Ludworth Tower - After Midnight

And it's more Astrophotography on a freezing cold, blustery night in County Durham. I finished work at 11.20pm and drove to Spider Towers to pick my brother up. We were heading over to Ludworth Tower - a fifteen minute drive from Gilley Law, Sunderland. The plan - to photograph Ludworth Tower under the stars. Aye it was well chilly, but we were well layered and prepared for a couple of hours out in the sticks. The beauty about this location, especially in sub zero temperature, is the privilege of sitting in the car as the camera works its magic. I dropped anchor at the kissing gate, where access to the tower is at hand. From there it's literally a 10 second walk to the tower. Once in position we set up our camera's and walked back to the car. We sat there for an hour or so, listening to the radio and keeping out of the cold. There's not too many locations where you're afforded that basic luxury when photographing the stars, but this was definitely one of them.

Ludworth is a pit village in County Durham, England situated between Durham and Peterlee. It consists of just over 350 houses in three main housing estates (Barnard Avenue, Moor Crescent and Springfield Meadows) and a few smaller streets. Ludworth has one post office, a school, a community centre and a printers. The village used to have two churches and a fish shop, most of which were destroyed in a fire. The public house of Ludworth has been closed for some years.
Ludworth Tower was originally a medieval manor house, founded by the de Ludworth family. In 1422, Thomas Holden added a rectangular pele tower, when he was granted licence to crenellate his manorial complex, by Cardinal Langley. The only surviving remains are the barrel-vaulted basement, the three storey west wall and fragments of a first floor spiral stair in the south wall. The remains can be seen located on the left as you are coming into the village from Shadforth.

As well as running off a start trail sequence I finished off with a single exposure of my brother Chris, standing on the ancient arch next to the tower. Here is both shots from that night ...

Cheers, AC

Durham By Night (Christmas, 2015)

It was the run up to Christmas 2015 and a ten minute drive from home to the historic city of Durham, also known as Land Of The Prince Bishops. Another night out with my new Sony a7s mirrorless camera and further hands on experience in low-light conditions. Up till this point the Sony had only been given a couple of outings - the last one being a notable cloud-out on the Northumberland coast at Dunstanburgh, searching for that elusive Aurora. The other occasion was a lot more nearer to home at the Copt Hill Barrow, Houghton le Spring, when big winds was the major factor in shutting up shop early. The Dunstanburgh outing was a testing affair too, as far as the camera goes. Very low light conditions pushed the Sony to it's limits and focus issues were a major factor, plus the battering winds didn't help matters, so I came away from that experience with the thought of 'keeping at it' as I was yet to see exactly what this camera was capable of.

So off to Durham it was. The riverside path near the Framwelgate Bridge was the first port of call, mainly due to the fact that I had parked nearby and it seemed an obvious starting point for tonight's photography trip. The first shot I pulled in can be seen above, at the edge of the River Wear, shooting across towards the lit castle, perched high on the river bank. The water level was as high as I'd ever seen it, threatening to breach the banks altogether, but for now I was safe in the knowledge that the riverside path was dry and accessible - for now! As the river was very high and flowing at a rate of knots, the noise from it was not to underestimated, so I kept a close eye on each step I took, not wanting to fall victim to an aggressive current. In recent times the river in Durham City Centre has mysteriously claimed the life of a handful of people, under darkness and still to this day remaining unexplained. I certainly didn't want to become another statistic, so I kept my wits about me. Setting aside the perils and pitfalls of the river in front of me, the scene was crying out to be photographed.
The almost full moon shone above Durham Castle and the sound of Christmas Carols could be heard nearby. A perfect setting at Christmas, with the ideal music to accompany it - all that was missing was the snow.

From there I made my was along the riverside path towards Durham Cathedral. As I looked across the river to my left my eyes were immediately drawn to the Lunar Halo surrounding the moon. Now, this I just had to photograph. A natural phenomena that I had only seen a handful of times previously, but this time I was fully equipped and ready to capture it with a camera. This would be my second and last shot along the riverside, as the path in front of me was flooded by the river and completely out of bounds. Ah well, not to complain, the night has started well and the Sony was pulling in sharp, colouful shots at ease. The manual focus peaking is a major feature on the a7s and it worked brilliantly, making my job far easier and almost effortless. All that needed to be done was to compose the shot and nailing the exposure, which was fairly straightforward. A walk over Framwelgate Bridge and up the bank took me past the shopping precinct and into the Market Square. It was quite busy, with groups of folk enjoying a pub crawl, as well as the last few shoppers before closing time. I ran off one or two long exposures, missing out the moving figures, so the Market Square actually looks quite desolate on this shot, despite the fact that the place was quite active. Then it was time for Fish & Chips at Bell's restaurant and takeaway. Possibly the best I've tasted, washed down with Coca-Cola. Very nice indeed.

