Wearmouth Bridge, Sunderland

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

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

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

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

I'll be back soon. Cheers!

Ash

Postcards - An Update

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for reading.

Ash

Durham - Land Of The Prince Bishops

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

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

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

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

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

Ash

Snowfall - Penshaw Hll (Part 2)

This is the second and last part of my visit to Penshaw Monument, which is perched on Penshaw Hill on the outskirts of Sunderland. Whilst taking in the stunning views from the top of the hill, I noticed that the greenhouses on Penshaw Farm were caved in due to the heavy snow. The steel framework has very thin plastic covering so it never stood a chance, so I imagine Mr Green and the boys have their work cut out to repair the damage. The nursery consists of two greenhouses, each around 100 feet long, and I imagine most of his stock is now wiped out. A real shame, although as I strain my eyes I notice the adjacent tea rooms are full of punters - hopefully eying up his walls that are covered with my framed prints, he he.

The main road that runs past the Monument, from Penshaw to Sunderland, is full of crawling traffic. Yes, the roads are a pain in the arse once again and drivers are going down the sensible route (no pun intended) by using their heads and not pushing their luck, like some of the idiots you occasionally encounter.

Me and my son Christopher (9) join in the crowds on Penshaw Hill as we enjoy some sledging. We each take tus and it's a blast. I temporarily lose control as the sledge deviates from its normal path and cuts across the snow cleared steps, giving me a very sore arse in the process. It was just as well that the little fella was next up, as it gave me a chance to recover as the 'Pain in the arse' subsided. Speaking of Pains in the arse, I must remember to call in at the Mother In Law's on the way home, he he, only joking, Norma!

The sledging comes to an abrupt end during my next ride! Yes, the sledge snaps in half and the little fella isn't too happy. The crowd enjoyed it and I laughed myself - what else can ya do, eh.

So that was it - back to the car and to grab some much needed heat. After a few minutes we were back out and I took a couple of snaps on a short path next to Penshaw Hill. Here they are.

Until the next time...

Ash

Snowfall - Penshaw Hill (Part 1)

It's been almost two weeks since the first Snowfall of Winter 2010, and there's been no let-up since. Apparently, the last time we had snow as early as November was seventeen years ago, but I bet it wasn't as consistent back then as it has been this year. Snow has been falling almost daily since the last week of November and we've had almost two feet of it up until today, 7th December. Due to printing and delivery commitments at this busy time of year I haven't had many opportunities to get out in the snow with my camera. Mind you, I always try to arrange some 'Time out' between work and family commitments, and I did manage to get some photography in a few days ago. As expected, the local roads were awful and access routes to places I wanted to photograph were temporarily out of bounds, so I decided to play safe and stay much nearer to home.

Yesterday I delivered some stock to Penshaw Garden Centre & Tea Rooms and returned to my car, grabbed my gear and headed towards Penshaw Hill. There were lots of people sledging down the hill and the cattle that were grazing nearby looked totally bemused. Ten minutes in and I wasn't exactly amused me'sel - me feet were like blocks of ice - maybe next time I'll not wear slippers!!

The snow was atleast a foot deep as I trudged a recently unused path up the hill. It was heavy going. I went over on my arse once or twice in pursuit of the summit, but it was worth it in the end. About two-thirds of the way up the path I entered a small wooded area, with thick snow on every branch in front of me. It was very picturesque. The sky was clear blue and ideal for the camera. Time to start photographing!

Once I reached the top of the path, I headed down an offshoot that led me round the back of Penshaw Hill until I emerged from the woods and made my way towards Penshaw Monument. From the top of the hill, just off the Monument, there were great panoramic views of the icy vista in front of me. It was a clear day and I could see for miles, with hundreds of snow covered rooftops across Penshaw and Washington. I stood for a short while and took in the view. By this time I had a two inch icicle hangin' from me sneck, so it was snapped off and discarded in the snow below, he he. Time to get moving...

I could see my car parked on the road at the bottom of the hill so I walked down the steps towards it, passing the sledgers en route. Nearly went on my arse again, a few times, but counter balanced the fall to avoid embarrassment in front of the masses. After a dodgy ten minute slow walk down the steps (walking like Bambi on ice) I was safely back to the car, so in I went. The heaters were blasting in a vain attempt to warm me through. I got there eventually.

Anyway, here is two more photo's from my freezing adventure in the field. Cheers!

Ash (still bloody freezing)

Sunderland - God's Country

God's Country, I hear you say. Well, I am biased of course, as Sunderland is the place where I was born and bred. A visit to the town centre at the tail end of Autumn 2010 was originally a business visit to the Tourist Information Centre, to deliver a large amount of stock in preparation for Christmas. No photography was planned, although I did have the Lowepro Trekker, fully loaded, in the boot of my car, just in case. It certainly came in handy!

On my return to the car, which, for the record, was parked in St Mary's multi-storey, I had a quick look out the top storey window towards the Stadium Of Light. What a view! A clear day presented a perfect opportunity to shoot digital across the River Wear, which flowed below the Wearmouth Bridge just in front of me. The Autumn colours were on display, adding some fine colour to the landscape and finishing the shot off perfectly. Panning from left to right I fired off three frames before jumping back into the car and heading for home.

Gotta admit, I love this panoramic effort. I have it printed, mounted and framed - ready for the Tourist Board in early January 2010. I think I might just sell one or two!

(click image to enlarge)

Cheers, Ash

Sunrise - Souter Lighthouse, Whitburn

Hello again!

A few weeks ago I posted a blog entry here. It was an early morning visit to Littlehaven near South Shields, for some sunrise photography. At the end of this particular blog I said I would be visiting Souter Lightouse the following weekend for more early morning low-light shots. Well, I did make a visit but forgot to write about it so here it is...

It was a very mild Saturday morning in early October and I was in position just outside the grounds of Souter Lighthouse, a National Trust property on the North-East coast of England near the small village of Whitburn. Conditions were ideal so I had my fingers crossed for some decent shots of the lighthouse, hopefully with a nice sun rising on the north sea horizon. The long whitewashed perimeter wall gave a good lead-in line to the shot, with the lighthouse and gardens in centre-shot and the calm north sea finishing off the shot as a backdrop. There was very little cloud cover on the horizon so it was a waiting game as I braced myself for the moment.

I didn't have to wait long. With my kit set up and remote control in hand, it was down to business again and time to bring in more sunrise shots on the coast. Again I was using drop-in Neutral Density grads to balance the exposure and after working out the difference in f-stops,

it was case of selecting the correct filter to achieve an accurate all round exposure throughout.

I managed to get there in the end despite a few mishaps with the lens and the IS (Image Stabilization) setting. After a few minutes I moved inside the perimeter wall and took up position near the vegetable garden, with it's well maintained plot that also offered some valuable colour in the foreground.

OK, time to shoot. It was back into the car, which incidentally, was parked on the main road where it shouldn't have been! Oh well, at 6.00am on a morning you're allowed the odd indescretion. Not many traffic wardens about at that hour is there? While the cat's away!

Until the next time, cheers,

Ash