenge.. He likes a scrap does our cat..

2007-02-04T11:11:00.000Z

These are some of the images from our day trip into the Lake District at the weekend. The first is Shap Abbey, a ruin dating back to the 12th century, dedicated to St Mary Magdalene. It was closed in 1540 by King Henry VIII.

The next two photographs are of Haweswater Reservoir (as is the last, but more of that later). I made one black and white to give a different feel, but it was a beautiful if maybe "over-sunny" day for taking photos and the setting was magnificent.

The fourth photo is of Ullswater, later in the day on the way home. By now I sensed a little bit of boredom from Gill & Rachel, but they said nothing. I think they were still enjoying the journey, but were sick of me stopping at various places to grab shots.

Anyway, on to the the last, and the other photo from Haweswater. It is actually four images all merged into one panoramic photograph. I moved the camera a little to the right for four consecutive shots and later used the Photomerge option in Photoshop. This is the one that really made the day for me. The colours are rich and vibrant and give a real sense of the beauty that is the Lake District at its best. My favourite of them all.

A Day in the Countryside

2007-02-03T09:29:00.000Z

I took the car up towards a scenic part of the county and the camera loaded with clean CF cards, and me armed with enthusiasm. It is with thanks the world has supplied digital cameras to the masses, because depite thenumber of photos taken, few make it to the viewing area of most peoples albums, or indeed websites. So after having taken over 100 shots, I was left with maybe six or seven usable images. These are the ones that I processed once back home. Maybe spring is knocking at the door...

Still Life

2007-02-02T00:51:00.000Z

One of my favourite "Still Life" photo's. I have even entered this in the February comp at the camera club.

Getting colder: Winter is on its way.

2007-01-24T10:00:00.000Z

These were taken because the ice had done its work. No snow around at the moment, I'm sure it won't be long, but for now - ice does it !

The top image is of frozen hazel, on the edge of a small duck pond. Then, in the nearby grass verges, the macro photo's of ice on greenery were taken with an extension tube the between lens and body of the camera.

Triptych

2007-01-20T17:33:00.000Z

A style of photo where an image is spread over 3 separate sections of the frame. Here are three examples of using a complete image for the result:- the first is a landscape of an early evening scene, followed by a hilltop landscape. The third is a late afternoon sun setting behind the mast of a moored boat. The fourth and last image uses 3 separate images to create the one photograph in itself.

I was on television !!!

2007-01-16T18:37:00.000Z

Well, at least one of my photographs was... ITV's Granada Reports, the regional News programme for North West England, were asking for photographs taken by viewers, so I sent mine in of the windmill at Lytham St Annes. This photo was the first one I ever posted in this blog... and now I got a moments fame for it! Here it is again for you, one more time.... And you can watch it by CLICKING HERE

Glasson Dock

2007-01-14T20:14:00.000Z

Was on my way to Glasson Dock and on the way saw these geese flying overhead - which made for a boring piccy...

Then arrived, took some shots and got this one:

Which needed a bit of work to make it even remotely interesting... So a bit of editing in Photoshop gave me a cropped image of the boat, with the aforementioned geese added to make it a least a bit more of a photo than before.

Digital photography certainly helps when you can't quite get the image you want... Who knows, the geese may have even flown over the water at some stage before I got there...

In the hills

2007-01-14T00:21:00.000Z

I took the camera up into the hills and shot a few landscapes. Back in Photoshop, I tried to create the style of Les McLean who grains up his landscapes. Here are the result of a couple of them.

Preston Marina

2007-01-06T19:27:00.000Z

As the sun set in the western sky, a few clouds allowed a hint of light, so I leapt into the car and headed quickly down to Preston's docks. After only 10 minutes, the sun had all but gone, and blanket clouds were filling the sky, so I changed my line of thought and found this little gem.

Food and Drink

2007-01-04T18:09:00.000Z

I'm off to the camera club tonight where I am going to enter a photo in the monthly club competition. The theme is food and drink, and the results are announced in February. I could'nt think of, nor find anything original to shoot, so I chose a bunch of grapes and a bottle of wine, and then zoomed in the lens during exposure, and then converted the image to black and white. It actually looks quite effective when mounted!

I don't expect to win - the opposition are very good, but i'll be happy to score 7 or 8 out of 10.

