Another Visit To York

Last month Mr & Mrs C had another weekend away in York, which is one of our favourite places to visit and it's only a 90 minute car journey at a steady pace. Mind you, although we visit York at least twice a year we never seem to hit on good weather, for some odd reason, and our latest visit was no different. That said, it was February, so it was no surprise that the North of England was once again under a dull overcast sky, with accompanying cold winds and the odd bout of snow and sleet. What to do eh, other than grit thee teeth and get on with it - this weather is not for the soft lad. Or maybe it was, as I headed into warmer territory that is York Minster, while the Mrs went for a spot of retail therapy, which is not my cup of tea whatsoever, so a canny compromise was made to pass an hour or so before meeting up. I kept my entrance ticket from my previous visit, which guaranteed free entry to the Minster for a full year, so there was no crossing palms with silvers on this occasion, as I went on my way, into The Nave. It's £9 a go these days, but there were plenty of takers, especially foreign folk, eager to see what was on show in this ancient building. There was one noticeable absentee however, my tripod, which was given the day off,  as I wanted to see what the 5D Mk2 was capable of in a handheld situation with high ISO settings. Every shot inside York Minster was captured this way and the results were stunning, especially the ceiling shot in the Chapter House (Shot 2, below). As you can imagine, there was very little available light to play with inside the Minster, so the Auto ISO setting was necessary to give me a fast enough shutter speed in low light, even though it cranked itself right up to 3200 in the dimmest areas to get a fast enough shutter. Reviewing the images, I couldn't help but notice how pin sharp they were when magnified on the monitor, so off I went, in search of more. I covered all of York Minster, apart from The Quire, which was out of bounds due to an ongoing hymn practise. Handheld delivered some great shots, if I say so myself. Oh, and there's a rare shot of me too, capturing a mirrored reflection in the South Transept.

After a 30 minute sesh in the Minster I had just enough time to head over to the popular Shambles area of York City Centre. The Olde Worlde character of this place is tailor made for photography, although my shots don't show its popularity on this occasion as the place was almost deserted when I got there. It was almost 4pm and Sunday shopping was near its end, so the majority of folk had cleared off by this time, which wasn't a bad thing as the camera got to see what it wanted, with no crowds obstructing its view. Shambles (or The Shambles as it is often referred to) is a street in the city centre of York with a long and interesting past. Today it features great shops, cafes, restaurants and tourist attractions. A fine place to stroll on a day in York or visit to take in some shopping, history and culture - also this year's winner of Google's Most Picturesque Street in Britain. As the snow started to fall I packed the camera away and headed off to the pre-arranged meeting place, where my other half was already waiting, laden with shopping bags. Oh aye...what's the damage? She had a big smile on her face when I arrived, but I still don't know whether it was due to the bargain she'd bagged, or the state of my hair, which was looking very sorry for itself by this time. Ah well, time to sit down for a beer and a bar meal. It's not all trudging around in the cold, this York malarky.

As usual, click on an image to enlarge. And on that note I shall disappear once more, only to return with more photographs, made in the North-East of England. Until then, stay safe.

Ash

     

Tyne-Tees Television (Part 49)

As quick as the last batch of video clips were uploaded I've got another one to share (bottom of this blog entry), taken last Sunday (10th March) and shown on Tyne-Tees Television the following day. Another snow scene, captured at nearby Herrington Country Park during a blast of snowfall. From the main road I could see across the park to my right, noticing a group of blokes flying kites, so I made an instant decision that they would add to a good photo, with Penshaw Monument as a backdrop. I parked up soon after and headed across the far corner of the park to find a position to compose my shot, passing the kite flyer's as I went. The snowfall was full on in my face and visibility was very poor. I asked myself yet again what the hell I was up to in these mad conditions, but I've lost count of the times I've questioned my sanity and went on to grab 'The Shot', so onward I travelled. Reaching a good spot in the deserted park, I dropped my bag on the floor and unzipped it, removing the Star Of The Show, ready to get to work. I turned round to eye up what was on offer and their was a big fat nowt - visibility was no better than when I arrived and the Monument simply wasn't there. The snow had been off and on for the last hour, so I stood there like the classic tin of milk, waiting for the next lull. During this time I was numb with cold and covered in Snar from head to foot, which must have been a funny sight for any passers by, but today I lucky, there weren't any. Not hard to guess why. Atrocious conditions!

