ASHLEY CORR PHOTOGRAPHY

Big Country - o2 Academy, Newcastle

2012-02-15T02:40:00.005-08:00

In 2008 I saw Big Country perform at Legends, Newcastle - Bass player Tony Butler took on the role of lead singer, following the death of original frontman Stuart Adamson. With due resepect, Tony is no singer, but he done the best he could on the night and the fans went home happy. At Legends, back in 2008, the overall sound of Big Country was inevitably hollow due to the 'Missing' guitar parts that Adamson played, but again the band improvised and done a job as well as they possibly could under the circumstances. Tonight however was a very different matter, as the band had enlisted the help of Mike Peters (lead vocalist of The Alarm) and used his vocal prowess to compliment the anthemic Big Country sound, and he fitted in perfectly. Not many could have filled the void Stuart Adamson left, but Peters is a worthy successor judging by tonights vocal performance. And remember those 'Missing' guitar parts - well they were back and so was the full BC sound, courtesy of Jamie Watson, son of lead guitarist Bruce. Jamie was earlier drafted in as a kind of experiment after practising Stuart's guitar parts with his dad over a period of months. The band attitude towards a possible inclusion of Bruce's son was 'Let's give it a go and see what happens.' Some may have seen this is a gamble, but if it was, it was one that paid off as Jamie Watson fitted into the live set-up equally as well as Mike Peters - round pegs in round holes!

Big Country were founded in Dunfermline in the early 1980's, and another band with Scottish roots, Gun, supported them at tonights gig at the o2 Academy in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Gun weren't my cup of tea, to be honest, although they went down very well with the audience, who had turned up in large numbers and the event wasn't short of a sell-out. An hour in and I was still freezing cold - someone needed to hoy 50p in the gas meter to pump some well needed hot air into the place. It was -2 degrees outside yet it felt even colder inside the venue, but it didn't take long to warm up once Big Country took to the stage. The band received a huge welcome from the crowd as they started their set with a track called Angle Park. The place was soon bouncing - we were lucky to get places at the front so I was in confident mood of grabbing some decent live shots, taken with a modest Fuji F60 'Point and Shoot' affair. The band played their 1982 album 'The Crossing' in its entirety, to mark 30 years Anniversary of its release. The set list on the night was as follows...

1.Angle Park 2.East Of Eden 3.Another Country 4.Balcony 5.Restless Natives 6.The Crossing 7. In A Big Country 8.Inwards 9.Chance 10.1000 Stars 11.The Storm 12.Harvest Home 13.Lost Patrol 14.Close Action 15.Fields Of Fire 16.Porrohman...encore -17.Tracks Of My Tears 18. Look Away 19.Wonderland

From the freezing cold to the hot and sweating - the fast tempo of the music, coupled with a crowd paked in like sardines and bouncing about to the music, we soon warmed up. Highlights of the gig were as follows...

Mike Peters vanishing from the stage, eventually emerging at the rear of house, perched on someones shoulders and singing the 1983 hit 'Chance', much to the pleasure of the surrounding fans. As he made his way to the front of the audience he was helped over the barrier right next to us by security staff. I grabbed a shot of him at close quarters (second shot, above).
During one of the encores 'Tracks Of My Tears' Mike Peters altered some of the lines in respect of Stuart Adamson...'Since you left us, if you see me with another band, Looks like I'm having fun. Although I might be cute, I'm just a subsitute, cos you're the permanent one (Mike points skywards).
Another highlight (literally) was again centred around frontman Mike Peters as he turned his acoustic guitar to reveal a mirrored back, before pointing it towards the audience and reflecting the light from the rigging above onto the crowd in a 'Search Light' effect. It worked very well, easily reaching the seated audience on the balcony, as well as those at the back of the stalls. I can't remember off hand which song was playing at the time, but it covered atleast two minutes of instrumental as Mike's 'Search Light' flashed past most of the audience. I managed to grab the effect with my humble Fuji, shown here in my third shot.

I could ramble on, but I'll be here all night if I do. Enough said then. A great show - looking forward to seeing them again sometime. I hope BC can hang on to Mike Peters though. He's been getting rave reviews on The New Big Country Website for his performances on this tour so far. Bruce Watson, Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki played their part as usual, leaving their fans with the feeling that there's still plenty left in the tank.
That's is all, until the next time,
Ash

Closer To Home - Rainton Meadows

2012-01-30T08:34:00.000-08:00

It had been almost three weeks since my last outing with the camera, so I put the record straight with a recent visit to Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve in Houghton le Spring. That last outing - a 160 mile round trip that included visits to Bamburgh and Holy Island on the Northumberland Coast, was one that I'll definitely repeating soon, but my latest photo offerings were captured much closer to home, as mentioned above. Historically, January is a often a month of excellent Sunrises and Sunsets for me and 2012 has been no different - infact, this year has probably yielded more opportunities than previous years as there was one brilliant sky after another. If you can tolerate the 'Brass Monkey' arctic temperature then you're half way there, although there's still work for idle hands to do and a pair of wooly gloves comes in rather handy in these conditions. Of course I don't wear such 'Pussyfied' attire - well, maybe now and again, but keep that to yourself, eh.

So here I was, at Rainton Meadows, with my 11 year old son, just killing an hour or so before tea. Walking to the first pond we passed a young couple - the lad was armed with a Canon 5D Mk2, which was capable of doing a lot of damage with the attached 500mm telephoto lens. Of course, I couldn't tell when passing that it was a 5D, the strap gave the game away. I experienced a slight tinge of envy because of the kit he was carrying - full frame with top notch glass attached, it must have tipped the scales at around 4 grand, easily! As we passed he noticed the loaf of bread in my sons hand, then told us there was a hungry Swan on the water ahead of us, and that he had no bread himself and as a consequence he got no decent close-up shots of it - not that he needed close-up's anyway, with that size lens. Tough titty eh, get yersel' away son and leave it to the experts, he he!

The sun had just set in front of us and some colour lifted the sky as I took my first couple of shots. I was literally three feet away from the Mute Swan as I photographed it, all the time being wary that it may have a dig at me at any given moment. But the grub was the key and I was confident it wouldn't 'Bite the hand that feeds.' That was the case, so things went smoothly during the short time we were there and the big bird eventually fettled a full bag of Warburton's without hesitation. Hungry Swan indeed. Composing the shots was very straightforward - Swan, Sky and the inclusion of a reed bed to emphasise the habitat - it worked ok and the colourful sky finished the shot off quite well, although beforehand I had hoped for a better sky - beggars and choosers, and all that. Natural Life is an interesting subject to photograph, although I don't devote much time to it as I'd like to, mainly due to the fact that my biggest lens only covers the 300mm mark, but maybe sometime in the future I'll get more 'Into it.' Until then here ya go - two shots taken with the trusty Canon 7D and 18-135mm lens on it's widest setting. Happy snapping.

Back soon, Ash

Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland

2012-01-19T13:17:00.000-08:00

After much planning, and more intention than enough, I finally visited the Northumberland Coast last weekend for some Sunrise Photography. I recall a Blog entry of mine last October, when I announced that a trip to Bamburgh Castle was imminent, but one thing or another scuppered my plans and the outing never materialised. Three months later, and a willingness to let nothing get in the way of a January trip to the same location, and suddenly here I am driving north on the A1(M) at 6.30am. I had plenty of sleep the night before and my preparations had actually started three days in advance, so everything was neatly in place by the time I awoke at 5.45am on Saturday morning, the day of the event. I had been out the night before for a nice Indian scran and the plan was not to pouch anything too hot otherwise I might be in a spot of trouble the next morning. As it was, I'd put away a mild 'Lamb Tikka Bhuna', made the necessary bog stop the next morning before I left for the coast, so that side of things was taken care of and I felt confident I wouldn't be running around like a loppy dog, looking for a netty amongst Bamburgh sand dunes at 8.00am. So the plan was to leave home at 6.15am, to arrive at Bamburgh Castle around 7.30am, giving me ample time to find a vantage point and get my gear set up with time to spare before Sunrise. I packed my camera gear into the car, along with flask of Coffee, Wellies, Spare Socks, Goodie Bag, and Music. I drove the car off the drive at 6.17am, two minutes over planned departure, which was neither something or nothing. The morning chill was something else, and it took a good fifteen minutes to fill the car with warmth - the temperature outside was minus 2 degrees! After 15 minutes on the road I passed the Angel Of The North whilst filling me fat face with Salted Peanuts - not the usual typical breakfast fayre I put away on a Saturday morning - it's usually cold Vindaloo, leftover from the night before! As I reach the bottom of Bowes Incline my eyes are drawn to the chimneys over Team Valley and the smoke that bellows from them. The smoke instantly freezes upon exit and rises high into the morning sky, offering a great photo opportunity, but I'm stopping the car for no-one and nothing. I pass the MetroCentre and the odd car here and there before crossing the River Tyne near Scotswood, noticing the still water and the perfect reflection of the riverside buildings and street lamps. Again, a great photo opportunity in front of me, but I'm heading somewhere else so I quickly leave the reflections behind. I'm now on a clear stretch of the A1(M) and there's not much company on the road, other than the chill-out sound of Enigma playing through the speakers. It's now 6.35am and I'm warm as toast by this time, still pouching those Salted Peanuts and beginning to think today is going to be a good one.

Around 7.00am I pass the historic town of Anlwick and notice bright red sky to my right, on the coast and exactly where I'm heading. There's an hour to go before sunrise, yet there's enough colour on display to start photographing right here and now. No good to me though, I'm thirty minutes away from my destination and I've still got to get off the big road before heading inland to my eventual stop. Hopefully the colourful sky is a rehearsal for what will follow, before and during sunrise, at which time I'll be tripping the shutter and grabbing what I can. At 7.15am I'm finally off the big road after getting caught behind a haulage wagon on single carraigeway for a good few miles. I'm still on schedule and the planned arrival time of 7.30am becomes reality as I now see the illuminated Bambugh Castle ahead of me in the distance. The bag of Salted Peanuts have bit the dust by this time and I'm feeling rather sickly - greedy 'Bar Steward' that I am. I enter the small village of Bamburgh and pass through it, approaching the grand castle on top of the craggy outcrop. Up the ramp and towards the castle car park I go, stopping the car at precisely 7.30am - things are looking very good indeed! There isn't a soul to be seen, just me, a backpack and a hefty tripod, as I step out of my trainers and into a cold pair of green wellies. There may be the need to walk into the incoming tide to get the necessary shots, so the wellies are a must if I don't wanna get the toes wet.

From the castle car park I head through the sand dunes and onto the beach, and a fine beach it is. The tide is low but incoming, so I'll need to monitor it as I photograph from the beach, as the tide has a habit of creeping up and I have no intention of becoming marooned. By 7.40am I'm off the dunes and onto the beach, where I want to be, and for the first time I'm about to photograph a sunrise at a location that has been on my wish-list for far too long. The day has finally arrived and colour begins to burst through the clouds at 8.00am. The purple hue is a nice backdrop for the silhouetted castle and I'm now beginning to mentally compose my shots, before unpacking my gear and getting down to work. And I'm not the only person with that idea in mind on Bamburgh beach - there must be around a dozen or so of the like-minded folk, all jockying for position along the sands as the tide crept in slowly. I photograph a couple of snappers as they lean forward, looking into their viewfinders as they, like myself, make pictures of the scene that appears directly in front of them. I'm remotely firing off frame after frame as the incoming tide swirls around my feet, and I feel them sinking slowly into the sand. I'm unaware that I'm about to get a good soaking as I take my eye off the ball, so to speak. I'm engrossed in the stunning sunset that now unfolds around 8.30am and the freezing cold water of the North Sea suddenly flows over the top of my wellies and I'm suddenly a far from happy bunny. I continue to photograph from the same spot on the beach and as the sun rises above the castle and the colour in the sky diminishes. I call it a day and head onto dry land. I'm soon back at the car park and supping a cup of hot coffee from my flask - just what the doctor ordered. I stand for a while and watch the waves rolling in as I pour myself another cup. It's a grand view. A few minutes later I make a swift sock change before slipping into my hiking boots - no more soaking wet feet.

I finish off with a few shots of Bamburgh Castle from the sand dunes. One particular shot is shown here with the sun bathing the foreground grasses, as well as the castle itself. At 9.15am I'm back on the road and heading north to Holy Island for some more photography. Bamburgh was an experience and now that I've done my first sunrise shoot from its sands, I'm now aquainted with the location and know where to grab the best shots. I'll be back soon for more of the same. I hope you like the selection I've posted here, and don't forget to click them to reveal enlarged versions.

When on the road I fettled a bag of Salted Peanuts, a Gregg's 'Spicey One' Pasty, a bar of Toblerone, half a box of Miniature Heroes and two cans of Pepsi. However, I balanced the boat of healthy eating by eating a single white grape. Aren't I good? (wink).
Until the next time...Ash

Seven Sisters - Daily Visits

2012-01-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

Hello again. Regular visitors to my Blog page will be aware that during the Winter months I make regular visits to the Copt Hill Barrow, also known locally as the Seven Sisters, situated in Houghton le Spring. A quick 'search' of my Blog will throw up previous entries where I have visited the monument to photograph it during different seasons. I rarely bother photographing it in Summer as the leaves are thick and the silhouette against a bright sunset is nowhere near as effective as it is during Winter when the leaves are long gone. A week of great Sunrise and Sunset photography yielded my latest batch of silhouette shots and I can't remember a week like it, as it was one brilliant sky after another. In the meantime, here is a brief description, copied and pasted from another web page...

Monument: Seven Sisters round barrow, Copt Hill, Houghton le Spring

Parish: Sunderland

County: Tyne and Wear

National Monument number: 32055

National grid reference (s): NZ35344921

The monument includes the round barrow known as Seven Sisters. It is situated in arable land on the western flank of Copt Hill and is 300m south of Copt Hill public house. The barrow mound is 3m high and approximately 25m in diameter. It is of earth and stone construction. The stones include magnesian limestone and sandstone. To the west and north west of the mound there are visible remains of a surrounding bank. An aerial photograph of the monument indicates a further boundary to the west and north of the mound about 25m from the edge of the mound, and a rectilinear cropmark to the east believed to be the terminal of a cursus. Excavation of the barrow in 1877 by Canon William Greenwell and Mr T Robinson revealed that the primary burial was a Neolithic cremation believed to be an example of an axial mortuary structure. There were also several Bronze Age cremations and inhumations, and an early medieval inhumation.

Between Monday 9th and Thursday 12th January I visited the Seven Sisters each day, twice at sunrise and twice at sunset. Winter, especially January, has historically presented the most colourful skies at each end of the day, so if you like to shoot silhouettes then this is one of the best locations in the North-East of England for this type of photography. I'm lucky, I only live round the corner, so within ten minutes of leaving the house I'm 'Set up' and ready to work. During the golden hour - 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset, I captured many images, all recorded in RAW format at 18 Megapixels on a Canon 7D. I used a bog standard 18-135mm lens and a 10-22mm wide for the images shown here. Each lens gives different results in their own right, although the wide angle glass gets you right up close, almost on the barrow itself, and you can still fit it all in! The close angle offers a sense of drama as the trees tower over the lens, and if the right sky is available, you get drama on a big scale, which is exactly what I was after. Two of my shots show 'One Man And His Dog', which has almost become an obligitory fixture for me when I photograph the Seven Sisters. Scale is quite important here - I always try to include people whenever they present themselves and this place is a favourite haunt for Man and his Best Friend, so you're never short of the odd 'Extra' or two entering the frame. Some folk walk round the barrow when they see me, thinking they might be spoiling my shot by walking over the top, which is never the case, as a walking man and dog offer a nice profile in silhouette (as shown here, shot 3). And there's no escape, as this fella walked round the barrow and I still caught him and his dog. It worked quite well. Just for the record, the first and last of my four shots were taken at Sunset and the middle two at Sunrise. Whether it's 8.30am or 4.00pm it makes little difference, as I was freezing to the bone, despite wearing two fleeces and a jacket as well as the black wooly 'Bin Man' hat. I switch off to the cold - little choice, but looking back I'm glad I did. It wasn't long before I was back in my house and sat down with a cup of coffee while the wife massaged my feet. Well, maybe I made the last bit up, he he, she wouldn't go near my feet with a knotty prop!

And now to the last shot. And it's colour all the way - once again. I love this one. I showed a friend this shot and he thought it had been captured in Africa, of all places. Houghton le Spring is a far cry from the African continent, although you often see the odd 'Elephant' walking in and out of the Silver Grid (Local Chippy). And before I forget, some of you may have noticed the obvious discrepancy - there isn't actually Seven Sisters, but Six, after one was burned down a few years ago by some brain-dead 'Chav' who obviously had nowt else better to do than torch the Monument. Tosser! Ah well, he's cursed now - history and myth of the real Seven Sisters (Witches) will catch up with him sooner or later - card well and truly MARKED. Ah well, it is on that note that I shall wind up my latst Blog entry and finish off by telling you that another scribble or two will follow shortly. As mentioned earlier this week, I planned a visit to Bamburgh Castle on the Northumberland Coast, which is where I eventually ended up yesterday after planning and later postponing my previous attempts to photograph on location.So stay tuned for more low-light Sunrise photography, this time on the sand with the imposing Bamburgh Castle silhoutted against yet another dramatic sky as the sun rose. For a sneak preview check out my Historic Northumberland gallery over at ashleycorr.com (Images 24-27).

Full write-up coming soon.

Ash

Lumley Castle, Chester le Street

2012-01-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

Lumley Castle is a 14th century quadrangular castle at Chester-le-Street in the North of England, near to the city of Durham and a property of the Earl of Scarbrough. It is a Grade 1 listed building.

History
It is named for its original creator, Sir Ralph Lumley, who converted his family manor house into a castle in 1389 after returning from wars in Scotland. However, after being implicated in a plot to overthrow Henry IV he was imprisoned and ultimately executed, forfeiting his lands to the Earl of Somerset. In 1421 the ownership of the Castle reverted to Sir Ralph Lumley's grandson, Thomas. By the nineteenth century, the castle had become the residence of the Bishop of Durham, after Bishop Van Mildert gave his residence of Durham Castle to the newly founded University of Durham. The castle thus became a hall of residence for University College, Durham. Castlemen, as the students of University College, Durham are known, spent their first year at Lumley Castle and subsequent years in the Castle at Durham. Lumley Castle was sold in the 1960s by University College to fund the building of the Moatside residential halls in central Durham, in order to keep all students on the same site. The role of Lumley Castle in University College's history is still commemorated by students in the biannual 'Lumley Run'.

Hauntings
In 2005, the touring Australian cricket team was said to have been haunted during their stay at Lumley Castle. Shane Watson got so spooked that he slept on the floor of teammate Brett Lee's room. Even the Australia media officer Belinda Dennett said: "Several of the players were uneasy although a lot of them in the morning said they were fine." Australia are not the only cricket team to said to have been scared by hauntings. In 2000, three members of the West Indian cricket team, including captain Jimmy Adams, checked out of the same hotel because they were scared.

Today
In 1976, management of the castle was handed over to No Ordinary Hotels (although the property is still in the possession of Lord Scarbrough), who had the castle turned into the 59-bedroomed hotel it is today. It is also a picturesque backdrop for Durham County Cricket Club's Riverside Ground, which was first used in 1995.

These two shots were taken at dusk yesterday evening. There were a scattering of parked cars on the drive in front of the castle, which hampered my chances of getting the shots I wanted, so I improvised and done the best I could. Ancient castles and brand new Mercedes cars don't go hand in hand! A very photogenic castle is this - the grounds and nearby golf course are very well kept and there's Squirrels all over the place - photographing them is a different ball game altogether.

Back soon with more shots of the Seven Sisters, Houghton le Spring.

Until then, see ya.

Ash

2012 - Another Year In Photography

2012-01-11T09:49:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to each and every visitor to ashleycorr.com - I hope the festive period was a good one and that the new year has started well for you. Me, well, I always over-indulge during the Christmas holidays, as you do, especially where the grub and grog are concerned, so now is a time of false New Year Resolutions once again. Visit the gym, get in trim, get a proper diet and tow the line - yeah, right...(reaches for the phone to order another curry from his local 'Injunz').

The Christmas/ New Year period was a very quiet one for Mr Corr. Only got out once with the camera and that was to bump up my 'Event Coverage' page by photographing the Boxing Day Dip at Seaburn, Sunderland. Apart from that little outing I was totally anonymous with the camera for ten days, so the time has come to continue my days out 'On Manoeuvres' so to speak. I'm planning some low-light work during the next few days and that will include visits to Lambton Castle (Chester-Le-Street), Seven Sisters (Houghton le Spring), and finally the main event - my long awaited visit to the Northumberland Coast for a shot at some sunrise photography on the beach near Bamburgh Castle. Saturday 14th will see me make the one-hour car journey up to the Castle, getting me there with plenty of time to set up my gear in time for sunrise at 8.25am. Just one snag though, I'm out for a birthday meal at an exclusive 'Injun' restaurant on Friday night so I'd better opt for a 'Mild One' as I don't to be searching for a public convenience in the middle of Bamburgh sand dunes at 7.30am!

Finally, thanks to those kind folk who have prepared me nicely for the nuclear 'Fall Out' the morning after my too regular hot curries. I have been given a whole manner of items to aid my recovery in the 'Ring Sting' department - Ring Of Fire Toilet Wipes, Vinda Loo Roll, not to mention those condiments that cause the bother in the first place - Spontaneous Combustion Hot Sauce, Dave's Insanity Sauce (Special Reserve), along with countless Air Fresheners! Oh dear, I've got myself a dodgy reputation due to my passion for those 'Injun' culinary delights. I must wise up for 2012 and get with the program!

Anyway, that's enough of the prattle. I may return with a 'Curry Tale' at a later date, but for now I'll leave it at that and get down to the task in hand - some new photographs to kick off 2012. I'll catch ya soon folks - very soon. Until then...neck those chilli's and send your recommendations my way. Always on the look out for all things spicey, despite the greater looseness of the stool.

I can be contacted here - enquiries@ashleycorr.com
Ash

Boxing Day Dip 2011, Sunderland

2011-12-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

I was in two minds whether to bother with this one. It's been a while since I updated my Event Coverage section at ashleycorr.com so that was one good reason to turn out, but the blustery winds were in danger of getting the better of my indecision. I decided to man-up and get myself down to the coast at Seaburn, Sunderland to photograph my second Boxing Day Dip - the first one I covered was 2009 and a brief blog write up of the event can be found her e. Cut and pasted from the online Sunderland Echo newspaper - 14th October, 2011 - It's time to get ready for Sunderland’s 2011 Boxing Day Dip. Hundreds of hardy souls with more charity than sense brave the freezing waters of the North Sea at Seaburn every year in Sunderland Lions Club’s event. This will be the 37th Dip and entries are already coming in – so don’t hang about in getting your form in or you might miss out. Lions spokeswoman Anne Fielding “Last year, 875 dippers took the plunge at Seaburn, raising £60,958 for some 69 different charitable organisations. “Just how brilliant is that? We look forward to this year’s dip being equally successful.”
From penguins and superheroes to characters from Star Wars and Alice in Wonderland, fund-raisers donned a range of wacky costumes for last year’s event. Club president Pam Oliver will make history this year when she dons a sexy lion costume to become the first president to enter the water.

I left the house quite early, giving myself ample time travel to Seaburn and get parked without any delays in time for the 11.00am start. I wish all event coverage was as easy as this one - I got in and out with no problems whatsoever, and even got parked on the doorstep, so to speak. After the event I even had time to grab a nice tray of chips from the shop on Seaburn Promenade, which was empty when I walked in! But enough of that - here a a few photographs I took during this cold, windy day. Well worth the effort though, looking back. To view a full slideshow of 26 images from this event click here.

Cheers, Ash

Lakes Weekender 2 (Last Night At Camp)

2011-12-24T11:37:00.000-08:00

And so it was, back to camp to put our feet up round a blazing open fire. We'd collected a fair whack of fire wood on our journey through the woods at Scarness, so once we touched base I prepared the meal while the others went in search for more wood to burn. I fetched a box of 20 Fosters from the car, which was met with approval from Carlos as he returned with a few logs. Massive portions of Pasta Bolognese were put away, in similar fashion to the lager as we sat round the fire to rest those aching muscles. Brian fell asleep at one point - I remember it well. We had a great weekend and once again I can't wait for our next trip, planned for Spring 2012 and an assault on Helvellyn via Striding Edge, check out a video clip of it here. Certainly not for the faint-hearted, and I'm shit scared of heights! Mind you, I got over Sharp Edge in one piece so I should manage this one no bother, ahem! Until then, a few more photo's of our base camp at Scarness in the Lake District. Have a Happy Christmas and a Great New Year!!!

Ash

Lakes Weekender 2 (Skiddaw Summit To Ground Level)

2011-12-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

Skiddaw summit to ground level...

In this case 'Ground level' is another name for the Ravenstone Hotel, which is where our challenge started, way back at 10am - seems like an age!

After a 10 minute rest on the summit of Skiddaw, we made our way back down the loose slate path that we struggled with earlier. Of course it was much easier going down than up, but still a testing time for the ankles and knees, as well as the ever aching leg muscles that got us up there in the first place. Although there was still much work to do, it was all down hill from here and we headed off with a smile on our faces. Mission accomplished - it was a toughie but you learn to grit your teeth and push yourself. Had I been on my own I doubt I would have reached the summit - I probably would have thrown in the towel half way up Ullock Pike. My first photo (shown here) was taken just as we began our descent of Skiddaw and the time was 12:57pm - we had to get our skates on before the hotel bar closed, so we had a spurt on, alright. Lee led the way - he must have been promised a free pint, he he. I had much more freedom to take photographs now, as I was so much focused on reaching the summit on the way up that I cast aside any thoughts of stopping to photograph the views. That, coupled with mental exhaustion and my inability to lift the camera up to my eye, he he. I did manage to record a few HD movie clips on my phone though, despite the howling wind spoiling the audio accompaniment.

We continued to have the odd breather on the way down - see my second photo of the group on Carl Side, pausing before our approach to the summit of Ullock Pike. There were very few walkers about at this point, although we did pass a few that were heading in the same direction as us. The sun was quite low, so anyone coming up at this time would have been cutting it fine for a return before sundown. With my supplies of Red Bull and chocolate now spent, it was a case of holding out until we reached the hotel for any kind of refreshment. I'd worked up a decent appetite during this fell walk, so it was music to the ears when Davey announced that Spaghetti Bolognese was on tonights menu, followed by Rice Pudding, cooked on an open camp fire. I'm sure he thought of it gave us an extra gear as we picked up momentum going down the hill.

Again, the views were excellent as we made good time on our journey back to ground level. Probably the best view bar none was that of Bassenthwaite lake from the summit of Ullock Pike. Picture 3 (shown here) is that very view, with the contours of the waters edge turning in and out, showing a series of headlands in the process. The land lay like a patchwork quilt, with its many segregated fields, although I expected much more colour as Autumn was now in full swing. Can't complain though - it's not every day you come across a view like this. And the view stretched far and wide. Visibility was still high and the eye could see as far north as the Solway Firth and its line-up of turbine windmills in the far distance. We still had some distance to cover but this passed quickly with jovial banter accompanying us on the last part of our descent. We could sense that the hotel was just minutes away and joked about it being closed once we reached it, after all we'd battled through earlier. The thought was unbearable, so we changed the subject.