Here is the photo:

Christmas Day

2006-12-25T14:57:00.000Z

We stayed at home for Christmas this year. There were plenty of presents for the young 'un, the wife and I got some too, and TV was reasonable for when we had finished playing with the new games.

In the meantime, I have joined a camera club, and I will post some of the photo's soon from the first modelling night.

In the meantime, if you are reading this, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Wedding

2006-11-30T23:27:00.000Z

Today, I took the photographs at a wedding for a mutual friend. Of course there were others there with cameras, and they will supply many options, but of the ones I took myself, among my favourites are those below from during the wedding, and afterwards at the reception, at the Park Hotel.

Congratulations to Vincent and Louise.

Out in the countryside

2006-11-28T17:58:00.000Z

I found this old tree down on the marshes and when the sun was in the right place, I took the shot. It became so much more foreboding when made into black and white.

I couldn't find six geese-a-laying, so it had to be five geese-a-resting. These were in a field and the image was improved by the selective cropping.

The River Ribble at Ebb Tide. The water flows quickly in and out of the estuary. Here the water has already dropped significantly, and the exposed land soon became a haven for birds.

The marshes again, and an old bench is weather-worn, but is a great viewpoint across the empty vista. Here the sunlight breaks through the clouds across the stand of wintered trees. I used the timer on the camera and walked into the shot myself.

Sales

2006-11-18T20:25:00.000Z

Well, tonight I have added 2 images to an online library in the hope that someone may want to actually buy a copy or two of my photographs. The fees they might fetch would not be great, but it surely has to be worth it - if only to see if any interest is generated. I won't bore you with the details of which photo's I submitted, after all, the point of the excercise is to sell something for a good price. Unkikely, I know, but the words "raffle" and "you never know your luck in" spring to mind. Fingers crossed. One day, it may happen.

The "Stone" Cold Shoulder

2006-11-16T21:16:00.000Z

I wanted to see what f1.8 could do for a subject, so I opened the 50mm lens up wide in aperture priority, and framed these stone statues - to me its like she is ignoring the person behind her.

Layers

2006-11-12T01:24:00.000Z

You can use layers in Photoshop to chnage an image. Here for instance, is a colour photo turned balck and white, and then selectively coloured by "erasing" the black and white layer off the top of the colour one.

Preston Parks and the Golf Club.

2006-11-07T17:14:00.000Z

Went out and about with the camera today - autumn is a wonderful time for light at reasonable hours of the day...

Avenham Park.

The River Ribble at Avenham Park.

The Pergola in Avenham Park.

Rainbows and golf - at Ingol Golf Club.

Squirrels & Acorns, Miller Park.

Sir Tom Finney

2006-11-04T23:45:00.000Z

Having just collected Gillian from a hen night party, I drove us home past the football ground in Preston, home of the legendary Sir Tom Finney - one of the greatest footballers ever to walk grace the football fields of the world.

The statue can be seen outside the football ground of Preston North End, at the National Football Museum which documents the history of football, and is well worth a visit.

City and the Park

2006-11-02T23:16:00.000Z

Even a city has some greenery at it's heart. Here, Moor Park. It is adjacent to Preston's football ground. There are trees of green and even trees of red! No significant enhancement for the shots here, just a tweak or two in PS. The tree of red is by the pond, which is a rather unsightly patch of dirty water, where ducks gather for scraps of bread. The expanse of trees is by the pathway that runs parralel to the road. I may add more soon of other parkland in the city, so keep an eye out for them.

Incidentally, this is my 50th post in the blog....

Around Preston again

2006-10-31T22:38:00.000Z

I saw the fields and the trees and clouds, and stopped the car. They just looked "right" (though it's lacking in a little composition). This was taken near an M.O.D site near Preston.

Nearby at Inskip, a small country village, I saw this church and stopped off to find a decent viewpoint. A bird flew into the shot as I lined this up, but notice the 'plane disappearing behind the steeple... I was gonna photoshop this out, but chose instead to leave it in.

On the Lancaster to Preston Canal at Ingol, just around the corner from me, the sun has fallen low in the sky, the moon is up, and a statue - one of 4 by Thompson Dagnall (goodness knows where the other three are) carved from a single tree trunk, entitled "Gauging The Ripple" stares wistfully at the water...

Autumn is closing down it's rich colours, and the browns of the season are all around. Here, you can see the richness as leaves from a sycamore tree wait to be blown away by the sea-breeze of the Ribble Estuary as the night closes her grip on the day.