Within a few minutes the snowfall eased off and visibility improved massively. Hello Penshaw Monument, where were you? Time to get busy. The kite flyer's were having no more and packed their plastic away, so I grabbed my first shot as they headed back in single file to their nearby cars. Forget the kites, I still managed to make a decent picture. As I walked back to my car I fired off a few extra frames, catching some decent foreground in the shape of a crossroads (see photo 2). There was no colour to be had today, so black & white conversion was the way forward with this batch, and it worked quite well. Again, patience, perseverance and the odd 'Screw Loose' ruled the day. I was friggin 'Brass Monkey' but it was worth it. Shot one (top) was pulled in with a 70-300mm telephoto lens and the others with the L Series 24-105mm zoom, all attached to the Canon 5D Mk2 body, which is one hell of a piece of kit. Below is the video clip that was aired live on regional TV this week, plus you can can view it on the Tyne-Tees Weather site in High Definition if you wish, just scroll down to 'Monday 11 Mar 2013' - click here to view. Just below the video clip is the stand-alone photo, posted in the 'Sunday 10 Mar 2013' section. I have other Weather Photo's on the same site but you'll need to search for them in the archives.

And that's for now. I've got more new galleries opening up at ashleycorr.com very soon, including... 'Historic York' and 'Black & White 2' so look out for them. Late March will see me heading across the A66 to the Lake District, where I hope to bring back some top notch shots of the National Park. I'll be up on the fells once again, although I'm not sure which one yet. Spring and Summer will test me and the new camera out, so I'm looking forward to the challenge, plus there will be a big updates in my 'On Location' section as foreign travel is booked and I can't wait for that one. No clues as to what Country (or rather, Countries) - but I expect to bring back some great shots, so once again, stay tuned.

I'll be back soon with more photography. Thanks for visiting!
Ash

Tyne-Tees Television (Parts 46, 47 & 48)

Hello again.
Almost two weeks have passed since my last blog update - I must get my act together!
As promised, a short video clip featuring a selection of my photographs that appeared on TV recently, and they are as follows...
1. Sunset, Transporter Bridge, Middlesborough (Jan 2012)
2. Sunrise, Seaham Pier, County Durham (Feb 2012)
3. Snowfall, Angel Of The North, Gateshead (Feb 2012)

Rapidly approaching the 50 mark, which I hope to reach in the next couple of weeks, so keep an eye out all you people within reach of the Pontop Pike transmitter. I should be out and about with the 5D over the next few days, although nowhere in particular as a plan, but wherever it is, I'll be bringing home the shots. And that's all for now. Cheers.
AC

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

A Frosty Herrington Park

A couple of days ago I was up bright and early and heading towards 'The Barber Shop' in Shiney Row, a ten minute drive from home. Yes, the old mullet needed a trim and an early morning visit usually beats the queue's, so off I went. I chucked the camera bag into the boot of the car on the off-chance that I might get a couple of half decent shots in the nearby Herrington Country Park, especially as there was a covering of frost on the deck. After my short back and sides (and nowt off the top), I drove the short distance to the almost deserted park, in bright sunshine it has to be said. Cold it certainly was. Still getting to grips with the new camera, but coming along very nicely. Not much else to report, just some new photo's from my brief visit to Herrington Park. Without further ado...

Ash

Heavy snow here in County Durham this morning. The Mackem Photographer was roaming again, before the snow thawed. Bad conditions on the A1(M), but hey, who dares wins! Some nice snow scenes up next, folks. As always, stay tuned...

Canon 5D MkII - More Test Shots

Hello again.
A few hours ago I was out and about once again, testing out my new camera at Newcastle Quayside. This was my third run out with the 5D MkII, following two previous outings to Seaham Harbour, County Durham, and like my last blog entry, I was on the hunt for more low-light photographs. I can safely say, after just three batches of test shots, this camera is unreal, especially the 24-105mm Luxury Lens, as it once again pulled in some brilliant tack sharp images. And no sooner did I process those images and I'm already planning my next jaunt, which is the effect this camera is having on me. It's slick, smooth and worth every penny of ones 'Hard earned.' So it looks very much like my Newcastle Quayside At Night gallery will be getting a revamp, as my new images will replace old ones and there will be more on the way. I'll be making more visits to this location in the next few weeks, so keep an eye open for more of the same, very soon. A new battery grip has been added to the kit bag, but one thing that I missed tonight was a Wide Angle Lens, following the sale of my 10-22mm EFS, which wasn't compatible with the EF mount I'm now running with on the full frame 5D MkII. So, it looks like I'll be shopping around for a Wide! Anyway, it's knocking on for 12.30am, so I'll have to call it a day - the fart sack awaits!

