Mission 11.01 - Lockdown & The NHS

RETRO BLOG - JUNE 2020

As we came out of national Lockdown in June 2020, it was a relief to think that life was beginning to return to normality once again. Since March of this year, the world as we know it had been struck down by Coronavirus, with over 50,000 casualties. The NHS faced unprecedented times, as they were stretched to the limit and beyond. For weeks on end, lockdown affected everyone and life was very different, with an ever increasing threat that we all faced, as Coronavirus ripped through the world.

As we came out of lockdown a semblance of normality began to surface.We were no longer tied to the confines of our homes. It was an uplifting feeling to be able to do the normal things in life once again - things that we had maybe taken for granted, at times. I headed out one night to the Tommy statue (Mission 11.01) at Seaham Harbour, County Durham. Their was no plan, other than to get some fresh air and hopefully pull in a couple of decent shots. The backdrop that was an NHS sign seemed to be the perfect exceuse to get out of the car and record a snapshot of these very strange times. After all, if it wasn't for our NHS, god only knows how worse the death toll would have been!

Ash

Isle of Wight Astro Photography (Part Two)

BLACKGANG CHINE ADVENTURE PARK (13th September, 2020)

Welcome to the second installment of my recent astro adventures on the Isle of Wight. It was another clear night sky on the island, so it normal service resumed as I headed out once again with the camera. Tonight was a revisit to Blackgang Chine Adventure Park, following last years visit with my son Chris, to shoot more of the milky way. As mentioned in my last blog post, this was the location that I saw and photographed my very first milky way, back in 2015, so it was quite nostalgic to find myself here once again, for more of the same. It was a 20 minute drive from our base in Newbridge, along the military road at west wight. Once again, it was an eerie kind of experience, as this place is usually crawling with people during the day, but desolate at night, as you would expect. As I stood at the main entrance I reflected for a minute, almost hearing the noise from the crowds and the unmistakable sound of the white knuckle rides whizzing past. The time was 9pm and it was still warm with no breeze at all - ideal for night photography, although the temperature was quick to drop as the night wore on. 

So here I was, back at the place where it all started. The genre of astro photography was new to me back in 2015 and I've pulled in many a shot since that introduction, but Blackgang Chine will always be the reason why I got hooked on this kind of photography. With no experience at all, I managed to pull in a memorable shot of the smuggler, with the backdrop that was the galactic core. It could've went wrong, but I managed to hit the sweet spot with those camera settings. The rest is history ha!

Again, the galactic core was there to be shot at. An amazing spectacle, with amazing foreground. I 'd lost count of how many times we'd visited this place as a family. It's a special place with special memories. I parked up and quickly got to work, firing off a few shots of the big man, then it was time to pack up and head off. 

Technical info - Canon 5D4, Samyang 24mm lens @ f2.8, Shutter 20 seconds, ISO 3200

Next stop - Compton Bay Car Park...stay tuned!

Ash

Isle of Wight Astro Photography (Part One)

CASTLEHAVEN COVE (12th September, 2020)

As coronavirus played havoc on our everyday lives, what turned out to be a cancelled holiday to a Greek island, turned out to be a week long holiday on another island. From Santorini to the Isle of Wight...

After the disappointment of learning that our Santorini holiday in mid-September had bit the dust, my wife suggested we book another holiday on home shores. Not wanting to waste an opportunity to get away, we booked a caravan holiday in Newbridge, on the Isle of Wight. The island had been the destination for many a previous family holiday, beginning in 2003, when our kids were young enough to enjoy everything the island had to offer. In fact, this was the place where I saw, photographed and edited my first ever milky way, back in 2015. I remember the night very well and it began what was to become a completely new genre of photography to me. I remember standing in awe, looking at the milky way on a clear, moonless night, with the smuggler of Blackgang Chine in the foreground. It really does seem like yesterday!

And here I am again, back to this small island - an amazing location for dark sky photography. And luck was on my side once again, as I just happen to visit during a full week of clear, moonless skies, once again. Well, an opportunity to walk those night time paths was here again and even better that it is September, when the sky would be dark enough to photograph at 8.30pm!!! September is traditionally one of the best months to photograph the milky way, as the galactic core is visible in all its glory at this time of year, so photogenic opportunities were in abundance. 