It's been a pleasant couple of hours, and I'm pleased with the results. Photography is a great pastime... There will be more to come, you can be sure... Preston has lots of variety, it's just finding the best time to record it for the eyes of the world.

Travelling around the hills near Preston...

2006-10-24T23:04:00.000+01:00

1st up is a long view of Blackpool Tower from Beacon Fell:

Next is a falling leaf (well, I actually held it in place - and it's my attempt at a feature in Digital Photo magazine...

3rd is in the Bleak District (up in the hills north-east of Inglewhite) looking across the wilds toward Scorton... (and yes, I knew aout the lens flare when I took the photo, but opted to leave it in).

And finally, what could be be a birch tree, but I'm no botanist... I used photoshop and selective colours to change all the leaves (not that there are many left on it) into a more autumnal yellow, and then burned back the trunk a bit more to pull the colour of the trunk back somewhat.

I think the leaf image is too false, but it was a photoshop excercise more than anything else. The other three I quite like. The rain came soon after these were taken so I packed up and headed for home, until next time...

Structured

2006-10-23T22:55:00.000+01:00

Structures are all around us, and we never acknowledge them. This is the floodnight tower (one of four) at Preston North End football ground. I see it so often, but never thought to photograph it until today. It's just something I see and don't see if you see what I mean...

Black & White from Adobe Lightroom Beta

2006-10-19T01:18:00.000+01:00

I have recently downloaded Adobe Lightroom Beta, and within this (what looks like it will become an excellent programme) is the option to convert your RAW files into greyscale. Having tried this out, and further post-edited in CS2, the images below lend themselves quite nicely to the black and white treatment. Whether Lightroom made the task easier is difficult to say, however, if you have not yet taken advantage of the free "beta" I suggest a quick visit to Adobe's website should be on your agenda.

I must admit to enjoying playing around with my digital images - as you will probab,y have noticed from some of my earlier photo's. Manipulation of RAW files has possibly just taken a major step forward thanks to Adobe - and I am looking forward to the full release of this new software.

Reedbeds at Leighton Moss (RSPB)

Trough of Bowland

The bay at Silverdale

Overlooking Morecambe Bay

Been a good week

2006-10-16T10:09:00.000+01:00

Well, the first week in the job is over, and I must say it has been enjoyable. All that camera gear to play with and the chance to learn more about cameras and such is a refreshing change from the fruit and veg in my last job. I love the latest equipment and the staff are friendly and cheerful and helpful.

I haven't been using the camera much of late, but when the young 'un had her hair done by the missus, we did a quick portrait photo. I added it below. Hope you like it.

Day Two

2006-10-10T20:48:00.000+01:00

Sold a Canon EOS 400D camera, lens, bag and CF card in one sale today. Over £700 in one transaction. I even impressed myself!

Day One

2006-10-09T20:04:00.000+01:00

Well, day one went fine in the new job. Nothing special happened but I made a reasonable sale. The staff seem pleasant enough, though one quit because she didn't feel that she was knowledgeable enough about cameras. I think I'll stick it out. All that camera gear to test out and try should be good fun.

Photo of the Day at world reknown site...

2006-10-07T22:06:00.000+01:00

I checked my emails this afternoon, and I was astounded to have recieved over 220 of them. At first, I suspected spam.... but when I looked, they all turned out to be comments made because my windmill photograph had been selected as the Photograph Of The Day at Community Webshots!

Here is the link - just click on the thumbnail below - oh, and my album was also the Featured Album Of The Day. More of my photographs are stored there... Have a look and feel free to download and comment on any that you choose to. Amazingly, there has been in excess of 20,000 downloads of my photograhs!

by piddon

Spiders...

2006-10-06T18:00:00.000+01:00

Love them or hate them, spiders are amazing creatures. Most women and girls scream and run, most men rescue either the women and girls - or the spider! But look closer and you can see how fascinating a spider can be... Take a look at this common British garden spider - an orb-weaving spider - found in Araneus diadematus found in almost every garden in the UK. And who says they are ugly brutes?

A new job.

2006-09-29T19:57:00.000+01:00

I have just today been offered a new job, working for Jessop's, one of the largest (maybe the largest) photographic retailers in the UK. I will take up the post on 9th October. My role will "Team Leader", with just the Manager and his Assistant above me. I understand I will be over the other full time and part time staff.

