International Space Station - A First

Hello again - Welcome to a new year and a new blog entry!

First of all, I'd like to wish my blog readers all the best for 2019 and beyond. Let's see what this one brings, eh. The last few weeks of 2018 were hectic, to say the least, which played havoc with my camera time. The run up to Christmas is always a busy one regarding printing and framing of my work, and although I got bogged down at times, it was easily the best year yet for selling my work. I don't advertise my work for sale as such. I generally cater for requests as and when the enquiries come in, which is a nice place to be - I much prefer to produce at my own speed, rather than go balls out and take too much on. That way, the enjoyment of it all is always there. Lose that and it becomes rather pointless … very much like photography itself, which brings me nicely onto this...

ISS … (without abbreviation) - International Space Station...
a habitable artificial satellite, in low Earth orbit. The ISS is the largest human-made body in low Earth orbit and can often be seen with the naked eye from Earth.
According to the original Memorandum of Understanding between NASA and Rosaviakosmos, the International Space Station was intended to be a laboratory, observatory and factory in low Earth orbit. It was also planned to provide transportation, maintenance, and act as a staging base for possible future missions to the Moon, Mars and asteroids. In the 2010 United States National Space Policy, the ISS was given additional roles of serving commercial, diplomatic and educational purposes.

With the blatantly copied and pasted intro now out of the way, it's probably the time to let you in on my ISS debut, as I've been into this astro photography lark for some time now, yet haven't attempted to photograph the space station during this time. I've read about it and always fancied a bash at capturing its movement, but haven't actually put my arse into gear and done anything about it. "It's only a light moving slowly across the night sky" I told myself. It does actually pass over during the day, but you have as much chance of finding hen's teeth, than seeing a daytime ISS. With the introduction of apps that go something like "ISS detector" and "ISS Spotter", amongst others, the task of an ISS sighting is now as easy as it possibly can be.

With the detector app now downloaded and installed on my trusty Galaxy S9, it was now time to put this little game changer through its paces.
Upon first inspection, this app really is the box of tricks I hoped it would be. Not a great deal of information at hand when you first delve into it, but all the relevant information is at your finger tips, so what more could you ask for - it is a FREE app after all. First up, there's the fly by date and precise timing. Then you've nailed down it's starting point, according to the built-in compass, which is telling me the ISS is coming at me from a westerly direction, heading to a south eastern point as it disappears from view. All fairly straightforward then, or so it seems. But where will the space station appear, I wondered. Will it be high … will it be low … or even somewhere in between? Wonder no more, bonny lad … the app is your friend and it's telling you it will appear at an elevation of 40 degrees. Ah well, that's the last box ticked, I told myself. Time to pick a location and get over there to set my gear up.

So now I find myself at the Angel Of The North, with a clear sky above and a clear view from west to east, which is roughly the path the IIS will take, approximately 20 minutes from now. Dusk is among us - the blue hour, as it's known in photography circles. Not a cloud in the sky, so all is good and game is most definitely on. Based on the information my app has provided, I set up my camera in relation to bagging a good composition. I don't want the ISS leaving its light trail along the top edge of my frame - Niether do I want the trail to be partially obscured by the angel itself. Elevation is now key to pulling in the shot I'm after. I'm facing south, so I'm gonna fit the flight path in … no probs there.

With 2 minutes remaining before fly-by, I haven't .got time to reposition my camera, so I 'll simply run with how it's positioned right now - my first guesstimate! And there she blows … bang on time and bang on compass! The finished composition shows a series of 30 second exposures, with 1 second gaps in between. The gaps show how fast the ISS is travelling in such a short amount of time.

I'll just leave it there. Mission accomplished. Over the moon - LITERALLY!

Till the next one … cheers... ASH

Tidal Surge Hits New Heights!

Hello again,
I write my latest blog offering one week after a visit to Seaham Harbour, County Durham. A fifteen minute drive had me looking out to the North Sea, as Mother Nature kicked off big style, with huge crashing waves that battered Seaham Pier and lighthouse. Strong winds from the north, fused with ice cold temperatures, made for a challenging afternoon as I stood for an hour or so on the shore. I was armed with my Sigma 150-600mm contemporary lens, fixed to my trusty Canon 5D and supported by a very rigid set of Manfrotto legs. I was surprised at the lack of fellow photographers last Saturday. By default there's usually a mass of the like-minded, doing what comes naturally on days like these, but not today.

I wasn't alone, however. Alongside me was Phil Wright and Andrew Davison, a pair of local togs who were also members of the Sigma 150-600 fan club. Despite the cold, we soldiered on as the light dropped and sunset approached. Shortly before sundown the clouds broke and we were treated to a brief show of sunlight, which transformed our shots when the light hit the waves and lighthouse. It was game on! I stood back, firing remotely from the warmth of my jacket pocket. Those remote shutter releases are a godsend, trust me. Firing off a couple hundred shots, it was now time to head back home and check the results. Well impressed I was. All in a days work.

