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

Cherry Blossom, Saltwell Park, Gateshead

Back again!
Not much time to spare today so I'll be swift this one. A recent, and first time visit to Saltwell Park in Gateshead presented a an opportunity to grab a nice photo or two of Cherry Blossom in full bloom - always an eye-catching site. You see plenty of this stuff during the month of May and early June, before it falls to the floor, creating a bit of a mess, it has to be said. This time was different though, as a pathway through Saltwell Park was flanked with trees in fine colour, offering me the chance to grab a shot at its very best. My favourite shot is the first one, with the couple walking hand-in-hand along the path. Other people stopped to take photo's, either on mobile phones or digital camera's, and I captured one such person here, although his hair style almost stole the show entirely - what do you think?

Back soon.
Ash

P.S - Check out my latest update featuring my recent visit to the Farne Islands. Blog entry coming next...

Enter The Angel

Two weeks ago I made another of my regular visits to the Angel Of The North, shortly before sunset. The Angel is an ideal stop off, especially when the plan involves a trip to Newcastle Quayside later in the evening, when timing is ideal for photographing at both locations. As the sun sets, and the photo's are in the bag, a fifteen minute car journey through Low Fell to Gateshead Quays is all it takes to pick off another photogenic 'Hot Spot' here in the 'Not so Grim North'. And that was the plan tonight, two into one, as I covered two popular locations in one night. Some nice colour in the sky, add in some nice to profiling, and Robert is your Father's Brother! Enter the Angel . . .

As the sun went down on the horizon there was a burst of colour in the sky. I photographed visitors as they walked back down the path towards the car park. Some interesting silhouettes (shots 3&4), and in particular, the elderly couple who stopped to take photographs of the colourful horizon (last shot, below). Very straightforward photography. All you need is a decent sunset and that burst of colour shortly afterwards. I got it tonight. The shots wouldn't be the same without people, as scale is all important here. It's a simple case of waiting for those unsuspecting folk to plonk themselves right into the frame, just where they appear best, as they pose for their own pictures, oblivious to the fact that they're also posing for mine  - A prime example is shown below (shot 2)... 

 

And that's about it, for now. Next I'll show you the shots I took an hour later, on Newcastle Quayside.

Until then, see ya later.

Ash

Angel Of The North - Tutorial 2

Following a recent photography tutorial to a friend, at Gibson's Cave, we were out again with the camera's at another location closer to home. This time it was Gateshead's 'Angel Of The North', for some evening shots and another insight into shutter speed. The Gibson's Cave tutorial focused on slow shutter speeds, as we photographed a waterfall and wanted the desired milky effect of the water as it fell. The results of that visit can be viewed here. So it was shutter speed once again, but this time we were heading further up the scale with faster speeds in very bright sunlight. As the sun sets behind the Angel, our best hope was to grab some silhouette shots, with the setting sun in the background and hopefully a burst of colour after it had set. We fired off a few frames on the plot where the tree's had been felled, which offered us a position which was impossible to imagine just a few weeks ago. I explained to Billy that the inclusion of people in the shot was, in my opinion, quite important, as a sense of scale gives the image an extra dimension. Without people in the frame the image simply doesn't have the same impact, so it was a waiting game as we picked off the best visitors to include in our shots. It was quiet at first, with no-one showing up, so we improvised and added ourselves to each others shots, just to warm up, ready for those unsuspecting folk walking into our shots and not having a clue what was going on behind our lenses. My first shot shows Billy doing a spot of modelling, he he, as he does as he is told by his mentor and gets his arse into the picture. Metering off the brightest part of the sky I was running with a fast shutter speed of 500th of a second, in shutter speed priority. Seven frames per second and the job was done, as Billy walked up the hill towards the Angel. I was lucky to see some colour in the sky too, on the horizon, which made the shot. Abstract worked quite well with this one, as I zoomed in to clip one of the Angel's wings.

