Mute Swans At Dusk

As promised, some new images that I captured last week at Rainton Meadows, Gods Country. With the nights getting lighter and the days seemingly becoming longer, it's been an ideal time to get out with the camera in my locality. Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve is part of the Durham Wildlife Trust and is situated just off the A690 in Houghton le Spring, five minutes drive from my home. Readers of my blog will no doubt have read about my previous visits to Rainton Meadows, especially during the Spring/Summer months when the place is a hive of activity. Many birds breed on the reserve during this time and this in turn attracts many visitors to the site, all of which are encouraged to stick to the designated footpaths - myself included (ahem!).

As the sun dropped I decided to get my arse into gear so I headed round the meadows to catch a decent sunset. It was quite chilly, but when you find the swans in a prime location on the plot you tend not to feel the cold. I suppose you're that pre-occupied with landing some good shots that some of your senses become almost immune to the elements as your concentration levels are hiked somewhat. Mute Swans can be quite temperamental though, don't get too close, and beware otherwise you might get a pecked mush! During the last few years of photographing these birds I've had one or two close calls with them, but have never been clobbered as yet. Saying that, I'll probably get fettled during the coming nesting season when I push my luck near one of their nests. Down the years I've picked up a fair knowledge of their behaviour and especially their tolerance levels around people, or predators as they would percieve them. I always photograph from a safe distance, usually with my 300mm lens, although some Mute Swans are very tame and even feed from your hand, so getting up close to them is quite normal and they don't react. Never take them for granted though, as I've heard one or two stories where the swan has laid the law down and showed what it's capable of when riled.

As the sun was about to set I fired off a few frames - ISO 100, aperture priority, using a flashgun instead of built-in speedlight, and recording each image in RAW format at a resolution of 18 megapixels, pulling in massive files of 102 megabytes apeice. Mind you, these creatures are a lot easier to photograph than most birds, mainly due to the fact they aren't very mobile, especially on the water. A loaf of bread is a must. Swans at the far end of a pond will very quickly swim across to you at the chance of a feed. Once I was photographing Mute Swans with a dramatic sunset backdrop, then I ran out of Warburtons. Disaster! The birds buggered off in no time and there I was, feeling a bit blown out - they'd scoffed me 'quid-fifty' loaf and done a runner!!! For each good shot you achieve, you can easily land two or three poor ones, but taking plenty of shots will normally up the total of 'keepers' when you review them later on. You're obviously aware of the welfare of the swans as you're photographing them, especially when using a flashgun, although on this occasion they weren't at all startled by the bright light.

I photographed the swans at the waters edge for roughly ten minutes before packing my gear away and heading out of the reserve. There was no-one else around at this time, give or take the odd dog walker here and there, so the place was well calm - just the sounds of birdlife and a shotgun cracking in a nearby farmers field. Oh well, time to make me'sel scarce.

I don't know what it is that attracts me and the camera to Mute Swans. One this is certain though - the ability to capture nice photographs of these birds is never too far away when you've got the rights components in front of ya. Still waters, a sunset backdrop, a pair of swans - oh, and don't forget the loaf o' breed, eh.