We were almost there. This last photo of us on our walk was taken at 14:17pm, so it had only taken us an hour and a quarter to reach this point from the summit of Skiddaw. As you can see, we almost home and dry - Davy, Carlos and Lee lead the way, with me behind and Brian behind me. Fifteen minutes later we arrived at Ravenstone Hotel, absolutey knackered. Davey went in, looking for signs of life, while the rest of us took the weight off our feet by taking advantage of the spare seats on the hotel drive. Davey popped his head out the door and beckoned us in - we were in luck! We headed through to a small bar at the back of the hotel - we had the place to ourselves, which was ideal. Five pints of San Miguel on draught and that was it - there was a danger of us being there til midnight, but after two more pints we called it a day and headed back across the pastures to base camp. It was a lovely calm, bright evening with no breeze at all
and the 20 minute walk across the fields without standing in cow-shit wasn't as easy as one might think. We were collecting wood on the way, which was destined for another trademark 'Lloydo' camp fire as evening fell. We all got back to camp safely, although knackered by this time, and it was now time for further relaxation, with the aid of food and alcohol.

Here are two more photo's, taken in the Ravenstone Hotel. Good memories!
One last blog entry to follow of our Lakes Weekender 2, coming shortly.
Until then, see ya, Ash

Lakes Weekender 2 (Ullock Pike to Skiddaw Summit)

2011-12-24T05:29:00.000-08:00

The final ascent of Skiddaw awaited us. We had the benefit of a 15 minute break to refuel our bodies before the final push and although this was a big help, it never felt like it once we began the final climb. This was a killer and I don't mind admitting it. We were already two hours into our fell walk/climb so there wasn't a great deal left in the tank, so to speak, but we had come this far and there was now little or no option to see the task through. Brian had confessed to Davey that he didn't think he could go any further at this point, but with those wise words of encouragement from Davey "Just get on with it man, what's a matter with ya", Brian was soon on his feet and contemplating the task ahead. Davey never did mince his words, he he. What we had endured since our walk began was nothing less than very testing terrain for even the most experienced fell walker. The majority of it was steep ascent, coupled with the odd scramble or two, but below boot was hard rock and ground, not the stuff we were about to come across. The last thing a fell walker wants at this point is loose slate under foot, and we were about to tackle this on our final steep push to Skiddaw summit. The first two photographs give you an idea of what I'm talking about. As I made my first few steps up this punishing slope the weak slate gave way under my boots, making the whole episode much harder than I first anticipated. I remember stopping and looking towards the summit, inwardly hoping someone could magically beam me up and plonk me at the top, escaping the ordeal that lay before me. As the lads passed me at this point I remember making a sudden surge to reclaim my slot near the front of the pack, not wanting to drift further back and finish the day as a knackered heap at the back of the pack. Looking back now, I often wonder where I generated that last burst of energy to reach the pinnacle - when the going gets tough...

Lee shouted at pointed to his right. On an adjoining path up the scree hill was what I can only describe as a nutcase. Yes, some geezer was riding down from Skiddaw summit on a monutain bike! I could have swore I was hallucinating. Yes, there he was - we marveled at his style as he flew down that hill of weak slate like his life depended on it. He was enjoying the moment, that's for sure. Who'd blame him - he must have nearly killed himself getting that bike all he way up there. And there was little old me thinking 'I' should be the one who needed my head looking at, he he. The final push seemed to last forever and just when I thought I could see the end of the line, there was that little bit extra to go, then more, and a bit more after that. I reached the top of the hill but then there'd be another peak further on, so it was much more of the same punishment that made you laugh with hysteria eventually. When I did finally reach the summit, Lee and Carlos had already been there for ten minutes or so. They were smiling broadly but I wasn't sure whether that was due to the realisation that they'd crossed the finish line or whether it was simply cos' they were supping Carlsberg as their reward. They kept that one quiet - smuggling beer up a northern fell should be outlawed, especially as they didn't carry one for me (the pair of knackers!!!).

Davey soon followed. He'd hung back to encourage Brian, who was just about dead on his feet by this point, but job very well done nevertheless (picture 3). I too was fust about finished by this point and the handicap of carrying a backpack of camera gear had definately hindered my progress up the mountain. I often wondered what posessed me to carry a 'Breeze block' on my back, and now it was time for a return. Out came the camera and I snapped away uncontrollably. The views were stunning, which made up for the freezing cold wind that was now hammering us at the summit. There were maybe 30-40 other fell walkers amongst us, all admiring the views at all sides. This was certainly a moment to savour - all that hard graft was well worth the end result. We sat for a few minutes behind a man made slate wall, sheltering from the wind, before getting to our feet and beginning the arduous task of returning to ground level - another hour and a half of torture for the joints!

The mountain structure of Skiddaw can be described as a network of sloping ridges. The actual summit of Skiddaw itself is a long straight ridge running from north to south with a number of lesser summits along its route. So in addition to the main summit, Skiddaw also has a north top, middle top and south top, some with little difference in height. Wainwright notes that Skiddaw summit "... takes the form of a stony, undulating ridge exceeding 3000 ft throughout its length of almost half a mile and provides a glorious promenade high in the sky where one can enjoy a rare feeling of freedom and escape from a world far below, and, for a time, forgotten "(Wainwright 1962, Skiddaw 22). This main ridge is connected from the south east by Skiddaw Little Man, a shorter ridge with the main summit at 865 meters. From the south west there is the curving ridge that connects Ullock Pike, Longside and Carl Side.

With Skiddaw conquered, plus Ullock Pike and the adjoining Carl Side and Long Side, that was four more peaks ticked off. This walk was my toughest yet, make no mistake. Carlos commented on the experience for him, saying 'It's one of the hardest things I've ever done.' Yet he strolled it, for me. At 48 years, and the oldest of our group, he negotiated the task very well indeed, defying his years. It was therefore ironic that the oldest geezer should reach the summit first and the youngest should show up last. It was 'Well done' to each of us, and I for one am looking forward to the next one. We had a good laugh from Friday to Sunday and for weeks beyond that, come to think of it. What, with disappearing toilet rolls, septic tanks, out of date sandwiches and speed camera's, who knows what awaits us the next time! That's half the fun though - it is what it is.

The final installment of Lakes Weekender 2 will be here shortly, with more scenic photo's taken on our descent, by yours truly, plus a few capsite shots of the lads. Until then, thanks for stopping by.
Ash

Lakes Weekender 2 (Climbing Ullock Pike)

2011-12-24T02:38:00.000-08:00

Before the journey starts it might be a good time to announce the players this time around. It was four plus one for our Lakes Weekender 2. The original four consisted of myself, Lee, Davey and Brian, and the latest recruit, Carlos - oldest member of the squad at 48. This was to be Carlos' first fell walk, so he didn't have a great deal of catching up to do - this was only Brian's second, my fourth, with Lee and Davey ahead of that tally. The five of us sat round a big camp fire the night before, on the edge of Lake Bassenthwaite. As it was October, darkness fell around six-ish, so there was little to do other than congregate round the fire, chat, and drink lots of beer. A full cool box of Foster's Gold bit the dust, washing down our late meal of barbecued Steak, beans and potatoes, which went down a treat. The wind got up towards the end of the night, by which time we were a bit worse for wear and headed back to the three tents nearby. The night was over and a good sleep was needed before our task ahead the next day. This was put in danger when I staggered back to my tent - my inflatable airbed was doing a grand impression of a knackered one! Aye, the b*stard was as flat as a pancake. I certainly wasn't gonna attempt a puncture repair at this hour, not that I was capable of it anyway after a belly full of beer, he he. The next morning I was a bit worse for wear. I got a few hours sleep but that was broken. It didn't help due to the fact that I'd spent the whole night lying on a hard floor that was the farmers field. My whole body was aching and my head felt like it had been whacked with the business end of a shovel! Not nice, and I can almost hear those nagging motherly words of 'Well, ya stupid bugger, it your own daft fault.' I fried a pan full of sausages for the troops as Davey made us a brew. Everyone looked like shit, as expected. He he, this fell walk is gonna be a laugh! What was it again?...3,054 feet of ascent !!!!!!! With breakfast over we got our gear together and began our trek across the fields near Scarness towards the main road (A591), reaching the Ravenstone Hotel, some 20 minutes later. Ullock Pike was now right in front of us, towering over us infact, so we kicked off a days walking in fine weather, for October at least.

The stats - Start: Ravenstone Hotel, A591 .....Start (OS ref): NY235296..... Finish: Ravenstone Hotel..... Map (1:25,000): OL4 The English Lakes North Western area Distance: 6.6 miles (10.7 km).....Time: 4 - 5 hours..... Difficulty: Hard..... Climbing: 977 metres (3,054 feet)..... Hazards: Steep climbs and descents.

Well, Davey (Scout Leader) doesn't entertain Tourist Routes, so were greeted with a steep incline to begin our fell walk onto Ullock Pike - Cheers Davey! It woke me up from my morning lethargy immediately as I was climbing steeply from the first step and eventually through Dyke Nook. I pushed myself up the incline for the weather was promised fair and I wanted to get into the open and take in the first views from the mountain. Soon we reached a gate which took us onto the open fell. We had done 200 metres and climbed 80, resting briefly at the gate to catch our breath. As we did so I could see signs of a great day ahead, the weather was sound for October. We made our way through the gate and followed the Allerdale Ramble route toward Ling How. I was jiggered by this point and so were the others, although now was said, he he. This walking lark doesn't get any easier but the rewards inevitably push you on and it wasn't long before we caught our first sight of Ullock Pike. It was still a distance away, and with lots of steep incline to get past, but it there for all to see. Spectacular views unfolded before us - not just in front of us, but breathtaking 360 degree panoramic vista's. Although we were feeling the strain we offered words of encouragement to keep us going. As we approached the Carl Side/Long Side ridge we were greeted with the highest point, the grand slate laden summit of Skiddaw. Immediately Ullock Pike was the draw which appeared as a majestic rounded dome from our route to it. We had now conquered the first part of our gruelling fell walk - 2,270 feet of ascent, with only 784 feet remaining!

Again we paused for breath, taking in the brilliant views, especially towards Bassenthwaite lake and Broadness Farm, where we had set up camp (see picture). Again, it has to be said that the weather was very kind to us - we weren't expecting much during the run-up to our visit, as the weather in this part of the country is very unpredictable at the best of times, not least in October. Visibility was excellent, making the whole experience another one to remember. The usual banter was exchanged between us as we pressed on across the Carl Side/Long Side ridge, with a noticable lift in spirits as Skiddaw Summit was now in reach. We'd been on the move for a couple of hours now and the old legs were taking a bit of a hammering. To paint a picture, Carl Side is a flattish domed hill covered in grass. From Carl Side the final ascent of Skiddaw is grassless, a grey black mound of weak slate that crumbles under the impact of feet. Ahead of us were groups of walkers struggling up the incline from Carl Side to the top plateau. I could see they were working hard, not just to make the ascent but also to keep their feet. Before the final ascent we decided to take lunch - probably a wise move because we'd never really had a decent rest since the walk began, almost two hours ago. We had a few two-minute stops en route, but it was now 'Time out' for a bite to eat and a drink to re-hydrate that weary body. I had a large bottle of Red Bull, a Mars Bar and a bag of peanuts - see, I told you I ate rubbish! The others were tucking into similar goodies as Brian unveiled a pack of Chicken sandwiches - but the least said about them the better! Well, we were almost there. One last push and the summit was ours. Here are a few more photographs to be going on with. The final part of the journey comes next - Skiddaw Summit.

Until then, thanks for reading.
Ash

Group Shot (L-R) Lee, Brian, Ash, Carlos, Davey

Lakes Weekender 2 (Ullock Pike & Skiddaw)

2011-12-24T01:19:00.000-08:00

"There'll be a lot more walking this time, so 'Be prepared', as the Scouts would say" (Davey Lloyd - one week before departure).

After an enjoyable time in the Lake District back in June 2011, on our first 'Lakes Weekender' (Blencathra), we quickly put together a plan for our next trip across the A66, which came to fruition in October. It was business as usual as we camped at the same location for two nights - Friday to Sunday, and after successfully negotiating Blencathra and its rather intimidating 'Sharp Edge', we obviously wanted a new challenge, and this came in the shape of a double-barrelled assault on Ullock Pike and Skiddaw. For a bunch of Forty-Something's, these fell walks - climbs - scrambles, whatever you want to call them, are no picnic, yet if you're physically fit, make regular visits to the gym, and eat all the right things, then you should find this kind of experience quite a doddle. Unfortunately I don't do any of those things - I don't profess to be fit, I don't know what the inside of a gym looks like, and as for eating healthy food...he he, I'll not even bother going there! My only advantage was the fact that I already had Blencathra in the bag, yes, Sharp Edge too (albeit an arse-twitching experience of the highest order, he he), so I knew the workload and was capable of crossing the finish line. However, as the opening line of this blog entry suggests, this weekends task was going to push the limits, as Ullock Pike & Skiddaw was to prove a tougher proposition than Blencathra, although you have to be thankful for small mercy's - there was no ridge scramble on this trip (Phew!!!). So, in essence, the plan was to reach Skiddaw Summit from our starting point at the Ravenstone Hotel, on the A591, rattling off Ullock Pike, Long Side and Carl Side on the way.

A little bit of background info...

Ullock Pike is a fell situated in northern part of the English Lake Distict. It is located seven kilometres north west of Keswick and achieves a height of 692 metres (2270 feet). The fell sits on Skiddaw’s south western ridge along with two other fells (Long Side and Carl Side), this ridge is regarded as the finest way to ascend Skiddaw, with Alfred Wainwright commenting:
“There is no doubt in my mind that by far the best approach to the top of Skiddaw is by way of its north-west ridge. This offers a fine expedition along a narrow crest in exciting surroundings and provides excellent views throughout … for the collector of summits here are three waiting to be picked off in addition to Skiddaw”. (photo 1 - Ullock Pike & Little Dodd, from Scarness, Lake Bassenthwaite).

Skiddaw is a mountain in the Lake District National Park in England. With a summit at 931 m (3,054 ft) above sea level it is the fourth highest mountain in England. It lies just north of the town of Keswick, Cumbria, and dominates the skyline in this part of the northern lakes. It is the simplest of the Lake District mountains of this height to ascend (as there is a well-trodden tourist track from a car park to the north-east of Keswick, near the summit of Latrigg) and, as such, many walking guides recommend it to the occasional walker wishing to climb a mountain.
The mountain lends its name to the surrounding areas of "Skiddaw Forest", and "Back o' Skidda'" and to the isolated "Skiddaw House", situated to the east, formerly a shooting lodge and subsequently a youth hostel. It also provides the name for the slate derived from that region: Skiddaw Slate. Tuned percussion musical instruments or lithophones exist which are made from the slate, such as the Musical Stones of Skiddaw held at Keswick Museum and Art Gallery. (photo 2 - Skiddaw Summit)

Now that you're aquainted with Ullock Pike & Skiddaw, and what lay ahead of us, it's now time for the story and pictures.

Coming next...

Ash

Roker Pier - Open At Last!

2011-12-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

Continuing the Lighthouse theme for one more day, I was glad to see that Roker Pier was reopened recently, after months of closure whilst repairs were administered to the weather beaten concrete structure. It was purely by chance that I noticed the pier was open. I had earlier visited a stretch of coastline at Seaham Harbour, hoping for some good sunrise shots, but alas there was very little colour in the sky shortly before sunrise, so I headed towards Sunderland. I stopped off at Hendon beach, another place that I had never previously visited, but again there was little or no promise in what lay in front of me so I got back in the car and headed for Roker. This place has become something of a comfort zone for me down the years, a place that I'm very familiar with and there's always a decent photo or three to be had here. I was driving along the coastal road past Roker Hotel when I glanced across towards Roker Pier, surprised that there was actually people walking along it. The pier had been closed for months because of damage to the structure, and many a time I'd gone down there hoping to photograph the lighthouse at sunrise, but the gates were locked. That was it - I drove down, parked up, then passed through the gates and approached Roker Lighthouse with camera at the ready.

I passed a few fisherman en route. God knows how long they'd been fishing - probably an all-nighter by their haggered appearance. The sun was now shining brightly in an almost cloudless blue sky. Cold it certainly was, so I had little intention of prolonging my visit, despite the fact I'd waited months on end for it. The North Sea didn't look that rough, but the occasional crashing wave smacked against the pier wall and soaked its deck every now and again, so I was rather vigilant of the fact in the hope of avoiding an almighty soaking. The blinding sun hit the stone cobbles of the pier in front of me. A strong shadow of the perimeter fencing was cast across the floor, letting me know immediately that a potential photo was right in front of me. I waited until one of fisherman cast out his line firing the shutter at the right moment. A sense of action added something extra to the shot, as opposed to static figures with little or no purpose to the scene. I think it worked quite well. If there's people in a shot it's best to get them working for you as best you can - just wait for the precise moment to present itself! My first shot (above) demonstrates the 'Moment' - a fisherman that looks like a fisherman.

I walked the length of Roker Pier, circling the Lighthouse at the end, before a brief stop to photograph another fisherman who was reeling in a raking bite. He landed a canny size cod, which brought a wide smile before it was tapped on its head and thrown into a box nearby. No doubt his frying pan was was the eventual destination of his fresh catch! Who would deny the fella a nice fish supper eh - the poor bugger had probably been fishing all night for it.

Well, whadda ya know - Roker Pier open for business once again. Looks like I'll be back soon. Thanks for stopping by,

Ash

St Mary's Island, Whitley Bay

2011-12-16T14:36:00.000-08:00

At this time of year my low-light shots always seem to take precedence over any other photography I have planned, mainly due to the short days and convenient times when the light is low. I recently turned out at St Mary's Island, on the Northumberland Coast near Whitley Bay. Another early rise and a 25 minute journey via the Tyne Tunnel to this coastal haunt that has become more of a regular thing for me during recent weeks. Today was one of those disappointing days when the sunrise wasn't a sunrise and drizzle was most definately drizzle - a wipe out in photography terms and certainly not what I was hoping for. I'm sure those people at the Met Office have inside information of when I'm planning a trip up the coast as they always say the right things but the weather on the actual day is quite often a far cry from their earlier prediction. Maybe these weather apps for mobile phones aren't what they're cracked up to be, eh. Ah well, with a 'No Show' from Mr Sun it was a simple case of taking a few photo's for the sheer sake of it, so here are a couple of efforts from last Sunday's visit. I wasn't aware that St Mary's Lighthouse was lit up during the night and this was the first time I'd actually seen it in artificial colour. The tide was very low so the causeway was accessible, although I only photographed from the first half of it and went no further. This is the point where small pools of sea water offer reflection and this lends some content to the shot, rather than a messy foreground, which would have definately been the case with a clutter of rocks without the water. I was the only mug on site today! The last few times I've been here there's been at least 3 other people following suit, but not today folks - just the one 'Muggins' flogging a dead horse, he he. Aye, just wait til the next time though - I'll show ya how it's done (wink). The best part of my 30 minute stay was getting back into the car and opening a flask of coffee. The accompanying Mini Roll made the experience even better, so I sat there and indulged - this was as good as it got, unfortunately. Thank god for Mini-Rolls and allowing myself to be very easily pleased.

The heaters were on and I left the scene. Ah well, with this one behind me I have a feeling I'll hit the bullseye next time. Rough with the smooth, and all that jazz...

Until then, AC

Roker Sunrise, Sunderland

2011-12-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I set the alarm clock for an early rise and headed off towards Roker, on the North-East coast of England, for another crack at some sunrise photography. As expected, it was brass monkey weather and I asked myself once again 'What the hell am I doing', as I swapped a warm comfy bed for a freezing cold walk along the beach at Roker in search of a decent viewpoint before the sun showed up. As said many times before on the owld Blog, you have to do this kinda thing to get sunrise shots and Winter time is the softer option as the sun rises at a sensible time. A few layers kept the chill at bay for the most part, but you can never escape the cold altogether so you learn to suck the preverbial lemon and simply get on with the task in hand. The real pisser (pardon the french) is when you make the effort at the crack of dawn and the sun doesn't show up - or if it does it heads straight behind a low bank of cloud on the horizon just as soon as it has risen. Been there a few times - not nice - balls like prunes and icicles forming on the end of one's nose - never again! A flask of coffee comes in handy when you eventually return to the car, but unscrewing the lid is an ordeal and a half when your hands have seized up during a sub-zero temperature. Yes folks, photography has a knack of drawing you in and spitting you out like a spent force, but who gives a hoot when you've bagged a batch of good un's on the owld memory card, he he.

Hey, enough of the prattle, here is a small selection of shots that I pulled in during my recent visit to 'The Beach'. The first shot is a panoramic stitch of two exposures, shot from the sands of Roker Beach near its iconic pier and lighthouse. The incoming tide forms the foreground to this shot and the angle of the pier sweeps across the frame in a snake like fashion until it reaches the lighthouse. The dawn sky probably makes the picture what it is - without it the result would be quite bland, IMHO, but we all love a nice colourful sky, eh. The sun was about to rise when I panned across between the two shots, but the low cloud cover had its say and the drama was lessened by the orange ball's absence. Ah well, still a decent shot. My second was taken after I left the beach and headed back onto dry land. In front of me stood what I can only describe as a marble effect 'Viewfinder' that was positioned in such a way that the viewer (me) could look straight across towards Roker Pier. The opposite side of the 'Viewfinder' appeared to look like the aperture blades of a conventonal camera lens, so I was obviously barking up the right tree in this case. Standing there almost numb to the bone by this time, I grabbed a single shot and returned rather gingerly to my car which was parked nearby. Heaters on full blast to blow some life back into the old dog then it was off up the hill and into the car park of Roker Hotel. Now warmed through and returned to slight sense of normality, I was back into the fresh air and taking my last few shots from the main road that overlooked Roker Beach. A decent viewpoint, it has to be said, with a highter viewpoint and a good angle to photograph the pier from. And this is it (shot 3), after sunrise but still no sun in the shot as the clouds were also calling 'The Shots'. And that was enough for me - done!

Still planning that jaunt up the Northumberland Coast for more sunrise shots, so I'll keep you up to speed with that one. Bamburgh Castle - now that should be worth looking forward to. Prunes and Custard, anyone?

Later, Ash

Tyne-Tees Television (Parts 29-34)

2011-12-03T07:52:00.000-08:00

Hello again!
It's been a while since I posted any video clips on my Blog page, so without further ado...
To be honest, I haven't submitted many photographs to Tyne-Tees Television in 2011 for one reason or another so I'll have to get my arse back into gear and do the necessary. Here are my most recent efforts, which have been sitting on my hard drive for weeks now. I've uploaded three weather photographs to each video player below and they are as featured...

29. Seven Sisters, Copt Hill, Houghton le Spring
30. Catbells, Northern Fells, English Lake District
31. Bassenthwaite & Ullock Pike, Lake District

32. Angel Of The North, Gateshead
33. Angel Of The North, Gateshead
34. Seven Sisters, Copt Hill, Houghton le Spring

Until the next time...

Ash

Penshaw Nursery & Tea Rooms

2011-11-26T04:42:00.000-08:00

In late 2008 I began exhibiting and selling my work in Penshaw Tea Rooms, Tyne & Wear. I have sold dozens of framed prints, canvasses and mounted prints, as well as postcards featuring Penshaw Monument, which overlooks the Tea Rooms from nearby Penshaw Hill. This place does a roaring trade throughout the year and especially during its two peak seasonal periods of Spring and Winter. The site was originally opened to the public as a Nursery, offering many plants and hanging baskets as well as garden ornaments like oak tubs and bird tables. Business was extended to include an on site Tea Room, which was something of a coup for the owners who have never looked back since getting the go-ahead from the local council. Situated off the main Penshaw to Sunderland road, and opposite Herrington Country Park, Penshaw Nursery & Tea Rooms is a very busy passing place that attracts visitors from far afield. Here is a brief insight, cut and pasted from the brand new official web site...

Converted 3 years ago from an old stable block, Penshaw Tea Room & Nursery are a family-run business located adjacent to the Penshaw Monument. The Victorian monument is designed in the style of a Greek Temple, and has been a muse for many a local artist over the decades. Some of the artwork of the Monument by local photographer Ashley Corr is exhibited and sold in the tea room. The tea rooms sell fresh, homemade fayre and many of their ingredients are locally sourced. Their traditional scones are notoriously popular. Set in a beautiful, airy converted barn, exposed beams and large windows create a warm and friendly atmosphere, truly making the most of the stunning surroundings of the tea room.

Penshaw nurseries have been selling homegrown fruit and veg since 1988, and now brothers Robert and Tony sell a range of perennials and roses. They also pot their own hanging baskets on site.

Visit the official web site -
Penshaw Tea Rooms – A room with a view

A large range of my work is now available to buy in Penshaw Tea Rooms, including a selection of seasonal prints which feature Penshaw Monument after last years snowfall. Seasonal prints tend to sell very well at this time of year, especially when they can be given as Christmas presents to those who maybe have a special affinity to this well know iconic landmark. Tony Green, co-owner of the Nursery & Tea Rooms, told me he'd had interest from as far as Australia since the new web site went live recently. A midnight phonecall from down under came as a surprise when he was told how the caller was due to visit Sunderland with her family and how excited they were at the prospect of visiting Penshaw Monument after browsing the new web site. No doubt they were also planning to stop off for a coffee and a fat chunk of gateaux whilst relaxing in the room with a view. It has to be said that the food is top notch - all prepared freshly, using locally sourced ingredients. I tried the steak sandwich with caramelised onions and it certainly hit the right spot - that's another freebie you owe me Tony, for the free plug, he he.

In Summer 2011 Penshaw Nursery & Tea Rooms was featured on Radio Newcastle. A live broadcast was aired during a busy mid-week morning at the site, and presenter Sue Sweeney commented on the 'Lovely pictures adorning the walls'. A nice piece of exposure for Ashley Corr Photography - can't be bad, eh.

So, if you're in the region and fancy taking the weight off ya feet, pop into Penshaw Tea Rooms - A room with a view. Oh, and don't forget to check out those frames on the wall (wink).

Later, Chaps and Chapesses

More Autumn Colours, 2011

2011-11-25T13:17:00.000-08:00

As Autumn passes and December draws nearer, I'd like to share a few more colourful photo's that I took during a recent run-out with my camera. Four shots have been added to today's blog entry and they were mostly taken in Durham City, with the exception of one - St Peter's Church, Sunderland.

Haway then, here's the first one. Nowt special, just a random shot that was taken as I walked through a wooded area in Durham City, in search of a vantage point on Whinney Hill that overlooked Durham's dramatic Cathedral. The sun shone brightly through the tree's as I headed up a steep wooded bank towards the top of the hill, on the outskirts of a built up residential area. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the Autumn colours were well and truly on display, so it was now a case of leaving the woods behind and hunting down that vantage point. Before that though I took a couple of shots in the woods, especially as the floor was a carpet of golden brown. There were squirrel's everywhere, but photographing them was another matter of course - these creatures were hard to pin down with a lens, so I gave up the ghost after five minutes or so. Back to the task in hand - up the bank, over a stile, and into the pasture that became the place I'd been hunting down for the past 30 minutes or so.

