Welcome Back!

November 2013 seems a long time ago now. It was the last time I updated my Blog page before the big overhaul at ashleycorr.com. Now that my site is up and running once again I hope to restore normality in the shape of new updates on Blogger, starting from today, with news of recent changes. Firstly, my Canon 5D2 went to the Canon graveyard last week after it took a tumble on the rocks near St. Mary's Island, Whitley Bay. A gust of wind swept my tripod off its feet, taking the camera with it, face down in a rock pool. It suffered water damage despite the fact that my filter holder took the brunt of the impact. The attached lens was unmarked, although it needed recalibrating through my insurance broker. The camera and lens were away for five weeks, although it seemed much longer then that. Being without a camera for that amount of time wasn't a happy experience, but what can ya do? Eventually the camera body was deemed 'Beyond economical repair' and as the 5D2 had been recently phased out, my insurance company replaced it with a 5D Mk III, which I was over the moon about. The 5D2 was the camera I had wanted to get my hands on for a few years, not even considering the 5D3 because of its hefty price tag, so to own one now goes above and beyond what I expected to run with. Although I've had the new camera for slightly over a week now, I still haven't been out to test it in the field, but that will be corrected during the next few days as I have more time to play with. Having flicked through the menu settings on the 5D3 I must say that my initial findings are very impressive. Lots of upgraded features, lots of head scratching too, which seems to be part and parcel with these things, no matter how many user manuals you have ticked off the list.

Currently looking at new tripods too. The trusty Manfrotto took a clout on those rocks, although I need to be more vigilant in those kind of situations. One thing is sure, it will only happen once!

Also dabbling with new image software in the form of Google's excellent plug-in's for Photoshop - Nik Collection. Some really interesting stuff bundled with it.

And that's about it for now. I'll have my Blog page restored to former glory in the very near future, bringing you more of my escapades form my trips into the depths of God's Country and beyond. Until then, welcome back!

Ash

Looking For That Cover Shot

Hello again.

Autumn colours were on display once again as 2013 geared up to it's final season that is Winter. I only made one journey out with the camera in search of a nice Autumn shot, and that was a morning visit into the Land Of The Prince Bishops - County Durham. Although Autumn only yielded one set of shots for me, I was more than happy with the results. In fact, one of them is earmarked for a magazine cover next year, so I hope to find a taker for this one, as it's too late to expect anyone to publish an Autumn shot now, especially with the Winter mags hitting the shops in the next couple of weeks. My visit to Durham was one that I had done a little research on in the days leading up to it. I waited for a bright sunny day to capture those colours at their peak, along with a focal point that simply had to be Durham Cathedral. I found myself deep in a wooded area overlooking Durham City Centre, looking for that perfect viewpoint. In the woods I stumbled across a young Australian girl who was sitting admiring the open view in front of her. She said 'Hello' as I was about to walk past, and I stopped briefly to chat about the stunning view (of the landscape, not her). I told her I was hoping to find a nice viewpoint to photograph the Cathedral from, and she told me to keep following the path I was on, until I reached a bench down the hill. She went on to say 'Once you reach the bench you'll see it all in front of you, I'll say no more'. I was well intrigued. I thanked her and swiftly moved on, looking for the bench in question. I found it in sharp time. As for the view, here it is, absolutely spot on...

Here is my quick mock up of a magazine cover. Fingers crossed!
Ash

Urban Graffiti, Sunderland

Hello once again!

Blog entries have been few and far between lately, mainly due to me setting up a Facebook page and dedicating more time to that than this. It's a bit of a juggling act at the moment but normal service will resume fairly soon, so rest assured my blog page will return to its rightful pecking order. To be honest, I'm way behind on all things blog, so I'll have to get my arse in to gear and bring you those Summer shots from around the Med, when I visited places like Majorca, Menorca, Italy, Corsica, and Sardinia, taking in places like Rome, Venice, Naples & Amalfi Coast, Mahon, Palma and Cagliari, amongst others. Then there's the doorstep photographs - Sunderland, Seaham, Durham, etc. There's plenty of photo's queued up and they'll be here shortly. Website overhauls are dominating most of my PC time though - it'll take me many hours to revamp the pages, but I'm whipping through them at a rate of knots, with a third of them completed up to now. Only 30 more pages to go!!!

So, what's been happening lately? I've been making regular visits into Sunderland over the last month or so, as I seem to be neglecting my hometown with the camera. Time to change all that. Twilight visits into the city centre took me along Nile Street, near the East End, where a collection of street art has appeared over a short period of time. Many buildings have been transformed into a colourful montage, as well as stand alone designs like the ones below. Urban Graffiti, or Street Art, may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this lot has captured the imagination of many Sunderland folk, who have given it the 'Thumbs Up' in recent weeks. I think it's the dogs bollocks, to be quite candid. Brilliant works of art, make no mistake. And so off I went, with Chris in tow, to photograph them 'My Way'.
Here they are...

 

As always, click an image to view an enlarged version of it. If you like what you see and would like to view more, click here for the full 'Urban Graffiti' photo session. Until the next time...