My first night of astro took place at a small fishing cove near the southern tip of the island - Castlehaven. I'd done my research earlier in the day, as my wife and I drove down to St. Catherine's Lighthouse, before walking along the coastal path to nearby Castlehaven. We walked through a small caravan park that overlooked the sea, before arriving at the small cove, which we had to ourselves. I scouted the place out, realizing there and then that it was an ideal spot to photograph the night sky, facing south-west, towards the milky way. There was a few small boats dotted about, which would add good foreground interest, so I bookmarked the place in my mind, before we headed off to the nearby Buddle Inn, for a well earned drink. The dirt track up to the pub was very steep and bumpy. I knew I'd have to drive back down this road later on, in pitch darkness, but it was the only access road to Castlehaven Cove, so it had to be done.

A few hours later, I was in the car and heading back to Castlehaven. The dirt track to the cove was every bit as bumpy as I'd expected. What an experience. It was like riding one of those mechanical bulls you often find in foreign pubs. Oh aye, I got flung all over, even at 10mph. Not a soul around. I eventually parked at the bottom of the track, next to three other cars. I made my way down the very short ramp towards the cove, with the help of a handy Poundland torch to light the way forward. I switched off the torch and allowed my eyes to adjust to the pitch black conditions... and it was as dark as I'd ever imagined...but what a night sky....amazing!!!  The milky was was ideally positioned, so I quickly scouted out a position behind a few small boats, knowing this would offer a good composition with interesting foreground. The waves lapped in slowly and the temperature was a welcome 16 degrees. I was still wearing shorts and t-shirt! 

I must have only been at Castlehaven for a matter of ten minutes or so, grabbing the shot I wanted, before heading back to the car. I was mindful that I still had to get back up that bank and out of there. If anyone else had parked up on the bank I was knackered - no way out. Luckily enough I had no real problems in negotiating a quick exit, so the night had got off to an excellent start and it was only 9.30pm - still time to head off to more locations, for those elusive astro shots!  

I was hoping to fit in Blackgang Chine Adventure Park, before finishing off at Compton Bay Car Park, for a spot of car photography. One of three planned visits was now in the bag...let's get to Blackgang Chine, for more of the same...and to tick off location 2...

Coming next (stay tuned!!!)

Ash

Another Moonrise Attempt - St. Mary's Lighthouse

Hello again!

Another short write up, about my September visit to the outskirts of North Tyneside and another well known landmark - St. Mary's Lighthouse, near Whitley Bay.

It was another one of those full moon occasions, when you rely on those trusty smartphone apps to give you a few pointers regarding location, weather conditions, tide times, etc. It was a Friday evening and I headed off with good intentions of putting together a vlog (video blog), which is something I don't usually dabble in, but on this occasion I thought I'd give it a bash. I set up my GoPro in the car, en route, finding myself prattling on about the task ahead. The journey to St. Mary's lasted around 35 minutes. I parked up on the cliff top, near Old Hartley, which is a five minute walk to the rock shelf below, where I intended to shoot from. Only thing was, I hadn't given myself a great deal of time to prepare, so I ditched the GoPro and got myself down the steps and onto the beach, as the moon was about to rise. Ideally I should have set away earlier and gave myself plenty of time to continue my vlog as I set up my gear, but alas my planning was rather piss poor, so I stuck to the task of concentrating on my photography instead.

I grabbed a couple of shots as the moon rose on the horizon, then I shuffled around for the next 15 minutes, positioning myself in the ideal spot to get exactly what I wanted. Obviously the main objective was to align the lighthouse with the moon, which I managed to do before the detail in the moon burned out. It was another one of those 'Blink and you'll miss it' moments, or so it seemed. These occasions fly by in no time.

Again, I 've uploaded a screenshot from my Photographers Ephemeris app, which shows the location and moonrise, in relation to where I was standing to land my shots. This app is worth its weight in gold for tasks like this!

Thanks again for visiting!

Ash

From North To South - Moonrise @ Groyne Lighthouse

Hello again!
Making the effort to revive my blog page with a few short entries to get things underway in 2020.