I'm really looking forward to this - it's a chance to develop my knowledge on all things camera wise, and that can only help me with my photos.

Here's hoping...

Sunset, and home

2006-09-24T12:36:00.000+01:00

Final photo of the day, I saved until last, because I think it is probably the best of the day. Sunsets often are. So it's a sunset, and then home.

Final port of call

2006-09-24T12:18:00.000+01:00

And so on to Arnside, a place to which I visit quite often. As the afternoon sun moved across the sky, I looked south for the first image over the bay. Somehow it always seems so tranquil here. Despite their being a children's holiday centre very nearby, on the hilltop at the left of the photo.

As I waited for the sun to fall lower, I found a small stream of water running back to the sea from among the rocks.

Continuing northwards...

2006-09-24T11:51:00.000+01:00

On to Hest Bank, an important intertidal area for wading birds...

...although today there were mostly just Oystercatchers here plus a few gulls due to the tide being low. So I loooked around for anything interesting and I found this old tree trunk... From a different angle I framed the Shore Cafe behind it.

A day out to the coast

2006-09-24T11:18:00.000+01:00

The first points of call were Morecambe and Heysham. The first image below is as you enter Morecambe from the north - a marble statue of a child being swung by the arms by his mother - and I remember that when I was a kid...
Here on the sands by the ferry port at Heysham, a young child looks for small fry in the rock pools - though he found none...

Here are couple of shots of the tide, and the bay.

Splash !

2006-09-16T22:25:00.000+01:00

Abstract photography, surrealism, art. Call it what you will, but taking photographs of unusual subjects lends itself in many ways. Here, I dyed a glass of water with magenta printer ink, and using direct flash and some bounced light from reflectors against a white background, I dropped 4 ice cubes from above into the glass. Timing was paramount, so I fired the shutter 3 times in quick succesion, though the first image proved to be the winner. Sharpening and saturation in photoshop finished it all off nicely. Oh, and RAW mode was used to give me the options of modification in software afterwards.

Someone mentioned Norfolk...

2006-09-15T21:42:00.000+01:00

A green and pleasant land, Norfolk was where we holidayed in '05. Someone mentioned it to me and I thought about some of the photographs that I had taken whilst there. So I looked in the archives and found a range of images, from Avocets, to seals on the sand, to boating on the Norfolk Broads (Captain Rachel, then aged 7) and to scenery, such as Baconsthorpe Castle - actually a Tudor mansion house - and the almost obligatory cornfields. There are a lot in Norfolk... Even a photo of a beehive at dusk, a swallow arriving at its nest of six young chicks, to controlled burning of marshlands, it was all there waiting to be snapped... We had seven days on holiday, and each day offered something different. We hope to go again. It was that good.

Cornfields at Reepham, and Baconsthorpe Castle.

On the Norfolk Broads, and marsh preservation at Titchwell Marsh.

A swallow at Banham Zoo, and the beehive at Corpusty, where the holiday cottage is near to (actually in Little London, a small village).

Seals on the sand at Blakeney Point, Norfolk, close to Holt and Sheringham.

Avocets at Minsmere, RSPB Reserve.

Been busy of late...

2006-09-12T23:05:00.000+01:00

...so not been out and about quite so much. However, the sun shone brightly the other day so I went down to the Preston to Lancaster canal, and found a nice little spot. In truth, the sun was too strong, but I managed one decent photo at least. Plus it was a pleasant stroll too. Even though I drove there....

Finished decorating the lounge too...

2006-08-28T21:25:00.000+01:00

Still hating decorating with a vengeance, at least when it is finished, you always feels pleased. Gill's dad hung the paper for us (that's the worst part of the job for me) and Gill and I did the rest. Took more paint than I imagined, but at least the room looks brighter and more modern than it did before. Apparantly, greens are the "in thing" for living rooms/lounges just now, because greens are meant to be calming for the mind and soul. Well, at least now we can relax in the lounge. It sure feels more welcoming anyhow...

I hate decorating

2006-08-11T22:31:00.000+01:00

This is the result of days of painstaking work to decorate the young 'uns bedroom. I hate hanging wallpaper, and thankfully it only took 2 rolls. Gill stripped the walls, painted some of them and I did some, plus the ceiling and the woodwork (I always do the high bits) and of course our daughter helped. Once finished though, she looks pretty in pink. Used to be Tweenie Yellow... Still, I think its better this colour. Kids - well girls of 8 seems to adore pink...