And here I was. Three Sycamore tree's lined the top of the hill beyond me as I made my approach, wondering what view would greet me at the top of the hill. The wait was soon over and I stood there for a short while, admiring Durham Cathedral from a totally new viewpoint for the very first time. The shot was right there in front of me and I paused for another moment to tell myself that although this place was totally new to me, it would be somewhere that I would be visiting a lot more in the near future. My regular vantage point to photograph Durham Cathedral is over the other side, near the railway station, but this one was equally as impressive and I could only imagine what it would offer at night time, when the Cathderal is lit-up. Aye, I promised myself I wouldn't have to wait too long to see that one, and you won't either as I plan to get back up there very soon so watch this space. Photographing Durham Cathedral at ground level is one thing, but capturing it from afar and from a modest height is something else. As I fired off a few frames I composed to include the Autumn colours in the foreground. The third shot (shown here) was taken from Whinney Hill and includes the roof tops of the nearby estate. I imagine a similar shot after a heavy snowfall would be one worth grabbing so I'll add that to the memory bank for future reference. My third shot was taken from my usual haunt near the Railway Station, and again features Durham Cathedral. A ten minute drive from my last stop-off at Whinney Hill - the views across the city are something else. There was no-one else on the hill while I was there so it was nice to have the place to myself. It is what it is - the money shots are here, it's a simple case of picking the right time to get them. Ten minutes later and I was out of there.

Finally, AC was back in God's Country and in the grounds of an ancient Anglo-Saxon church - St Peter's at Monkwearmouth. St Peter's Church, founded in 674AD, is one of the UK's first stone-built structures with the tower and west wall remaining as fine and rare examples of Saxon building. Fragments of the oldest stained glass in England are on display, dating from the 7th Century. The Venerable Bede, who lived and worked here, wrote an account of its foundation. St Peter's along with St Paul's has been short-listed as a World Heritage Site. The sun had risen only twenty minutes before I took this shot and I remember waiting as it rose above the trees to cast it's early morning light across the ancient stonework. I like this shot as it typifies Autumn in a picturesque fashion, although I wish there was more colour in the overhanging leaves that I used to frame the top of the shot. Ah well, baking my cake and eating it wasn't on today's menu so I settled for what was on offer.

And on that note I shall disappear. Until the next time...ta ta!

Ash

Autumn Colours, 2011

2011-11-03T01:55:00.000-07:00

Autumn shots have been few and far between this year, but I did manage to grab a few last week during a recent trip to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. It was a bright, sunny day and the seasonal colours were on display in Leazes Park, near the local football ground, (St James' Park) and as I was in the vacinity of SJP I was afraid I would break out in a nasty rash at any moment, but luckily that didn't happen. Maybe this was due to good preparation the day before - I visited my local GP who administered the necessary jabs! Infact, the only thing that did break out in Leazes Park was the Autumn colours. This was my first visit to the park and I was quite impressed with it - very tidy and well maintained, although I couldn't help but notice a stone eagle with its beak broken off due to obvious vandalism - evident signs of charver intervention, me thinks. You wouldn't witness such things in Sunderland mind you - No, because the whole eagle would have been smashed in, never mind its beak! Joking aside, Leazes Park was fairly quiet during my brief visit, give or take a few 'Student-y types' passing through. A barney broke out on the lake between a couple of Mute Swans and a cackle of Canada Geese, seemingly at odds over a slice of bread thrown to them by an Andy Capp lookalike. The drama was swiftly over when one of the swans clouted a goose over the head with its outstretched wing - it and the rest dispersed, quite sheepishly it must be said.

Whilst walking back through the park in the direction of the RVI Hospital, my eyes were drawn to a rather odd looking tree bark. Its yellow leaves were shining through the sunlight and a good shot suddenly appeared there and then. Overhanging branches give the shot some edge as I composed to suit. Just then a couple of 'Student-y types' ran up to the tree and swung from the branches in front of me as I was about to take some shots. Ignorant tw*ts (that's twits, by the way...wink!). Then one of them climbed up the tree and stood there looking down whilst his mates sparked up a conversation about nowt. They were obviously blind or taking the pittle, as they had total disregard for me being there, taking photo's right in front of them. Ah well, there's nowt as queer as folk, eh. I bided my time until they'd moved on before continuing with what I'd started. I got there eventually. There are plenty of photo opportunities in Leazes Park, and although the inclusion of the football ground wasn't part of todays plan, it probably will be the next time I visit. It dominated the top end of the park near the bandstand and the nearby tree lined paths added to a potential panoramic shot. I'll have to keep that one in mind for future reference.

After leaving Newcastle I headed home along the A1(M) past Team Valley Trading Estate. It was at this point I decided to stop off at the Angel Of The North, which was literally a couple of minutes drive away from this point of my journey. I was after another Autumn shot and as the Angel is almost surrounded in tree's I was hopeful that some would offer the colours I was looking for. When I arrived there were a few people taking photographs of their own so I had a scout about for a good spot and took it from there. I walked through a break in one of the wire fences and positioned myself near a small tree, facing the Angel. This was as good as it got - the leaves were on the turn and I used fill-in flash to give that extra punch to them in the foreground (shot 3, shown here). Nice blue sky and broken cloud filled the top of the frame and overall this was a decent shot as the sun bounced off the rusty structure that towered in front of me. The obligatory extra or two was added in the shape of passers by, which once again gave a sense of scale and finished the shot off quite well. And that was that, as they say. Back into the car and a stop-off at Washington B&Q for Chicken Curry & Chips. Well, it was mid-day and my stomach was dropping subtle hints that it had been neglected for a few hours. Time to compromise. Slightly miffed that the folks on the snack van hadn't replenished their stocks of 'Bick's Extra Hot Chilli Sauce' that I usually add to my Curry & Chips - now that stuff puts hairs on ya teeth! Last time out I over-indulged and the following day my arse was like the Japanese flag! He he, a gluton for punishment, you may claim, and I couldn't disagree, to be honest.

See ya next time,
Ash

Transporter Bridge, Middlesbrough

2011-10-27T03:09:00.000-07:00

Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge is 100 years old.

The structure was officially opened on 17 October 1911 by Prince Arthur of Connaught. Designed by Darlington-based Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Co, the bridge cost £87,316 to build. The Grade II-listed Transporter Bridge, linking Middlesbrough and Port Clarence, is one of only six of its type still operating in the world and the only one in England. At its peak in 1919, 5.1 million pedestrians crossed the bridge, compared to just 16,000 (and 120,000 vehicles) in 2010. Often threatened with closure in the past, it is now seen as Teesside's icon. The bridge has survived German bombing raids, been featured on TV and in films, and on the video and cover of the single High by the Lighthouse Family. The running of the bridge is funded by both Middlesbrough and Stockton councils. Motorists, it seems, are opting to use 100-year-old engineering rather than take the often jammed Tees flyover.

The bridge, which turns 100 on 17 October, is a sign of home to some, and a sign of great engineering to all. The giant blue steel structure joins Port Clarence to Middlesbrough across the River Tees, and although passengers are now on the up, they hit a low in 2006 when only 90,927 made use of the bridge. Now on the rise, more than 122,000 passengers have used the blue bridge's yellow gondola to cross the river in 2009. Pedestrians can even buy a ticket to walk across the top of the bridge. Those who do not have the stomach can board the gondola at one side of the river and be carried across to the other. Commuters form the traffic these days, with many shoppers and tourists using it during off peak periods. The bridge is not only a symbol of the industrial north, it has also far exceeded the working life envisaged by its designers when it opened to traffic in 1911.

Centenary celebrations included a concert, interactive light display and people bungee jumping off the bridge. The event spanned a total of two weeks and it wasn't until the penultimate night that I made the 30 minute journey down the A19 to grab some photographs before my chance had passed. I arrived at the site just after sundown, which was probably the best way to begin my visit as I captured a fine silhouette shot with the bright horizon positioned right behind the bridge. The Transporter shipped its last vehicle across the river shortly after six o' clock - my first shot captured the crossing, shown above (picture one). I got chatting to a Proffesional Photographer who'd travelled down from Newcastle to photograph the bridge. He told me the Transporter Bridge light show was due to begin at 7.30pm and seeing as it was only 6.15pm at this point I decided to nip off for something to eat and return later to catch the light show. Within fifteen minutes I found myself in a fish and chip shop at nearby Seaton Carew - no surprise there!

Belly full and back to Teesside via the many power stations en route. It was a bit nippy by this time but I was soon in position on the river bank and awaiting the light show. A few photographers had gathered with tripods nearby. At half-seven precise the light show began. Rotating spotlights covered almost every inch of the giant structure, producing a shimmering effect on the steel, in a similar way that water reflects on a subject during bright sunlight. It was quite spectacular! As the evening light subsided the job of photographing the bridge became more challenging. The bridge ends were almost impossible to see through the viewfinder, making composition a bit of a task and 'Tight crop' certainly wasn't in my plan. Gone was the deep blue sky, replaced by a muddy brown tone, but still offering a nice shot.

Approaching 8 bells and it was time for the off. Back up the A19 towards God's Country - BYE BYE SMOG!

Cheers, AC

Latrigg - The Lake District

2011-10-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

Another fell walk...

It was back to the English Lake District once again for a one-night camping stint at Castlerigg Farm near Keswick. The day hadn't started very well as we witnessed a derby day defeat to Newcastle at the Stadium Of Light, Sunderland. The weather was the only good thing about the match - the sun was beating down and it was definately tee-shirt weather at the tail end of Summer. We were hoping for much of the same as we left Sunderland and headed across the A66 to begin our camping trip. We were half way there when the weather took a turn for the worst and grey clouds suddenly covered the region, which meant rain was almost certainly on its way. Upon arrival at the campsite we pitched the tent in no time while the rain drizzled down and Keswick was now under heavy dark cloud. And so the rain came...in bucket loads. After cooking a meal in the tent we headed off in the car and drove along the A66 towards Lake Bassenthwaite, but there was little or nothing to see in such poor weather so we headed back to Castlerigg Farm. Time passed quickly and before we knew it we were tucked up and heading towards a sleep. And sleep we did - the rain continued during the night, but as dawn broke the place had faired up dramatically and we made plans to go fell walking whilst tucking into a nice fried breakfast. The plan was to tackle Latrigg, a modest climb of just over 1200 feet.

Latrigg is one of the lowest fells in the Lake District, but is a popular climb due to its convenient location overlooking the town of Keswick and the excellent views down the valley of Borrowdale from the summit. It is the least mountainous of the Skiddaw fells, the summit being almost entirely devoid of rock. The slopes of Latrigg are partially wooded, and logging work is currently being undertaken. One lone tree just south of the summit is prominently viewed in silhouette when approaching Keswick from the west along the A66. Commonly Latrigg is ascended from Keswick, the route beginning along Spooney Green Lane near the old railway station and then either making direct for the top or swinging north via Mallen Dodd. Threlkeld is another starting point, first crossing the Glenderaterra Beck and then climbing up the east ridge. The easiest way is to park at the end of Gale Road, from where the summit is a simple 10 minute stroll on grass, the most accessible of all the 214 Wainwrights. This car park is commonly used as the starting point for the ascent of Skiddaw, although the purist will first climb Latrigg from Keswick before setting foot upon its parent. A recently constructed path allows disabled access to the summit of Latrigg from the car park.

This was my sons first fell walk and he was very much looking foward to it. Latrigg was the ideal introduction for a ten year old, so off we went. It took us around 90 minutes to reach the summit from ground level, which wasn't bad at all even though we only stopped for drinks and a rest on two occasions. The first half of the walk was under blue sky with a scattering of broken clouds, but the second part was quite different as the sky clouded over and the wind crept up on us. Just short of the summit was a wooden bench that was sited in a perfect spot on the edge of the peak, overlooking the town of Keswick, and Derwentwater in the distance. On a better day the views would have been quite impressive, but today the light was poor and I quickly got the feeling that I would have to return another day to get the full benefit of the panoramic views from Latrigg, especially if I wanted to photograph it in all its glory. And that's what I intend to do, one day. All round the walk the views are of the surrounding fells are great, especially the ones of the Skiddaw Range. It made me feel like climbing it there and then but that was a non-starter, especially with my ten year old camping partner at my side. Today this was a very short, very easy walk to the summit of Latrigg, the small mountain that looks over Keswick. A blessed job.

Until the next time...
AC

Whitley Bay Sunrise

2011-10-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

It's been a few months since I captured my last sunrise shots, so with those very early Summer starts out of the way it seemed like as good a time as any to get back into it. From October onwards you can catch a good sunrise at a sensible time where you're not setting the alarm clock between 3 and 4am - the silly hours! Mind you, when you have the option of lying in a warm comfy bed, versus getting out of it on a freezing cold winter morning to take sunrise shots, well...some folk might say it's a 'No brainer'. But, anyone who's done sunrise before will tell you there's only one way to get those nice 'Crack of dawn' shots, and that is to get out there bright and early and do the necessary. Any dedicated photographer would not think twice about an early rise if he or she thought there was a good chance of bagging some good sunrise shots, and that's where I'm at these days, the alarm clock is only 'Enemy' on work days, he he (wink). That said, there's been a few times when I've turned out and there's been no sunrise to be had. Low cloud cover often kills the opportunity stone dead, so best do your homework the night before. I always check the weather forecast, sunrise times and tide tables so I can plan where I intend to visit the following morning, based on the information gathered.

Today I visited St. Mary's Island near Whitley Bay on the Northumberland Coast. This is a very photogenic part of the North-East coast and one that I've visited a handful of times in the past. The lighthouse is the focal part of this location and it dominates the stretch of coastline and can be seen from many miles away. The lighthouse is accessible via a causeway when the tide is low, but cut off once the tide returns. The rocks around the lighthouse are a minefield if you aren't wearing appropriate footwear at low tide, but on the plus side they come in handy when you're after some foreground interest. I came equipped with me wellies so I had no problems in that department. So, all I was waiting for was a good sunrise. The key to a good shot lies in the actual sunrise itself and the colours it presents, not only as the sun rises, but during that fifteen minute window beforehand. I was set up and raring to go, working with the following equipment...

Canon 7D body

18-135mm EF-S lens

Manfrotto tripod

Manfrotto ball & head grip

Lee foundation kit

Lee soft graduated ND filters, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9

Wireless remote control unit

(oh, and a Snickers bar!)

The first shot I took was captured shortly before sunrise. Taking my base exposure from the foreground sand, I then took a reading from the brightest part of the sky and made a mental note of the difference in f-stops. I knew that no compensation for the difference would burn out the detail in the sky completely, so out came the filters. I attached the filter holder to begin with, using a 67mm adaptor ring and screwing it into the lens thread. Then the filters came into play as I dropped in a combination of 0.9 and 0.6 Neutral Density grads. A quick test shot gave me the result I was waiting for - this is the actual test shot (above, shot 1). Both filters were positioned just above the horizon to hold back the detail in the sky. It worked quite nicely.

My second shot was taken a few minutes after sunrise - this was from a different spot, further back near the ageing wooden groynes that head out to sea. This is where those wellies came in handy as I was more than ankle-deep in sea water - something that the other photographers nearby never had the privelege of. Slippery seaweed lay underfoot at almost every step, so I was more than aware that falling flat on my arse was more than a possibilty as I negotiated the rocks in search of more angles to shoot from. My final viewpoint was right back off the rocky foreshore, next to the wooden groynes. The fractured rocks in front of me drew me instantly into my next shot. By this time the sun had been up around 15 minutes so the light had changed dramatically since my arrival at 6am. The 0.9 grad was removed and I was now running with only the 0.6 as the foreground base exposure was much lighter due to the sun hitting the rocks directly in front of me. This composition took in everything that was on offer - I quite like this one, although once again there was another shift in detail where the sky is concerned. Not much in the way of colour, just a bland greyish sky with highlights to the far right. The foreground makes up for this though in a busy kind of way. It wasn't long before I called it a day and went back to he car where a nice flask of coffee was waiting for me. I sat guzzling away in an attempt to warm myself up whilst listening to Smooth Radio before heading back home via the Tyne Tunnel. And so, my first sunrise shots for over six months and now, with the addition of my new Lee Filters, I'm looking forward to lots more early rises to improve my technique in this kind of photography. I'm already planning a visit to Bamburgh Castle, further up the Northumberland coast, probably around late October 2011. Until then I'll leave you with these three shots, which are hopefully just the start of a new collection of sunrise photography that will only get better.

Throws down the gauntlet...

Thanks for visiting.

Ash

Angel Of The North, Gateshead

2011-10-02T13:50:00.001-07:00

Static objects like the Angel Of The North are very straightforward subjects to photograph. As always, the light controls the conditions and the photographer controls exposure. A combination of correctness in both areas can yield a great final image, and although there's no such thing as 'correct' weather, as this is entirely open to interpretation based on the type of efffect you wish to achieve. There's no effects in these images though - they are simple daylight shots with plenty of colour under ideal summer weather conditions. As always, I try to include people in my Angel shots to give a sense of scale - The Angel Of The North rises 70 feet, but to anyone who hasn't seen the sculpure up close they obviously don't know the sheer size of it, hence the addition of people as extra's. I shot this first image from an angle that I previously hadn't attempted - crouching low under bushes in a small wasteland near the perimeter path. An overhang of leaves at the top, and grass sprouting from the bottom, frames the Angel quite nicely. There was a lot of broken cloud which sheltered the sun from the Angel every few seconds, so I had to act sharp and release the shutter precisely as the sun shone through, bringing out the natural rusty colour in my subject.

After switching postion to the far side of the Angel I heard voices nearby. People were walking up the path and into my shot - time to add that sense of scale - My second shot shows what I'm talking about. I waited a while longer, hoping more people would come along and lend themselves to my shots, but no-one showed up. Once again I heard voices and got myself ready for some more photography, but this time I got more than I bargained for. A coach load of German tourists had arrived at the site and within a few seconds the place was flooded with them, but this was no good to me, the shot would have been far too busy with that lot in frame. No thanks. Hoards of camera's were clicking away as I packed up my camera and made my way back to the car park. They seemed to be enjoying their experience so who was I to complain, eh. The 'Jormans' have landed!!!

My third shot was taken later that day when I returned to the site after a brief visit to Newcastle. Once again I waited for human intervention, which came in the shape of a mother with young child. The mother disappeared behind the legs of the Angel, leaving the youngster as an extra in my shot once again - now that's what I call scale! The only filtration used on each shot was a 67mm Circular Polarizer (Hoya Pro-1 Digital), rotated accordingly for maximum effect on the sky. All shots were taken handheld, on 'Shutter Speed Priority' (1/30th), using an ISO setting of 100. My trusty old 7D rig done the necessary once again. Can't be without it these days - it's a breeze to work with!

Coming next - Whitley Bay Sunrise - getting to grips with my brand new set of Lee filters.
Cheers, Ash

Herrington Country Park, Sunderland

2011-09-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

A former Durham pit site, which was reclaimed and developed into the now known Herrington Country Park, the park is one of the largest in Sunderland and is home to a large selection of events including the Annual County Show, Marie Curie daffodil walk, diabetes UK walk in the park and many more. The park has cycle routes, boating lake, cycle/skate park, large amphitheatre created from grassed embankments and numerous sculptures/art works set out around the park. Herrington Country Park was once the site of Herrington Colliery, which closed in 1985. By that time the colliery waste heap was the largest in the North East and cast in the shadow of Penshaw monument, it was transformed into one of the premier parks of the North East.

A typical summers day presented me with an ideal opportunity to take some shots of the park from nearby Penshaw Hill. This vantage point was ideal as I had the bright sun behind me, bathing the park in light for long spells due to the sparse scattering of clouds. My first shot was taken between two pillars of Penshaw Monument as I faced south towards the park. A shadow of the Monument was cast across the grass embankment in front of where I stood, which was an ideal subject to fill the foreground, which would have been fairly bland without sun and shadow. This shot only shows a small section of Herrington Country Park, which lies to the right of the pond which is seen in the distance. Farm fields make up the bulk of this landscape shot and these are situated between the park and Offerton, just off the A183 single carraigeway. My second shot shows a larger section of the park although this, in fairness, is only a quarter of the actual size of the park. I was drawn to the landscape in front of me when composing the shot, opting not to pan too far to the right where the bright sun was 'Burning out' the sky. Once again, both shots were taken on a Canon 7D with a 18-135mm EF lens. A circular polarizer gave a nice effect to the cloud formation, adding some saturation to the blue sky in the process. The polarizer is a must for landscape shots - mine being a 67mm HOYA PRO 1-DIGITAL affair, picked up on ebay as a used item, but mint condition nevertheless. If you've just bought your first DSLR and fancy knocking out a few landscape shots (Ross!), then give one of these filters a try, they're worth shelling out for.

I'll be back soon. I'm trying to catch up on a backlog of blog images for you, including more low-light work in the shape of a Whitley Bay Sunrise, Latrigg Fell Walk in the English Lake District, Sunrise over Keswick and a few Angel Of The North shots. Until then...

Ash

Another Fell Walk - Catbells, English Lake District

2011-09-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

After an enjoyable fell walking debut (Blencathra) in the English Lake District, I was more than keen to visit the National Park for another visit to the fells. During our recent 'Blencathra Weekender' I made a mental note of the position of the sun during different times of the day, keeping in mind the best area's of the Northern Fells where the sun would be behind me. My photography rarely involves shooting into the sun during the day - I only attempt this type of shot at dawn or dusk, so an idea of what I wanted was quickly forming in my head. I wanted
some 'Big Shots', broken cloud, blue sky, fells bathed in sunshine, a lake or two - not asking for much is it? Naturally I followed the weather forecast during the days leading up to my visit, even though the Lake District weather can be very unpredicable and changeable to say the least. I was to make this trip on my own - no family, no friends, no workmates, just me. I
find this tactic works best for photography - total focus, no distractions. I made the trip West
along the A66 once again, a route I've become very familiar with lately. My homework was done and I'd selected another of the Northern Fells for my second climb - Catbells, a simple ascent with rewarding views across Derwentwater towards Blencathra and Skiddaw towards the Solway Firth - on a clear day of course. And a clear day was what I had. I arrived at Keswick mid-day, then made the twenty-minute journey via Portinscale to Catbells, parking in a nearby field for the sum of 'Three Squid'. With no OS map to follow I figured that the old-fashioned 'Follow The Sheep' tactic should do the trick. With camera in the backpack and drinks onboard it was time to leave the motor behind and begin the trek to the top.

From the makeshift car park I headed up a slight incline and over the cattle grid, which brought me to my starting point. According to the research I'd done the day before, an 'Obvious zig-zag path' is where I should have started my ascent up Catbells, but it wasn't so obvious to me - I missed the bugger completely! Obvious path? What Obvious path? Ah well, I found myself walking along a straight path along the bottom of the fell, just above the road, which I later learned was the 'Allerdale Ramble'. As I walked further it was clear to me that I was heading away from the Catbells summit and towards the nearby peak of High Spy, which is joined to Catbells at the top via Maiden Moor. Between the two peaks, along the Allerdale Ramble I noticed a very steep path to the top, so off I went, stopping to take a few photographs at more than regular intervals. The first shot (above) was taken where the Allerdale Ramble meets the steep path that I chose to climb - a panoramic effort looking over Derwentwater towards Blencathra. The second shot (shown here), and undoubtedly my favourite of the visit, was taken on the approach to the first scramble on High Spy. I remember stopping for a short breather before beginning the scramble, looking behind me along the Maiden Moor ridge. It was an excellent view, offering just about everything I'd visualised in my head a couple of days earlier. There was even a couple of fell walkers in the frame, finishing off a spectacular view. No point in admiring it for too long though - time to transfer this landscape vista to Compact Flash!

After negotiating a very straightforward scramble on High Spy I paused for a few more shots across the Newlands Valley. Another viewpoint that offered plenty in the way of landscape.
Sheep sat around me as I ran off a few frames. They appeared totally at ease in my company, which is not surprising considering the volume of people that cross their path on a daily basis. Mind you, with the wind creeping up and a steep drop below, I wasn't hanging around for too long so I scrambled up the final outcrop to the summit, where at least 20 people had already gathered. It was blowing a gale up top. A young lad was entertaining folk
by riding a monoclycle on the rocky summit. The entertainment value lay in the fact that he
couldn't even perch his arse on the seat before being blown to one side, at least six times. He gave up eventually. Top marks for effort though.

After spending 20 minutes or so on the summit of High Spy, I made my way back down to Maiden Moor via the double rock scramble I had managed earlier. Once on the Moor I took the path that lead me along towards Catbells summit. More excellent views across Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite towards the Solway Firth in a North-Westerly direction. The sun had gone behind large clouds by this time, offering very little to no sunlight on the surrounding fells. Causey Pike stood to my left, looking every bit the next mountain on my list. Surprising how cold it gets up top when the sun goes in. I chatted to an American couple on the Catbells summit before reaching another rock scramble on the way down to the car park. They struggled with the scramble but I wasn't ready to hang around as the sun disappeared completely behind more cloud. Once over the rocks I paused to get my bearings, amazed at how tiny the cars looked in the field below, even though I was almost half way down the hill and now walking a zig-zag path. Ohhhh, so this is the zig-zag path I was supposed to follow on the way up !!! Ah well, better to be going down it than climbing up - it was a nightmare on the old joints! Two hours after leaving the car, I was back. By this time the sun had re-appeared and at ground level the heat was sweltering. Time to sit and take a well earned breather. Cool bag came out of the boot - freezing cold Coca-Cola went down without touching the sides. Another enjoyable walk - stroke - climb - stroke - scramble.
And that was that. Job done. Second one ticked off the list.

A few days later I sent my Catbells shot (no. 2, above) to Tyne-Tees Television, who presented it on one of their daily weather bulletins. The video clip can now be viewed in the monitor below - press the arrow on the control panel to view the footage. Until the next time, cheers!
Ash

Lakes Weekender (Blencathra) - The Final Word

2011-09-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

The Blencathra blog ends here with a last offering of photo's and stats from our Lakes Weekender. It was a very enjoyable weekend and although it got off to a wet and miserable start the weather couldn't have been any better from Saturday morning onwards. Sunday morning involved a drive to Threlkeld where we parked up and walked to Keswick - an eight mile round trip! We had Sunday lunch and downed some beer before we returned to the car and made our way home, via Alston, one the top ten motorists roads in Great Britain. On our return to work the following day we reflected on a great weekend and started to plan another trip to the Lake District. Now, some 3 months later, I can reveal that we will be returning to the great outdoors once again, to climb Skiddaw, the fourth highest mountain in the Lake District National Park. This will take place in mid-October, so stay tuned for another account of our Lakes Weekender Part 2, here on my blog page. To finish off I'd like to show you a few more photographs from a collection of over 300, all taken during our Blencathra trip. Here are a few stats too...

Until the next time,
Ash

Statistics:
Start: Scales Farm
Start (OS ref): NY343269
Map (1:25,000): OL5 English Lakes North East
Parking: Lay-by at side of A66
Distance: 7.7 miles (12.5 km)
Time: 4 hours
Difficulty: Very Hard
Climbing: 869 metres of ascent
Hazards: Grade 1 Scramble on Sharp Edge

Lakes Weekender (Blencathra) - Sharp Edge Scramble

2011-09-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

'It sounded like a good idea at the time'...

Not having a good head for heights, I anticipated a big challenge ahead of me as we arrived at Sharp Edge, the intimidating obstacle between Scales Tarn and the summit of Blencathra. Infact, to call it an obstacle is putting it very mildly - Sharp Edge looked very much the Bad Boy, even from ground level on the A66. As we arrived at the impending scramble, I was continuously weighing up my chances of getting through this ordeal in one piece. Would I scramble across the ridge safely or would I chicken out completely and walk back down the mountain in shame? We had now reached the start of the ridge. Time to scramble! Feeling scared but not willing to be beaten, I began to advance across the ridge proper. There was a gentle introduction to the ridge as the sides gradually begin to get steeper and longer. So far so good. Everything was going smoothly, then we came to crux. The part of the ridge where there was nothing to hold on to. The trouble with a hard part like this is that once you have crossed it there is no easy way of going back. After what seemed like a lifetime of indecision I made the move into no-mans land, my arse twitching as I went. Gingerly I stepped across the wobbly bit and from there onto a small flat bit from which I could grasp hold of some rock with all the strength that my hands could muster. The whole experience was down to climbing ability and making a series of decisions that could prove very costly should a wrong move be made. An elaborate chess game? Not really - not when your life is at stake!