And what better place to finish off than Durham Cathedral. Palace Green was deserted. The obvious viewpoints stood out, like the entrance to Durham Castle and its converging path towards the main gates, plus the main player which was the majestic Durham Cathedral . I turned the tables on my next shot, opting for reverse shooting with my back to the castle and facing the gates, with the Cathedral in the background. The olde worlde lamps gave the shot that extra bit of character and an almost Dickensian feel to the whole composition. This was a shot with a difference and one I hadn't previously 'seen', despite many visits down the years. Just across the way, back out the entrance to Durham Castle, was a small puddle, with a flat calm reflection. Here is the shot, which I like a lot, I must admit. Again, a different perspective on an iconic landmark.

It was an enjoyable photography outing in Durham, at night, at Christmas - a perfect setting.

Cheers, AC  

Looking For That Cover Shot

Hello again.

Autumn colours were on display once again as 2013 geared up to it's final season that is Winter. I only made one journey out with the camera in search of a nice Autumn shot, and that was a morning visit into the Land Of The Prince Bishops - County Durham. Although Autumn only yielded one set of shots for me, I was more than happy with the results. In fact, one of them is earmarked for a magazine cover next year, so I hope to find a taker for this one, as it's too late to expect anyone to publish an Autumn shot now, especially with the Winter mags hitting the shops in the next couple of weeks. My visit to Durham was one that I had done a little research on in the days leading up to it. I waited for a bright sunny day to capture those colours at their peak, along with a focal point that simply had to be Durham Cathedral. I found myself deep in a wooded area overlooking Durham City Centre, looking for that perfect viewpoint. In the woods I stumbled across a young Australian girl who was sitting admiring the open view in front of her. She said 'Hello' as I was about to walk past, and I stopped briefly to chat about the stunning view (of the landscape, not her). I told her I was hoping to find a nice viewpoint to photograph the Cathedral from, and she told me to keep following the path I was on, until I reached a bench down the hill. She went on to say 'Once you reach the bench you'll see it all in front of you, I'll say no more'. I was well intrigued. I thanked her and swiftly moved on, looking for the bench in question. I found it in sharp time. As for the view, here it is, absolutely spot on...

Here is my quick mock up of a magazine cover. Fingers crossed!
Ash

Durham Cathedral - Part 2 of 2

Following on from my last instalment, here is Part 2 of my Durham Cathedral blog for May 2013. Part 1 focused on a daytime visit to the Cathedral, but this time it's the low-light night shots that I bring you, captured from the same viewpoint. As an added extra, there's a few bonus shots of Durham Cathedral up close, as I ended my outing with a drive into the City where I parked up at Palace Green, directly in front of the Cathedral. It was a calm night with almost clear sky, give or take the odd scattering of cloud overhead. In fact, it was ideal for photography so all that remained was the task of pulling in some decent shots, again, beginning at the lofty viewpoint near the Botanical Gardens. As I set my gear up the sky had took on a dark blue hue, which can be seen in my first shot, a panoramic effort, where Penshaw Monument can be seen once again to the left of the frame, highlighted by the surrounding street lamps. Below the Monument is Durham Castle, illuminated and standing alongside the Cathedral, which is clearly the focal point and dominates the shot. My second shot, shown here, is a similar composition which I took approximately fifteen minutes later. The sky has taken on a different colour altogether here, and works just as effectively, although I prefer the first shot out of the two.

The last four shots were taken in the Cathedral grounds, as mentioned earlier, and by this time the sky was literally pitch black. As a backdrop to the warm tones in the stonework I think this works really well and blends in well with the shadows on the facade. I was running with 15 second exposures by this time, longer on other shots, just to compare the results before settling with a rigid shutter speed on my final few exposures. The moon shone above the Cathedral, so I included it to add a touch of atmosphere to the shots, which finished them off nicely. There must have been a hymn service in progress as quite a few visitors entered the Cathedral, then some half an hour later dozens of them left through the main door as I photographed from the pathway. I waited a while until the coast was clear then resumed. Another distraction came in the shape of a remote control Gyro- Copter! Bloody hell - what next! The guy controlling it seemed to getting plenty of attention from passers by and even flew the craft straight into my shot, as it rose to the top of the main tower before hovering in a static position. I went over and had a quick chat with him and he said the Copter had a built in camera which was filming the view below. His mobile phone was linked up to it and he was looking forward to reviewing the footage once he'd landed his toy. Not being that interested, I headed back to
my camera, which was stood a few feet away, then packed it away in my bag before 'Doing a runner.'