Free magazine

2006-08-04T00:38:00.000+01:00

I came across this photography magazine which is available as a free download. There are some interesting articles in it, and because it is free, everyone should have no problems in going for a look....

If it wasn't free, I know some folks wouldn't bother (even me) but hey... the words "gift horse", never look a" and "mouth" spring to mind..

http://www.pbase.com/magazine

Enjoy.

Back to Walney Island: The Lighthouse and Piel Castle.

2006-07-29T00:32:00.000+01:00

During 1789 ‘Lancaster merchants’ petitioned Parliament and were successful in having leave granted to them in order to construct a lighthouse on the south-end peninsula of Walney-Island at Haws Point, adjacent to the 'high water mark'. It gives an understanding to the amount of land now re-deposited at the site as the lighthouse is now completely surrounded by land. This is the lighthouse.

Piel Castle stands on the South-Eastern point of Piel Island at the mouth of the deep-water harbour of Barrow-in-Furness, guarding the passage to and from Furness Abbey's holdings in Ireland and the Isle of Man. The Abbot and convent were granted a licence to crenellate their dwelling-house in 1372 by Edward III, which suggests the fortification of an existing building.

Birthday trip

2006-07-25T23:17:00.000+01:00

We took Rachel to the Lake District today on her birthday. The Aquarium Of The Lakes (like a Sea Life Centre). She loved the fishes, and in the tunnel, we watched diving ducks (Tufted and a Pochard) come down to the bed of the tank and back up again. Odd watching ducks from below... Then we went out to Walney Island near Barrow-in-Furness and went towards Peil Castle and the lifeboat house. Alas, we didn't get to cross to the island that the castle stands on, the small ferry boats never arrived... But on the sandbanks, old derelict boats lay forlorn and desparate. By the lifeboat house opposite the castle, a butterfly landed on Rachel's cap... We all enjoyed our day out. Tomorrow, it's Gulliver's World Theme Park...

Forlorn...

Butterfly...

Peil Castle and the Lifeboat House...

Put out to Grass...

2006-07-24T23:10:00.000+01:00

It's odd how something catches your eyes... My young daughter is in a gardening club at school, and to practise, they grew grass in a plant pot. For the summer holidays, any plants grown are brought home. Rachel brought 3, including the grass... But where she put it in the garden, and where she left the watering can made me grab the camera and go for a low angle, shallow depth of field photo. The story of the pic kinda unfolds for me... Watering can, trail of water, the plant pot watered, and a smile on it's face as if to say thanks... Strange what gets your attention, and how a plot develops...

Sports Day

2006-07-19T23:36:00.000+01:00

My lass ran in 3 races at her school sports day on Thursday. She didn't manage to win a race, but her team (greens) won the day and got the Sports Day Trophy for the Juniors. She was so pleased to be a winner, and me and mum were very very proud...

Family re-union

2006-07-16T23:15:00.000+01:00

Six out of seven of my mum and dad's children managed to get together for a buffet and a "lets all be together" day today. Only my eldest sister was unable to make it for medical reasons. So we all had some food and a chat a laugh. I took a few snapshots of the brothers and sisters, and nieces and nephews, uncles and aunts, mums and dads. Out of them all, one photo became my photo of the day... The original was simple, and needed work, the photoshopped image I worked on gave it a nice soft kiddie feel effect soft light and soft focus, that seems to have worked well. Zoe will see it one day, and say "OMG was that me"?

She's so cute...

Photo after:

Photo before:

Zoe.

Restoring Old Photgraphs.

2006-07-10T00:10:00.000+01:00

Old photgraphs can be damaged. Some destroy them, others simply tear them. Sometimes it is not meant, but it happens. My mum-in-law (hi Mum) sent me a scan of an old torn photograph, and asked what I could do with it... Well, after a couple of hours, I managed to restore at least some of its former glory. I have added them both here. The before and after. Hard work, but a worthwhile venture... (Thanks Mum !)... Photoshop is a wonderful programme. Now we have a restored image, probably better than the original. At least we have one to carry forward for generations now...

After:

Before:

The Trough Of Bowland.

2006-07-03T18:20:00.000+01:00

The River Marshaw Wyre that meanders through the Trough Of Bowland, an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) is a delight to see, a delight to sit beside for a picnic, and a wonderful place to visit. The Trough of Bowland is a part of the Forest of Bowland, and in summer is frequently visited by day-trippers. Marvel at the view, imagine breathing the fresh country air, and picture yourself sitting here, enjoying the summer sun.