Kicking off with this one - a moonrise attempt from Fiddler's Green, North Shields, across the River Tyne, towards South Shields. It was Saturday 20th July, 2019 and a full moon was about to rise on a clear sky summer evening, around 23.15. Conditions were on my side, so it was a case of wait and see. The Sigma 150-600mm lens made another appearance, doing what it does best, on nights like this. The clouds were approaching from the west, so I was hoping to get this one done and dusted before they drifted across before the moon had risen. Check out my prep screenshot, courtesy of that trusty old app known as The Photographers Ephemeris. Earlier in the day I consulted TPE app to give me a clue as to where I should be standing as the moon rose. Yeah, I was hoping to catch it rise behind the little red lighthouse, on the south side, near Little Haven. I was in luck! Turned out to be a wise move and everything came together nicely. I'm getting a taste for these moonrises. Hopefully more to follow...

Cheers, Ash

Ashley Corr Photography ~ 2020 Calendar

Welcome back!
I must stop going under the Blogger radar, as I notice my last entry was way back in March of this year. Same old story - not enough hours in the day! Even camera time has taken a hit this year, plus my website updates at www.ashleycorr.com … and don't mention the amount of images and video I've got queued up. Although it's a nice problem to have, I've got more than enough to keep me busy during the fast approaching dark winter nights. Now that I've got that intro out of the way, (a.k.a - poor excuse) I'd like to announce that finally, after being an amateur photographer for almost 40 years, I actually got my arse into gear and created my first ever wall calendar. In the past I've regularly contributed to charity calendars, including St. Benedict's Hospice, Sunderland, amongst others, so it's nice to finally produce my own creation, for 2020.

A couple of weeks back I done some online research, to find out who would be able to print my calendar. I stumbled across 4 potential targets, one of which was Colour Calendars. After a very brief visit to their website I made my mind up instantly that this was the path I was going to go down. They had online design templates, which you could add your images to, as well as company log, contact information, etc. The toolbox was very straightforward and within an hour or so, my calendar was complete. Yeah, it was that simple. I made one or two last minute amendments before I submitted my proof and waited for my free calendar, to check the quality and colour accuracy. Within 48 hours my free proof was in my hands and I was more than impressed with the finished article. I went ahead and ordered 200 copies, which arrived 2 days later. They were individually shrink wrapped and Colour Calendars even added 8 extra copies, free of charge!

Once in my hands, I set about the task of advertising my 2020 calendar through Facebook. I was almost immediately inundated with orders, which was brilliant. Most of the orders were multiple purchases, which was even better. Within 48 hours I had sold 76 copies. I certainly wasn't expecting that!

Here is a few images of my calendar. If you would like to purchase any, please email me at sales@ashleycorr.com. I offer discount for multiple purchases. The calendar is priced at £10.00 plus £2 delivery.

Thanks for dropping by...
Ash

Good Morning Seaham!

A rare sunrise outing for Mr Corr, on a chilly February morning in the north-east of England. I'd just finished a week of night shifts at the Nissan POW camp and my body clock was again out of fettle, as I woke at 5am and joined the wide awake club once more. With hindsight, I suppose it worked out quite well, as I bagged a decent shot or two - the first shots I 'd actually taken for a number of weeks and my first of 2019. I'd been out of the loop, due to illness and one or two other personal issues, so it was nice to get  back on the horse, so to speak, although I did feel quite rusty and almost had to remind myself how to use my camera ha!

So off I went, slipping back into the photography loop, with a ten minute journey eastward, to Seaham Harbour. I had no real plan, to be fair. It was another one of those 'Suck it and see' affairs, where I drive, observe, then choose. The choice wasn't a great one either, as I had two locations on my radar. My first choice was the harbour beach ... the second was the Tommy artwork, on top, at The Green. With sunrise in mind I checked out the sky for inspiration and a clue as to which location to plump for. The harbour won the day, so I headed down the bank and through the overflow car park - eventually reaching the pier parking area, where I dropped anchor. The tide was almost high and with the sun about to rise, I wasted no time in getting sand on my wellies and into position. A lump of driftwood drew me in immediately. It was ideally placed and looking very photogenic, for what it was. I began to feel that things were already piecing together and the prospect of some colour appearing in the sky was very promising. It was now a short waiting game...

I didn't have to wait long to be rewarded. It was a great start to the morning and the pastel shades suddenly appeared in the sky, with the incoming tide lapping against my driftwood prop. To my right hand side I was distracted by a man with a dog … and a short rake. Ah well, he obviously likes his props too, eh. It's just … he wasn't a photographer as such, just a man walking a dog. So why the rake, I asked myself. Not to be distracted any further, I turned away and fired off a couple more shots. The scene unfolding in front of me was rather special!