Catch ya later, Ash

Warkworth Castle, Northumberland

Warkworth Castle was originally a Scottish motte castle - a wooden fortification on top of a mound, built in the mid twelfth century by Earl Henry of Northumberland, son of King David of Scotland. By 1158 Warkworth was in English hands, and Henry II gave the castle to Roger FitzRichard. Work began on turning the original wooden fortification into a stone castle. During wars between England and Scotland in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Warkworth became a major defensive position. Following two sieges by the Scots, Edward II presented Warkworth to the powerful Percy family, who were obliged to provide defense against Scotland in return. It was in the late fourteenth century that Henry Percy built the huge keep which dominates Warkworth Castle. In 1536 the Percys were involved with the Pilgrimage of Grace, the north's attempt to rebel against Henry VIII's decision to change England's religion from Catholicism to Protestantism. This was the beginning of a period of wildly fluctuating Percy fortunes. Under Henry VIII the Percy family lost Warkworth and their castle at Alnwick, had their holdings returned to them by the catholic Mary Tudor, only to lose them again under Mary's successor Elizabeth I. Elizabeth's reign was to see the end of the Percys as power brokers. Warkworth declined with the Percys, and suffered damage during the Civil War in the seventeenth century. It was at this point that the once mighty Percy family finally abandoned Warkworth. In the late seventeenth century all Percy estates passed to the Smithsons, who confusingly took the name Percy. They carried out some repair work. In 1922 Warkworth was given to the state, and is now administered by English Heritage. Several castles, including Warkworth, were used as locations for the film Elizabeth. It's around this time of year that I make my first trip to Northumberland when the countryside embraces the new season. Farmers fields are brimming with spring lambs and the country lanes and villages are awash with daffodils. All you need to finish it off is a bright sunny day with little or no breeze and you're laughing. My trip up the A1(M) was potentially a good one for photography as all the elements were present and my batteries were fully charged so I was raring to go. My intention was to photograph the rugged coastline at Dunstanburgh, but although the tide was ideal, the sea itself was quite calm - not much good for those 'Crashing Wave' shots. As a result, last minute changes were put it place and it was time to press ahead with Plan B. I headed back inland to Warkworth, a small ancient and picturesque village, unspoilt by modern development, which is built on a rocky spur within a tight loop of the River Coquet. Its skyline is dominated by the magnificent Warkworth Castle, home to an impressive 15th century keep and courtyard – one of the finest preserved in the country. In spring the castle is surrounded by the vibrant colours of hundreds of golden daffodils but when I arrived the daffs weren't in bloom - I was a week or so early! With a nice blue sky and broken cloud above I decided to pay a visit to Warkworth Castle, which was by now my second time. I coughed up the £3.00 parking fee, which was refundable when buying an entry ticket to the castle, before grabbing my kit and making my way inside. The girl in the castle shop was quite eccentric and wouldn't have looked out of place on the set of 'The League Of Gentlemen'. After I declined the offer to buy a tour book I was given a verbal history of the place, which kept me there for a good ten minutes. During this time I occasionally glanced out the window, hoping the sun wouldn't disappear before I'd taken my first shot. She eventually ran out of steam and I hastily headed for the door - my history lesson was over...phew! There were a dozen or so visitors in the castle grounds, plus a handful of kids who were running amok with plastic swords as part of a war game. Today was an ideal opportunity to grab some nice shots of Warkworth Castle as conditions were spot on and I had all the gear I needed. Time to start work. I ran off a dozen or so shots with my Canon 7D - some with the 18-135mm lens, but the majority with the 10-22mm wide attached. All shots were taken handheld due to the bright sunlight that bathed the castle walls - not a tripod in sight! I was also running with a £7 circular polarising filter that I picked up on eBay, due to my Hoya version falling to bits recently. Using the CPL was a must, especially the way the sky was behaving. And on the subject of behaviour, he he, the kids with the plastic swords were running all over the castle grounds by now. They were re-enacting a medieval war by the sound of things. Every ten seconds I could hear the cry of 'Who goes there' as one kid chased the other. Anyway, they vanished quickly enough and I continued to photograph the semi-octagonal tower in front of me through the camera viewfinder. Without realising, one of the kids had sneaked up behind me, shouting 'WHO GOES THERE' as he pressed his placka sword against the back of my neck. I nearly shat me'sel!!! I had a brief look inside the castle tower but there wasn't a great deal of photographic interest. As I walked around I tried to visualise what this place looked like in its day, in its glory. Inside are the complex remains of a range of buildings, with the tall Lion Tower and Little Stair Tower giving access to the Great Hall. I only took one photograph within the tower itself, from the foot of the main staircase as the sun shone brightly through the landing window above. This, and the other photographs from my visit, can be seen on a dedicated page of my website. Click this link to visit the page directly - Warkworth Castle, Northumberland. Thanks for visiting my blog page. I'll be back soon with another update which features some night time photography of a pair of Mute Swans, plus some waterfall shots from a location in Teesdale. Until then, see ya. Ash

Finchale Abbey, County Durham

Finchale Abbey (pronounced finkle) was a 13th century Benedictine Abbey, the remains are sited by the River Wear, four miles from Durham City Centre. It is a Grade 1 listed building and until recently there was an admission charge to the abbey, but now visitors can enter free of charge until the gate is locked at dusk.

There are very extensive remains of a 13th century abbey, founded on the site of a retired pirate's hermitage. Part of it later served as a holiday retreat for the monks of Durham Cathedral. There are many excellent examples of heavily decorated capitals on the original arcade columns, tracery in the filled-in nave arches of the church, and on the south wall is a double piscina and two carved seats of the sedilia. The buildings and immediate grounds are now managed by English Heritage, with the surrounds converted into Finchale Abbey Caravan Park - an award-winning eco village project set up to sustainably manage development in the area.