2006-07-01T10:59:00.000+01:00

Brock Valley Nature Trail. Another local beauty spot visited by many. The stream is a haven for birds, wagtails, dippers; deer roam the woods and squirrels and foxes run through the trees and undergrowth. A relaxing place to visit.

Myth?

2006-07-01T10:54:00.000+01:00

You can decide for yourself - would this cave be have been used by pirates?

Arnside

2006-07-01T10:43:00.000+01:00

A beautiful cove at Arnside on the Lancashire coast looking out over the Irish Sea. The shoreline is not sandy, indeed rocks and stones cover the whole area, but the rocky outcroppings are spectacular enough, and there is also a pirate's cave, or is that just myth?

Hutton Roof Cragg - flowers and moths.

2006-07-01T10:36:00.000+01:00

Burnet moths and wild flowers are all around - many other species were to be seen, these are just two of them.

Hutton Roof Crag

2006-07-01T10:24:00.000+01:00

Hutton Roof Cragg is a limestone pavement thousands of years old, and one of the finest examples of its kind in England. The cragg is 200 metres above sea level at its peak. Wild, isolated, wonderful, and steeped in history.

Editing

2006-06-18T20:43:00.000+01:00

I like to mess about with my digital images - and after a little time, I changed what was a rather ordinary landscape photo into something far more pleasing. I have discovered "actions" in Photoshop can speed things up enormously, but every photo needs some manual treatment just to finish it off. I think the before and after images you see here quite clearly show what sort of thing can be acheived with PS. Nonetheless, the actual taking of the photo is what I enjoy doing, but of course the finished article rarely is what enters the lens... Only afterwards, can one enjoy the true beauty that a photographer strives to share.

Sunset, Preston.

2006-06-13T22:28:00.000+01:00

Sunsets are often spectacular, sometimes not. Make your own mind up about this one; personally, I like it a lot. I used the tree for the rule of thirds, and curves and levels in Photoshop brought out some great colours. Used my polarizer for the first time. Think it was worth the effort?

Damselflies

2006-06-11T22:39:00.000+01:00

The common Ischnura, or blue-tailed damselfly, are numerous across the whole of Britain. I followed a male across the grasses until he alighted on a frond of grass, and then (the urge took him...) he discovered a female and before too long, I had the second photo. A pleasant day in the country with some rewarding shots.

Nuthatch

2006-06-05T01:00:00.000+01:00

Far more common, a family of Nuthatch's were busy on the food trail. 4 or 5 juveniles asking for food. This one kindly landed a few metres in front of me and posed, just long enough. Taken at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve.

Spoonbill

2006-06-05T00:56:00.000+01:00

This is the Spoonbill. The graininess is caused by ramping the ISO up to 800, because the distance was great, and the camerashake was noticeable, and I needed to increase the shutter speed for the long lens. Still, not to bad. A nice rarity.

Peregrine Falcon

2006-06-04T22:54:00.000+01:00

Today we decide to go bird watching. As members of the RSPB, daytrips are the occasional pastime to reserves in England. Today we went to Leighton Moss, one of the homes of the bittern. Alas we saw none today, but we did see a rare sight - a spoonbill, few of which, maybe only 30 are seen in the UK annually. Alas, the bird was a good way from me, and the images were not brilliant. Not so the next great sight though... We travelled to Warton Cragg, home of a nesting pair of Peregrine Flacons. Fantastic birds of prey, and on this occasion, I was lucky enough to borrow a fellow enthusiasts' 800ml lens, which allowed me startlingly good views. Once on my camera, I snapped a dozen brilliant photo's of this wonderful bird. What you see here is the female with her single chick. A truly fantastic sight for amateur birdwatchers, and one that made the trip oh so worth while.

Bay

2006-05-28T11:08:00.000+01:00

It has been a long week. Work was hard on Friday and Saturday leading up to the Bank Holiday weekend. Might just go for a drive too. If we can avoid the traffic. Many head for the Lake District up the road from here, and Preston tends to get the messy build up on the motorway. Still, never mind. Here is a photo of the bay at Arnside. The tide rises up to 6 meters in two hours, making it one of the fastest in the UK. A siren warns the people in the area to vacate the sand, it can rise that quickly.