I looked across to my right once again and noticed said dog walker crafting something in the sand, with his beloved rake. From the angle I observed from, it wasn't easy to see exactly what he was writing, but all became apparent as I stood and watched him taking a photograph of it on his mobile phone. GOOD MORNING … was his greeting in the sand. Well, as I packed up and headed back to the car I grabbed a quick shot of his work, just for the record. I really do need to thank him, as my photo of it appeared on the Tyne-Tees Television weather bulletin later that day!

All things considered, this morning was a return to my photography after a four month exile. I have to say … it was a nice return, which yielded a decent shot or two. I really need to get back into the seascape scene... especially sunrises. If only there was a way around the early morning alarm calls, eh. Now, that would be ideal. I'll just have to make more of an effort to drag me jaxey out of the fart sack more often. Until then …

Catch ya sooner, rather than later.

Ash    

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

 

Update - All Things Photography

Hello again and welcome to another rare blog entry. I keep slipping into virtual anonymity on this page from time to time, mainly due to other commitments and the diversion my photography takes me. Yeah, if I'm not out there with the camera's or updating my website and social media pages, then you'll probably find that I've gone AWOL ... again!!!

Not to worry though, as there is plenty of activity behind the scenes, in the shape of -

* New photographs
* New drone footage
* New video's/vlogs
* New slideshows
* New website pages/galleries
* New blog entries

So, as you can see, there's plenty to come at www.ashleycorr.com and the recent spell of poor weather has meant I have spent more time indoors ... often behind the keyboard and monitor, to bring you lots of site updates. I've got lots of new ideas floating around, so hopefully they will come to fruition, sooner rather than later. The priority in recent weeks has been my TV and AERIAL pages on my website. After looking through the content to date I felt that both pages needed beefing up ,with new video's/ slideshows etc, mainly provided by my archive hard drive and the many hidden files that found a home on it. Many of them haven't seen the light of day and really need to be out there, making a contribution to my online portfolio, especially the aerial video's that were recently archived.

In a nutshell, please stay tuned to the next instalments at www.ashleycorr.com and all my social media platforms. The introduction of video logs, or Vlogs as they are most commonly known, is a completely new area that I'm hoping to explore, especially as I'm usually behind the camera and not in front of it. But hey, some of the places I'm gonna take you will need a fair bit of introduction and story telling along the way. It might not be my thing, and it may not work at all, but I'm all for trying and making something work if it does feel right. We'll soon see, eh.

And that's about it, folks. Just a quick hello and an outline of what's to come in the forthcoming weeks and months ahead.

 Catch ya soon, A.C   

Fire In The Sky - Houghton le Spring

Hello once again!

Back for a brief update here on Blogger. With a folder full of backdated images to get through, I tick another batch off as I bring you my latest writings on all things photography. December 2108 and one of those 'Shall I' or 'Shall I not' pop out for an hour with the camera. It was a Saturday afternoon and the sky was brewing up quite nicely as sunset approached. I lost count of how many times I looked out my back window to check the sky. Each time I saw it I was nudging ever closer to grabbing my camera and heading out. With sunset looming I knew I wouldn't have time to go too far, so it would be another one of those very local trips like ... yeah, that ... the Copt Hill Barrow. Why not, it's in my own back yard and it's always a nice thing to pull in great shots from this location. I've lost count on the number of visits I've made, but hey ... two visits are never the same, let alone fifty!

And so it was to be ... the five minute car ride up the hill and across the field to those Seven Sisters. I got there around 30 minutes before sunset and the early indication was that this was gonna be a good one. Already the sky was taking on a colourful canopy - a one that would play an ideal role as backdrop for the Seven Sisters. Another photographer turned up, setting his gear close by. We'd met before. It was Ken Foulds, who lives across the way in Belmont, on the outskirts of Durham. Strangely enough, our first meeting was at this very same spot. Great minds think alike. I grabbed a couple of shots of Ken as I photographed his own scene, both of which are shown here. As the sky started to kick off I dotted around the Copt Hill, capturing the scene from various angles. The sky was definitely living up to its earlier billing, as the colour presented itself and seemed to linger for an age. This wasn't going to be a brief affair.