Cheers, Ash

Take Us To Your Leader

Another night under the stars last Sunday (21st October, 2018) after a photography day out in the heart of Middleton in Teesdale. Clear skies were on show as we arrived back in Sunderland around 9pm, so it seemed a good idea to prolong the photography. I would have been working a night shift, but I had booked a holiday in, so I was keen to get the most out of my day off the grind. We headed to the coastal area at South Shields, South Tyneside, to attempt a star trail at an artwork near the Little Haven Hotel. Conversation piece, or The Weebles, as they are known locally, would be the creepy subject of tonight's star trail. It worked well - an hour of the earth's rotation was captured on an increasingly cold night.

The Weebles - copied and pasted from your friend and mine - Wikipedia...

These magnificent statues, affectionately known as the 'weebles', are a firm favourite with visitors and residents alike. Situated next to Little haven Beach at the mouth of the Tyne in South Shields, the 22 mysterious figures stand in various poses; some deep in conversation with one another, others simply gazing out to sea. Each figure is approximately 1.5 metres high and weighs approximately a quarter of a ton. They are a fitting tribute to South Tyneside's glorious coast and a poignant posthumous monument to the work of internationally acclaimed Spanish sculptor Juan Munoz.

Catch ya later … Ash

Escape To The Milky Way

Hello again!
Early October and another road trip into Weardale, to capture more images of the night sky. Within Weardale lies the tiny village of Rookhope, which is on the edge of County Durham. A former lead and fluorspar mining community, it first existed as a group of cattle farms in the 13th Century. It is situated in the Pennines to the north of Weardale. W.H. Auden once called Rookhope 'the most wonderfully desolate of all the dales'. In the 2001 census, Rookhope had a population of 267. The village pub, the Rookhope Inn and the Swallow's Rest on the fell surrounding Rookhope are popular with cyclists on the coast to coast cycling route which runs from Sunderland on the east coast to Whitehaven on the west coast of northern England. The draw for me is undoubtedly down to one simple factor - a dark sky region with very little light pollution, which brings me nicely on to the main objective of this trip - to capture the milky way!

I'd done the obligatory homework beforehand, to determine the position of the milky way in relation to the nearby Rookhope Arch, a local landmark at Lintzgarth, a few hundred yards west up the valley and one of the few remaining parts of the 2 miles Rookhope Chimney. This "horizontal" chimney (parallel to the ground, which actually rises steeply to the moors) was used to carry poisonous flue gases from the Rookhope lead smelting works up onto the high moor. Periodically, lead and silver carried over in the gases and deposited in the chimney were dug out and recovered, rather than going to waste. When driving past the arch, which sits in the middle of a cattle grazing pasture, it simply screams out to be photographed at night. One of those light bulb moments. This is a subject and a half for astro photography.

Me and my brother Chris headed out there on a crystal clear night in early October and we weren't disappointed. Although there were a number of sheep in the field, access was fairly straightforward and nearby parking was also a plus. Negotiating the arch climb was an easy one too, although it was quite breezy up there, once I was ready for my cameo role. I had to position myself on the edge of the arch top so that my full profile could be seen in the shot. Any further forward and the bottom half of my legs would have been cut off from the lens. 15 second exposures were fired off before I descended from this ancient arch. Another job done. The view of the milky way was mesmerising and one of the best experiences since I began my astro photography two years ago. Perched on top of that arch gave me a sense of attachment - that I was almost at touching distance between myself and the galactic Corr (see what I done there?)

A very memorable night and it wasn't over yet. A quick stop off at St. Andrew's Church @ Kiln Pitt Hill was in order, as we cut our journey home in two. St

ay tuned for that one … coming soon!

Cheers, Ash

My Kingdom For A Qashqai

Yes, don't adjust your monitors, it really is another blog update, despite another long absence. I believe I said in an earlier post that I'd endeavour to get my shit together - well, that didn't gather much steam, did it. I can only apologise once again for an acute lack of activity on my blog page, mainly due to keeping my head above water with ashleycorr.com, my two Facebook pages, printing and framing, as well as the odd outing with my camera's. Oh, and there's the other commitments known as work and family, which are always the No.1 priority. So, let's try again. I promise to update my blog on a more regular basis in futu---------------------------CUT !!! I aint even gonna bother with that one, ha!

So, I'm here with a short write-up and one or two accompanying images from a recent outing, after finishing work at 11.20pm a few nights ago. Earlier that day I picked up my new Nissan Qashqai and what a motor it is. Of course, many of you will know that I work at the Nissan Car Plant in Washington, Tyne & Wear. I've been doing this for the past 27 years. Got knows how many cars I've helped to build in that time. The mind boggles. So, to get my own keys of a Sunderland built Qashqai … well, it was a nice moment, to say the least. Gone is the Vauxhall Insignia and in comes the QQ. My thought process went something like this ...While it's brand new and straight out of the box, so to speak, I think I'll head down the East End of Sunderland and park up next to some urban graffiti. I first noticed the graffiti a few months ago, when I parked up to visit the Sunderland Tall Ships. This graffiti would provide the perfect backdrop for my Qashqai, as my photographs prove. What a find!!!