Along the traverse we reached a gully. Davey and Lee were out of sight at this point and heading across the ridge quickly, as if someone at yon end was giving cash away! A few minutes on and I'd caught up with them as they sat on a ledge for a breather. Lee was admiring the view towards Hallsfell Top as Davey took time out to have a well-earned tab. Brian appeared behind me after a couple of minutes so we all sat for a while before continuing the scramble. At this point I thought about taking some photographs, but decided against the idea - I had no fancy for negotiating a backpack full of expensive gear on a rock ledge with 300 feet of absolute nothing below. Reflecting on the climb so far, I had doubts whether I'd make it across to this point. There was DEFINATELY no turning back! What choice did I have, apart from gritting my teeth and getting on with it. I also rembember asking myself whether I'd experienced anything as frightening as this in my entire life. I struggled to think of one example. Oh, f**k it! Let's get this over with, he he. From here we had a vertical climb of around 20 feet, with ledges to assist feet and hands. I double checked each ledge before making the decision to lend it my whole body weight before I pulled myself up and headed onto the exposed ridge top, known as Narrow Edge, for obvious reasons. This was the highest point on Sharp Edge and it took some bottle to look down from here towards Scales Tarn, as fellow climbers resembled ants from such a distance. Technical ability wasn't a problem during the climb as most of was down to common sense and awareness. Exposure was the main handicap, especially as the wind had a habit of creeping up on you every now and again.

Looking back along Sharp Edge it was clear that we were over half way, which was quite comforting and already I was becoming a lot more confident in seeing this drama through. A reminder of the perils came in the shape of dead sheep below - a statistical reminder of what could be. Once you are at the eastern end of the ridge, the excitement starts. There is an easy path to the right for the first part if anyone wishes to use it, but sticking to the crest of the ridge is far more fun. As with all slate ridges you do need to be aware of slices of loose rock. Half way along the ridge you will reach a point where a large slab of smooth and badly angled slate sits on the ridge crest. I remember seeing a couple of lads on all fours, negotiating this section and holding on for their lives. This slab is known as the Bad Step and is one of the Lake District's most dangerous and most prolific accident spots. After crossing the Bad Step I was at the end of the ridge and it was now time to scramble up the rock face, known as Foule Crag, towards Atkinson Pike. There was a wide gully slightly to the right, but by this time I was rather enjoying the whole experience and opted for the route straight ahead, offering a more challenging climb. The business end of the climb was behind me, although Davey and Lee were in front and heading towards the top of Foule Crag at some pace.

Foule Crag must have been at least fifty feet of rock face, and the last part of the climb/ scramble. At this height I could still hear the distant call of the many sheep below, plus the sound of laughter from other climbers behind me on Sharp Edge, probably trying to make light of a very scarey situation, he he. With my tee-shirt stuck to my back and sweat running down my forehead I made my way up Foule Crag, with Brian following suit behind me. To my left was a ridiculous drop to Scales Tarn - it must have been 300 feet, easily. Feeling quite pleased with myself for getting this far, I reminded myself that the job wasn't done yet. One glimpse of the Tarn told me that. It looked tiny from where I was standing. I'd made it this far with sunglasses on and although they helped to shield the bright sun, I couldn't help but think they would hinder my eyesight as I searched for the best ledges to use. A bit late for that though - I was almost home and dry! I was surprised how quickly I negotiated Foule Crag, there was obviously plenty left in the tank. My whole body, especially my legs and lower back, were on fire by this time, but there was no time to waste as I now had Davey and Lee in my sights at the top of the crag. A few minutes later I joined them, taking a very well deserved break whilst we sat admiring the view and reflecting on the drama. We sat for quite a while, chomping on snacks and drinking heavily from our bottles. I was chuffed to bits at this point, realising I'd conquered my fear of heights and even asking myself 'Did I really have a fear of heights in the first place'. I must have had, as I know exactly how uncomfortable I felt when the scramble began, yet I grew in confidence as I put more rock behind me.

We sat for quite a while yet there was still no sign of Brian, who was at the back of our group when we arrived at Sharp Edge. As we waited further a dozen or so climbers passed us, with one lady saying she'd passed Brian on the way up. At least he was safe - we were beginning to think he'd come a cropper! An elderly couple with a Golden Labrador came over the top of Foule Crag, just before Brian, who looked very uncomfortable to say the least, telling us he had a bad case of cramp in his knee's, which caused his delay. Lee and Brian were off Sharp Edge together, with me following them 15 minutes later. Brian appeared 20 minutes after me, along with another group and we exchanged some banter before taking group photographs of eachother - a friendly bunch they certainly were. Soon we off again, making our final accent to the summit of Blencathra, where at least 30 people had already gathered. A concrete ring marked the summit, but there were no signs of a cairn. The wind had picked up considerably by this time and the coats were out of the rucksacks. The panoramic views from the summit were outstanding and many of the Northern Fells could be seen, as well as Derwentwater in the distance.

I took a few shots on my mobile phone, including panoramic stitches, which turned out quite well. After 15 miuntes or so we headed back down the mountain to Scales where Brian's car was parked. It was a novelty to see a few fell runners pass us as we descended - what the hell are they on!!! The joints were taking a hammering on our way down the fells so it was a case of 'Steady Away'. I had a funny feeling we'd be heading straight to a pub, and so we did. We reflected on the whole walking, climbing & scrambling experience at the Sun Inn, Bassenthwaite Village. The sun, incidentally, was still beating down as we sat outside the pub. We had the place to ourselves and knocked back a couple of pints whilst Brian downed a coke - driving duty, you see. A big pat on the back to the four of us, who, as inexperienced 'Forty-Pluses' taking on our first real mountain (including Sharp Edge), and conquering it, it was an achievement not to be underestimated. Four went up and four came back. Maybe half the enjoyment was the whole fear factor, yet I feel like doing the whole thing again, soon!

A great experience, with a mixture of emotions - fear, trepidation, apprehension, surprise, elation, and some.

Until the next time...
Ash

Lakes Weekender (Blencathra) - Up to Scales Tarn

2011-09-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

The time had come to begin the main event. Our Lakeland adventure was about to get serious as we took our first steps from Scales Farm onto Blencathra. The initial climb up Mousethwaite Comb was a wake-up call for the entire body, as we made a steep accent in a north-easterly direction through ferns and bracken. After only a few minutes of walking my legs were burning but this was quite normal and I expected aches and pains along the way, but not this early into the climb. We were walking for at least 20 minutes before we took our first rest, at the top of the Comb. The views from here were something else! The valley in front of us resembled a patchwork quilt and it was from this viewpoint that I took my first photographs, with the lads sat in the foreground, savouring the view (picture 1). A couple of fell walkers passed as we rested but that was all, there's were no others to be seen for a while after that. After ten minutes rest we resumed our walk, turning left and heading through Mousthwaite Comb in a northerly direction, continuing along a path that skirts the top of the crags above the old disused quarry levels that were marked on our map. Eventually we reached the ridge at the back end of Mousthwaite Comb. We now had Blencathra to the left and Souther Fell to the right. From here we had a great view down to the River Glenderamackin Valley and the quiet, desolate and grassy Back o' Skiddaw landscape. We then headed along the path above the River Glenderamackin Valley for around a kilometre until we reached Scales Beck. After turning left we followed the path that ascends the beck, firstly crossing it then ascending its route up to Scales Tarn, passing a steep, noisy waterfall on our left. This part of the route was quite busy with other fell walkers, all friendly and acknowledging as we crossed paths. During our walk through the Glenderamackin Valley the target of our fears come into view, our first sight of Sharp Edge. It looked more than intimidating, to say the least. We had rested a couple of times before we reached this point so my legs were ok, recharged, so to speak - I felt confident that by the time we actually arrived at Sharp Edge it wouldn't look as bad as it first looked, and that we'd go across it, no bother.

It wasn't long before we reached our last resting place before tackling Sharp Edge, an ideal place for a spot of lunch - this was Scales Tarn. Off went the backpack and out came the pasties. Davey took one bite and threw it away, saying it was a bit too rubbery for him. I reckon the sight of Sharp Edge right in front of us had suddenly made him lose his appetite...he he. Lee (Mezo) was hesitant about the job in front of us, saying it was now getting windy and it mightn't be a good idea to attempt the daunting ridge climb after all. Although I didn't let on, I was quite happy to go along with this as I didn't quite like the look of what I could see - tiny ant-like figures climbing an exposed ridge with a fall of atleast 300 feet to either side! Oh dear - BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY!!!!! I looked behind me as we sat, but Brian was lying on his back, eyes shut and looking very exhausted - no feedback from him. Davey brushed the wind issue aside very quickly and said 'Reet, are we all ready then'. I think our arses were twitching somewhat as we got to our feet and prepared ourselves for glory or death!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At Scales Tarn the path to Blencathra summit splits into two - one heads up an obvious shale path (Brunt Knott) to Sharp Edge, and the other goes to the left - a much easier, although steep route to the summit and Atkinson's Pike. I overheard one walker saying to his friend 'I'm not bloody climbing that' as he pointed to Sharp Edge. They then opted for the easier route and off they went, dismissing the Edge in no time at all. I couldn't help but wish I was accompanying them as we headed up Brunt Knott towards 'The Edge', the only other route to the summit. Talk about getting 'The shit end of the stick'.
This was it - the talking had been going on since early May, eight weeks ago from todays climb. Sharp Edge was right in front of us now and there was no turning back. I looked at it in awe before looking down towards Scales Tarn (picture 3), which was glistening in the early afternoon heat. From here the Tarn looked a long way down and we weren't even on the ridge yet, which climbed a lot higher than where we now stood. My face must have been a picture, he he. I'm sure I felt the colour draining from my face as Davey and Lee disappeared over the first rocks and onto Sharp Edge. They were off and running. Brian looked at me and said 'Ready when you are'. I smiled and replied 'No problem, squire' before turning to begin the ridge climb. Talk about false smiles and all that...LOL! As I negotiated the first section of the crag (picture 4), my mind started playing tricks with me. I remembered during my research of Sharp Edge I discovered that there had been over a dozen fatalities and many other incidents at this location - the most dangerous ridge climb of all the fells in the English Lake District. Can't say I was a happy bunny at this point, but I intended to push myself and my ground level comfort zone was now a distant prospect as I grabbed the bull by the horns and threw caution to the wind. Here we go...
SHARP EDGE SCRAMBLE - Coming next!
Cheers, Ash

Lakes Weekender (Blencathra) - Arrival @ Scales

2011-09-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

After breakfast it was time to consult the OS map to establish the route we would take from our starting point at Scales to (hopefully) our arrival at the summit of Blencathra. Davey advised, being competant in these matters, and it was agreed that we would take the route he suggested, which would indeed involve a scramble over Sharp Edge. Fully eqipped, we were soon in the car as Brian drove us to Scales where we parked up and quickly got to grips with the business end of our Lake District visit. The sun was shining brightly and there was plenty of blue sky and broken clouds - maybe I should have brought my Canon kit instead of the Sony swivel body affair. Never mind, I intended to get photographs no matter what, even with my mobile phone. The sceond shot (shown here) was taken by Davey and shows Brian, myself and Lee making final preps before we headed up Blencathra. After passing through the five bar gate at the mountain foot I paused for a short while and looked behind me, taking in the view across towards Great Mell Fell. A picture appeared at that moment and I snapped the view on my mobile phone, shown here (picture 3). I turned around and faced Blencathra once again. time had finally arrived to climb my first mountain, and what a way to start - 728 metres of ascent, covering a distance of 5 miles during an estimated time of 4 hours. Here we go - time to climb!

Ash

Lakes Weekender (Blencathra) - Early Morning, Day 2

2011-09-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

During the night the rain barely stopped - I know that because I didn't get much sleep. Not sure why that was - maybe a combination of a few things - never camped in a farmers field before, couldn't get comfortable, rain lashing off tent, no ear plugs, brian's constant snoring! Oh well, nowt to do but suck a lemon and get on with it, I suppose. At 5am, during a rare doze, I was awoken by more noise as Brian went to make a phone call in his car, making little attempt to close the door quietly. Then the door slammed again, and again. Surely this a wind-up! I decided to get up for a bit of fresh air at this point so off I went, grabbing my camera en route. I made my way down the embankment towards Bassenthwaite lake where I was greeted with almost still waters. The sky was overcast and it was a pretty miserable dawn all round. No colour to be had so I set about taking a few black and white shots at the edge of the lake. Here comes Brian with his camera, Mr Nagzy, the noisy customer! We took a few shots before heading back to base camp where Davy and Lee were just rising. The kettle was on and Davy asked 'Who the **** was making all the noise earlier'. He he, so Brian ended up on pot duty after we had breakfast, which consisted of bacon sandwiches made with eggy bread. Another cup of tea and the sun suddenly came out and the low cloud cover lifted. By the time we were ready to leave camp for our assault on Blencathra, the weather had improved dramatically and it was in with the tee-shirts. The sun was beating down and glorious weather was now on our side as we made the car journey from Scarness to Scales, where we would eventually park up and begin our climb up Blencathra. Any chance of the Sharp Edge route being cancelled had by now evaporated - looks like it's imminent! Never done anything like this before, and with only a couple of hours sleep under my belt this was scant preparation for what lay ahead. Adversity sometimes go in your favour though, so I was quietly confident I was gonna get through it unscathed. As we made the journey along the A66 to Scales I was about to find out whether this was my thing or not. No head for heights - this was gonna be interesting!

Ash

Lakes Weekender (Blencathra) - Base Camp

2011-08-25T03:18:00.000-07:00

Setting up base camp -

A conversation with a workmate took an interesting turn back in May 2011. Not quite sure what the original discussion was about but it quickly became something else - climbing mountains! Mr Llloyd said he liked the idea of getting away one weekend and doing something 'different'. He then went on to suggest a few of us should get our arses into gear and head off to the Lake District for a camping weekend, tackling a mountain along the way. Well, not being one for sleeping in a field I wasn't too receptive to the idea, half dismissing it at first, but then becoming more interested as the conversation progressed. Davey (Mr Lloyd), was a regular visitor to the Lake District, mainly due to his commitments with 25th Bournmoor Scout Group, so he knew the drill well as far as this game went. He often camped with the scouts on a remote farmers field at Scarness, on the edge of Lake Bassenthwaite, near the Northern Fells. After he'd sold the idea to yours truly I quickly realised an added bonus of landscape photography might just make this weekend an even better one, so I 'Signed Up' there and then. We quickly recruited two more, Lee and Brian, also known as Mezo and Nagzy. Don't ask me to explain! The plan was to camp, walk, climb, eat, drink and just basically have a good laugh. The plans were made a few weeks before we actually made the trip, which eventually took place on the weekend beginning Friday July 8th 2011. The main event over the planned weekend was to tackle a mountain and Davey suggested Blencathra, just off the A66 on the approach to Keswick. None of us apart from Davey had even heard of it, let alone climb it. To me, a mountain is a mountain, but this one had a sting in its tail. It was decided by Davey, he he, that our route to the summit would be taken via Sharp Edge. I'll not go into detail about it - click here for enlightenment!!!
Ok, so you've clicked the link and you now think we need our heads checking, he he. Ya know something...you're probably right! More on our Sharp Edge experience later, but for now I'll tell the story of our arrival at Scarness at we set up camp for the weekend ahead... Our 90 minute journey from Houghton le Spring to Scarness wasn't a pleasant one, especially when you're on driving duty - it rained quite heavily. I made the journeyin my car with Davey, while Lee travelled with Brian, as we needed two set of wheels to transport all our gear...and beer! The weather forecast for the whole weekend wasn't good at all, but I wasn't too disappointed - it looked like Sharp Edge was going to be a non-starter......YESSSS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Didn't quite fancy it for some reason, he he. Davey led us to Broadness Farm, near the edge of Bassenthwaite Lake. He knew the place like the back of his hand after spending many a time here with his scout group. It was a picturesque location, with one of the highest lakeland fells sitting alongside us - Skiddaw, the fourth highest mountain in England. As the rain eased off we quickly pitched the tent, a four berth affair with a bedroom at each end and storage room in the centre, our 'Hotel' for the weekend! Picture 2 shows Lee and Brian after the final tent pegs were sunk. No sooner was the tent up, the kettle was on the stove and it was time for a brew. Then the heavens opened again and we quickly headed inside the tent. It didn't half lash down. At that point I questioned what the hell I was doing there, in a tent, farmers field, pissing down rain, and the prospect of tackling Sharp Edge the following day...he he, you end up laughing, if ya didn't, well...

After a cuppa it was time to eat, so out came the gas stoves under a nearby tree and it was a-la carte all the way - NOT! Tasty nevertheless, and it filled that gap. The rain eased and a nice rainbow greeted us across the way (picture 1). As night time drew closer we headed off along the waters edge to stretch our forty-something legs. The place was quite desolate, give or take a handful of kids canoeing on the outskirts of the big pond. An hour later and we were back on our hotel complex, in search of firewood - time to get warmed up. We soon had a roaring fire going and we sat around it on our fold-up chairs, downing lager and cider in the process. This is the life! We chatted and joked on as the alcohol went down as the light fell. It was around 10pm by this time and we sat looking through the break in the trees across the lake. The water was almost still. Virtual silence, apart from a distant stream of cars on the A66 westbound at the far side of Bassenthwaite. Then total silence. The silence was broken when a rogue piece of wood spat from the fire and into Mezo's face...oh dear...we couldn't help but laugh...talk about impeccable timing! I do recall him sharing a four letter word with us as he rubbed his face to relieve the pain. Time for a group shot around the fire (shown here L-R, Ash, Davey, Brian and Lee). Shortly after 11pm, and after a few more 'Jars', we staggered back up the bank towards our glamourous 'Hotel'. It was time to rest those weary heads in preparation for our mountain climb the next day. I needed a good night's sleep, that was sure - didn't wanna tackle that hill without one. The rain started again as lights went out. Time for reflection before sleep. I was looking forward to the rest of our weekend although Sharp Edge was on the back of my mind. Never done anything like that before, and not having a head for heights it certainly made for an interesting and challenging time ahead. I intended to push myself, close to the edge, but not over it, he he.

Stay tuned for the next installment - Blencathra climb, via Sharp Edge!

Thanks for visiting,

Ash

Penshaw Poppies, Sunderland

2011-08-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

The Oilseed Rape had died off near Penshaw Monument, leaving a once bright yellow field a mid shade of green, before the red carpet appeared. And appear it did, as the days turned into a week and a week turned into a fortnight, the poppies were there in abundance near one of the North-East's best known landmarks. I'd been waiting for this for three years. 2008 was the last time this particular field had a show of poppies and I remember taking a couple of shots that eventually ended up going to print, before sitting in a frame. A steady supply adorned the walls of Penshaw Tea Rooms, at the foot of Penshaw Hill. They sold well but I wasn't that impressed with the shots to be honest. I knew the re-appearance of the poppies would give me ample opportunity to put that right, so now I was armed with a Canon 7D it was time to cause some 'Damage'. I'd spoken to Tony, manager of the Tea Rooms and he was in the mood for a new batch of poppy frames, saying I was lucky the poppies were there this year, adding that the owner of the field had told him he intended to apply a chemical to the plants that would kill the poppies as they emerged, but the chemical in question had recently been banned from agricultural use, preventing him from using it. What a pity eh (wink).
As the poppies started to bloom around the edges of the field I decided to wait until the whole field was awash with red, which would really make a picture. A slight worry arose when my trip to Venice was only a few days away. Would my return be too late - would the poppies have died off after ten days? Well ten days later I returned to the UK and the first sign of good weather coincided with my ten minute car journey to Penshaw where I saw the field in great nick. Picture perfect - poppies everywhere. Time to set those idle hands to work. I photographed from the outkirts of the poppy field before making my way through the tangled mess and into the heart of the field where I photographed my best work. A small selection is shown here. This part of the field was the best location to shoot from - an ideal vantage point. Weather was warm, a slight breeze, broken clouds - happy days. I just knew these shots were going to light up my portfolio. I would like to think I got there. Sold a few already and more to go through the channels shortly. I don't know, there's something that attracts folk to photo's like these. All the better if you can include an iconic landmark alongside the red carpet. Say what you want about 'Life Up North', but I love this place. It's all here - the photographs go some way to reinforcing that statement. That is all. The world through my eyes, in photographic form...

Thanks for visiting.

Ashley Corr

Penshaw Countryside

2011-08-12T10:50:00.001-07:00

April 2011 saw the Spring weather take a firm hold in Houghton le Spring. It was a mild season in many respects - overcast skies and rain were evident most weeks but we had our fair share of sunshine too. One place I was drawn to, yet again, was Penshaw Hill, a ten minute drive from my home. I supply quite a lot of my work to Penshaw Tea Rooms & Nursery, who in turn sell it on their premises. The Tea Rooms look out onto Penshaw Hill and its dominating Monument, making it an obvious attraction and customers are surrounded by a selection of framed prints, by yours truly. Over the past two and a half years they've sold dozens of frames, including my mounted prints, canvases and postcards. Sales continue to do well as I write, so hopefully that will continue for some time to come. Naturally I'm always on the hunt for new photographs of Penshaw Monument so I tend to visit the National Trust site every few weeks to update my collection. My best selling images up to 2011 were of the nearby poppy fields which I shot during Spring 2008. Since then the oilseed rape hadn't been planted so I didn't get the opportunity to update my poppy shots, which by my own admission, weren't that good. That all changed however in Spring 2011 when I drove past Penshaw Hill towards the A19 dual carraigeway. I noticed to my left that the oilseed rape was in bloom and this signalled the arrival of the poppies once again, although that would follow the yellow carpet once it died off, probably in early May.

My first shot (shown here) was taken on an embankment next to a busy road near Penshaw Hill. I wanted a variation of shots from different points near the field, although the location of Penshaw Monument and the field itself meant I was shooting towards the Monument from similar angles. Situated on the edge of the field I included the wooden fence in the foreground, rather than have little or no interest in this part of the shot, as in my second effort shown below (shot 2).
Again I chose a day when there was plenty of broken cloud - something I prefer to add to landscape shots, as opposed to a clear blue sky or even an overcast one. I like those picture-postcard type shots and I've tried to capture that kind of Spring scene here. In ful bloom I'd say the oilseed rape only lasts a couple of weeks at most. As it begins to die off you begin to see the emergence of the poppies, usually scattered around the outskirts of the field, which was again the case in 2011 as red began to replace yellow. This shot was taken from a position right in the middle of the farmers field. No poppies in these shots though as I knew they'd be getting plenty of attention during the next few weeks, once the yellow had gone. As you can see in my third and final shot, the rapeseed was by now few and far between, but that was ok - I'd got what I wanted and that was that. All I needed now was the poppies, and plenty of them. It was time to update my collection of images and I knew a good batch would sit well in frames too. It wasn't long before the fields were in full bloom - but did I get what I wanted?
Results shortly...

Cheers, Ash

Venice - Part 3 (Fond. Dogana)

2011-08-06T07:54:00.000-07:00

The third and final part of my Venice blog concentrates on my journey through San Polo to Fond. Dogana, the most southerly part of the city. I was more than happy with the photographs I'd taken on the east side of the Grand Canal and more opportunities followed as I hit San Polo on the west side - gaining access via the Rialto Bridge. By this time it was early afternoon and the temperature was up there, which isn't something I'm a big fan of. I don't mind big heat, but when there's no let up it usually has me hunting down a shaded refuge for a short while. I remember the tee-shirt I was wearing was stuck to my back for the best part. Yes, I remember it well - navy and white hoops, very similar to that worn by those gondolier chaps. All I needed now was a straw hat and two litres of brylcreem and that was me suddenly impersonating one of them. Mind you, when they're asking 100 Euro's a pop for a 30 minute trip in a gondola, I could have made a few bob! Ah well, maybe another time - for now I'll just stick to impersonating a photographer.

My first shot (above) is a typical scene along the Venice waterways, although I don't remember the exact location. The tower was leaning over to one side, not as much as another famous tower but it was easily noticable along the canal where I stood. Two identical bridges give access to either bank of this particular waterway and these add to the shot considerably - there's hundreds of them in Venice, which often give a good excuse to stop when taking photographs of the oncoming gondola's. Again you can see many motor boats along the waters edge - the Venetian residents equivalent to our 'Car on the drive.' Many of the apartments at each side of the canal actually belong to hotels, although you rarely see a reception entrance or a sign telling you which hotel it is. On thing for sure, these rooms won't come cheap but are probably worth every penny when you're commanding a prime spot in a place like this. I'd love to have photographed Venice at dusk when the place is lit up, especially along the Grand Canal towards Rialto and an overnight stay in Venice would have been the way to go, but seeing as I was based at Jesolo the idea never really got off the ground.
Continuing my journey South towards Canal Della Giudecca finally reached Ponte Lungo, another bridge that led me along a waterside path to my eventual destination - Punta Della Dogana. It was here that I had an excellent view across the water to San Marco (shown here in shot 2), with its dominating Campanile Tower. The sky offered an excellent backdrop with those fluffy white clouds that have a knack of finishing of an excellent landscape shot, or seascape in this case. Of course, the obligatory boat enters the frame to add some foreground interest. The buildings to the right of the shot are situated along the edge of Canal Di San Marco and this is where many of the tourist boats reach Venice from places such as Schiavoni, Arsenale and Punta Sabbioni, which is where I arrived from.

At the tip of Fond. Dogana was a large white statue of a man holding a lizard. The design must have stood around ten feet in height, undraped and sporting a rather small penis. Well, you couldn't help but notice it! Groups of girls stood giggling nearby, pointing, before having their photo took next to it. One girl grabbed the manhood while her friend lifted her camera to take a shot, when this scrawny little fella dressed in a policemans uniform jumped out from seemingly nowhere and went apeshit!!! 'NO TOUCH, NO TOUCH' he shouted, as the startled girl pulled her hand away as if she'd received an electric shock, he he. This fella was obviously the 'New Starter' in the police station and had been assigned to the job no-one else wanted. His brief must have been to stand there there all day and make sure no-one touched the statue. Poor lad was about four-foot nowt and five stone wet through! It was funny watching him from afar, trying to look menacing with his truncheon and handcuffs, big black leather boots and hat. He looked like summat from a Wacky Warehouse kids party - in fancy dress! Wish I'd taken a photo of him now. Ah well...

From there I made my way along the waters edge facing Bacino Di San Marco to Palace Genovese. Crowds were taking a breather on the palace steps looking down towards a young Japanese couple that were having their photographs taken. At first it appeared that they'd just been married but it was soon obvious that they hadn't. Another Japanese guy was taking the shots, probably for his wedding photography portfolio, while a girl followed, occasionally spraying the bride's hair and touching up her make-up. There were many obvious pointers that this was an exercise to promote a photography business in Venice - plus the bride and groom were rowing most of the time! I attached my 300mm lens and took a few candid shots of the wedding shot. Quite pleased with them considering I was in the shadows during the 2 or 3 minutes I was there. The couple looked immaculate though - have to give them that.