My second shot is in Landscape mode, and again I went for scale, using a young girl who was photographing the sculpture from the approach path. This was actually taken before my first shot (above), and before the sun had set. Some nice cloud formation in this one, which was emphasised with a polarising filter - always a handy piece of kit to have tucked away in the bag. I deliberately under-exposed this shot to add that little bit of moody drama to it, and it seemed to work. Composition is all important, as usual, so get this aspect right and you're half way there. Billy took my advice on board and was quickly up and running on his own, pulling in some great shots.

My final shot of the Angel was taken the next day, from a viewpoint near the 'Angel View' pub, on the roadside towards Wrekenton. I was driving along this route and noticed an angle that I'd never seen before, so quickly pulled over and done the necessary. Something a bit different, with the countryside backdrop offering a different slant on my Angel photo's.

Plenty more photo's to come...
Until then, see ya.
Ash

Let It Snow (Angel Of The North)

Sometimes you have to take chances and push the limits to get the shots you want. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't. Last weekend was one of those 'Shall I bother' or 'Shall I not' moments, when the weather was awful and driving conditions were far from ideal. The snow fell from 11.30pm on Friday and continued throughout the night, with no let-up when I left my home at 9.30am on Saturday. Destination - Angel Of The North, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear. Between Houghton le Spring and the A1 Motorway junction at Chester le Street, the roads were awful and it was snail's pace all the way, not wanting to join other abandoned cars at the roadside. Oh don't you just love those blizzard conditions, when some motorists couldn't give a flying fcuk and drive as if it were a Summer's day. There's always the odd Arsehole behind the wheel and it's normally me that has a run-in with him (or her), so it was of no surprise when one fine example cut me up shortly after I joined the A1, ah well... jog on! No time for getting worked up, there's work to be done. And a few minutes later I was on site, with the Angel towering above me, getting a rather good lashing from the snow. A mini bus of full foreign folk pulled in and in no time they were coated up and walking towards the sculpture, snapping away as they went. After a few minutes of posing for group shots they were off, heading back to their warm mini bus. As they started to make there way back down the path I took my first shot (shown here, top). Lots of trees had been felled since my last visit - god only knows why, as the classic view of the Angel, flanked at either side by trees was now a thing of the past. Trees sat to the left, but not the right, they were gone!

I've been saying for a while that people often 'Make' this type of shot, as a sense of scale is important, versus the subject itself. And the people kept on coming and unknowingly offering themselves as extras. It was a straightforward case of waiting for them to position themselves where I wanted them in the frame. And that they did, making my composition 'Just right.' The snow continued to fall, which can be clearly seen against the dark backdrop of the Angel, adding a little extra to the shots, and by now making me realise that today's outing, despite the weather conditions, was well worth the effort. Sheltering my camera was a task in itself, as the snow swirled around me, making it virtually impossible to keep it dry. Next time I'll have to think on. But I was determined to leave with the shots I wanted, so the camera took a kicking and I grabbed my last few shots before getting back into the car to give it a good wipe down. The toes were aching, numb they were, but that's the price you pay, I suppose. Crack on!

No sooner was I back home and I was reviewing my work in Photoshop CS6, ready to pick one out and email it to Tyne-Tees Television - surely they'd like to use one on today's Weather Bulletin. And so they did, just four hours later. I'll upload the video clip, along with two other recent ones, and you can view them here on my Blog page, next time. Until then, catch ya later. Cheers.

Ash

Autumn Colours, 2011

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

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

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

See ya next time,
Ash

Angel Of The North, Gateshead

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

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

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

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

Angel Of The North

After today's visit to Penshaw Monument I was back in the car and off to the Angel Of The North, another of the North-East's most recognised landmarks. By the time I'd made the fifteen minute journey the rain had passed and I was able to take a few more photographs under fairly cloudy skies.

Once again, the Angel is another local icon that I've photographed on numerous occasions. As it is situated next to the A1(M) it is seen by thousands of motorists every day, with a fair few of them stopping off to get a closer look. Today there was the usual scattering of visitors who were all keen to get photographs before they left. I was only here for a few minutes before making my way back to Houghton-Le-Spring.

Maybe Gateshead Council should consider lighting the Angel up at night. What a sight that would be!

Later, Ash