So, there it is folks, another blog entry behind me, with plenty more to come. So, as Saturday night is almost at a close, I bid thee farewell once again. Until of course, the next time...
Ta ta, Ash

 

Durham Cathedral - Part 1 of 2

Hello again!
We're now into the month of May and the weather seems to be making a turn for the better, although there remains a chill in the air. I made a recent visit to Durham to photograph the Cathedral from a high vantage point, similar to the one near the train station, but this time I was across the other side of the city. Not too far from the Botanical Gardens is a hill where access is granted via a public footpath, and from here the panoramic view across Durham City Centre is quite spectacular. I had this location in mind following a previous visit to Whinney Hill, another viewpoint up a height that I stumbled across last year. From Whinney Hill there is an excellent view of Durham Cathedral, with the huge round rose window facing you, but the daytime sun hits the west facing walls so I was obviously standing in the wrong place for photography. It was at that point I realised I needed to be elsewhere, so I looked around for the perfect spot, finding it quickly by sight, but needing to explore it in person to find out whether it was accessible. I jumped back into the car and headed through the streets towards my intended destination, which I found in a matter of a few minutes. The public footpath led me onto another hill from where I picked a spot to begin my photography. It was a fine day and the view had me raking about for my polarising filter. The blue sky and clouds were going to play a big part today. With the sun behind me this was an opportunity to grab some good shots, although the cold wind hampered things slightly and my tripod almost bit the dust on more than one occasion. At one point I had a heavy plastic police cone jammed up against one tripod leg, to prevent the whole thing toppling over, but it was as much use as a glass hammer. The wind was doing its best to put me off, which is why handheld photography was out of the question. I was never going to photograph the Cathedral from a distance, with a long lens, plus keep the camera steady in the wind, so the tripod saved the day in that respect.

A couple of dog walkers passed me. Other than that I had the place to myself, which isn't a bad thing. The wind was a bad enough distraction, let alone anything or anyone else. A dog did run over to check out my tripod however, having a sniff about the lower legs. I was half expecting it to cock its own leg and irrigate my 'Not Cheap' tripod, so my hiking boot was primed, ready to present a kick in the gonads at any given moment. Luckily for the K9, it thought against the idea and toddled off down the hill to reunite with its master. Time for me to crack on.

I ran off a few frames and headed back to the car, hands and face numb with cold. Ah well, who dares wins. The fair-weathered photographer only makes a fraction of good pictures, compared to one who goes the extra mile in all conditions to achieve that little bit more. Todays visit to Durham was more than worthwhile and I found myself a great spot for future reference. I could see Penshaw Monument in the distance so I added it to my composition. I never imagined I could have photographed both of these iconic landmarks together, but now I have (see shot 3, above) and they certainly sit together very well, despite being miles apart, geographically. My final shot (below) was composed with one thing in mind - Magazine cover!

And that's about it. Not a long blog entry by any standard, but this is only the first part of my Durham Cathedral entry for May. The second and final instalment will be here very soon, as I revisit the same spot for some night time photography. Watch this space...

Ash

Houghton le Springwatch

I don't update my Natural Life galleries as much as I'd like to, mainly because I'm either photographing the Landscape or indulging in more Low-Light photography. Having said that, when the Spring arrives, and also during the summer season, I tend to swap priorities and nature photography suddenly gets the nod over everything else. I'm lucky enough to live near some decent countryside and some of it is within walking distance, so decent nature shots are never too far away. In Houghton le Spring we have Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve - formerly the site of Rye Hill open cast coal mine, part of the vast Durham coalfield, Rainton Meadows has now been restored as a wetland site and is the headquarters of Durham Wildlife Trust. Lakes and ponds have been constructed together with re-seeding of native vegetation and woodland planting to create a habitat for a rich variety of wildlife once thought to have been lost from the area. Over 200 species of birds have been recorded visiting the site since 1996 and sightings of the rare water vole have been registered in the ponds. Dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies are seen in abundance with occasional migrant species being spotted.