Finally it was time to head back over the canal and wait for my boat back to the mainland. I made a few more pictures before reaching the docking area, including a well photographed scene of the Venetian gondoliers with the island of San Giorgio Di Maggiore in the background (shown here, shot 4). The gondola's in the shot were out of service at the time, hence the waterproof blue covers. A quick visit to a nearby toilet followed before I made my way towards the docking point where the Marco Polo boat was due in a few minutes. While waiting I watched the world go by, doing a spot of people watching to kill my last few minutes in Venice. At this point along the promenade are many gift stalls and cafeteria's and if you fancy one of those fake Gucci bags - ya know, the ones that fall to bits after a week, well, there's plenty of African immigrants knocking those out. Barter with them if you decide to take a chance on a bag - these fella's will sell their granny for a few Euro's. One of them tried to grab my arm as I walked past. I told him I wasn't 'That way inclined', then he said 'Quality Dolce Gabbana Leather, Sir'. I thought to me'sel 'He he, leather MY ARSE'. I shook my head and walked past the Garth Crooks lookalike as my boat arrived. That was it - I was out.

Venice - never to be forgotten. Fantastic place!

Back soon...AC

Venice - Part 2 (Rialto Market Area)

2011-08-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Stepping out of St Mark's Square and into the Napoloenic Wing I headed into the unknown through an archway that led me to Calla Larga, which included exclusive shops such as Louis Vuitton. With only my backpack and a map of Venice for company I was about to begin an exploration of this unique City, as a sense of excitement gripped me as to what lay ahead. I was confronted by a maze of narrow streets with tall buildings, which looked like they probably did 50 years ago, retaining character during the passage of time. Many had those old wooden velour shutters, which were all closed, probably to keep the heat at bay. Then again, the residents of Venice mustn't be short of a bob or two, so I reckon Air-Con must come as standard. These three and four storey buildings looked rather run down from the outside but I dare say the interiors are a very different matter. As I stop for a minute to find my bearings, courtesy of my map, I find myself stood outside a pizzeria-stroke-cafe. The smell was something else. What is it about freshly baked bread? I gazed into the window to see an array of pizza, wraps, sandwiches, rolls and cakes. To be honest, I didn't have a clue what was in most of the sandwiches as they were individually labelled in Italian. All I could understand was the prices, and they weren't cheap. I was in there like a dog after a bone, buying a small rolled pizza that looked the best of the bunch. I waited a short while until it was lightly crisped off in a toasting machine before it was handed over in exchange for 5 Euro's. Add to that a 500ml can of coke and I was more than happy, toddling out of the shop with a look of satisfaction on my face. I was now back into the soaring heat as I parked my arse on a nearby bench overlooking Rio Del Veste. Time for lunch.

Feeling a tad more than content after my 15 minute pit-stop I was on my feet again as my map began to draw me towards the famous Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal. As the early afternoon heat started to get the better of me, I remember taking the odd wrong turn or two before getting back on track and heading through Calla Del Fuseri, which took me in a straight line towards Palace Loredan and eventually to the edge of the Grand Canal. The area was very busy - top heavy tourist numbers in every direction, and that included the canal itself! As well as Gondola's, the canal in front of me was a highway for motor boats carrying food supplies and drinks to the many homes and restaurants on the Venice waterways. The Rialto Bridge (Second shot) was the focal point of interest and not only was it a photogenic subect as the gondola's passed under its arch, but the view from the bridge itself was equally as attractive as I looked back along the Grand Canal. Almost everyone around me were using camera's, and why not, views like this don't come along every day! I'd safely say, with hindsight, that this was my favourite viewpoint in the whole city - an ideal position to capture a bit of everything that Venice had to offer.

More sightseeing followed, as I wandered through more narrow streets that ran parallel with the Grand Canal, heading upstream towards the Pescheria (Fish Market), on the San Polo side of the canal. It certainly wasn't my map that guided me to this point on my journey, but the strong smell of raw fish that filled the air. Intrigue got the better of me so I entered the Fish Market to see exactly what had been landed. I somehow assumed that the catch would have naturally been pulled from the Med, so I was more than surprised when I read the origin of Gamberoni (Jumbo Prawns) and Red Snapper was Argentina. The prawns were like nothing I'd seen before - 'Jumbo' is a modest way of describing them! Money was exchanging hands at a sharp rate as the place was packed with customers looking for a good deal. Best sellers appeared to be Tuna Steaks, Shark, Lobster and Sea Bass, as well as Gamberoni. Brought to the market by boat, the seafood left the premises in Venetian carrier bags, by the dozen. As I passed the last stall on my left an apron clad fisherman was gutting a huge fish on a slab - it's head bared a striking resemblance to John Prescott in more ways than one, just before the knife came down, detaching it from its body. Within a few seconds I was out of the building and enjoying some much needed fresh air. I stood near the jetty where the fish was delivered to the market, looking up the Grand Canal, which is where I captured my third shot (shown here). Gondola's was passing regularly, as well as the usual
motor boats that service the City's businesses and homes. Straddling this section of the Canal were the many buildings, side by side, including Palace Brandolin, Palace Broldu and
Ca' Da Mosto. This was to be the most northern point of Venice that I visited before heading west across San Polo, to my evental destination Punta Delia Dogana, the southern gateway to the Grand Canal.

More of this next time, including some photo's of a Venetian wedding that I stumbled across. Until then, thanks once again for visiting.
Ash

Venice, Italy - Part 1 (San Marco)

2011-07-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Venice - without doubt the most photogenic City I have ever visited. I could be excused for saying Venice is a photographers paradise, and if you're a photography buff yourself then you'll know what I'm getting at if you ever have the pleasure of visiting. I made two trips to Venice within the space of three days - the weather was overcast on the first visit and sunny/cloudy on the second. Weather aside, I intended to make the most of my time here, especially as it may have been my first, second and last visit to this unique place. Water-girt Venice rises on an archipelago of small islands separated by a dense network of waterways, which were rectified down the years, noticably changing the original conformation. Venice lies four kilometers from the mainland and two from the open sea. The longest of the canals, and the widest, is the Grand Canal which divides the city into two main parts that are connected by three bridges - the Bridge of the Scalzi, the Bridge of Rialto and also the Academia. Forty-Five internal canals run into the Grand Canal, which can all be navigated with small boats or gondolas. As many as 350 bridges connect the various zones of the city. Piazza San Marco is a gem among gems in the the field of Italian architecture. This large open space has the Basilica of San Marco, the Palace of Doges and the Logetta (clock tower) on each side. It was here that I made my way into Venice from the boating station after docking a few minutes earlier. The boat trip across from Punta Sabbioni lasted approximately 25 minutes and cost 9 Euro's for a return ticket. The place was crammed with tourists like myself, eager to see what Venice had to offer. The Clock Tower in Piazza San Marco was built between 1496 and 1499 and is undoubtedly one of the most photographed monuments in Venice, mainly because of the two moors that strike the bell at the top of the tower every hour. The Campanile of San Marco is dominated by the lofty bell tower that reaches 100 meters high. Queue's for the tower stretched from its entrance across the way towards the Basilica but I didn't fancy waiting in that lot, opting to explore the more photogenic areas of Veneto instead. Mind you, the view from the top would have been well worth the wait in the queue.

From the Piazzetta I took a swift left turn past the Campanile and into St Mark's Square. Either side of the square is decked with tables and chairs - sit on a chair at your peril! How about 20 Euro's for two cups of coffee - not likely. If you've got money to burn then dive in, but surely no cup of coffee in the world is worth that kind of outlay. Then again, you're paying for the location, a prime spot in the heart of Venice, and that obviously comes at a price. A small orchestra played for the paying customers as they sat watching the world go by. Waiters in white dinner jackets and dicky-bows tended to the customers, lending a rather finishing touch to the art of exclusivety in St Mark's Square. It was interesting to see just how many people were sitting in the restaurant seats - they must have mare money than sense! There was an abundance of Japanese and American tourists among the crowds in St Mark's - many of them formed part of a group that were being guided around the area, enjoying an informal and factual account of ancient Venice up to the present day. I noticed a flyer on the boat across to Venice that advertised a forthcoming open air concert in the square by Sting, former frontman of pop group The Police. The show was billed as Symphonicity, and what a place to play live in on a potentially warm Summer's night. I wonder how much those tickets were going for?

From the Square I headed through the Napoleonic wing, a long walk where exclusive (and very expensive) shops lined the route on one side, with columns along the other that led back into the Square. The first part of Venice had been seen and what an eye-opener it was - a kind of 'How the other half live'. From the Napoleonic Wing I walked through an arch and into Calle Larga, a typical narrow street with high buildings that had plenty of character. At this point the exploration of Venice really started to kick in and I had the feeling I was going to do some serious damage with my camera. It was now time to invite my 10-22mm wide to the party...

To be continued.

Ash

Verona, Italy

2011-07-01T04:04:00.000-07:00

With plenty of things to catch up on I'll start with my first ever blog entry of a recent visit to a European City. Although I've visited quite a few capital cities over the last few years I've never actually visited one since I started writing my blog. One of my favourite European cities has to be Rome, in Italy - an excellent place to visit in every aspect. At the beginning of June I visited Italy once again with my family, where we spent seven days on the Venetian Riviera, based at Lido Di Jesolo. This was an ideal base for travelling around northern Italy and my intended 'Hot Spots' for photography were Verona, Lake Garda, and top of the list...Venice. We made visits to all three, and Venice twice, where I photographed some of the places I'd missed during our first visit. We were only at Lake Garda for a couple of hours but it was well worth seeing - more on that another day. Venice was the jewel in the crown though, a place that I'll be writing about at length very soon on my blog. In the meantime, if you'd like to view my Venice slideshow on ashleycorr.com, click here and you will be taken directly to the page. More Venice photographs will be uploaded to my site next week when a new page 'Venice Revisited' will go live.

Todays blog entry concentrates on Verona, a city in Veneto, northern Italy, home to approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is one of the main tourist destinations in northern Italy, thanks to its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows, and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient amphitheatre built by the Romans. The first shot (above) shows a section of the Arena, which in the past has played host to the likes of U2, Simple Minds, REM and Coldplay, to name just a few. We spent a short time outside the Arena but never went inside, opting to press on and see what the centre of Verona had to offer instead. Arena Di Verona still remains in excellent condition today despite its age. As far as a spectacle is concerned I rate the Coliseum in Rome as a more attractive peice of architecture, although the Arena runs a close second. Having said that, I hear the interior of the Coliseum is no match for that of the Arena, which beats it hands down. Unfortunately I can't verify that - not until I make a return visit, that is. As the grey clouds hung above I headed off through the nearby park with its 'Lemon Squeezer' fountain - quite an eye-catcher! The weather was unsettled according to the forecast on my phone. It looked as though a heavy downpour of rain was imminent. Had to keep an eye on that one as we strolled through Piazza Bra in the old Roman section of the town (see photo 2). Just off the Piazza sits the Palazzo Barbieri, Verona's Town Hall that was completed in 1883.

A walk through Via Mazzini takes you to the centre of Verona which is more commonly known as Piazza Delle Erbe (photo 3). There was plenty of activity here - a large square with shops and restaurants on each side, as well as buildings of architectural interest. Once again a fountain took centre stage, right next to the local market stalls that were also attracting a lot of interest. The Madonna Verona Fountain was built in 1368, although the sculpture on top is much older. The building in the background is the Palazzo Mafei which was completed in 1668. Perched along the top rail are six pagan divinity sculptures - Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Apollo, Hercules and Minerva. It is one of the few remaining baroque buildings of Verona and is currently used as a mere tourist office! In the Piazza della Erbe you will also find the Lamberti Tower standing at almost 85 metres high. You can climb it if you're fit enough, or spend a Euro and take the lift. Either way its most definately worth it for a panoramic shot of medieval Verona and beyond. Definately recommended.

Romeo, Romeo, where forth art thou Romeo?
Probably third in line behind the American and French guys getting their picture taken rubbing the right breast of Juliet's statue, he he. It's supposed to bring you luck and since she's bronze, she won't slap you! The legendary lovers famed balcony has become a must see stop for tourists visiting Verona. It doesn't matter if they were fictional characters and the balcony was built in the 1930's to provide photo seeking tourists with a photo op, it's fun to dream and imagine Juliet peering out from the balcony waiting for her lover to appear - he never does though - probably down the bookies putting a few Euro's on a nag!

Today, you can stop in the courtyard and see the statue and balcony, although the place is regularly full of tourists having a good old gander. On entering the gates to the courtyard the side walls are covered in graffiti love notes, which is allowed, although you'll be hard pressed to find a blank space to join in the trend. I'm not that superstitious but my sister wrote a note asking to find a special person and that same night she met a nice guy in Venice - he took her out to an exclusive restaurant for a a pricey meal washed down with the finest Vino, before legging it out the back door, leaving HER to pick up the bill - charming eh! Juliet's house houses a small museum and temporary art exhibitions. All the frescoes, paintings, and ceramics on display are genuine antiques from the 16th and 17th century, however, none of them have ever belonged to the Capulets. Photo number 4 (shown here) is the Romeo & Juliet Balcony. What I would have given to throw a bucket of cold water from the balcony onto the dozens of tourists below, he he. Nowt against tourists mind, I was one of them, but there were screaming kids all over the place and I must have been clouted at least five times by swinging backpacks. Ah well.

And that's about it folks. Verona - a lovely place - just a pity the weather wasn't better. Again, it was one of those visits where you see only a minute fraction of what is on offer. Who knows, I might get back there one day to see more.

Coming next - VENICE

Cheers, Ash

Hatching Out - Mute Swans 2011

2011-06-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

I finally got round to posting again on my blog - it's been a while! I've been busy with other things recently, although the photography hasn't suffered because of it - I've got stacks of new images to get through and they will be uploaded soon on ashleycorr.com.

Hillside Cemetery, Houghton le Spring

2011-05-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

From the peaceful idyllic setting of the Northumberland Coast at Dunstanburgh to an eerie yet fascinating site in Houghton le Spring - Hillside Cemetery. I've lived in Houghton for twelve years now, yet it's only recently that this local site has come to my attention. I never knew of its existance until a few years ago when a story went to print in the Sunderland Echo regarding a gang of youths that had recently vandalised the graveyard, including the opening of a tomb. Many headstones were either felled or smashed during this rampage of sheer mindless vandalism, causing outrage in the local community. I don't know whether the culprits were ever brought to book, but the cemetery was later cleaned of all grafitti and some of the headstones were raised back into position to restore the site to a semblance of normality. In December 2003 following a public meeting, the Friends of Houghton Hillside Cemetery were formed and since the formation of the group the site is slowly returning to its former glory. So far the group have carried out substantial conservation works within the site and also secured funds which saw the restoration of the Lych Gate and Railings at the entrance. They have also held their own fund raising events such as their annual open days, a sponsored graveyard gallop and more recently in 2008 a sponsored 10 mile walk. The walk was undertaken in atrocious weather conditions as it rained from beginning to end but this did not deter the Friends who took part. Tours of the site are undertaken several times each year and each time are attended by new visitors to the site together with many visitors who support the group year after year.

Hillside is a cemetery located on the outskirts of Houghton Le Spring and the recently restored Lych Gate can be seen when driving along Houghton Cut on the A690 towards Sunderland. It is in actual fact not a cemetery but a detached burial ground for St Michaels and All Angels Church, however, it is more often than not referred to as 'the old cemetery'. It was consecrated in 1854 by Rector John Grey after a lot of controversy as the site was initially a quarry. There had been an outbreak of Cholera in Houghton Le Spring and as the churchyard surrounding St Michael & All Angels Church was full another site had to be found. Eventually after a lot of debating the Hillside site was consecrated. Initially the main entrance to the site was through Hillside Farm next door but in 1873 the Lych Gate was built and this became the entrance. The Lych Gate was damaged due to a road traffic accident in the 1960's. Due to the site being used less and less the Lych Gate soon became overgrown with ivy and other climbing plants. Although the site was a split level site, Hillside soon started to fill up and it was found necessary to have an extension which was opened in 1894. This also coincided with the opening of the Municipal Cemetery on Durham Road in Houghton Le Spring but as the municipal did not at the time have a consecrated area the authorities were forced to extend Hillside. There were about 7000 burials in total took place at Hillside.

The last burial took place at Hillside in the 1970’s. Also, when the A690 was built through Houghton Cut in the 1960’s the cemetery was forgotten about. Sunderland Street, where the cemetery is located, became a dead end due to the recently built dual carriageway. Hillside quickly became overgrown and a haven for wildlife. During the building of the A690 the headstones on the plateau area of the site were bulldozed and plateau levelled. The stones are supposedly buried in the top left hand corner of the site. There are over 7000 people buried at Hillside including Rector Grey and Thomas Usherwood Robinson. Thomas Usherwood Robinson being the main objector in the controversy! Ironic to think that even though he was one of the main objectors he ended up at Hillside in the end.

A conversation with a workmate who lives in the nearby village of Fence Houses turned to the subject of Hillside Cemetery. He encouraged me to make a visit with my camera as the cemetary was an interesting place to photograph. I said I would take his advice and get my arse up there, sooner rather than later. Since the conversation I often wondered what this place actually looked like, after hearing tales of this strange place that is situated on a hillside, just five minutes drive from my house. It was by chance that the following day I had my car booked in for its annual MOT test, at a garage just down the road from Hillside Cemetery. Instead of waiting in the garage while my car was being tested I decided to take a walk up to the cemetary and return to collect my car later. I had an hour to kill so off I trudged, up the bank to the main Lych Gate entrance (pictured here - photo one). Walking through the arch I headed along the path towards a plateau next to the cliff face. There were a dozen or so headstones scattered about and a recently erected memorial cross to honour the miners that had died at Houghton Colliery down the years, before its eventual closure in 1981. The place was desolate, just me and my camera phone, walking around this odd place that must have had many a story behind it, unknown to me.

As I found myself at the far end of the plateau I stood next to the memorial cross and looked back across the plateau. It was at this point I thought to myself 'Is this all there is'. It certainly didn't live up to my expectations. I was told there were many gravestones standing up against the cliff face, but I didn't see any. I was about to head back to the entrance of the cemetary when I noticed a break in the trees behind the memorial stone. Intrigued, I walked into the wooded area on a well used path - obviously there was more to Hillside Cemetery than first meets the eye. As I walked into the woods I noticed what looked like a gravestone, then another, and another. By now my mind was working overtime and it suddenly dawned on me that my visit to Hillside Cemetery was only just beginning. I hadn't seen anything yet! What lay ahead was something of completed astonishment - dozens of graves in a completely overgrown wooded area. It was definately a surreal moment, like a scene from the set of a horror movie. I was half expecting some zombie like figure to crawl out from the undergrowth and tell me to get back to the garage, as my car had failed its MOT with four broken coil springs, he he. I've visited some unusual places in my time but nothing like this. And to think, I'd been living on its doorstep for over a decade!

The majority of the gravestones were vandalised. Many dated back to early nineteenth century - etchings on some were barely visible through erosion over the passage of time. As I walked further into the site I noticed a large black char mark on the ground, obviously the result of a fire by some locals - maybe even lit during a night time vigil whilst camping, who knows. Rather them than me. Nearby I noticed a blanket sticking out of the earth. I scraped at it with my foot, wondering what lay inside it. Maybe a pet had been buried at this spot. Just then my mobile phone rang loudly - I nearly shat myself!!! Places like this have a habit of hightening your senses and every little sound is heard, like a twig snapping nearby, or did it? Was my mind playing games with me, I wondered. It was broad daylight yet I wasn't having any of it. Call me a pussycat, but you had to be in the thick of this place to realise its ability to unnerve. Another moment to forget was when I kneeled down to brush away leaves on a felled gravestone. I remember reading 'Aged 3 years' as a roosting pigeon in the tree above decided to fly off, making a racket in the process. Again, I missed a heart beat and feared a change of underwear was on the cards if I stayed here any longer. Time to go collect my car!

Hillside Cemetary - a place I'll not forget in a hurry. A fascinating place.
I'll be back soon. Thanks for visiting - Ash

Rocky Foreshore, Dunstanburgh

2011-05-25T00:17:00.000-07:00

Hello again. It's been over a week since my last ramblings so I thought it best to show my face again. Not literally of course - wouldn't want to give you nightmares, he he. During May I visited the Northumberland Coast once again. My favourite stretch of coastline is Dunstanburgh to Holy Island, but my latest trip up north saw me dropping anchor at Dunstanburgh Steads. The approach road from the A1(M) reaches a cul-de-sac near the golf course which sits at the edge of the coastal walk between Embleton and Dunstanburgh Castle. After parking up I walked across the sand dunes towards Dunstanburgh Heughs, a place I've visited a few times during the last couple of years. There's a section of coastline that has a boulder field for a good half mile - thousands of almost sphere like black rocks that draw you in for a decent photograph. I timed my visit to coincide with the high tide in an attempt to try out my new set of ND filters. These filters are basically darkened glass, similar to polarizing filters, which reduce the amount of light that passes through the lens, which in turn allows very slow shutter speeds in very bright, sunny conditions. The slow shutter speed would enable me to blur the motion of the incoming tide, giving a kind of milky effect to the water. I like this kind of photography and I was hopeful of getting the shots I wanted.

Of course, slippery rocks and incoming tide aren't ideal conditions - first and foremost there's the safety aspect, followed by the risk of water damage to your gear should the force of the tide turn nasty. A few photographers have become casualties of this well known stretch of coastline, including Terry Cavner, a local photographer who slipped and broke his leg before being airlifted to hospital. 'Tread carefully' I kept reminding myself. The weather was spot on. Warm, sunny, a slight breeze and barely a cloud in the sky. The tide was playing ball too - almost full tide when I arrived at Dunstanburgh Heughs. Time to play. After negotiating the boulder field with the aid of an extended tripod as a walking stick, I was in position and taking my first shots around mid-afternoon. There were a few walkers on the path to my right but no-one on the rocks in front of me, which was ideal - don't want any intruders spoiling my shots, eh. At one point I had three filters fitted to my wide angle lens - ended up with slight vignetting but eliminated it by increasing focal length of the lens, just slightly. After half an hour my legs were on the end of a good soaking from the incoming tide. I wasn't too bothered though as there's always a small price to pay when taking this type of photograph. Push your luck too much and the price could be higher! It's all about common sense really - not pushing the limits. Making pictures in dicey conditions is fine along as you know where to draw the line. I cut in a few times as the tide started to surround my feet - A simple case of staying one step ahead of the game.

After 45 minutes or so I chucked the towel in. Well, not quite, but if I'd got my hands on a towel it would have been handy - I'd been well soaked by this time. I packed up my gear and headed off the boulder field to the safer, dry land. Eyed up a couple of new positions to photograph from, just below Lilburn Tower which sat on the crag above. A grazing field nearby had recently become a pond - something I'd never seen on my previous visits. Steam sat on the water, offering a nice photo into the bargain. A lone fence drew me in as I looked for a reflection of Lilburn Tower in the still water. This is what I saw - shot 3. A nice little composition. A couple of people with camera's came over and nicked my position, not that I minded of course. It was probably the best viewpoint along this coastal stretch. Might as well capture it while you can.

I returned home later that evening and watched a new drama series called Vera, about a Geordie investigator and the pilot episode was shot on the Dunstanburgh coastline where I'd been a few hours earlier. It was interesting stuff. I'd more or less traced their steps.

And that's all for now. From the relaxed peaceful setting of Dunstanburgh to the eerie setting of Hillside Cemetary in Houghton le Spring. That's my next blog entry - coming soon. An interesting one to say the least!!!

Until then, see ya. Ash

Elvet Bridge, County Durham

2011-05-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

Durham City Centre offers countless photo opportunities. You notice something of interest at almost every turn and one area of interest that keeps drawing me in is the riverside walk from Milburngate to the Elvet Bridge. Between these two points on the route you pass probably the most iconic landmark in the whole of north-east England - Durham Cathedral. Some spectacular shots of the cathedral can be taken along the riverside, mainly from the south bank, during all four seasons, but especially in Autumn. After passing the cathedral the path takes a turn round the river bend towards Prebends Bridge. Again, there's photo opportunities here when rowing boats pass through its arches - mostly pleasure boats on hire from the guy next to Elvet Bridge. Elvet forms the subject of todays blog entry. It was an early Sunday morning when I took these shots and the weather was ideal - nice blue sky with some swirls of white to finish it off. Always nice for a landscape shot! Looking towards Elvet (first shot above) there was more than enough subject in the frame, making it quite a busy shot without too much clutter. Infact, from bottom to top of the frame there's enough to keep you interested, which I suppose was all I was trying to achieve. As I was in position early there were still plenty of boats tethered to the walls, giving a nice colourful and organised display at the edge of the shot. The Elvet Bridge, along with the houses behind it seem to give a nice balance in centre shot, with the ancient architecture of castle and cathedral sitting at the top. Incuded is a fair bit of green, giving a slight side step to the idea that this is a typical city centre shot, which it certainly isn't. The rowing boat on the water finishes the shot off quite nicely - mind you, I had to wait long enough for it to appear where I wanted it!

My second shot was taken at ground level where the boat hirer was sat. It was here that I switched lenses, opting for a wide angle perspective instead of the bog standard. The scene in front of me was crying out 'Wide angle' especially as I was almost on top of the rowing boats. I knew this change of direction would give a nice angle and slight distortion of the boats, so I went from there. The 10-22mm wide is great to use and it never fails to surprise. I often wonder why it took me so long to get my hands on one. I wouldn't be without it now. The composition looked even better through the viewfinder after I'd fitted my 77mm polarizer and rotated it for best effect. Another piece of kit that travels in the kit bag at all times.

Finally - shot 3. Taken next to Elvet Bridge. Something slightly different - boats under the arches with accompanying paddles, ideally placed against the wall. As soon as I saw the paddles I could see the picture in front of me immediately. It was simply a case of composing the shot as best as I could. I took three or four shots in both landscape and portrait format, metering off the stonework, which sort of burned out the sky in the background somewhat, but there ya go. After taking my shots I wondered whether I should get my arse into one of these boats and head downstream. Then I remembered it had been years since I rowed a boat and this made me think on. I decided to give it a swerve - maybe it was too much on the owld fella's body, he he. I convinced myself I wouldn't have time to get down the River Wear and back in time for Sunday lunch at 12 prompt, so the decision was made for me - maybe next time (ahem!) Of course, next time never comes does it.

Belly rumbling, I was back home in no time, fillin' me chops wi top notch grub. Job done

Back soon! Ash

Woodland Walks, Bedale, North Yorkshire

2011-05-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hello again, and welcome to another blog entry of mine. My site updates have been sparse lately due to other commitments - mainly printing, mounting and framing. I've taken time out tonight to give you an insight into our recent visit to Bedale in North Yorkshire. As part of a family day out we visited Ripon and Harrogate, before stopping off in Bedale. The weather was kind, infact very kind as the whole day was filled with bright sunshine and good temperature, making conditions ideal for getting off the beaten track and taking in some photography in the bargain. Bedale is a bustling market town which lies between the North Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors, in the district of Hambleton.

The Riverside, although technically not a river, Bedale Beck makes a pleasant backdrop for walks and visiting points of interest along the way, including the Heritage Trail. Designed by the local Heritage Trust, the Heritage Trail provides an excellent insight into the extent of Bedale's colourful past. And it's colour all the way as you walk the many designated paths through the wooded areas and also the riverside route. We walked for miles, passing mant points of interest that I captured from behind the lens. A variation of colour awaits you at every turn, including daffs, cherry blossom and bluebells. There was even a sudden burst of bright red in the form of some stray tulips - strategically planted just off the main path behind the fence. An example of it is shown here.