It was here that St. Godric settled in the 12th century, building a hermitage on a site which was to become his home for many years. After Godric's death in 1170 at the age of 105, the Durham Monks set about building a shrine to the saint, the results of which can still be seen today in the substantial surviving priory buildings. St Godric's tomb still lies beneath the priory church and is marked by a simple stone cross. Today however, the tomb lies empty, his remains having mysteriously vanished many centuries ago since when there has been much speculation about his final resting place.

Upon entering the latched gate you are confronted by the east facing remains thatit at the top of an incline which overlooks the river. A large bed of dafodils bloom in springtime, offering an ideal picture postcard scene of Finchale Abbey and its grounds. The many doorways take you on a tour of the remains, but tread carefully when you're climbing the ruins as these are a liability at the best of times. Photography of the Abbey was quite tricky during my visit, especially as the sun was very bright, so balancing exposure between shadows and sunlit stonework needed the aid of Neutral Density filters. Carrying a set of three filters of different calibrations, I was equipped with everything I needed for the challenge ahead. Photographing a ruined abbey can only keep you occupied for a certain amount of time. Capturing every path, wall and doorway can easily result in overkill so I set myself a limited target of 25 shots for my Finchale Abbey slideshow, to keep the viewer interested.

I was at Finchale Abbey for approximately 45 minutes, yet I never passed another visitor in all that time - quite odd considering the nice weather conditions. Dog walkers were staggered along the river bank on the north side as I headed back across the wooden bridge. It was from here that I made the short journey through Cocken Wood and up the steep embankment to my car. I was ready for a sit down once I reached the top - I was bloody knackered!

And that's all for now folks. Coming soon - more photo's of historical interest from my recent visit to Warkworth Castle in Northumberland. Thanks for visiting.

Ash

Escomb Saxon Church, County Durham

A recent visit to Bishop Auckland in County Durham gave me an excuse to stop off at a small village nearby, named Escomb, to check out another north-east landmark. One of the most complete Saxon churches in the UK, St John's, Escomb has been a place of worship since approximately 670 AD. The building materials that make up the church go back a lot further, though many were taken from the old Roman fort at Binchester, and Roman inscriptions can be seen on many of the stones used in the construction of the church.

The church is located in the centre of Escomb village, 1 1/2 miles from Bishop Auckland. It is not known for certain when the church was begun, but archuitectural evidence points to sometime between 670 and 690 AD. This would make it one of the first Northumbrian Christian churches to be built. As with most Saxon churches the layout of Escomb church is very simple. There is a small south porch giving access to a narrow nave. The font is to the west of the south door. To the right, the nave leads under a high chancel arch to a very small sanctuary where the high altar is located.

On the exterior south wall of the church is a Saxon sundial, believed to be the oldest still in its original setting in the entire country. There are only three lines on the sundial, corresponding to the three principal times of worship during the daily schedule of early monks. Under the lines a serrpent stretches. Several items on the exterior north wall are worth noting; a projecting lip of stone protects a Roman inscription. The stone was simply re-used by the Saxon builders of the church, so he inscription is upside down. It reads "LEG VI", meaning, Sixth Legion. Nearer ground level is the north door. This extremely simple doorway is generally accepted to be of Celtic origin. The surounding masonry work indicates that the entire doorway may have been taken whole from Binchester and reused here.

Inside the church there is an absolute wealth of Saxon material. The south porch shows two Saxon stone crosses, and several other bits and pieces of interesting carving found on the site. Inside the nave, the font is extremelyt simple. It dates to at least the 13th century, though it may be quite a bit earlier.

Set high on the north wall is another Roman sytone, set on its side, and used as part of the supports for a Saxon window. The inscription on the stone reads, "BONO REI PUBUCAE NATO", which translates loosely as "To the man born for the good of the state". Moving up the nave you come to the Chancel Arch, where the Saxons again reused an existing arch from Bincheste Roman fort. The stonework of the Romans was so good that no masonry was needed to set the arch in place. On the underside of the arch are paintings from the 12th or 13th century. Behind the high altar is a striking carving in the shape of a cross. This is believed to be a 9th century grave stone, but it may be the remains of preaching cross dating to the earliest days of Celtic Christianity in Northumbria, before the church was constructed.