One area known locally as Joe’s Pond was once the site of an old clay pit. This area was named after Joe Wilson, a former employee of Nicholson’s Pit who leased the pond from the National Coal Board and personally carried out much of the early tree planting and island construction. A designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, the area attracts many birds including long-eared owls, mute swans, grebes and ducks, is a popular breeding site for newts, frogs and toads. The surrounding wildflower meadows host a wide variety of plants including several species of orchids. It is also home to roe deer and foxes. A couple of years ago Durham Wildlife Trust built a brick hide on the edge of the largest pond at Rainton Meadows, although it has been vandalised on a number of occasions by the local chav population. From here, me and my son Christopher checked out activity on the water. He'd been itching to try out his new binoculars and they certainly came in handy as we spotted a Great Crested Grebe on its nest. I managed to get quite close to it before attaching a 300mm lens to bring it even closer. The photograph is shown here. The bird sat for a while, with no concern about the daft lad with the camera. This was the first time I'd seen a Great Crested Grebe at the nest site. The male fetched food for its mate as it incubated the eggs, swimming to and from the nest at regular intervals.

We passed three Mute Swan nests on our walk around the meadows. Birds were sitting at each site, until one left its nest and walked towards us, covering at least thirty feet, after it probably noticed the bag of bread Chris was carrying. As he fed the swan I nipped off and quickly checked the contents of the nest, which had a full clutch of six eggs. They are due to hatch very soon, as the Hen has been sitting for a month now. I took a couple of photo's before leaving the nest site, which was in the same part of the reeds as the previous two years - obviously built by the same pair of Swans. The Cobb (male swan) was busy getting fed by people further round the pond, which was why it wasn't fighting me off, as in previous years. Mind you, as I photographed the nest it suddenly appeared from the reed bed, heading towards me at a fast rate. Time to do one! We left the area and made our way to the next pond on Rainton Meadows, one of five in total. The Hen (female swan) ate the rest of the bread before returning to its nest, where the Cobb was waiting for it and guarding the eggs during its absence. Our first Springwatch outing of 2012 ended at Herrington Country Park, opposite Penshaw Hill. We decided to check out the Mute Swans and discovered another three nests, plus three Cygnets that were only a couple of days old, at the very most. With a few Mute Swan nests 'On our doorstep' we'll be keeping tabs on them in the next couple of weeks, in the hope of some more photography, so keep checking my Blog for future updates. Until then...




Cheers, Ash

More Autumn Colours, 2011

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

Elvet Bridge, County Durham

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

Lumiere - Durham Light Show 2009

Following my attendance at last years light show in the centre of Durham City, I was looking forward to another spectacular in the shape of 'Lumiere'. It was at the same point in 2008 that 'Enlightenment' had taken place so it was time to see whether the 2009 offerings would eclipse that one.

(Copied and pasted from the 'Lumiere' website)
LUMIERE is a four-day festival that will brighten the historic city of Durham, bringing a sprinkle of winter magic to the North East. More than 50 artists will create a breathtaking series of installations, illuminations and performances using light. Lumiere will turn the city into a winter wonderland, transforming its stunning buildings, streets and riverbanks, with a nocturnal winter festival that will amaze residents and visitors alike. Prepare to be dazzled…
As in 2008, the event wasn't advertised very well and I only found out about it through a work colleague. Nevertheless, it was almost here and the batteries were fully charged as I had every intention of attending each of the four nights. Well, that didn't go to plan, as the strong winds and rain on the very first night kept me indoors. Never mind, there's always tomorrow.

Friday came around quick enough and I headed for Durham City straight from a days work on the busy production line at Nissan. I arrived at Durham Cathedral around 3.50pm and the area, including Palace Green, was very quiet. A few of the event staff were making final preparations in the build-up to the second night of the light show, with large projection equipment getting a final inspection before play time. I waited for the deep blue hue in the sky before taking my first shots of the night, in the grounds of Durham Cathedral. This particular light show, CROWN OF LIGHT, was quite spectacular, especially the images that were projected onto the Cathedral itself. They were almost surreal, but eerie at the same time. As the images were projected, the Cathedral bells chimed, with a few seconds between each chime. Yes, it had the desired effect. Quite spooky!

After spending most of my first night in the vacinity of the cathedral I decided to cover different parts of the 'Lumiere' trail on my second night, Saturday 14th November. This time I was down on the banks of the River Wear and what a lovely view it was. From a vantage point on the riverside, opposite Durham Cathedral, I was greeted by an array of colours that were being projected across the water by strong laser beams. At this point the lights which were illuminating the cathedral itself had been switched off, making photography a big ask when struggling to focus on the focal point itself. The light across the water was very bright, yet across the top of the frame, where I wanted it most, it was almost non-existant. Auto focus wasn't playing so it was manual all the way to get what I wanted. I got there eventually!