Springtime is always full of activity and colour where plants and flowers are concerned. I'm not a big fan of this kind of photography to be honest, but sometimes seeing full bloom just isn't enough, so the camera records the moment for future reference. I like to think I've captured it quite well here. Today's photography was on the back of my recent visit to Mowbray Gardens in Sunderland, where once again I found myself capturing a burst of colour amongst the flowerbeds. At the turn of the year (2011) I made the decision to capture as many colourful flower shots as possible, mainly due to the fact that I had virtually no stock library and also my plans to include them on calendars and postcard designs. I'm not finished yet - I've earmarked more places of interest where I'm guaranteed some decent shots - just waiting the right weather and I'm off!

Bedale was an ideal stop off and another place I shall revisit, maybe in Autumn when the place will be bathed in more colour. We had a nice bar meal in the Three Coopers Inn before heading home. Proper real ale too, although I gave it a miss as I was soon behind the wheel and northbound on the A1(M). A nice day all round - weather, scenery, pub grub and photography - why man, ya cannit get vexed!

Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back soon.
Ash

Fountains Abbey, Ripon

2011-05-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

We've had some great weather recently, especially over the Easter period. During this time I made a visit to the North Yorkshire town of Ripon, which is approximately 56 miles from my base in Houghton le Spring. Ripon is the home of Fountains Abbey, the largest abbey ruins in the UK, which is situated in the Skell Valley and has 800 years of history behind it. The abbey was founded in 1132 by 13 Benedictine monks seeking a simpler life. They later became Cistercian monks. The River Skell runs through the valley and under The Abbey - which in itself is a masterpiece of twelfth century building ingenuity. It's quite easy to soak up the spiritual atmosphere, almost losing yourself in the passages, staircases and towers that display ancient architectural craftsmanship at its very best. I've visited a few ancient sites during the past few months and I'd safely say that I probably won't see another of this size for some time to come, unless it's somewhere overseas.

My first shot (shown here) was taken as I arrived in the abbey grounds from the footpath which began at the site entrance which was only a few minutes walk. It shows Fountains Abbey, straddled bya huge lawn - one of two that flank the east and west sides of the abbey. From here I made my way inside the abbey to an area known as the cellarium, which is shown in my second shot. Amazingly the cellarium roof has remained intact and the lay brothers ate, slept and socialised here, beneath the incredible vaulted ceiling which escaped Henry VIII’s brutal sixteenth century dissolution of the abbeys. Today the inhabitants are protected species of bat who live in the ceiling nooks and only come out after dusk. It is estimated there are over eight species of bats living in the cellarium. During the Autumn the cellarium is lit by coloured bulbs as part of the illumination tours that the National Trust runs at the site at dusk. Someone climbed down an embankment and into the far window of the cellarium as I took the shot, which you can see here.

From the cellarium I walked through to the cloister area which was surprisingly quiet, but ideal for photography, despite the high volume of visitors to the site while I was there. Once used for meditation and exercise by the monks the cloisters formed the centre of the abbey and many rooms lead off from this area, including the warming room where you can still see the huge fireplace where a fire was always kept roaring. Above the warming room up the external staircase to the left, is the muniments room where the monks kept all their important documents, it made sense to keep them above the warming room so the documents stayed dry in all seasons. The floor tiles in this room have just been refurbished and the room has recently been opened to visitors.

Today I was photographing solely with my 10-22mm wide angle lens. This glass is tailor-made for tight architectural passages and alleyways, plus the low level shots of overhead stonwork such as archways and high windows - perfect examples of which were found in the church area of the abbey. The dominating tower also got the wide angle treatment as I stood very close to its base. I have a selection of images, approximately 25, that I will be uploading to my web site ashleycorr.com in the next couple of days. They will form a new gallery page that is dedicated to Fountains Abbey and it will get the usual slideshow treatment with accompanying music.

The surprising thing about this National Trust site is that Fountains Abbey only forms a small part of what is actually on offer to the visitor. The grounds also extend to Studley Royal, a huge estate of beauty including the Georgian Water Gardens, a deer park, Anne Boleyn's Seat, Studley Lake and the Serpentine Tunnel, to name just a few. I'll have to cover that lot another day, as my three hour visit was over in no time and I only visited the abbey!

Anyway, that's about it for now. Keep an eye out for the new Fountains Abbey gallery which is due to go live shortly. You'll get an insight into the ancient ruins through my camera lens. I hope I done it justice. Until then, see ya next time.

Stacks of new photo's to get through!

Ash

Sunset Over Rainton Meadows

2011-04-28T21:20:00.000-07:00

A quick word to accompany the two photographs here in my latest blog entry. Another calm Spring night and a visit to Rainton Meadows nature reserve in Houghton le Spring saw me grab my first 'Mute Swan In Flight' shots, taken on my Canon 7D. I was lucky enough to have a 300mm telephoto lens attached as this Mute Swan flew by, crossing the sun on it's path. The camera was also set to Quick Burst, allowing seven frames per second, which was just the job for this type of shot. I ran off half a dozen frames as the big bird flew past, then picked the best two depending on the position of its wings, hoping for a nice profile, which I managed to get. I had literally four or five seconds to set the dial with a fast shutter before raising the camera to take a shot. I haven't attempted this type of shot before so I wasn't expecting anything special - mind you, I'm more than happy with the results and I'm already thinking about trying it again, soon. An hour before sunset should be the right time to start shooting, especially as the sun is quite low and gathering more colour as it drops towards the horizon.

I had been photographing Mute Swans for an hour or so at the same location, but those on the water, not in the air. Infact, you don't often see many Mute Swans in flight at Rainton Meadows so you really need to take your chance when it presents itself. Flights of geese are not uncommon at the meadows, plus ducks and other water birds, including waders. Tonights debut was easier than some, as Swans are slower in flight than most other water birds, so I'll have a bash at the quicker stuff another time. The pond I was photographing at was calm and the weather was fine. I photographed a male Mute Swan as its mate sat on its nest in the reeds nearby. It was a little bit touchy at first, understandably, but as soon as the bread made an appearance it settled down. Aye, they're not daft these buggers! As soon as the bread was gone, so was the Swan!

That's all for now folks. Plenty of new photo's to come - just trying to find the time to upload them. Until then, see ya later,

Ash

Sunderland Coastal Area

2011-04-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

Following my visit to Mowbray Gardens I decided to visit the beach at Roker, Sunderland, while the sun was still shining. The broken clouds caught my eye, so thinking they could add to some decent seascape shots I drove across the Wearmouth Bridge and headed for the water. Having done a job in Mowbray Gardens I wondered whether their was similar shots to be had in Roker Park, but a brief stop off proved a waste of time as there was very little colour on show, so it was a case of driving the short distance to the seafront near Roker Hotel. I parked up and took a few steps across the road where my vantage point took in the whole of Roker beach and its well known 'Cat & Dog Steps.' The sands were quite desolate, which was somewhat of a surprise considering the nice weather. There were a fair few walking along the promenade though, towards Seaburn, which lies just along the coastal route, heading north. The tide was low, which wasn't ideal as I'd hoped for some shots with an incoming tide below my vantage point, but I wasn't complaining - I suppose you can only work with what's in front of you!
I was tempted to drop down onto the beach itself but decided against it as I was pushed for time. Anyway, the sea was calm so I wasn't missing much, as far as crashing waves are concerned.

From experience I've found that good beach shots are amongst the hardest to achieve. Last year I was commissioned by the Tourist Board in Sunderland to supply beach shots of Sunderland, which wasn't an easy proposition. I made a few visits to the Roker/Seaburn beach area and planned where to shoot the best scenes, which were mainly up top, overlooking the sands. It was around this time, October 2010, that I'd captured a few sunrise shots, so it was finally time to grab some daytime shots to go with them. I captured 5 shots which were later reproduced as postcards, which have sold well in Sunderland Tourist Information Centre, as well as further sales in the Winter Gardens and Cafe Bungalow, Roker. Examples of the cards can be found here - Postcards > ashley Corr.com. My latest beach shots, shown here, aren't commissioned work, although I do plan to reproduce one as a new postcard which will increase the set to 20. Beach shots are in demand, so I plan to test myself further in the coming weeks to add better shots to my portfolio. A good sky is a must have - get that and you're well on your way! Both beaches in Sunderland (Roker & Seaburn) are very clean and relatively tidy - unlike the beaches further south at Seaham and Easington, where decades of coal mining are still evident on their sands.

The seaside area of Sunderland is buoyant during the Summer months, as expected. The usual run of pubs, restaurants and amusements lie along the promenade, especially at Seaburn, the central area of Sunderland's coastline. Seaburn's Marriot hotel is a popular resting place. Overlooking the North Sea, its easterly facing rooms give perfect views of the sea which often crashes off the nearby walls during the winter months. I remember one day last year when I was fortunate enough to witness the waves in full force, keeping a sensible distance from them and avoiding a soaking, as I took a few photographs. A gang of kids were dodging the waves as they crashed against the wall, but not one of them evaded a soaking. Quite funny at the time!

Once again, thanks for visiting. I'll be back shortly with my latest work - Ripon, North Yorkshire...more of those Mute Swans... Historic Durham...and more.

Catch ya then, Ash

Mowbray Gardens, Sunderland

2011-04-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I visited Mowbray Gardens in Sunderland City Centre. My last visit was at least two years ago, as I remember taking a few photographs for a calendar I was contributing to at the time. During the Spring and Summer months the well maintained gardens are bouncing with colour, so the visitor count rises considerably during this time. The weather was fine so I had the perfect opportunity to get the shots I wanted.

Mowbray Gardens are situated behind Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens - another place that's worth visiting if you're in the area. The Winter Gardens stimulate the senses with over 2,000 flowers and plants brought together in a spectacular showcase of the world's natural beauty. Here is a selection of shots from my recent visit, which lasted 45 minutes or so. Cheers, Ash

Where Spring Meets Summer

2011-04-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hello again! The months of March and April are traditionally Spring months, although the end of March signals the official beginning of BST - British Summer Time. Todays blog entry combines the two seasons, so my latest photo offerings reflect those typical Spring/Summer sights that are fairly commonplace during this time of year. Flowers, such as daffodils, typify everything that Spring is synonomous with, so I was keen to capture one or two scenes containing daffs at the height of the season. My first shot shows blooming daffs at a local English Heritage site - Finchale Abbey, County Durham. I made a previous visit to the ancient site a few weeks ago but the daffodils had just sprouted so I was way too early for the shots I was after. A calculated revisit brought me better luck though. I knew I had to be there early to catch the sun hitting the abbey from it's 'best side', and in turn bringing the best colour out of the flowers. As I walked through Cocken Wood towards the abbey I could tell instantly that my preparations had paid off - the sun was shining brightly and a burst of yellow could be easily seen between the trees as I walked the approach path. I was now in the abbey grounds and determining what settings to run with when a massive cloud slowly passed over, taking the sun out of the equation - great (not)! After 15 minutes or so it had passed over and I was off and running again. Bright sunlight and no breeze - perfect conditions. Wide angle was the way to go, guaranteeing full coverage of the abbey facade and flower bed in the foreground. Infact, I was practically in amongst the daffs to begin with, shooting low angle up a slight incline. Handheld, with a small aperture, the camera delivered a pin sharp image from my first effort, which was the whole objective, and a quick review on the histogram and monitor and gave me the thumbs up. I took full advantage of the conditions and pulled in at least 20 good shots from different angles, in both portrait and landscape format. These daffs don't last too long so better to strike while the iron is hot. Don't think I'll be back here this year so it was a simple case of making the most of my opportunity. I submitted this Finchale Abbey image to Tyne-Tees Television and it was shown on their weather bulletin a few hours later. The footage can be seen here, by activating the video clip on the control panel. My second Spring shot, which also features daffodils, was taken at Staithes, an olde worlde fishing village on the North-Yorkshire coast. A viewpoint near Cowbar Nab, the highest point at Staithes, offers an excellent view over the rooftops and harbour, including the river that runs through the village. As far as photogenic fishing villages are, Staithes is as good as it gets in this part of the world. Exploring the tight streets throws up many photo opportunities too and the character of the place has been retained after all these years - it often feels like you're in a different age as you walk the cobbles. There's a nice watering hole in Staithes too - The Cod And Lobster, so a pint of Yorkshire Ale is a canny little option before walking back up the very steep hill to the car park. I'd recommend Staithes if you're in the area - it's well worth visiting. My next shot (three) was captured by simply being in the right place at the right time. I was in Northumberland, travelling back from my visit to Warkworth Castle during the lambing season. Another possibility for a typical Spring type shot. Parking off road was very limited as I drove through the country lanes, until I reached a junction in the middle of nowhere. I noticed a few lambs jumping around in the corner of a nearby field so I grabbed my 300mm telephoto, fitted it, then got out the car and headed across the road. At the edge of the field was a sheep, sitting minding its own business when Mr 'CameraGluedToHis Face' showed up! One of the lambs was sitting on it's mothers back, which is something I've never seen before. Now this would be a shot and a half! Just as I raised the camera to my eye the sheep stood up and I feared the shot would be missed, but it stood there for a few seconds with the lamb still sitting, so I took full advantage by firing off a few shots in quick burst mode. The sheep then walked away and the lamb slid from its back and onto its feet. This shots epitomises the phrase 'capturing the moment'. Finally, shot 4, taken in Mowbray Gardens, Sunderland town centre. This is the colour of Spring, jumping out at the camera. Beautifully maintained flower beds and lawns, with added features like water fountains, bandstands and statues - more of that to follow in my next blog entry. Here is a quick preview, taken early on an April morning when the place was quiet, give or take the odd person here and there. Gone are the wino's and stray dogs - Mowbray Gardens is on the up, judging by what I saw as I walked through its grounds for the first time in years. The adjoining Museum and Winter Gardens are quite picturesque too and I have some shots of these that I will add to my next blog entry, coming soon. Until then, catch ya later... Ash

Many Thanks!

2011-04-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to everyone who has visited my website. The hit counter has increased dramatically this year, even as recently as January when it was approaching 40,000. Since then, almost three months ago, ashleycorr.com has had a further 5,000 hits and counting. I aim to fulfil my promise of regular updates, not just in image form but in blog posts, which I enjoy adding each week. Already in 2011, ashleycorr.com has had 43 updates and that number will continue to rise throughout the rest of the year.

Thanks also to everyone who has purchased my work in it's various formats, not only through my site but also the local outlets where it is currently available. New ideas are in the pipeline and more details will be released soon, so be sure to revisit my blog for full details.

More photographs to come shortly. Thanks again.

Ash

Tyne-Tees Television (Parts 25-28)

2011-04-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

It's time for another video clip, in the shape of some recent images I sent in to Tyne-Tees Television. I am a regular contributor to the daily weather bulletins as I submit my work that reflects our regional weather. Quite often my photo's are shown on the day I send them in, via email, which is always nice, and even better to be able to share them with visitors to my Blog. The screenshot (shown here) is the 25th photo that I've had shown on ITV's regional weather bulletin since I started last year - I accidentally deleted the footage for this one so it doesn't appear on the video clip below. Instead I managed to get a still image from the footage that has now been transferred to dvd. Not a clear image by any means, a similar one can be found here on my blog. Taken at nearby Rainton Meadows it shows a Mute Swan with a nice backdrop of broken cloud on a blue sky. A nice Spring image that I captured during a quiet Sunday morning at the nature reserve. That bird must be sick of the sight of my camera by now. Aye well, it aint seen nowt yet! The video footage below shows the following images... (1) Seven Sisters In The Fog....... (2) Angel Of The North At Night....... (3) Finchale Abbey, County Durham .......And that's all for now. I'm planning a visit into Sunderland tomorrow to grab some colourful shots in Mowbray Gardens, and if the weather is smiling I might try and squeeze in a trip to the beach at Seaburn and Roker. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Thanks again for visiting. Ash

Copt Hill Barrow (Seven Sisters)

2011-04-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

I wish I was given a fiver for each time I've visited the Copt Hill Barrow, known locally as the Seven Sisters. Only six trees are standing these days, plus a sapling, which brings the total back to seven after one tree was burnt down. The sapling is always vunerable to vandals although no-one has had a go at it to date (touch wood - no pun intended). As regular visitors to my blog will be aware, the Seven Sisters is situated in my home town of Houghton le Spring and it is literally five minutes drive from my house, so I often make visits outside of the Summer season. The reason I miss out Summer is simply for photographic reasons - nothing else. The Sisters are much more photogenic when they've shed their leaves so I'm a regular visitor during Spring and Winter when I can grab some nice silhouette shots. As you can imagine, I've made countless visits to this place down the years and the resulting images are always different. Here are two recent examples that perfectly illustrate the changing mood that the weather can bring.

The first shot was taken in mid-March, on a cold foggy morning. I hadn't photographed the Seven Sisters in fog before so it was time to put that right by making a visit, with visibility being very low as I drove up to the Copt Hill Public House car park. I met a dog walker as I was in position taking my first shots near the path that leads you to the barrow from the top of the field. As she was heading over the barrow with her dog she kindly offered to pose for a short while as I took more shots. A big THANK YOU to Sue and Henry for making the first shot (above) possible. I love it - captured the moment nicely!

The second, and more recent shot, was taken just before sunset as we entered the last few days of March. I had been out somewhere in the car and was heading home along the A690 when I noticed how low the sun was, and also how full and orangey it appeared. Normally, just before sunset, the sun is so bright that the glow around it is blown out and it's shape isn't visible. Today there was almost no surrounding glow, just a perfectly round deep orange sun, on it's way down and quickly approaching the skyline. As I had my camera bag with me I made a quick diversion and drove up to the location once again. A quick dash from the car to the barrow gave me enough time to take half a dozen quick shots before the sun had set. I just made it in time. There were no dog walkers about today though - just as well as it must have looked odd seeing a grown bloke legging it over the field with a large back-pack bouncing up and down. Oh dear!

Anyway, no tripod involved in these two shots - both were handheld. I'll be uploading them to my website very soon, on a page dedicated to the Copt Hill Barrow (Seven Sisters), that's if there's any room left on the page!

Next up - I'll be blogging again with some accompanying Springtime shots.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Ash

Bowlees, Middleton in Teesdale

2011-04-02T23:44:00.000-07:00

Now and again I find myself photographing scenes that contain water, whether it be a seascape, a river scene or simply a waterfall, which are very few and far between in my neck of the woods. Waterfalls in the north-east of England are usually confined to an area approxiametely 35 miles from my home, in a place called Middleton in Teesdale. There's a few dotted about in this region - High Force is the best known, followed by Low Force and Cauldron Snout. On the approach road to High Force, the B6277, look out for the signpost 'Bowlees Visitor Centre, which is tucked away behind trees off the road. A short drive leads you to the car park which offers free parking all day. From here, follow the signpost that leads you to the wooded area where you'll find 'Gibsons Cave', a waterfall at the end of the route. The woodland path ends at Gibsons Cave but there's no fence stopping you from getting nearer to the falls so I took advantage and stepped over the rocks to find a decent position to shoot from. A couple of test shots later and I'd found myself a decent spot. Three legs down and the camera was then perched and primed.

My first shot (shown here) was taken en route as I walked through the woods towards the cave. It's a simple waterfall, with a drop of around 10 feet, and it's a taster of what's to come further up the path. I've visited Gibson's Cave on two previous occasions, the last being a couple of years ago around the same time of year. Depending on recent rainfall you'll see the main waterfall in different moods. As I reached the cave it was immediately obvious that the flow of water from the top wasn't as forceful as the last time I was here. There was plenty of water cascading at the top, before dropping below on the fairly still waters, but it definately wasn't as dramatic as before when it was in full flow after a heavy rainfall. Nevertheless these waterfalls always make for good photographs if you know your slow shutter speeds. A one second shutter gave me these two shots, together with a very small aperture to give max depth of field (that's front to back sharpness). I had me wellies on, so getting me feet wet wasn't a problem, just the slippery rocks I had to negotiate on my way into position. I was the only person at the site during the 30 minutes I was photographing, which was fine by me. From there I was back into the car and making my way back to Houghton, listening to the Wales versus England football match as I drove.

Pretty dull weather today. Ideal for waterfall shots though. Hope you like them. Catch ya later,

Ash

Mute Swans At Dusk

2011-03-31T08:40:00.000-07:00

As promised, some new images that I captured last week at Rainton Meadows, Gods Country. With the nights getting lighter and the days seemingly becoming longer, it's been an ideal time to get out with the camera in my locality. Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve is part of the Durham Wildlife Trust and is situated just off the A690 in Houghton le Spring, five minutes drive from my home. Readers of my blog will no doubt have read about my previous visits to Rainton Meadows, especially during the Spring/Summer months when the place is a hive of activity. Many birds breed on the reserve during this time and this in turn attracts many visitors to the site, all of which are encouraged to stick to the designated footpaths - myself included (ahem!).

As the sun dropped I decided to get my arse into gear so I headed round the meadows to catch a decent sunset. It was quite chilly, but when you find the swans in a prime location on the plot you tend not to feel the cold. I suppose you're that pre-occupied with landing some good shots that some of your senses become almost immune to the elements as your concentration levels are hiked somewhat. Mute Swans can be quite temperamental though, don't get too close, and beware otherwise you might get a pecked mush! During the last few years of photographing these birds I've had one or two close calls with them, but have never been clobbered as yet. Saying that, I'll probably get fettled during the coming nesting season when I push my luck near one of their nests. Down the years I've picked up a fair knowledge of their behaviour and especially their tolerance levels around people, or predators as they would percieve them. I always photograph from a safe distance, usually with my 300mm lens, although some Mute Swans are very tame and even feed from your hand, so getting up close to them is quite normal and they don't react. Never take them for granted though, as I've heard one or two stories where the swan has laid the law down and showed what it's capable of when riled.

As the sun was about to set I fired off a few frames - ISO 100, aperture priority, using a flashgun instead of built-in speedlight, and recording each image in RAW format at a resolution of 18 megapixels, pulling in massive files of 102 megabytes apeice. Mind you, these creatures are a lot easier to photograph than most birds, mainly due to the fact they aren't very mobile, especially on the water. A loaf of bread is a must. Swans at the far end of a pond will very quickly swim across to you at the chance of a feed. Once I was photographing Mute Swans with a dramatic sunset backdrop, then I ran out of Warburtons. Disaster! The birds buggered off in no time and there I was, feeling a bit blown out - they'd scoffed me 'quid-fifty' loaf and done a runner!!! For each good shot you achieve, you can easily land two or three poor ones, but taking plenty of shots will normally up the total of 'keepers' when you review them later on. You're obviously aware of the welfare of the swans as you're photographing them, especially when using a flashgun, although on this occasion they weren't at all startled by the bright light.

I photographed the swans at the waters edge for roughly ten minutes before packing my gear away and heading out of the reserve. There was no-one else around at this time, give or take the odd dog walker here and there, so the place was well calm - just the sounds of birdlife and a shotgun cracking in a nearby farmers field. Oh well, time to make me'sel scarce.

I don't know what it is that attracts me and the camera to Mute Swans. One this is certain though - the ability to capture nice photographs of these birds is never too far away when you've got the rights components in front of ya. Still waters, a sunset backdrop, a pair of swans - oh, and don't forget the loaf o' breed, eh.

Catch ya later, Ash

Warkworth Castle, Northumberland

2011-03-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Warkworth Castle was originally a Scottish motte castle - a wooden fortification on top of a mound, built in the mid twelfth century by Earl Henry of Northumberland, son of King David of Scotland. By 1158 Warkworth was in English hands, and Henry II gave the castle to Roger FitzRichard. Work began on turning the original wooden fortification into a stone castle. During wars between England and Scotland in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Warkworth became a major defensive position. Following two sieges by the Scots, Edward II presented Warkworth to the powerful Percy family, who were obliged to provide defense against Scotland in return. It was in the late fourteenth century that Henry Percy built the huge keep which dominates Warkworth Castle. In 1536 the Percys were involved with the Pilgrimage of Grace, the north's attempt to rebel against Henry VIII's decision to change England's religion from Catholicism to Protestantism. This was the beginning of a period of wildly fluctuating Percy fortunes. Under Henry VIII the Percy family lost Warkworth and their castle at Alnwick, had their holdings returned to them by the catholic Mary Tudor, only to lose them again under Mary's successor Elizabeth I. Elizabeth's reign was to see the end of the Percys as power brokers. Warkworth declined with the Percys, and suffered damage during the Civil War in the seventeenth century. It was at this point that the once mighty Percy family finally abandoned Warkworth. In the late seventeenth century all Percy estates passed to the Smithsons, who confusingly took the name Percy. They carried out some repair work. In 1922 Warkworth was given to the state, and is now administered by English Heritage. Several castles, including Warkworth, were used as locations for the film Elizabeth. It's around this time of year that I make my first trip to Northumberland when the countryside embraces the new season. Farmers fields are brimming with spring lambs and the country lanes and villages are awash with daffodils. All you need to finish it off is a bright sunny day with little or no breeze and you're laughing. My trip up the A1(M) was potentially a good one for photography as all the elements were present and my batteries were fully charged so I was raring to go. My intention was to photograph the rugged coastline at Dunstanburgh, but although the tide was ideal, the sea itself was quite calm - not much good for those 'Crashing Wave' shots. As a result, last minute changes were put it place and it was time to press ahead with Plan B. I headed back inland to Warkworth, a small ancient and picturesque village, unspoilt by modern development, which is built on a rocky spur within a tight loop of the River Coquet. Its skyline is dominated by the magnificent Warkworth Castle, home to an impressive 15th century keep and courtyard – one of the finest preserved in the country. In spring the castle is surrounded by the vibrant colours of hundreds of golden daffodils but when I arrived the daffs weren't in bloom - I was a week or so early! With a nice blue sky and broken cloud above I decided to pay a visit to Warkworth Castle, which was by now my second time. I coughed up the £3.00 parking fee, which was refundable when buying an entry ticket to the castle, before grabbing my kit and making my way inside. The girl in the castle shop was quite eccentric and wouldn't have looked out of place on the set of 'The League Of Gentlemen'. After I declined the offer to buy a tour book I was given a verbal history of the place, which kept me there for a good ten minutes. During this time I occasionally glanced out the window, hoping the sun wouldn't disappear before I'd taken my first shot. She eventually ran out of steam and I hastily headed for the door - my history lesson was over...phew! There were a dozen or so visitors in the castle grounds, plus a handful of kids who were running amok with plastic swords as part of a war game. Today was an ideal opportunity to grab some nice shots of Warkworth Castle as conditions were spot on and I had all the gear I needed. Time to start work. I ran off a dozen or so shots with my Canon 7D - some with the 18-135mm lens, but the majority with the 10-22mm wide attached. All shots were taken handheld due to the bright sunlight that bathed the castle walls - not a tripod in sight! I was also running with a £7 circular polarising filter that I picked up on eBay, due to my Hoya version falling to bits recently. Using the CPL was a must, especially the way the sky was behaving. And on the subject of behaviour, he he, the kids with the plastic swords were running all over the castle grounds by now. They were re-enacting a medieval war by the sound of things. Every ten seconds I could hear the cry of 'Who goes there' as one kid chased the other. Anyway, they vanished quickly enough and I continued to photograph the semi-octagonal tower in front of me through the camera viewfinder. Without realising, one of the kids had sneaked up behind me, shouting 'WHO GOES THERE' as he pressed his placka sword against the back of my neck. I nearly shat me'sel!!! I had a brief look inside the castle tower but there wasn't a great deal of photographic interest. As I walked around I tried to visualise what this place looked like in its day, in its glory. Inside are the complex remains of a range of buildings, with the tall Lion Tower and Little Stair Tower giving access to the Great Hall. I only took one photograph within the tower itself, from the foot of the main staircase as the sun shone brightly through the landing window above. This, and the other photographs from my visit, can be seen on a dedicated page of my website. Click this link to visit the page directly - Warkworth Castle, Northumberland. Thanks for visiting my blog page. I'll be back soon with another update which features some night time photography of a pair of Mute Swans, plus some waterfall shots from a location in Teesdale. Until then, see ya. Ash

Finchale Abbey, County Durham

2011-03-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

Finchale Abbey (pronounced finkle) was a 13th century Benedictine Abbey, the remains are sited by the River Wear, four miles from Durham City Centre. It is a Grade 1 listed building and until recently there was an admission charge to the abbey, but now visitors can enter free of charge until the gate is locked at dusk.