I was only at the site for twenty minutes or so but I managed to grab a couple of photo's inside the church grounds. Some of the gravestones dated back many years and I noticed one or two unmarked graves, which stirred up theories of what might have been. The graveyard was well maintained and I couldn't help wishing I'd been here a couple of weeks later when the many daffodils will be in full bloom. Never mind, I could always come back later on. Taken as a whole, Escomb Saxon Church contains a wealth of fascinating architectural and historical detail, and is well worth a visit.

Cheers, Ash

Gateshead Quays

A mid-week visit to Gateshead Quays gives me a rather lame excuse to write another short blog entry. I earmarked this location as a good place to test out my new Sigma 70-300mm telephoto lens, but on arrival I had a change of plan and didn't even attach it to the camera body. Instead I took some more wide-angle shots with the already attached 10-22mm glass, beginning on the Millennium Bridge, as cyclists passed every few minutes. My first shot shows one cyclist passing me as I took my first shot, handheld, with a slow shutter of 1/25th to capture the motion as he went past. It worked well enough. A similar shot can be found on my website, here, near the end of the slideshow.

There were a few photographers kicking about on the Quayside, all armed with tripods to assist with those low-light shots. The sky wasn't doing much though and this is normally a key factor in achieving great shots at this location, as I've found to my own benefit. Never mind, it's still nice to get out and grab some decent shots after a days work.

Since buying the Canon wide-angle lens it's covered around 90% of all shots taken. The bog standard 18-135mm lens has been forced to play second fiddle for the best part, but no doubt it will be back in the saddle sooner or later. I suppose my wealth of recent wide-angle shots is simply a measure of much I'm enjoying using it and it's almost become the ideal 'walk around' lens for the type of stuff I like to shoot. It's refreshing to take shots when practically on top of the subject, yet still not filling the frame. There's always a 'trade off' though, which comes in the shape of natural distortion that's delivered through the barrel - but hey, this can often add to the shot, giving dramatic angles that 'make' the shot. A fine example of this is shown here, in shot 2 of the Millennium Bridge, taken at the foot of the bridge on the north side of the River Tyne.

From there I made my way back over the bridge. With fifteen minutes or so left on my parking ticket I paid a swift visit to the Sage Gateshead for a few interior shots. Auto ISO helped out with exposure due to the low light inside the building, especially during handheld shots as my tripod was asleep in the boot of my car. By this time I was well hungry so I made the short drive to Marlborough Cresent on the 'pink' side of town. Spice Punjab do a mean kebab so I was more than willing to pay the going rate, quaking in me boots as I waited for it, as the car was parked on a double yellow outside! Naughty. A fresh naan bread filled with different meats, loaded with salad, then splashed with garlic mayo, sweet n sour sauce, chilli and mint - it's gotta be tasted to be appreciated. Those black and whites can't play football, but they knock out some great scran!!!!!!!!!!!

And that was that. Feeling hungry now. I wish I'd never mentioned that bloody kebab!

Ash

Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve

With Spring 2011 almost upon us I have been preparing for another season of nature photography on my own doorstep. In my home town of Houghton le Spring you'll find Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve, which is more than handy for me as it's only a few minutes drive to the site.

Rainton Meadows and Joe's Pond can be found by following the brown signs from the A690 between Durham and Sunderland. By bus, the services 222 and 220 regularly leave Park Lane in Sunderland, or the bus station in Durham and set down at the nearby Mill Inn. There's a short walk under the A690 continuing until you reach the last roundabout of the industrial estate. The entrance to the Reserve is called Mallard Way.

During the Spring and Summer months I make regular visits, usually with my son who gets as much enjoyment from the place as I do. Many species of wildlife can be seen here, including Foxes, Hares, Rabbits and Owls, as well as breeding birds such as Swans, Geese, Grebes, Kestrels and Warblers, to name just a few.

Armed with a 300mm lens and Canon 7D body I usually pull in some decent shots, especially during April to July when the Mute Swans are nesting and the cygnets readily feed from visitors - subject to parental approval of course. Don't get too close as you might get a clout! There is normally two new families of Mute Swans on the reserve each year and each nest is normally visible from the designated paths.

Swans usually pair for life and have elaborate courtship rituals including the famous heart shape they make with their necks. They normally start breeding in their fourth year. The male, or cob, is larger than the female or pen and when together the longer neck, larger webbed feet and larger black berry of the male make identification much easier. Unfortunately many young swans die each year but some live to about 25 years in favourable conditions. The cob will establish a territory large enough to supply his future family with sufficient food and will valiantly defend it against all comers, whether they be other swans, foxes or intrusive humans. Swans are protected birds and it is illegal to harm them or steal their eggs.