After bagging a few more shots I headed back along the riverside towards the nearby Prebends Bridge. It was here that I set up stall, on some steps at the waters edge. This location is where you get a great view of the Cathedral and it's often the position many photographers take up to grab those picture postcard images. I spent a good 20 minutes here, pulling in some nice shots as the pinky-purple colours were at their most prominent in the sky.
Time was pushing on so I quickly made my way across Prebends Bridge and up the incline towards the Cathedral and Palace Green. A quick detour took me through the Cathedral grounds, passing NINE MEN DRAWING along the way. Next stop was the Cloisters, one of my favourite parts of Durham Cathedral. It was here that the 'Lumiere' trail presented visitors with DUNE, an eerie interactive work that whispers and lights up as you walk through it. My last port of call tonight was WINTER GARDEN, a collection of tropical flowers which bloom in winter from beneath Elvet Bridge. Well, not flowers as such, but long flourescent tubes in a variety of colours - quite eye-catching too. Mind you, I nearly didn't make it. After leaving the Cloisters and making my way through Durham Cathedral I was met by the sight of thousands of people at the front, watching the light show from Palace Green. The queue to gain access to the Cathedral was unreal. Some folk obviously don't mind waiting, and waiting, and waiting! The wait was all down to CHORUS, huge pendulums that mesmerise the viewer with light and sound. Well, that was that...my second night on the 'Lumiere' trail had reached its end. Time to head home and put the owld feet up, whilst guzzling a lager or two.

The following night, Sunday 15th November, was the last night of 'Lumiere'. Although I hadn't visited all of the artworks, there was only one or two of the main players that I hadn't recorded and it was time to put that right. My weekend parking ticket got me started once again on the banks of the River Wear, this time at Framwellgate Bridge where I photographed STARRY NIGHTS and FLUX after a brief visit to the Market Place. It was here where a living portrait of the city was projected onto its buildings. This diplay was known as A PLACE FOR FOR THE PEOPLE.
Moving on once again...the view along the waters edge near Framwellgate Bridge was one of the best of the whole trail, taking in Durham Castle, Durham Cathedral and the bustling Framwellgate Bridge in the foreground. A huge inflatable star was perched high on the castle parapet, which finished off my shots with that little something extra. Mind you, I set my kit up next to the 'InShanghai' chinese buffet and I was beginning to wish I hadn't. Oh dear, the smell was making me very hungry. A quick peep in the window didn't help. Seeing the huge selection of food with steam rising from it only added to my hunger. I was beginning to get sidetracked folks! Aye, me belly was telling me to pack me gear up and get me'sel in there but I held off, against all the odds. I fired off a dozen or so frames as the light show started on Framwellgate Bridge. Glancing over to my right I noticed a rather portly chap tucking into a large plate of barbeque spare ribs in the restaurant. I remember thinking to myself 'The lucky beggar', as I chewed on my Wrigley's Extra that had as much taste as a bloody ice cube! I felt like walking over to the window where he ate to press my face against it...he he he...but thought against it in the end. My thoughts of envy, as he tucked into another fat rib, quickly turned to frustration as I thought to myself... 'Ere pal, I hope you choke on the bloody thing' !!!! (Only jokin' folks...ahem...).
Well, that was the end of 'Lumiere' for me. Back to the car and off home. It was nice to get more event coverage under my belt in the form of low-light photography. The conditions are always a challenge but the results can quite often be very spectacular!
Until the next time,
Ash

Autumn Leaves

Well, it's that time again. Autumn is upon us and it's a nice time of year to grab those colourful shots. For one reason or another I don't have a great deal of Autumn photographs in my library, although I try to rectify this every year and fail miserably. Again, in Autumn 2009, the weather has been poor on my days off so I haven't managed a great deal as far as decent shots are concerned. Of course, as I write, there's still a couple of weeks to go before the leaves have all fallen so all is not lost - fingers crossed for a lovely sunny day or two.

Last Sunday I popped out for an hour before lunch. I headed over to Durham Cathedral and the nearby Palace Green, where, on a previous visit, I noticed a nice potential Autumn shot as the leaves on a house were starting to turn red. I grabbed a couple of shots and headed out of the City Centre in search of more shots. As you can see in the photograph, the colours are lovely, but maybe a week or so later I would have captured more red leaves and less green. Nevertheless, a nice shot.

Then there was a quick stop-off at the Angel Of The North. Just one tree was showing any kind of decent colour so I took up position to include it in the shot. Here it is.

Til the next time...Ash