There are very extensive remains of a 13th century abbey, founded on the site of a retired pirate's hermitage. Part of it later served as a holiday retreat for the monks of Durham Cathedral. There are many excellent examples of heavily decorated capitals on the original arcade columns, tracery in the filled-in nave arches of the church, and on the south wall is a double piscina and two carved seats of the sedilia. The buildings and immediate grounds are now managed by English Heritage, with the surrounds converted into Finchale Abbey Caravan Park - an award-winning eco village project set up to sustainably manage development in the area.

It was here that St. Godric settled in the 12th century, building a hermitage on a site which was to become his home for many years. After Godric's death in 1170 at the age of 105, the Durham Monks set about building a shrine to the saint, the results of which can still be seen today in the substantial surviving priory buildings. St Godric's tomb still lies beneath the priory church and is marked by a simple stone cross. Today however, the tomb lies empty, his remains having mysteriously vanished many centuries ago since when there has been much speculation about his final resting place.

Upon entering the latched gate you are confronted by the east facing remains thatit at the top of an incline which overlooks the river. A large bed of dafodils bloom in springtime, offering an ideal picture postcard scene of Finchale Abbey and its grounds. The many doorways take you on a tour of the remains, but tread carefully when you're climbing the ruins as these are a liability at the best of times. Photography of the Abbey was quite tricky during my visit, especially as the sun was very bright, so balancing exposure between shadows and sunlit stonework needed the aid of Neutral Density filters. Carrying a set of three filters of different calibrations, I was equipped with everything I needed for the challenge ahead. Photographing a ruined abbey can only keep you occupied for a certain amount of time. Capturing every path, wall and doorway can easily result in overkill so I set myself a limited target of 25 shots for my Finchale Abbey slideshow, to keep the viewer interested.

I was at Finchale Abbey for approximately 45 minutes, yet I never passed another visitor in all that time - quite odd considering the nice weather conditions. Dog walkers were staggered along the river bank on the north side as I headed back across the wooden bridge. It was from here that I made the short journey through Cocken Wood and up the steep embankment to my car. I was ready for a sit down once I reached the top - I was bloody knackered!

And that's all for now folks. Coming soon - more photo's of historical interest from my recent visit to Warkworth Castle in Northumberland. Thanks for visiting.

Ash

Escomb Saxon Church, County Durham

2011-03-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

A recent visit to Bishop Auckland in County Durham gave me an excuse to stop off at a small village nearby, named Escomb, to check out another north-east landmark. One of the most complete Saxon churches in the UK, St John's, Escomb has been a place of worship since approximately 670 AD. The building materials that make up the church go back a lot further, though many were taken from the old Roman fort at Binchester, and Roman inscriptions can be seen on many of the stones used in the construction of the church.

The church is located in the centre of Escomb village, 1 1/2 miles from Bishop Auckland. It is not known for certain when the church was begun, but archuitectural evidence points to sometime between 670 and 690 AD. This would make it one of the first Northumbrian Christian churches to be built. As with most Saxon churches the layout of Escomb church is very simple. There is a small south porch giving access to a narrow nave. The font is to the west of the south door. To the right, the nave leads under a high chancel arch to a very small sanctuary where the high altar is located.

On the exterior south wall of the church is a Saxon sundial, believed to be the oldest still in its original setting in the entire country. There are only three lines on the sundial, corresponding to the three principal times of worship during the daily schedule of early monks. Under the lines a serrpent stretches. Several items on the exterior north wall are worth noting; a projecting lip of stone protects a Roman inscription. The stone was simply re-used by the Saxon builders of the church, so he inscription is upside down. It reads "LEG VI", meaning, Sixth Legion. Nearer ground level is the north door. This extremely simple doorway is generally accepted to be of Celtic origin. The surounding masonry work indicates that the entire doorway may have been taken whole from Binchester and reused here.

Inside the church there is an absolute wealth of Saxon material. The south porch shows two Saxon stone crosses, and several other bits and pieces of interesting carving found on the site. Inside the nave, the font is extremelyt simple. It dates to at least the 13th century, though it may be quite a bit earlier.

Set high on the north wall is another Roman sytone, set on its side, and used as part of the supports for a Saxon window. The inscription on the stone reads, "BONO REI PUBUCAE NATO", which translates loosely as "To the man born for the good of the state". Moving up the nave you come to the Chancel Arch, where the Saxons again reused an existing arch from Bincheste Roman fort. The stonework of the Romans was so good that no masonry was needed to set the arch in place. On the underside of the arch are paintings from the 12th or 13th century. Behind the high altar is a striking carving in the shape of a cross. This is believed to be a 9th century grave stone, but it may be the remains of preaching cross dating to the earliest days of Celtic Christianity in Northumbria, before the church was constructed.

I was only at the site for twenty minutes or so but I managed to grab a couple of photo's inside the church grounds. Some of the gravestones dated back many years and I noticed one or two unmarked graves, which stirred up theories of what might have been. The graveyard was well maintained and I couldn't help wishing I'd been here a couple of weeks later when the many daffodils will be in full bloom. Never mind, I could always come back later on. Taken as a whole, Escomb Saxon Church contains a wealth of fascinating architectural and historical detail, and is well worth a visit.

Cheers, Ash

Gateshead Quays

2011-03-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

A mid-week visit to Gateshead Quays gives me a rather lame excuse to write another short blog entry. I earmarked this location as a good place to test out my new Sigma 70-300mm telephoto lens, but on arrival I had a change of plan and didn't even attach it to the camera body. Instead I took some more wide-angle shots with the already attached 10-22mm glass, beginning on the Millennium Bridge, as cyclists passed every few minutes. My first shot shows one cyclist passing me as I took my first shot, handheld, with a slow shutter of 1/25th to capture the motion as he went past. It worked well enough. A similar shot can be found on my website, here, near the end of the slideshow.

There were a few photographers kicking about on the Quayside, all armed with tripods to assist with those low-light shots. The sky wasn't doing much though and this is normally a key factor in achieving great shots at this location, as I've found to my own benefit. Never mind, it's still nice to get out and grab some decent shots after a days work.

Since buying the Canon wide-angle lens it's covered around 90% of all shots taken. The bog standard 18-135mm lens has been forced to play second fiddle for the best part, but no doubt it will be back in the saddle sooner or later. I suppose my wealth of recent wide-angle shots is simply a measure of much I'm enjoying using it and it's almost become the ideal 'walk around' lens for the type of stuff I like to shoot. It's refreshing to take shots when practically on top of the subject, yet still not filling the frame. There's always a 'trade off' though, which comes in the shape of natural distortion that's delivered through the barrel - but hey, this can often add to the shot, giving dramatic angles that 'make' the shot. A fine example of this is shown here, in shot 2 of the Millennium Bridge, taken at the foot of the bridge on the north side of the River Tyne.

From there I made my way back over the bridge. With fifteen minutes or so left on my parking ticket I paid a swift visit to the Sage Gateshead for a few interior shots. Auto ISO helped out with exposure due to the low light inside the building, especially during handheld shots as my tripod was asleep in the boot of my car. By this time I was well hungry so I made the short drive to Marlborough Cresent on the 'pink' side of town. Spice Punjab do a mean kebab so I was more than willing to pay the going rate, quaking in me boots as I waited for it, as the car was parked on a double yellow outside! Naughty. A fresh naan bread filled with different meats, loaded with salad, then splashed with garlic mayo, sweet n sour sauce, chilli and mint - it's gotta be tasted to be appreciated. Those black and whites can't play football, but they knock out some great scran!!!!!!!!!!!

And that was that. Feeling hungry now. I wish I'd never mentioned that bloody kebab!

Ash

Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve

2011-02-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

With Spring 2011 almost upon us I have been preparing for another season of nature photography on my own doorstep. In my home town of Houghton le Spring you'll find Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve, which is more than handy for me as it's only a few minutes drive to the site.

Rainton Meadows and Joe's Pond can be found by following the brown signs from the A690 between Durham and Sunderland. By bus, the services 222 and 220 regularly leave Park Lane in Sunderland, or the bus station in Durham and set down at the nearby Mill Inn. There's a short walk under the A690 continuing until you reach the last roundabout of the industrial estate. The entrance to the Reserve is called Mallard Way.

During the Spring and Summer months I make regular visits, usually with my son who gets as much enjoyment from the place as I do. Many species of wildlife can be seen here, including Foxes, Hares, Rabbits and Owls, as well as breeding birds such as Swans, Geese, Grebes, Kestrels and Warblers, to name just a few.

Armed with a 300mm lens and Canon 7D body I usually pull in some decent shots, especially during April to July when the Mute Swans are nesting and the cygnets readily feed from visitors - subject to parental approval of course. Don't get too close as you might get a clout! There is normally two new families of Mute Swans on the reserve each year and each nest is normally visible from the designated paths.

Swans usually pair for life and have elaborate courtship rituals including the famous heart shape they make with their necks. They normally start breeding in their fourth year. The male, or cob, is larger than the female or pen and when together the longer neck, larger webbed feet and larger black berry of the male make identification much easier. Unfortunately many young swans die each year but some live to about 25 years in favourable conditions. The cob will establish a territory large enough to supply his future family with sufficient food and will valiantly defend it against all comers, whether they be other swans, foxes or intrusive humans. Swans are protected birds and it is illegal to harm them or steal their eggs.

The male and female choose the nest site together and use any material within about 40 feet to make the nest. The pen lays between 1 to 12 eggs, the average being 6. The eggs are laid every other day and only when the last egg has been laid does incubation start. The incubation period lasts about 35 days and the pen only comes off the nest for very short periods to drink and stretch her legs. The cob takes over after a recognition head lifting ceremony. The cob will defend the nest against foxes, dogs and other predators. Cygnets normally take to the water 24 hours after the last cygnet has hatched, usually in May. The parents do not feed them, but the pen will 'foot paddle' to bring food to the surface for cygnets to eat and pull out reeds which the young would otherwise be unable to reach. One parent will always be on guard and they often travel in line with one parent at the back, the other in front. The pen will carry the young ones on her back.

The swan family is very close and if a cygnet is lost, the parents will often look for it up to a week. Natural predators are pike, foxes, mink and cold wet weather. Unfortunately man poses further hazards. Nature has been clever with the swan's moulting period when they cannot fly. The moult takes about 6 weeks and for non-breeding birds takes place about July time. A pair with cygnets moult at different times, first the pen and then the cob in August to September so that one of them can always defend the young.

Here is a couple of photographs I took on Sunday morning (27th Feb) - the first was taken at Rainton Meadows (Pond 1) and the second at Joe's Pond which is situated at the other end of the reserve, near the Rainton Bridge Industrial Estate . Lastly, I have uploaded a short video clip of a nest site in the reeds at Pond 1, captured last May, showing newly hatched cygnets. Only a few chicks are visible but the full clutch of ten eggs hatched successfully.

A nice taster for what is round the corner in 2011. Spring is almost here!
Cheers, catch ya later.
Ash

RETRO 2 - Skyclad Live, Huntingdon '04

2011-02-24T11:57:00.000-08:00

Another visit to the RETRO archives brings you more live music, featuring Skyclad. Before I go any further, may I enlighten you regarding this bunch of middle-aged tearaways...

Skyclad are often referred to as ‘The Originators of ‘Folk-Metal’ – a sub-genre of metal that mixes thrash/speed metal elements with traditional instruments and folk-style melodies – as typified by their seminal album ‘The Wayward Sons Of Mother Earth’ (1991). The band produced a string of highly acclaimed albums – ‘A Burnt Offering For The Bone Idol’ (1992), ‘Jonah’s Ark’ (1993), ‘The Prince Of The Poverty Line (1994) and ‘The Silent Whales Of Lunacy’ (1995) - and gained a reputation as a powerful and energetic live act with many European tour and festival appearances (such as Dynamo Festival, 1992). During the late 90’s, despite several line-up changes, the band continued to develop and experiment with their musical style - producing albums such as ‘Irrational Anthems (1996), ‘Oui Avant Garde a Chance’ (1996), ‘The Answer Machine’ (1997) and ‘Vintage Whine’ (1999) – they even undertook several ‘unplugged’ tours across Europe alongside appearances at festivals such as Wacken Open Air (1998) and ‘The Gods Of Metal’ (1999) before returning with a more ‘metal’ album, ‘Folkemon’ in 2000. Whilst Folkemon proved to be the last album for founder member and vocalist Martin Walkyier, the band decided to continue and released the ‘Swords of a Thousand Men’ single (featuring ‘Eddie Tenpole’ himself) and the ‘unplugged’ album ‘No Daylights Nor Heeltaps’ in 2002.

A new studio album ‘A Semblance Of Normality’ followed in 2004. As well as having all the usual folk instruments and influences, this album also featured the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and was well received by both fans and media worldwide. ‘Semblance’ marked the start of an exciting new chapter for Skyclad, who, while continuing to play in strongholds such as Germany (Dong Open Air, 2003 & 2005 and Burgfolk, 2004), also made successful appearances in new territories such as Sweden (the ’34,000 ton of Metal’ Cruise, 2004), the Czech Republic (Rock Café, Prague, 2005), Finland (Tuska Open Air, 2005) and Portugal (Beja, 2005). All this live work culminated in a full European Tour in early 2006, which took in ten countries, and the release of the ‘Jig-A-Jig’ EP – which the band produced themselves as a special one-off release for the tour. Since then, as well as playing gigs and festivals across Europe – including the ‘Battle of Metal’ 2007 and Club Tochka in Moscow in 2007 and ‘Folk’n’Roll 2008’ in Pecs, Hungary - Skyclad have written and recorded a new full-length studio album (the band’s twelfth). Entitled ‘In The…All Together’, this ten-track album was recorded in Italy during August 2008. Again, as with ‘Semblance’, Dario Mollo engineered and mixed the album at his ‘Damage Inc’ studio in Ventimiglia. However, unlike ‘Semblance’, this album was recorded completely by the band members – so there are no ‘guests’ or orchestras etc. This was a deliberate move to try and keep the recordings as ‘live and fresh’ as possible and one aimed at taking the band into the studio ‘all together’. This wasn’t exactly a ‘back to basics’ strategy, as the songs on the new album are far from basic as the band continues to experiment with odd timings and tunings. Another benefit of this approach is that Skyclad will be able to play more of the album songs live. ‘In The… All Together’ is scheduled for release by Scarlet Records in late spring 2009.The band continue to record and tour in 2011, continuing the Skyclad legacy that is now into its 22nd year!

I'd previously met the members of Skyclad, in late January 2004 and again a few weeks later. The first occasion was to photograph them separately as they needed headshots for their forthcoming album sleeve. The second meeting was at a local venue, Bede's World, where I took some location shots of the band as a unit. The resulting shots will be uploaded here in another RETRO entry - coming soon!

In April 2004 I was invited to photograph Skyclad at the Celtic Warriors 12th Birthday Bash in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire (same bill as The Quireboys). By the time Skyclad entered the stage the venue was filling up quite nicely, but still fairly short of capacity. From memory, I think they were pencilled in for a forty minute slot, before ageing rockers Saxon took their turn. The band kicked off with a couple of songs that typified their opinions of disapproval towards government rule down the years - outspoken tales of torment, quite often shared with others during a drunken stupor. Seven years on it's not easy to remember the full set-list of songs that Skyclad delivered, but notable inclusions were Parliament Of Fools, Another Drinking Song, The Widdershins Jig, Penny Dreadful and Inequality Street. The audience lapped it up, which was a surprise to me because I felt Skyclad were 'Off the wall' compared to the more heavier metal bands on the bill at Huntingdon. Biddle on the fiddle is a prime example of that - I mean, how many metal bands include a violinist? It didn't matter though, as Skyclad were up there on merit and this was reinforced by appearing so high on the bill, with only Saxon and The Quireboys ahead of them on the day. Frontman Kevin Ridley was well up for it - his banter between songs was very amusing and kept the crowd entertained. It was almost as funny as his inability to pitch a tent just a couple of hours earlier on the nearby field! Oh well, tents and rock gods don't go hand in hand, do they (wink).

A mixture of acoustic and electric guitar gave a nice blend, courtesy of Ridley and Steve Ramsey, the 'Bouncer' of the group. Graeme English, or 'Bean' to his friends, powered in with some strong bass lines just in front of my camera - I managed to capture one or two of his 'moments' during the show, as seen here. Couldn't help but laugh at his regulation steel capped boots on the day - I have a similar pair - Arco, I do believe. All in keeping with rough and ready image of the preverbial rock star who couldn't give a gnats chuff. At the back, as per, was young drummer Arron Walton, who I couldn't reach with my bog standard lens so he doesn't appear on this blog - sorry mate! A polished performance nevertheless.

Probably the highlight of Skyclad's performance was when Georgina Biddle stepped off the stage during a song and played fiddle in the photographers pit, right next to us. The crowd showed immediate appreciation by cranking up the noise levels, before she vanished backstage. The forty minute set was over in a flash - where did that go! It was time for the encore, a blast from the past in the shape of 'Swords Of A Thousand Men', the Tenpole Tudor song from 1981. I'd been tipped off about this song being the encore, so I switched my camera into movie mode and filmed the whole song - 3 minutes duration. The audio is quite distorted due to the position I was filming from, just feet away from the PA speakers. Shot in Mpeg, the video is included here on this blog entry - not HD quality by any stretch, but a recording that sits nicely in the archives and a permanent reminder of my debut in the photographers pit.

SKYCLAD VIDEO FOOTAGE (above) - Swords Of A Thousand Men.

Thanks for visiting!

Click here for full slideshow of Skyclad Live, Huntingdon, April 2004

RETRO 1 - Quireboys Live, Huntingdon '04

2011-02-19T12:07:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my new RETRO blog entries, where I revisit past times when the camera was once again at my side. My first RETROspective blog entry is an account of a live music concert that I attended a few years ago. The event, in April 2004, was the Celtic Warriors 12th Birthday Bash in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. The all day event was held at an unusual venue - an animal shelter!

Rockers, Hells Angels and anyone wearing black attended the event which also offered overnight camping on the adjacent fields. Proceedings kicked off shortly after lunch time as over a dozen bands appeared on the bill. Most of the bands fell into the Heavy Metal category, with a couple of tribute acts thrown in for good measure. The shelter was half full during the afternoon and on entering the venue we were met by a sea of black and more leather than a SCS warehouse!

The Quireboys were headlining this event and they took to the stage at 9.00pm prompt. The two supporting acts were Saxon and Skyclad, which will be featured in another RETRO blog entry in the next few days. We were backstage from 7.00pm courtesy of an Access All Areas pass that we were given, as we were photographing the event for Skyclad, a folk/metal five-piece band from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. A brief insight into background of The Quireboys begins here...

The Quireboys are an English hard rock band formed in 1984 in London, England, with strong ties to Newcastle. When the band formed they were originally known as The Queerboys and later as the London Quireboys in the United States. The band were successful during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their debut album A Bit of What You Fancy reaching number 2 on the UK charts. Their highest charting single for the band was with the song "Hey You", it reached number 14. With a new drummer, Rudy Richman, they began working on the follow-up, Bitter Sweet & Twisted, which was released in 1993; but the birth of grunge changed the music scene and they were left behind. Axl Rose asked them to join the "Use Your Illusion Tour" with Guns N' Roses, and they followed the band for a while during their 1993 summer European tour. In 1993, the Quireboys broke up but briefly reformed live in 1995 with different members. A more permanent reformation came in 2001 when frontman Spike, guitarist Guy Griffin and bassist Nigel Mogg put together a new line-up. The band is still active, recording new material and playing live. In 2010, The Quireboys teamed up with Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott to record an album under the name 'Down N Outz'. Two singles have been released to date, both of which are covers of Mott The Hoople songs: England Rocks (June 2010) and Overnight Angels (January 2011). Down N Outz will be supporting Paul Rodgers on tour in April 2011.

Backstage was a bit of an eye opener. The brick shithouse of a bouncer let us through the security gate after we flashed our passes and we were met by a guy sitting at a table who's job it was to make 'rock n'roll cigarettes' for all who fancied one. I politely declined the offer before walking through to the dressing room area directly behind the stage. After a few minutes I felt half-stoned just from passive smoking. I'm pretty sure on a clear day you'd be able to see the main stage!!!

As Quireboys were preparing to hit the stage we had a chat with Spike, lead singer of the band, who introduced us to one of the guitarists who was from Blyth in Northumberland. Spike insisted that we shared his bottle of Jack Daniels as we chatted. Not being one to turn down a free swig of the good gear I duly obliged, as a flashgun went off in front of us (see photo 1). I then took a photo of Spike with his rather gorgeous girlfriend - the lucky so and so. And that was that. The MC introduced Quireboys and the lads made their way onto the stage, accompanied by the theme music from the 1970's TV show 'Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads'.

At this time we headed past the engineers desk and out front and into the photographers pit, facing hundreds of rockers in the audience as we went. Sitting next to the barrier facing the stage I got me hair ruffled a few times off the rock chicks directly behind me. Nowt to do, other than laugh it off, he he. The show was quickly underway and the place was jumping. I'd never seen Quireboys play live so I was looking forward to what they had to offer. It was Rock n' Roll all the way. I photographed at will, between supping Stella Artois from the stock of four tins I'd bought earlier from the bar. The PA system right in front of us done nothing for our hearing, although the music was good and not too distorted. This was loud stuff alright. After three songs me heed was ringing and the 5% dizzy watta didn't help either. God knows how I managed to get some decent shots - I was dizzy as the preverbial duck - some people coin the phrase 'Pissed as a fart'. Aye, that was me!

It was a great night and one that I'll always remember. These AAA passes are a bit of alright.

I'd write more but that's all I can rembember, to be honest. The rest, as they say, is just a blur!

More RETRO to follow. Thanks for reading.

Ash

Durham By Night

2011-02-11T00:22:00.000-08:00

With a couple of hours to kill I made an early evening mid-week trip along the A690 towards Durham City - Land Of The Prince Bishops. This would be my first visit to Durham Cathedral with my recently aquired Canon 10-20mm wide angle lens, so I was looking forward once again to seeing more results via the new glass.

The change in temperature was very noticable as another Spring season seems to be nudging ever closer. The walk from Prince Bishops Car Park to the Cathedral was a short one, taking no more than five minutes, so it wasn't long before I was on site and ready to pull in some decent shots. Palace Green and the adjacent Durham Castle were quiet areas, for a change - they're usually busy parts of the City Centre, but I wasn't complaining.

I took up position at the front of Durham Cathedral, near the gravestones, before I took my first shots. Didn't hang around for long though and disappeared into the building, which was also very quiet, give or take the odd visitor or two. It was then that I passed through the Cathedral into The Cloisters, where the monks dormitories and Chapter House can be found. Bright lights cast shadows across the walls of the Cloisters, which presented an ideal photo opportunity, shown here in my second shot.

After leaving Durham Cathedral I headed over to the nearby Durham Castle, which was illuminated and drawing me in like a moth to bright light. Another focal point of Durham City Centre, especially at night, and given more time I would have photographed from inside the castle walls. Quite pleased with this third shot though, which is a good example of a castle that has stood the test of time - a building that will be around for many more years to come. The Tawny Owl that roosted on the branches above me would have made a decent shot too, so I must get my act together and buy a 300mm telephoto job. Can't be missing out on shots like that again. More shots from this visit can be seen in my Durham Cathedral Gallery on my site at ashleycorr.com.

More blogging to come, including some 'Old' photo's from the ACP archives. I've been raking through a ton of shots that were taken down the years and I'll be uploading a selection of them right here on my Blog. It will be a retrospective visit to places and events that I photographed

before I started my blog page 18 months ago. Some of my archive stuff dates back to the 80's, a time of big hair and silly clothes, amongst other things. I'll be on a few of these shots myself, which will guarantee a good laugh, he he! So hang around, I'll be starting my new RETRO series in the next few days.

In the meantime, thanks for visiting,

Ash

Sunderland Winter Gardens & Museum

2011-02-08T00:10:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I received an order for a large quantity of postcards that I recently designed. The destination of the cards was Sunderland Winter Gardens & Museum, which is a new outlet I now supply to. The postcards, of local scenes in and around Sunderland, were on display in the gift shop and it was nice to see them sitting alongside other crafts of local interest. There are eleven cards to choose from, all of which follow a similar style and carry their own number on the back as part of a set. The full set consists of seventeen cards at present, with more designs to follow in 2011.

I am hopeful that the Winter Gardens & Museum will shortly be stocking a selection of my limited edition mounted prints, but as yet nothing has been confirmed, so it's a case of 'Watch this space'.

I had a quick look around the Winter Gardens before I left the building, taking a few shots along the way. The place is very well maintained and although it was fairly quiet, I imagine it gets quite busy during peak hours. Had a little chuckle when walking past the museum entrance - there it was, the first Sunderland built Nissan Bluebird, in Arctic White. If I rembember correctly it was presented to Prince Charles but he donated it back to the Museum some years later. I wonder why? Maybe he wasn't too keen on it - who knows. Nissan build much better cars these days - have you seen the Cube!!!!!!! he he.

With the days starting to get longer and the nights getting lighter, I'll be out and about with the camera in the next few weeks. No more sunrise shots until the back end of 2011. Can't be doing will 4.00am starts in the summer - no thanks.

Spring is almost upon us and I've got my eye on a 70-300mm Canon lens for some nature shots. The 10-22 wide angle lens will be put to the test with plenty of landscape shots, so there's enough to look forward to as far as new stuff is concerned.

Also targeting more outlets to sell my work through in 2011. I'll keep you posted on any new developments as and when they happen. Until then, keep popping back to ashleycorr.com for the latest site updates, as well as new blog entries. Plus there's more TV clips to follow, as well as my own High Definition video clips, captured on my Canon 7D. Until then...ta ta!

Ash

Seven Sisters On The Box (Parts 23 & 24)

2011-02-03T16:14:00.001-08:00

Two more television clips to bring you, folks. Tyne-Tees television broadcasted one of my photo's last week, on two separate nights. On the first night, my latest shot of the Seven Sisters was shown on the weather bulletin, followed a few nights later during the news bulletin itself, which was a nice surprise. It was picked out by new presenter Kerrie Gosney, who is familiarising herself with the area through photo's like mine, which has a story behind it.

The 'Copt Hill' monument includes the round barrow known as Seven Sisters. It is situated in arable land on the western flank of Copt Hill and is 300m south of Copt Hill public house. Excavation of the barrow in 1877 revealed that the primary burial was a Neolithic cremation, believed to be an example of an axial mortuary structure. There were also several Bronze Age cremations and inhumations, and an early medieval inhumation.

I've heard a few stories relating to the fact that there any only SIX trees, when there should actually be seven, if the name is anything to go by. One was burnt down by charvers. Others say the Seven Sisters were in reality, seven witches. One of the witches died and that same evening one of the trees was struck down by lightning. What to believe, eh?