Now, was it William Shakespeare who proclaimed … 'A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse'
A popular quote indeed, but in this case the wording is altered by urban graffiti artist Frank Styles, as he puts a different slant on it when replacing the horse with a Qashqai. Well, we do live in motor town after all. The wording may have changed, but the horse still remains, as it gallops along at some speed - its main blowing as it ticks off the yards. Let's do it. Ignition on and car strategically placed in front of the wall art. Local scrotes walk on by at half past midnight, asking if I would like my new car discreetly removed for insurance purposes. Burnt out, I think the words were. No thanks lads, just jog on with your carrier bag full of Oranjeboom and let me tick this shoot off, eh. Cheers!

No disrespect, but the East End of Sunderland is not the best place to be in the small hours. They'd nick the steam off your shite owa there. Not all of them mind, but a good 90% of them would lol. Aye well, despite the late night visit, and a cold one at that, I may still return to photograph more graffiti that has appeared since my last visit a couple of years ago. You really need to be in and out as quick as a flash to avoid the shirt being nicked from your back. Rumour has it that one guy had his £2000 alloys wheels stolen in Hendon - he was travelling at 30mph at the time!!

And that is that. Hope you like the images above. I'm liking the new Qashqai … oh yes, I'm gonna enjoy many a photo outing in this thing, make no mistake about that one. Working at Tenko has its perks after all.

Cheers, until the next time, folks.

AC 

Lakes Weekender With The Mrs

Welcome back!

A couple of weeks ago me and the Mrs paid a visit to the Lake District and stayed and in a rather comfy hotel on the edge of Derwentwater. The weather was fine, the scenery was it's usual breath taking self and the food and drink was top notch too. It was definitely a weekend to remember … and not even a camera in sight. Well … not strictly true … I did have my mobile phone, so I managed to grab a few shots of our accommodation. We stayed at Merewood Country House, a 4 star hotel and restaurant, set in an elevated position and overlooking Windermere, England’s longest and most beautiful lake, you will find Merewood Country House Hotel.  Dating back to 1812, the hotel has retained much of its historical charm with many of the original features lovingly restored, including the panelled hall and reception.

Our room was very spacious and comfortable, with en-suite and four poster bed, as well as a fantastic view from the front of the hotel and over the grounds towards the lake. The Kipling Suite was one of the best rooms we have stayed in during many weekends away, and I would definitely recommend this hotel for anyone who fancies a weekend away in probably the most scenic part of England. We had a couple of drinks in the lounge and sat at the bay window overlooking Derwentwater. It was even better that we had the room to ourselves, with only soft music for company. We could have sat there all night.

The restaurant food was excellent, as was the breakfast, which definitely set us up for the day ahead. We had a trip into Keswick and looked around the lakeside and market stalls before dropping anchor at the Lake Road Inn, off the main street. With the sun beating down it was nice to sit and watch the world go by, enjoying a drink or two at the same time. From there we headed off to Ambleside and then on to Bowness. There was very little in the way of photography, but it wasn't one of those weekends. Just nice to spend some time with Amanda, to do what we enjoy doing. Another great weekend away with the wife. Until the next one …

Ash (and Amanda)
 

When The Bird Flew The Nest

Welcome back!

A couple of weeks ago I decided it was 'high' time to upgrade my drone. I'd been eyeing up a more portable option to the Phantom 3 series drone that I bought two years ago, mainly due to the fact that I tried to hump a camera backpack and drone case around at the same time and it just didn't work. My Phantom 3 Advanced drone certainly gave me a good return during the two years I owned it and my completed video's and aerial images can be found on my website - www.ashleycorr.com. Fast forward two years from the purchase date and here I was, advertising it for sale, in mint condition. Within 48 hours it was sold, alongside 4 batteries and a host of accessories. I was chuffed to get the asking price of £500, plus the fact that it was a quick sale and sold locally, with no silly offtakes, which would have been the case had I gone down the eBay route. So the bird flies the nest ...

Enter stage left, the all new shiny Mavic Air. The Flymore combo weighs in with 3 batteries at a cost of £849.00. Take a look at the photo (shown here) of the Mavic Air in my hand. Yeah, you get the picture. A foldable portable drone with a host of new tech, all wrapped in a tiny box and ready to send into the sky. This thing looks awesome! Let's hope it flies and captures photo and video just as well. As yet I haven't had time to give my new toy its first real flight. I did load the aircraft and remote controller with the latest firmware and carried out a few settings adjustments via the DJI GO 4 app, before sending it on its maiden flight, albeit a very brief one. This was simply to check that everything worked as it should, which it did, before bringing it back to the home position. So it's all systems go and I'll be recording more aerial video very soon. Stay tuned ...

Cheers, Ash