The male and female choose the nest site together and use any material within about 40 feet to make the nest. The pen lays between 1 to 12 eggs, the average being 6. The eggs are laid every other day and only when the last egg has been laid does incubation start. The incubation period lasts about 35 days and the pen only comes off the nest for very short periods to drink and stretch her legs. The cob takes over after a recognition head lifting ceremony. The cob will defend the nest against foxes, dogs and other predators. Cygnets normally take to the water 24 hours after the last cygnet has hatched, usually in May. The parents do not feed them, but the pen will 'foot paddle' to bring food to the surface for cygnets to eat and pull out reeds which the young would otherwise be unable to reach. One parent will always be on guard and they often travel in line with one parent at the back, the other in front. The pen will carry the young ones on her back.

The swan family is very close and if a cygnet is lost, the parents will often look for it up to a week. Natural predators are pike, foxes, mink and cold wet weather. Unfortunately man poses further hazards. Nature has been clever with the swan's moulting period when they cannot fly. The moult takes about 6 weeks and for non-breeding birds takes place about July time. A pair with cygnets moult at different times, first the pen and then the cob in August to September so that one of them can always defend the young.

Here is a couple of photographs I took on Sunday morning (27th Feb) - the first was taken at Rainton Meadows (Pond 1) and the second at Joe's Pond which is situated at the other end of the reserve, near the Rainton Bridge Industrial Estate . Lastly, I have uploaded a short video clip of a nest site in the reeds at Pond 1, captured last May, showing newly hatched cygnets. Only a few chicks are visible but the full clutch of ten eggs hatched successfully.

A nice taster for what is round the corner in 2011. Spring is almost here!
Cheers, catch ya later.
Ash

RETRO 2 - Skyclad Live, Huntingdon '04

Another visit to the RETRO archives brings you more live music, featuring Skyclad. Before I go any further, may I enlighten you regarding this bunch of middle-aged tearaways...

Skyclad are often referred to as ‘The Originators of ‘Folk-Metal’ – a sub-genre of metal that mixes thrash/speed metal elements with traditional instruments and folk-style melodies – as typified by their seminal album ‘The Wayward Sons Of Mother Earth’ (1991). The band produced a string of highly acclaimed albums – ‘A Burnt Offering For The Bone Idol’ (1992), ‘Jonah’s Ark’ (1993), ‘The Prince Of The Poverty Line (1994) and ‘The Silent Whales Of Lunacy’ (1995) - and gained a reputation as a powerful and energetic live act with many European tour and festival appearances (such as Dynamo Festival, 1992). During the late 90’s, despite several line-up changes, the band continued to develop and experiment with their musical style - producing albums such as ‘Irrational Anthems (1996), ‘Oui Avant Garde a Chance’ (1996), ‘The Answer Machine’ (1997) and ‘Vintage Whine’ (1999) – they even undertook several ‘unplugged’ tours across Europe alongside appearances at festivals such as Wacken Open Air (1998) and ‘The Gods Of Metal’ (1999) before returning with a more ‘metal’ album, ‘Folkemon’ in 2000. Whilst Folkemon proved to be the last album for founder member and vocalist Martin Walkyier, the band decided to continue and released the ‘Swords of a Thousand Men’ single (featuring ‘Eddie Tenpole’ himself) and the ‘unplugged’ album ‘No Daylights Nor Heeltaps’ in 2002.