In the meantime, here is tonights shots...
Click to enlarge.
AC

Seaham Harbour, Revisited

It was seven days ago when I put my Canon 5D MkII to the test for the very first time at Seaham Harbour, County Durham (See my recent blog entry here). Today I revisited that same location, and although the weather conditions were similar, there were no big waves, but a much calmer North Sea. Because of this, the pier gate was open to all, so the vantage point I wanted was very much up for grabs. I passed through the open gate an hour before sunrise, giving me ample time to set my gear up to prepare for what would hopefully be a good sunrise at 7.41am. I had an odd feeling as I walked along the first stretch of concrete, bearing in mind the battering this pier received a week ago from those 80 foot waves. There was evidence of more recent waves too, judging by the many pools of saltwater I passed as I walked further along a pier of ageing concrete, peppered with pot-holes galore. These add to the character of Seaham Pier and most definitely give the photographer food for thought when looking to add some foreground interest to the frame. Many a Seascape composition 'Checked out' with good foreground detail, and I was ready to join the list of those like-minded folk who had made the same mental prep's before getting down to work. I wasn't alone on the pier, as I chatted to another photographer for a while before the sun showed up. He too was hoping to pull in some good sunrise shots, so we stood almost side by side, waiting for something to happen. His dog was standing on the edge of the pier, gazing down into the icy water, causing a worrying distraction for his master. Several shouts eventually brought the hound back to safer ground, although it wasn't long before he was off again and looking to engage in more mischief. 'Jasper, come here man, are ya friggin deaf or summat' was the sudden holler, much to my amusement, but the docile mutt never flinched as its eye was transfixed on the waters below, which appeared to be stirring up somewhat, despite the outgoing tide.

More chat followed, covering aspects of photography and social sharing sites like Flikr. He showed me a few of his shots on a mobile phone, which were female models under specialist indoor lighting. Quite impressive they were too. By this time I was kinda wishing I was indoors myself, as my hands were almost numb and the toes were having none of it. The sunrise wasn't too far away, so after 45 minutes of good photo-chat and zero minutes of photography, I reluctantly decided to move on as I was being distracted far too easily for my liking. At this point I took my first real shots, following two or three earlier test efforts. The situation was tailor made for my Lee ND filters, so out they came, along with their filter holder, and immediately the f-stop calculations were being made. I was up and running at last, with no distraction, and the shots were beginning to roll in. A combination of two filters, 0.6 and a 0.9 soft grad were used, stacked in the filter holder, delivering some great shots as cloud colour peaked in front of me. These filters are most definitely 'The doggies danglers' and a must for every serious landscape photographer - expensive, but worth every penny. Balancing exposure between shade and highlights is a very important part of exposure, so the need to introduce Neutral Density Grad's is very often a wise one, resulting in the type of shots shown here.

The sun rose on the horizon at 7.41am, as predicted on my Weather Channel app. I've included three shots here. A pre-sunrise shot, another when the sun appeared, plus a Black and White conversion - hope you like them. At 8.00am I was off Seaham Pier and climbing back into the car. On came the heated leather seat, once again, a regular feature during these cold Winter mornings. And that was it, another job done, another Sunrise outing, another freezing arse - but not for long, he he.

Might be out again tomorrow, some time, some place, putting this fantastic camera through its paces once again. This Canon 24-105mm L series lens is ridiculously sharp, although slight distortion at its widest setting, which is easily corrected with a single mouse click in post-processing. A new era of photography is under way, so let's see what I can pull in with the Canon 5D MkII. Judging by the photo's shown here, it's gonna be a smooth ride. Let's hope so. And on that note I shall bid thee farewell until the next time. Ta ta for now.

Ash