This year I will be mostly... taking a photo every day, and posting it up here for you all to see and comment on if you feel inclined (please do). It's not an original idea, I stole it off a friend and many other people are doing the same as I speak, but I thought it seemed like a great idea to get used to my new toy, my Canon Eos 500D with Tamron 18-250mm Macro lens - my first digital SLR.
A lot of sites online talk about 'project 365' where people are encouraged to take a photo every day, but while their take on it is to create a personal history of the photographer, I wanted to make it a bit more abstract, more about the world around me. So this isn't meant to be a photo diary of my life, I am striving for each photo to be 'good' because of its artistic and technical merit, not because it's personal to me. Having said that personal subject matter will inevitably creep in as inspiration, but that's allowed, the book I'm reading claim that "every picture we take is merely a self-portrait of our inner psyche"!
I had a think of a couple of ideas for themes and settled on 'moods'. Then I was hit by indecision as to what to do if I take a photo I like and want to upload as my daily snap, but it doesn't fit the theme. So I have decided that the theme is just for inspiration rather than as a criteria, the photos can be of anything. That way I get the most flexibility of what to upload, and still have a muse.
While I'll be taking photos every day, I'll only upload them every few days, so keep checking back. I'm not anticipating the photos to be groundbreaking (at least not to start with!), the whole point is to improve so I won't be great initially. But I'll still try my best which will hopefully keep it interesting. Please feel free to add whatever comments you like (hopefully constructive!) as that will help me as much as the process of actually taking a photo a day, I will endeavour to reply to them all.
This is Mousetrap Zawn at Gogarth on Holyhead, Wales. Such amazing textures and colours of rock on such a grand scale, it's really eye-catching and I hope I've managed to show some of that here.
I like that you've included the seagull. It really helps to give a sense of scale but in a subtle way that doesn't draw attention away from the impact of the landscape.
Thanks. I waited ages for the gull (*whispers* no such things as seagulls, hehe) to come into shot, I think it makes a feature of the black space rather than making it seem distracting, plus adds a sense of scale like you say. I'm not sure if the colours are right, the photo was a little over-exposed making the colours washed out so I brought them back again on the PC, but don't know if I overdid it - which ever computer I look view it on they look different. As long as they don't look lurid I guess I got away with it.
Love that photo! Especially because much of me is a geologist! The folds in the rock are awesome, just goes to show the type of pressures the rocks were put under during the Variscan orogony.
If you look at the direction in which they fold you *should* find that they fold in a W-E direction.
Neil - I think Geology is fascinating but I have such big gaps inhetween reading about it that I forget it all. These rock faces face WSW, is that what you'd expect?
Dan - I'm sure someone told me it's not as cheesy to climb on as it looks. I'd love to take photos of someone on Mousetrap or Green Slab on a sunny day.
I'd love to do any route there, i'll tell you if i ever do go to do them.
Have you thought about getting into climbing photography a bit more, with abseil ropes and stuff? it's great fun! Just think of it like caving but in the daylight...
I've had a couple of climbing photos published, and more in my UKC gallery here: http://www.ukclimbing.com/photos/author.html?id=12907
It's hardly ever updated now though as what with hardly ever climbing any more I don't find myself at crags that often. Can't wait to try cave photography, I've been looking at Pelicases to protect my camera.
fair enough, for cave photography you'll want a really powerful flash, and probably an wireless trigger for it, so you can mount it off camera. I'm going to order one of these: http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-nissin-di866-professional-flashgun-canon-fit/p1031356 in the next few days, it's the equivilent of canon's top of the range flash for half the price. I'll tell you ahat i think of it after a bit of use.
Btw, the folding seen occurred a LONG time before the Variscan Orogeny (plus its too far North for that deformation to be strongly evident). The exact origin and relationship of the basement rocks of Anglesea are still contentious but are generally thought to be of late pre-Cambrian to early Cambrian age and therefore considerably older than the other rocks in North Wales (with the exception of the deep-water mudstone deposits which eventually became the familiar LLanberis slate and the Rhinog grits which are of mid to late Cambrian age)
RE: cave photography - the cheap option to start with is to forget about remote flash trigger - bung the camera into 'bulb' mode (i.e. shutter open continuously), stick the free old flash gun which I need to give to you in a clear placcy bag and fire it by hand as many times and at as many things you see fit :-) Oh, and its got coloured filters.