I was running with the Canon 5D3 for this outing, couple with a 16-35L lens and nothing else. No filters or remote, just the basics. I even   left my mitts in the car, which wasn't exactly the smartest move I made, as it was bloody freezing. Then again, we were into late December, so not to complain eh. I fired off around twenty frames in total, which definitely had a keeper or two amongst them, so I was looking forward to getting them onto my laptop to have a better look. So without further ado I said goodbye to Mr Foulds and headed off back to the car. By this time it would have been around 4.30pm. I had parked up in the Copt Hill Inn car park, which is a short walk from the burial ground that is Seven Sisters. I noticed there was still some lovely colour in the sky, which was odd, as the sun had actually set an hour ago. By this time there's usually no trace of red in the sky, but on this occasion there was still plenty to see. It was almost apocalyptic. Amazing to watch as it took on an almost surreal sight for sore eyes. Looking back now, I can safely say that the last photo I took (shown here, of the Copt Hill Inn) was by far my favourite one of the lot. Now, that was not part of the plan when I arrived, but sometimes those little surprises make the experience a whole lot sweeter. And so it was ...

Until the next time, be good

A.C

Under The Radar - High Moorsley

Well, well, well ... two back to back blog entries in as many days. What on earth has come over me? Aye well, can't be complaining, eh. These things are indeed a rarity, if recent times are anything to go by. The truth is, I have a backlog of images that have been queued up for a while, ready for the blog treatment, so it would seem wasteful not to share the story behind those images. So here I am again, bringing you the latest spin on my photography exploits, with yet another night time outing under my belt and ready to share. Again, I was accompanied by Mr Spider, my brother and fellow astro photographer. We were rapidly approaching the end of the calendar year and seeing as I was on a two week break from work, now was as good a time than any to get back out with the camera, regardless of the cold weather. The plan on this occasion was to visit High Moorsley Weather Radar, on a trig point on the outskirts of County Durham - a 15 minute drive from my home in Houghton le Spring, Tyne & Wear. Star trails was the plan once again and this place is ideal for it. The weather radar sat high on metal framework, on the edge of a ploughed field and in wide open terrain.

Following an hour or so at this location the plan was also to include a visit to Tanfield Railway - a graveyard of trains and carriages, situated between Gateshead and Stanley. Again, star trails was the thinking behind the second part of tonight's photography outing, so I was looking forward to both visits. We landed at High Moorsley around 7pm, after parking the car a few yards down a public footpath that led to the weather radar. I'd scouted out this location a couple of weeks previously, so I knew how to find the place. I remember the initial visit very well, as the temperature was at zero degrees and my face felt like it was frozen solid by the chilly wind. I remember thinking that it would be even colder standing around while the camera pulled in the shots. My recce visit was done and dusted in ten minutes flat, as I quickly headed back to the warm refuge of the car. Tonight however, although it was still a tad chilly, it was nowhere near as brutal as it was on my recce visit, so that was a welcome sign, as we prepared to stand around in a snowy field for 90 minutes!

I ran with two camera's once again. Firstly I set up the Canon 5D3 next to the radar, lining up the North Star (polaris) above the golf ball like structure. Once the camera was up and running, I positioned the Sony a7s further down the field, as I noticed some nice lead-in lines in the snow. It was here where we stood and chatted while the camera's done their thing. An hour in and Mr Spider suddenly started vomiting. He said he felt ropey and didn't dare fart in case he shat himself!!!  Well, well, well ... we best pack up and head off. The cold chill may have played its part and won the day. We decided to give Tanfield Railway a miss, which was a bit disappointing, but when you feel like shit, you feel like shit. We headed back to the car and warmed up, before heading home. We had the radar shots in the bag, so the night wasn't a complete loss. I dropped Mr Spider off at Skinhead Towers, telling him to get his feet up and take it easy. I do hope he made it up those twelve floors in the lift without filling his boxer shorts.

After dropping Spider off I decided to head off to Seaham Pier to attempt a star trail. The night was still young, so why not. With Mr Spider now in more friendly surroundings, I was about to stay out in the cold a little while longer. Best make the most of the night before heading off home ...

Till the next time, catch ya later ...

A.C