Recalling the day I took this particular shot...
Leading up to sunset I anticipated a good one. Prior to this particular day we had a few cold and frosty mornings, with decent sunsets, so maybe this occasion would be the pick of the bunch. I quickly got my arse into gear and headed up there as the sun dropped towards the skyline, parking in my usual spot in the Copt Hill pub car park. Within five minutes I was set up and ready to go, right in front of the barrow with the sun about to set right behind it.

Just then, I was joined by a local fella who I had chatted to briefly the night before as he passed me whilst walking his dog. The visitor, Gordon, from just over the way, knew quite a bit of history surrounding the Seven Sisters. Interesting stuff. I told him I was hoping for a good shot to send in to the people at Tyne-Tees Television. As the clouds turned pink he agreed that tonight was going to be a good sunset and he even took a couple of shots of his own, courtesy of his nice iphone. Might have to get one of those! If you're reading this Gordon, let me know - there's a nice print heading your way with you and your mutt on it!

As Gordon and companion crossed over the barrow I quickly tripped the shutter, hoping I'd captured the right moment. I only got one crack at it, as I forgot about setting my camera on continuous shooting mode. I got lucky. One shot and it was a good 'un. Probably my last visit to the Seven Sisters until next winter. I only photograph the trees as a silhouette, when they've shed all their leaves. Not much attraction in the spring and summer seasons, to be honest.

I've got to say though, I love this shot, plus the three exposure panoramic sweep I had the foresight to grab while the sky was in 'full bloom'. Here they are. Hope you like them.
Thanks for visiting!
Ash

BBC Tyne - A Contribution

2011-02-02T00:28:00.000-08:00

Hello again. A couple of years ago I submitted a batch of photo's to the BBC Tyne website, which were used in a dedicated gallery to showcase my work. I can't help cringing when I view those pictures now, but I thought they were quite good back then.

Anyway, I received an email from BBC Tyne informing me that they'd used a couple of my old shots in a new gallery, featuring illuminated subjects in the North-East. Here's the link - Joseph Swan's light bulb legacy on Tyneside and Wearside. It features two of my shots and these are image 4 and image 7.

And just for the record, here's that gallery of images I mentioned earlier - Ashley Corr's Northern Highlights. Until the next time, see ya.
Ash

Newcastle Quayside, Revisited

2011-01-21T21:05:00.000-08:00

I'm back again, bringing you more drivel about my exploits behind the lens. Well, lately I've been updating my image stock library of Newcastle Quayside, as I have a couple of idea's in the pipeline which I'll be putting together in the next couple of weeks. Because of this, I've been making regular trips to Newcastle during the last month or so after a lengthy absence. The Forbidden City and it's Quayside area is great for photography, as I have probably mentioned before, and low-light work is usually the most effective route to take because of there's so many illuminated points of interest down there.

With the help of Teal Farm Photography I managed to loan a Tamron 55-200mm lens for my trip to Newcastle Quayside earlier tonight. It's a sound peice of kit - just what I need for a shot that needs transferring from my head to the memory card. I know what I'm after, but my bog standard 18-55 job won't cut the mustard for this one. I need to bring those Tyne Bridges right in, filling the frame. I was hoping for a decent sky as a backdrop - as it turned out, it wasn't bad at all!

Not many Geordies about tonight. The place is rather quiet for a Friday. Maybe they're all through Sunderland buying half-season tickets (wink). Anyway, time to test out the Tamron glass, so I'm set up on the Millennium Bridge facing west, towards the Tyne Bridge. The sun had been down for almost an hour by this time, but there were still a few traces of colour in the sky. I'm off and running with my first shot (above), which is all about symmetry. I like this one - it was finally out of my head and now recorded on the card. Mind you, I had to wait long enough to get it! The amount of double decker buses crossing the Tyne Bridge was neebody's business. I didn't fancy one o' them wrecking the shot so I waited til the first bus went off at yon end, only for another one to enter the bridge at the other side - then another, and another, and another. I've heard the one about the Number 10 bus, but this was a prime example of taking the p1ss!!!!! Got there eventually though (smile).

From the same spot on the Millennium Bridge I decided to switch lenses and drop right back for some wide-angle shots, taking in the arch right in front of me, using a Canon 10-22 wide. Again the 'Blinking Eye' was changing colour every ten seconds or so, giving me choices, which are shown here in shots two and three.

With numb fingers once again I made my way off the Millenium Bridge and onto the north side of the River Tyne, more commonly known as the Quayside. This was where I took my last shot (shown here, number four). I cropped this one and got shot of the unwanted. It looks almost panoramic and certainly more effective than the original composition.

Finally, can I say a big THANK YOU to Nagzy, who taught me all I know about photography (wink). His wealth of information has been invaluable to me and I can't thank him enough. He certainly talks a great photograph! I tell you folks, what Nagzy don't know about White Balance just aint worth knowing in the first place. He knows more about ISO settings than I know about Vindaloo...seriously! And hey, if ya wanna aquaint yersel with camera Histograms then Nagzy is the boy to consult - oh yes indeedy. Anyway, Nagz - when is our next trip 'In the field', as it were?

More stuff in the next couple of days, folks. Thanks for visiting A.C's blog once again.

Cheers, Ashley Crumb

Tyne-Tees Television (Parts 20, 21 & 22)

2011-01-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

Hello again folks!
Continuing the TV theme for another blog entry, here are more of my shots that appeared on Tyne-Tees Television. The shots were shown back in October 2010 and I recently found them on my hard drive, ready for upload here on my blog. There are 3 in total -

1. Sunrise - Souter Lighthouse, Whitburn
2. Sunrise - The Groyne, South Shields
3. Autumn Leaves - Lumley Castle, Chester le Street

Just a short one tonight folks. I'm off out in a few minutes for some more snapping.
Til the next time...
Ash

Tyne-Tees TV - Pip's Puzzler

2011-01-15T17:29:00.000-08:00

Visitors to my Blog will probably be aware that I occasionally submit photo's to Tyne Tees Television, who in turn use them on their daily weather bulletins. In 2010 they showed quite a few of my photo's that I captured in the region and so far in 2011 I have only submitted one, which was shown earlier this week. This time, my photo wasn't shown on a weather bulletin, but another feature called 'Pip's Puzzler' which ITV runs every few days. The puzzler shows a photograph of a local scene that has been sliced into peices and jumbled up. Viewers are then asked to identify the scene by emailing the presenter with their answer. This is the first time ITV have used one of my photo's for Pip's Puzzler, which is a nice change from the weather bulletins, but they don't mention the photographers name...ah well!

Whilst taking photo's on Penshaw Hill I decided to send one in to ITV, so I left a gap at the left-hand side of the frame, as this is where the weather presenter usually stands when the photo's are shown. So, without further ado, and just for the record, here is the original image.
It's a tad better than the 'Squeshed' version they showed on yon telly!
Cheers, Ash

Approaching The Big Four Zero!

2011-01-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, almost 40 folks!
By the way, that's not my age - it'll be a while before I reach that milestone (wink).
My website, ashleycorr.com, has had almost 40,000 hits since it's introduction back in 2005, with a steady rise in the first couple of years, through to a steep rise over the last 18 months or so.

My work has been advertised through certain channels, mainly through sales of my work, although I have also generated interest through Commissions, TV exposure and Search Engine Optimisation, amongst others. My website continues to improve through regular updates, including the more recent 'Gallery Revamps' that are a simple case of 'Out with the old and in with the new'. Revamps also include replacing images that were optimised during upload, as quite a few appear slightly out of focus on the page. The slideshow bug that was causing this has now been fixed, so the results should now be visible to the viewer.

Ashleycorr.com will further improve as I intend to upload more video clips to my Blog page, including short clips of my trips in the field. The footage was recorded 'In camera' (Canon 7D) in High-Definition and will be uploaded in the next few weeks. As well as this, I will be updating most pages on my website and also creating new pages which will feature slideshows and pop-up galleries. In the meantime, thanks for visiting, and feel free to tip my hit counter over the '40' mark. Cheers!

AC

From Freezing Cold To Red Hot

2011-01-10T05:06:00.001-08:00

Hello again pop-pickers!

Last night I trudged up Penshaw Hill to take some low-light shots of the Monument with my Canon 7D and wide-angle lens. The new lens got a run out at the same location recently, but that was in broad daylight.

The steep steps on the hill were covered in ice so I walked up the grass verge instead, not wanting to go 'Arse over tit' like the last time I was there. During the climb, I only stopped for breath on twelve occasions, which is a record these days, he he. Glad to reach the summit, I stopped for a few minutes and caught my breath back, whilst taking in the view. Another photographer passed me, saying 'Allreet mate' as he went. A Nikon user, by the look of things.

I set my gear up and raked in the side pocket of my bag for the remote control unit. Silly bugger has left it in the house, hasn't he! Oh well, self-timer here I come...six and two three's. Running off a dozen frames or so, I quickly packed up and headed back down the hill. I was bloody numb from head to toe!!!! Was it all worth it, I asked myself. Seems like I got some decent shots, so maybe it was worth it after all.

Back into the car and off to collect my pre-ordered Indian takeaway from nearby Shiney Row. Soon back in the house and sat down with Chicken Vindaloo, plus all the trimmings. From being half frozen I was now sweating profusely. Jesus H - maybe I shoulda' played safe and opted for a Kurma instead, he he.

As I write this blog entry, the morning after, I'm still suffering. Aye, it feels like someone has given my backside the 'Once Over' with a frickin' blowtorch!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well, I hope you like the photo. Must dash, another 'One foot plunge' beckons!

Ash

My First Shots Of 2011 - Newcastle Quayside

2011-01-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
As we enter a new year and a new decade I hope to bring you more photography from the North-East of England, a place that's full of opportunity behind the lens. Being born and bred in Sunderland, and a keen supporter of the 'Red And White Army', my affinity with Newcastle is almost non-existant, especially where football is concerned. However, as an amateur photographer who partakes in plenty of low-light photography, Newcastle Quayside is one place that is hard to beat when it comes to subject matter. Directly opposite, on the south side of the River Tyne, is Gateshead Quay's, which also offers an abundacnce of photo opportunities. It is on this side of the water that you'll find the Baltic Arts Centre & Sage Gateshead. Looking up the River Tyne you're presented with a series of bridges, which include the Tyne Bridge, Swing Bridge, Redheugh Bridge and Railway Bridge.

Arriving at the Sage car park at 4.20pm, I was set up a few minutes later near the Baltic Arts Centre. The sun was down but there was still plenty of colour in the sky, just where I wanted it, behind the imposing Tyne Bridge. From here I took this first shot of the Millennium Bridge, glowing red before it changed colour every few seconds. The sky was just right - something that's been lacking these past few nights.

It wasn't long before I was standing on the Millennium Bridge and photographing up stream, towards the Sage Gateshead and Tyne Bridge. A four second exposure captured this second shot (shown here), with a brilliant sky offering the perfect backdrop. I really like this shot, as the subtle colours in the sky sit nicely behind the silhouetted Tyne Bridge. I purposely lost some of the sky and water in post-processing to give a tighter crop, which improves the overall image. The shot is now finished in a panoramic format and looks much better than the original uncropped composition.

As my first shot was taken at Gateshead Quay's, followed by one in the middle of the river (on the bridge, I hasten to add), there was only one place left to photograph from. So, my third and final shot in this blog entry was captured across the water on Newcastle Quayside, near the Pitcher & Piano pub. The Millennium Bridge was now changing colour every ten seconds or so, on a repetative loop, from yellow, green and blue, through to purple and red. After a few repetitions it then changed to a variety of colours, in a kind of 'Rainbow' formation. Each colour was thrown out by separate spotlights at the foot of each side of the Millennium Bridge. It certainly made for a great shot!

This place has plenty to offer the photographer. I intend to revamp my 'Newcastle Quayside At Night' page on my website in the next two or three weeks, as I intend to replace some of the images on there with brand new ones. The new stuff will be photographed very soon, as I'll be making a few more journey's to the Quayside in the next few days. This will be all low-light work, although there's a possibility of some daytime shots thrown in for good measure.

And that's about it for now, folks. I hope you like my latest shots, I'm very pleased with them myself. The Canon wide-angle lens comes up trumps again! Thanks for visiting my blog, and don't forget to bookmark my web site, where I will be performing the usual regular updates.

Until the next time, night night all!

Ash

Last Shots Of The Decade!

2011-01-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

2010 came to a close and I was in the city of York once again, just like last New Year's Eve. A part of the afternoon was set aside for another visit to York Minster, which is a photographer's dream. The interior achitechture is every bit as stunning as the exterior, plus there was the added bonus of staying warm indoors! A typical winter day outside, so a few layers kept the cold at bay once again. I still had my entrance ticket from last year in my camera bag, so I dodged the £8 entrance fee as the ticket ensured free entry for a full year. Just one day left on my ticket, so in I went.

Now, this is one venue that I couldn't wait to visit again, especially as I was fully equipped with my new Canon wide-angle lens. This lens is tailor made for places like this, so I wasted no time in putting it to the test. I kicked off proceedings by setting my gear up in the Nave, next to the main doors. Out came the Manfrotto tripod, followed by the attachable ball head grip. I set up the 7D and got to grips with the settings before running off a few test shots using the remote control. The lens was right back on 10mm, super wide mode, giving an excellent preview through the viewfinder. There were a few people walking past now and again, but this didn't affect the finished shot, provided they kept on the move.

The lens pulled in some great shots, around thirty in total, which were quite different from the last lot I took in York Minster. With columns at every turn I was expecting some distortion when using the super wide-angle setting, but none was present and the shots couldn't have been better, to be honest.

Just how this place was crafted all those centuries ago is anyone's guess. Who needs modern technology? Naturally, any photographs taken in this building will be packed with detail, and the shots I've uploaded here are no exception. To say each shot is 'Very busy' is an understatement. I was very pleased with these shots as they succeed, in some small way, in demonstrating the sheer scale of the cathedral. The size and ornate detail of the interior is quite awe-inspiring. For me, the best thing about York Minster is that photography is allowed inside. Many churches and cathedrals hold a strict NO PHOTOGRAPHY policy, which is understandable, especially during service hours, but for me this is a perfect opportunity to capture and archive York Minster in photographic form. You just never get sick of looking at this type of photograph. Of course, there's so much to see in the Minster and I feel that I've merely 'Scratched the surface' during this recent visit. I dare say I'll be back quite soon, to explore the Chapter House and other area's of the Cathedral that I never got to see. Who knows, I might even have a dodge up the tower!

Ash

(Click an image to reveal extra large version)

An Angel At Christmas Time

2010-12-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is that draws me to the Angel Of The North. I usually get edgy when heading down the A1 towards Newcastle, especially if I've forgotten to get my jabs off my GP beforehand, he he.

This location is the gateway to the North-East of England, as thousands of motorists pass through it each day. Since spreading its wings in February 1998 Antony Gormley's Angel of the North has become one of the most talked about pieces of public art ever produced. Rising 20 meters from the earth near the A1 in Gateshead, the Angel dominates the skyline, dwarfing all those who come to see it. Made from 200 tonnes of steel, it has a wingspan of 54 metres. Getting up close and personal with the Angel is an experience you'll not forget in a hurry! Apparently, the Angel is as tall as four double-decker buses and its wingspan is as big as a jumbo jet. Ah well folks, ya learn summat new every day, eh.

Anyway, enough of the details. Today I made the relatively short journey to the Angel with my son Christopher, who is 9 years old. We done a bit of sledging at the site as the sun was about to set. A good laugh was had. It was back to the car for a quick snack in front of the heaters before returning to the Angel for some photography. The little fella shadowed me as I ran off a few frames, but I wasn't expecting much patience from him in such freezing conditions, so it was 'Job done' and back to the car once again.

This was my first crack at the Angel with my new wide-angle lens. Great stuff once again! The whole wide-angle effect is shaping up very nicely, ta. Some nice colours in the sky shortly after sunset, which gave me an opportunity to grab some nice shots with visitors in the frame. As cold as it was, it's always worth waiting for people to enter the frame as this lends a sense of scale to the whole 'Angel vs people' scenario. Also, I was metering off the highlights in the sky, which in turn threw the Angel and people into silhouette, which finished the shot off brilliantly...in my humble opinion, of course. The second shot (illustrated here) shows my son posing in an angelic fashion, he he, which is something he is very good at...but only on request! Anyway, you get the general idea of scale with this shot.

And that's about it for now folks.
I'll be back soon - Thanks for visiting!
Ash

Penshaw Monument - A Wider Perspective

2010-12-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

More recent shots in the snow. Canon 7D, armed with a 10-22mm wide angle lens - ya know...the one I've been prattling on about for the last week or so. How about this for a dramatic angle - this first shot, taken from a position in one corner of Penshaw Monument, with big elevation to capture the columns like never before. When seeing this through the viewfinder for the first time it really does give an insight into exactly what kind of shot this lens is capable of producing, and I'm already acknowledging the fact that it has been money well spent. Attached to the lens is a Hoya 77mm Circular Polarizing filter, which was bought with the lens, and this will play it's part in pulling in new landscape images.

It's very cold at the top of Penshaw Hill, despite the bright sunlight. No-one else around, other than an owld wifey entertaining her dogs with a rugby ball at the foot of the hill. Penshaw Nursery and Tea Rooms look a sorry sight from where I'm standing. The greenhouses are caved in due to the the heavy snow! I spoke to Tony (the owner) a few days ago and he reckons a £20,000 repair bill is on the cards. Oh dear, I might have to drop the prices of my picture frames...then again...(wink)

Hey, fook this for a game o' soldiers. I'm off! Me little toes are numb and I can't be havin' this. Brass monkey weather once again, which, to be quite honest, I'm getting a bit fed up with. Roll on next Summer! Before I head off back home I'm already contemplating another outing today, especially as the sun is shining and the overcast skies of recent days have gone. I'm wondering how the new lens will shape up at the Angel Of The North. More dramatic angles I imagine - who knows...I might even get a nice sky at sunset. Yes, I think I'll give it a whirl later today. Sun sets at around 3.30pm, which is as early as I can remember, so I'll be setting off at about 2.45pm to get there with time to spare. Let's hope the A1
isn't too busy!

Speak soon, Ash

More Wide-Angle Shots

2010-12-27T12:49:00.000-08:00

Hello again!

Hoping everyone has had a nice Christmas and looking forward to the remainder of the holiday period. Yes, it's been quite hectic here too and I didn't even get time to post a Christmas message on my blog. I must try harder next year!

While out and about in the region I managed to stop off at a few locations to add some more wide-angle shots to my memory card. Loaded with a blank 16 gig card, I set to work once again at the Copt Hill burial ground in Houghton-Le-Spring. This time it was early morning, shortly before sunrise, and I very nearly missed the action. Upon leaving the house and noticing some subtle colours in the sky near the Copt Hill, I had the task of scraping the ice from my car windscreen before I could even contemplate taking photographs. It took bloody ages to scape the windows, during which time the colours above were glowing even more. Better get a move on...

A kettle full of water later and I was soon driving to my destination. Within a few minutes I was parking up before dashing across the fields like a man posessed. A nearby dog walker looked across and was treated to some impromptu animation as I fell flat on my arse in the thick snow. What to do eh, other than get back up very quickly and pretend it never really happened, he he.

I was soon taking pictures though. A few here and there before the sun came up, then some more as the Seven Sisters were bathed in early morning sunlight. A nice orangey cast across the snow looked even better as it hit the trees in front of me. My new Canon wide angle lens is now giving me a huge advantage over the bog standard 18-135mm effort that I've been accustomed to, so I expect to take my photography on to the next level quite soon. Already this lens is thowing up some big advantages, with tack sharp images at very close quarters. Exciting times for the Mackem photographer!

By the way, I still haven't bagged any wide-angle shots at Newcastle Quayside, as promised last week. What, with one thing and another at this busy time of the year. Rest assured though, as soon as time permits, with suitable weather conditions to boot, I'll be down there as quick as a flash. Now, this is one place I'm itching to get to, with the new lens of course. Sorry for the delay folks, but it's gonna happen soon.

In the meantime, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Ash

Canon Wide Angle - First Test Shots

2010-12-19T10:13:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple of days since I first got my hands on the latest kit bag addition - a Canon 10-22mm EF-S wide angle lens. During this time I've been looking forward to getting out and giving the new glass it's first test in the field. Today, Sunday 19th December, I was up bright and early for some sunrise shots, but alas the sun didn't wanna play, so I attempted some mono shots as Plan-B kicked into action.

I stayed local, very local infact, at a location in Houghton-Le- Spring, where I live. A five minute car journey took me to the Copt Hill Barrow, an ancient burial site which overlooks my home town. Here is where you'll find the Seven Sisters - on a mound in the middle of a large field.

It's 8.10am and minus four degrees. Absolutely no colour in the sky whatsoever. Black and White seems the only route to go down, so let's give it a try. I've photographed the Seven Sisters on many occasions, from different angles on this plot. Today I've got the prized wide angle lens on my 7d body and what a dramatic difference it offers. I'm literally standing next to the tree's and as wide as I choose (1omm setting), I'm still filling the frame with my subject. Brilliant!

Great angles - something I've never seen through the viewfinder before. Two minutes in and I'm already loving the new lens and can only imagine what results this piece of kit will yield at other locations. Today's subject isn't the best for wide-angle photography, but I'm already noticing a massive difference between the 10-22 and my 18-135 lens that came with the Canon 7D. Infact, I'm already planning another outing today which will see me testing the new lens on some architecture along Newcastle Quayside. This place is tailor made for wide-angle shots! The results will be uploaded to a blog page near you...soon!

Thanks, Ash

Dusk, Roker Pier, Sunderland

2010-12-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

Early morning, 8 'o clock precise.

The location is Roker Pier, Sunderland and the temperature is minus five. The things some people do to get a good photograph, eh. I need me bloody head checking - NOT ARF !!

There's a clear blue sky with some decent colour on the horizon, so I waste no time in making my way onto the pier. It looks like I have the pier to myself, which is unusual as there's usually a few fishermen kicking about. I set my tripod up and wait for an improvement in lighting conditions. The fisherman turn up at this point and that's fine by me - let's see if I can include them in the shot!

Once again I'm running with long exposures, on the legs with a remote release - selective spot focusing on a 100 ASA setting, exposed in RAW format at 18 megapixels. The shutter trips. It's a good one - I'm happy.

Just before I wrap up this short blog entry - I've splashed out on a new lens! It's been on my wish list for a while and I finally got my hands on it yesterday. It's a Canon 10-22mm wide angle EF-S. These fella's don't come cheap so I'll be pushing it to it's limits and hoping to get a good return on it, starting tomorrow. I'll let you know how I get on.

Until then, stay warm!

Ash

Wearmouth Bridge, Sunderland

2010-12-14T08:29:00.000-08:00

Another early start for this one. It's 7.30am and I'm travelling through Sunderland town centre on my way to the coast. As I drive across Wearmouth Bridge I look to my right towards Roker and notice some colour on the horizon, which tells me the sun will be up very shortly. I quickly shelve my original plan and quickly look for a place to park, opting to try some photography from the vantage point that is Wearmouth Bridge. Snow is thick and it's bitterly cold, yet I'm wrapped up and should be fine, but I'm not. Left me wooly mitts in the car didn't I - should be shot with shit for that one! Oh well, time to suck a lemon and get on with it...

Not a great deal of traffic crossing the bridge as I set up shop, but I'm going for a few light trails on a long exposure just to set the ball rolling. Not a bad shot to begin with. Just a few traces of red light from those tail lamps, but you get the general idea.

Turning to my left, I'm now looking out towards the North Sea, with St Peter's Campus and the National Glass Centre in the frame, along the banks of the River Wear. Not a soul about - they're probably tucked up in the fart sack and as warm as toast. One can only wish to swap places right now - it's bloody freezing!!

I run off a few frames before the sun comes up, then I beat a hasty retreat to the car. I drove along to Roker Marina and had a quick scout about before calling it a day and heading back to Houghton. Maybe next time I'll get to the coast once again - I fancy a few sunrise shots on Roker Pier.

I'll be back soon. Cheers!

Ash

Postcards - An Update

2010-12-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

Visitors to my web site may be aware that there is an option to purchase postcards in the Store section. Each card features a local scene and at present there are seventeen cards in the matching set, with new designs earmarked for production in January 2011 and beyond.

The whole postcard thing came about purely by chance. I was asked by a buyer whether I had any postcards featuring my images. At the time I was only producing prints, but I promised to look into the possibility of producing one or two postcard designs just to see how they faired. I designed three cards, each featuring a different image from my archives of Penshaw Monument. In turn they were saved as PDF files before to going to print. I was rather impressed with the results!

The postcards double up as business cards as they show my website address on the reverse side (see picture below) and the front sides have a glossy finish. Measuring 114x117mm, my postcards are covered by a standard first class stamp, unlike the oversized formats which are not.

An initial run of 300 cards were delivered to Penshaw Garden Centre & Tea Rooms, by request, and sales went very well. At this point I designed three more cards featuring scenes from the Sunderland area, before offering them to the Tourist Information Centre in Sunderland. Interest was high and ten different scenes were commissioned, in batches of 200 each, totalling a massive 2000 cards. Initial sales went very well once again and the whole postcard thing was gathering momentum.

The postcards were quickly becoming an interesting sideline to my main production of prints, and more recently, Canvas Gallery Wraps. The Cafe Bungalow at Roker Terace, Sunderland (near Roker Pier) then chipped in with a request 400 cards, followed by a 'Big scalp' in the shape of Tyne & Wear Museums who ordered 11 different scenes totalling another 1100 cards! This batch was delivered to the Discovery Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne, although I doubt that's where they'd be going on sale as they featured scenes from the Sunderland area. The most likely destination being the Winter Gardens, Sunderland.

So, my postcards have been selling like the preverbial hot cakes - almost 4000 in just four months! More samples have been shipped to other venues, hotels and shops in the region - stay tuned for developments! Meanwhile, to view the full set of postcards - click here. Here are two examples of my postcards, including the reverse side which has it's own unique catalogue number. Click to enlarge.

Note : My website address appears on the images above and is for protection purposes only. It does not fot feature on the actual postcards.

Thanks for reading.

Ash

Durham - Land Of The Prince Bishops

2010-12-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

Durham City in the snow. The city centre is one of those places where a photographer can run riot after an overnight snowfall. As the place is steeped in history, the architecture around Palace Green makes for excellent imagery, so you're never short of photo opportunities. Here I have chosen to include shots of Durham Castle - one from unside the main gateway and the other from outside the castle walls. Friendly Robin's came very close, probably expecting a feed, but I had nowt to offer them in my deep pockets, apart from a lens cap and a mobile phone.

Palace Green was out of bounds. Large marquee's covered the entire grass - probably some event, but I haven't anything. It was a very quiet Sunday morning, apart from the scraping sounds from a workers shovel as he cleared snow from the pathway to Durham Cathedral. I kid you not, it was as cold as Siberia! It was minus 6 degrees when I arrived in Durham at 10.0am and I wasn't gonna hang around much longer.

After leaving Palace Green and heading down towards Prince Bishops Car Park, I grabbed one last shot of the Elvet Bridge with the Cathedral and Castle as a backdrop. For me, this viewpoint in Durham is one of the best. Last Winter I took a boat load of snow scene shots and my favourite one was very similar to the last shot shown here. I've shifted a few canvas prints of this one, which to me is a classic Christmas card shot.

The time is now 11.00am. Nice blue skies. Hung around for a few minutes, then toddled off back to the car. Switched the heaters on and sat for a few minutes while my fingers defrosted. Reviewed my new photo's on the camera a couple of times before packing it away in the car boot.

And that was it. Back to base - job done. Sunday dinner awaits - looking forward to that. Pork, stuffing and apple sauce with all the trimmings. Must dash.

Ash