Sunset

2006-05-21T15:34:00.000+01:00

Here the setting sun throws the last rays of light across the Preston to Lancaster Canal, near to my home. The jet crossing the sky adds to the overall view. I could have altered the image to boost the shadow detail and the sky, but I felt that it looked fine as it was. I deliberately kept the sun at the centre, choosing to place the tree using the rule of thirds, and it's reflection in the water. This was taken at the end of quiet stroll along the canal with my family. A peaceful end to the day.

Portraits for a rainy day

2006-05-21T15:01:00.000+01:00

The weekend arrived and the rain continued to fall. Nowhere to go to in weather like this. Everyone around looks depressed, dreary, and not in the mood. At least I have a good few archived photo's to cheer me up. At the beginning of the month when the sun was shining, our daughter was called out to the gaden to pose. I got her to lie on top of the picnic table and prop her chin on her hand. My wife held a reflector to bounce some light back on to Rachel's face; the sun was dropping low behind her. 12 snapshots later and I had this one, to which I added soft-focus and dream filters. Everyone says she looks so like me.... God help the poor child !!!

Old Brown Photographs...

2006-05-17T19:37:00.000+01:00

After a while, I thought the railway photo might look good if I aged it and gave it a sepia tone - you know, to look like those old brown photographs that you find in your granny's wardrobe in a shoebox. So I gave it a go, but not until I had removed the sign post, bottom left (see the original below) which I felt caught the eye to much. Kinda gives it that 1930's look....

Preston Railway Station

2006-05-17T00:46:00.000+01:00

Preston Railway station is on the busy West Coast Main Line. Formerly one of the largest in the country, Preston suffered from the cut-backs of the 1960's and 1970's. Platforms were destroyed or blocked and a number of links to the communities south were demolished to create a shopping centre. Signs of the old station still exist - old railway lines are now pathway walks through parkland, and former rail tracks can still be seen throughout the city itself.

Preston Bus Station

2006-05-17T00:40:00.000+01:00

Built in 1969, Preston Bus Station is currently being considered for demolition. One of largest in the UK, it is shrouded above by an uninviting car park. There is a campaign underway to try and save the bus station, as progress threatens to re-locate it elsewhere in the city. At 11pm or near as dammit, the last few buses are waiting the arrival of late night revellers...

Heart of the City, beating silently...

2006-05-17T00:36:00.000+01:00

Just down the road, and in the very heart of the city, the main traffic lights and crossroad are strangely quiet, even for 11pm. Fewer cars passed beneath the footbridge than I expected, leaving few trails of light. Still, you get the effect I was hoping to create...

Late night foray...

2006-05-17T00:30:00.000+01:00

Occassionally, when you have a camera you suddenly get the urge to go and use it. Well, I did tonight! So off I went into the city centre and fired off a few frames. I decide to use RAW mode to try and hold the colour of the night lights, and I finally chose four images. This is a photo of the Uiversity's Students' Union nightclub, 53 Degrees.

Wedded Bliss. Sealed with a Kiss.

2006-05-16T00:15:00.000+01:00

A few months ago, and Mark (my sisters' son) married Lucinda. I was not the photographer for the day, but like all keen photographers, took my EOS along anyway (I was asked too really!) to take some "incidental candid" photos. The guy who was actually hired to do the job (an amateur, new to to the hobby) got some good shots, but lacked a bit of knowledge, and relied on me several times to gather the families etc. into photo-shoot opportunities. Anyway, the photo of the day was mine. Loved by both of the families, and one I was pleased with too. Of course, a little artstic licence helps. I have been asked to do a wedding in December, and despite my inexperience, I hope to make a good fist of it (this would be my third only!!!) Time will tell.

Windmill

2006-05-14T23:45:00.000+01:00

Lytham St Annes Windmill. Taken around 8.20 am on December 8th 2005. I was driving in to work and I happened to have the camera with me. It was a beautiful morning, and the air was crisp and cool. As I drove by the windmill, the sun broke through the clouds, and I had to take this photograph. I used RAW and converted it, and I am really pleased with the result. It made my day to get such a great sunrise.

A Snapshot of the UK

2006-05-14T23:18:00.000+01:00

Welcome to my blog. This is where I will post a few of my photographs, those that I particularly enjoyed taking, and that I know have been seen and appreciated by others.

Every now and again, I will add something for you to read, and to view. I hope you take the time to have a look every now and again.

Paul.