I certainly need to look at flash at some point, but since I don't have any spare cash I was hoping that some form of long exposure torch or flash illumination might be an option, glad to hear it is! (Although I need to get myself a remote trigger, can only do it by connecting up to the laptop at present).
Dan, there's a cave in Matlock that doesn't involve any ropework that's got some old steps and other features from when it was a show cave, that you can explore with grubby clothes rather than full caving kit. Do you fancy going along some time to experiment with what we've got and see what we can come up with? I'll keep you posted on my tunnel and pottery building trip too, but that'll have to wait for more light in the evenings.
Of course I have a full small studio flash kit in my bedroom that I have on loan, but I don't think the owner intended me to take it down a cave, and I still need a hotshoe attachment to work it.
I like that you've included the seagull. It really helps to give a sense of scale but in a subtle way that doesn't draw attention away from the impact of the landscape.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I waited ages for the gull (*whispers* no such things as seagulls, hehe) to come into shot, I think it makes a feature of the black space rather than making it seem distracting, plus adds a sense of scale like you say. I'm not sure if the colours are right, the photo was a little over-exposed making the colours washed out so I brought them back again on the PC, but don't know if I overdid it - which ever computer I look view it on they look different. As long as they don't look lurid I guess I got away with it.
ReplyDeleteLove that photo! Especially because much of me is a geologist! The folds in the rock are awesome, just goes to show the type of pressures the rocks were put under during the Variscan orogony.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the direction in which they fold you *should* find that they fold in a W-E direction.
i like it, it's abstract, but massive when you realise that is a bird on the right hand side...but then i might be biased, Mousetrap Zawn is AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteNeil - I think Geology is fascinating but I have such big gaps inhetween reading about it that I forget it all. These rock faces face WSW, is that what you'd expect?
ReplyDeleteDan - I'm sure someone told me it's not as cheesy to climb on as it looks. I'd love to take photos of someone on Mousetrap or Green Slab on a sunny day.
I'd love to do any route there, i'll tell you if i ever do go to do them.
ReplyDeleteHave you thought about getting into climbing photography a bit more, with abseil ropes and stuff? it's great fun! Just think of it like caving but in the daylight...
I've had a couple of climbing photos published, and more in my UKC gallery here: http://www.ukclimbing.com/photos/author.html?id=12907
ReplyDeleteIt's hardly ever updated now though as what with hardly ever climbing any more I don't find myself at crags that often. Can't wait to try cave photography, I've been looking at Pelicases to protect my camera.
fair enough, for cave photography you'll want a really powerful flash, and probably an wireless trigger for it, so you can mount it off camera. I'm going to order one of these: http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-nissin-di866-professional-flashgun-canon-fit/p1031356 in the next few days, it's the equivilent of canon's top of the range flash for half the price. I'll tell you ahat i think of it after a bit of use.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully timed :-)
ReplyDeleteBtw, the folding seen occurred a LONG time before the Variscan Orogeny (plus its too far North for that deformation to be strongly evident). The exact origin and relationship of the basement rocks of Anglesea are still contentious but are generally thought to be of late pre-Cambrian to early Cambrian age and therefore considerably older than the other rocks in North Wales (with the exception of the deep-water mudstone deposits which eventually became the familiar LLanberis slate and the Rhinog grits which are of mid to late Cambrian age)
RE: cave photography - the cheap option to start with is to forget about remote flash trigger - bung the camera into 'bulb' mode (i.e. shutter open continuously), stick the free old flash gun which I need to give to you in a clear placcy bag and fire it by hand as many times and at as many things you see fit :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, and its got coloured filters.
As Colin would say 'doppelwin'!
That is also a good idea and something i intent to try in dark underground warehouses...
ReplyDeleteJames, Dan -
ReplyDeleteI certainly need to look at flash at some point, but since I don't have any spare cash I was hoping that some form of long exposure torch or flash illumination might be an option, glad to hear it is! (Although I need to get myself a remote trigger, can only do it by connecting up to the laptop at present).
Dan, there's a cave in Matlock that doesn't involve any ropework that's got some old steps and other features from when it was a show cave, that you can explore with grubby clothes rather than full caving kit. Do you fancy going along some time to experiment with what we've got and see what we can come up with? I'll keep you posted on my tunnel and pottery building trip too, but that'll have to wait for more light in the evenings.
James - impressive geological knowledge!
Of course I have a full small studio flash kit in my bedroom that I have on loan, but I don't think the owner intended me to take it down a cave, and I still need a hotshoe attachment to work it.
ReplyDelete