A new studio album ‘A Semblance Of Normality’ followed in 2004. As well as having all the usual folk instruments and influences, this album also featured the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and was well received by both fans and media worldwide. ‘Semblance’ marked the start of an exciting new chapter for Skyclad, who, while continuing to play in strongholds such as Germany (Dong Open Air, 2003 & 2005 and Burgfolk, 2004), also made successful appearances in new territories such as Sweden (the ’34,000 ton of Metal’ Cruise, 2004), the Czech Republic (Rock Café, Prague, 2005), Finland (Tuska Open Air, 2005) and Portugal (Beja, 2005). All this live work culminated in a full European Tour in early 2006, which took in ten countries, and the release of the ‘Jig-A-Jig’ EP – which the band produced themselves as a special one-off release for the tour. Since then, as well as playing gigs and festivals across Europe – including the ‘Battle of Metal’ 2007 and Club Tochka in Moscow in 2007 and ‘Folk’n’Roll 2008’ in Pecs, Hungary - Skyclad have written and recorded a new full-length studio album (the band’s twelfth). Entitled ‘In The…All Together’, this ten-track album was recorded in Italy during August 2008. Again, as with ‘Semblance’, Dario Mollo engineered and mixed the album at his ‘Damage Inc’ studio in Ventimiglia. However, unlike ‘Semblance’, this album was recorded completely by the band members – so there are no ‘guests’ or orchestras etc. This was a deliberate move to try and keep the recordings as ‘live and fresh’ as possible and one aimed at taking the band into the studio ‘all together’. This wasn’t exactly a ‘back to basics’ strategy, as the songs on the new album are far from basic as the band continues to experiment with odd timings and tunings. Another benefit of this approach is that Skyclad will be able to play more of the album songs live. ‘In The… All Together’ is scheduled for release by Scarlet Records in late spring 2009.The band continue to record and tour in 2011, continuing the Skyclad legacy that is now into its 22nd year!

I'd previously met the members of Skyclad, in late January 2004 and again a few weeks later. The first occasion was to photograph them separately as they needed headshots for their forthcoming album sleeve. The second meeting was at a local venue, Bede's World, where I took some location shots of the band as a unit. The resulting shots will be uploaded here in another RETRO entry - coming soon!

In April 2004 I was invited to photograph Skyclad at the Celtic Warriors 12th Birthday Bash in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire (same bill as The Quireboys). By the time Skyclad entered the stage the venue was filling up quite nicely, but still fairly short of capacity. From memory, I think they were pencilled in for a forty minute slot, before ageing rockers Saxon took their turn. The band kicked off with a couple of songs that typified their opinions of disapproval towards government rule down the years - outspoken tales of torment, quite often shared with others during a drunken stupor. Seven years on it's not easy to remember the full set-list of songs that Skyclad delivered, but notable inclusions were Parliament Of Fools, Another Drinking Song, The Widdershins Jig, Penny Dreadful and Inequality Street. The audience lapped it up, which was a surprise to me because I felt Skyclad were 'Off the wall' compared to the more heavier metal bands on the bill at Huntingdon. Biddle on the fiddle is a prime example of that - I mean, how many metal bands include a violinist? It didn't matter though, as Skyclad were up there on merit and this was reinforced by appearing so high on the bill, with only Saxon and The Quireboys ahead of them on the day. Frontman Kevin Ridley was well up for it - his banter between songs was very amusing and kept the crowd entertained. It was almost as funny as his inability to pitch a tent just a couple of hours earlier on the nearby field! Oh well, tents and rock gods don't go hand in hand, do they (wink).

A mixture of acoustic and electric guitar gave a nice blend, courtesy of Ridley and Steve Ramsey, the 'Bouncer' of the group. Graeme English, or 'Bean' to his friends, powered in with some strong bass lines just in front of my camera - I managed to capture one or two of his 'moments' during the show, as seen here. Couldn't help but laugh at his regulation steel capped boots on the day - I have a similar pair - Arco, I do believe. All in keeping with rough and ready image of the preverbial rock star who couldn't give a gnats chuff. At the back, as per, was young drummer Arron Walton, who I couldn't reach with my bog standard lens so he doesn't appear on this blog - sorry mate! A polished performance nevertheless.

Probably the highlight of Skyclad's performance was when Georgina Biddle stepped off the stage during a song and played fiddle in the photographers pit, right next to us. The crowd showed immediate appreciation by cranking up the noise levels, before she vanished backstage. The forty minute set was over in a flash - where did that go! It was time for the encore, a blast from the past in the shape of 'Swords Of A Thousand Men', the Tenpole Tudor song from 1981. I'd been tipped off about this song being the encore, so I switched my camera into movie mode and filmed the whole song - 3 minutes duration. The audio is quite distorted due to the position I was filming from, just feet away from the PA speakers. Shot in Mpeg, the video is included here on this blog entry - not HD quality by any stretch, but a recording that sits nicely in the archives and a permanent reminder of my debut in the photographers pit.

SKYCLAD VIDEO FOOTAGE (above) - Swords Of A Thousand Men.

Thanks for visiting!

AC

Click here for full slideshow of Skyclad Live, Huntingdon, April 2004