Ash

New Facebook Page

Hello again!

Apologies for the lack of Blog updates recently - I've been spending more time building my new Facebook page, but there will be plenty of updates on Blogger very soon. Please feel free to like my page, if you haven't already. There's a few of my latest photographs on Facebook, as well as older contributions, so drop in and see what's going on. Press that button... LIKE, LIKE, LIKE

Ash

Direct link to my Facebook can be found on my homepage...here....www.ashleycorr.com

New Stock On Display

New stock on display @ Clay's Garden Centre, Washington, including 20x16" frames, 11x9" frames, 14x11" mounted prints, 10x8" mounted prints and postcards. Frames are now available to purchase and are on display in the Coffee Shop. Prints can be found on the main shop floor next to the Greetings Cards and books of local interest. Images include Bamburgh Sunrise, Buttermere Dawn, Winter On Penshaw Hill, Newcastle Quayside and more.

Also finished printing and framing for Penshaw Tea Rooms & Nursery. The vast majority of their stock is of Penshaw Monument, for obvious reasons, and it includes a variety of frame sizes, mounted prints, canvas prints and postcards. If you're lucky enough to find a spare table in the Coffee Shop, check out the new menu with my 'Penshaw Poppies' shot on the front cover.
Their new on site Farm Shop will be opening soon, stocking fresh produce on a daily basis, so I imagine the place will be even more popular than it already is.

Here is a photo of the new stock at Penshaw Tea Rooms. More will be delivered shortly, including 36x12" panoramic framed prints & 32x10" canvases. OK, back to printing...

Ash

Lake District Weekender

Hello once again.
My first blog entry of October recalls our August Bank Holiday camping trip to the Lake District, where we had three days of constant sunshine and high temperatures, which is quite a rarity in Lakeland. We pitched our tent at Castlerigg Farm, on the outskirts of Keswick, after taking up the very last plot on the site before the 'Site Full' sign was hoisted. Once our tent was pitched and loaded, we were back in the car and exploring Lakeland once again, travelling to such places as Bowness, Ambleside, Buttermere and Castlerigg Stone Circle. The region was packed with tourists, which was inevitable on a Bank Holiday weekend, and especially with the weather being so kind. here are some of the photo's I took during a brilliant weekend, which certainly won't be forgotten in a hurry.

Speak soon, Ash

Buttermere Dawn, winner of 'BBC Look North' August weather photograph 

Sunset, from our base at Castlerigg Farm Camp Site

Rowing boats, early morning at Derwentwater

Keswick Launch, Derwentwater

Derwentwater, shortly after Sunset

The top of Honister Pass, near the Slate Mine (Via Ferrata)

The Peaks at Dusk, from Ambleside

Surprise View over Derwentwater, near Ashness Bridge

Buttermere at Dawn - The sheep arrive and take an early morning drink 

Buttermere Dawn, as the mist rises

 

Another Bamburgh Sunrise

It's been almost two years since my first and last visit to Bamburgh, Northumberland, and once again I arrived at the crack of dawn to photograph the sunrise. On that occasion, back in 2011, it was a very cold October morning, and I was fortunate that my 140 mile round trip was rewarded with a nice sunrise. So, after a fairly long absence it was time to make a repeat journey North on the A1(M), but would I be as lucky on my second jaunt? Well, if the truth be told, it was far from a cracker, but I made the most of what was served up. I arrived at the small village of Bamburgh at around 5.15am, after leaving Houghton around 4ish, so I had about 40 minutes play time before the show started. This gave me ample time to assess the location once again, and on this occasion the glow on the horizon suggested the sun was about to rise further north, up the coast, unlike my previous visit when the sun rose directly behind Bamburgh Castle. As most determined photographers are aware, the sun rises and sets at different points on the horizon during the change in seasons, so it was a simple case of adapting by choosing a location to shoot from to get the shots I wanted. I made the decision not to shoot on the sands, as on my previous visit, but to take up position on the rocks at the Embleton end of Bamburgh Beach. I was in company once again, as a small pack of photographers arrived at the roadside as I began to set my gear up. Soon they dispersed and took up positions of their own, with two or three setting up their stall on the same rocks as myself. It was friendly enough, as is always the case when a pack of snappers are chasing the light, with the occasional bit of banter being exchanged as we waited for the sun to make an appearance. And as sunrise was almost upon us, more last minute photographers arrived, scurrying about in a frenzied rush, not wanting to miss a slice of the action. By this time I'd reeled in my first batch of shots and the sun was still to come, so I was up and running and feeling quite pleased with my effort so far.

When the sun finally appeared the shutters were tripping all around me, which was expected. We were all in full flow by this time and making the very most of the conditions in front of us. It was a good 'un, once again. As the sun lifted further, and the light increased dramatically, one by one the like-minded folk on the rocks packed up and headed back to their cars. I decided a walk along the beach was a good idea, so off I went, lugging my rather heavy backpack as I trudged slowly over wet sand. Their were some good lead-in lines along the sand, with nice texture, so I made a couple of brief stops to capture the scene, as you can see below, including the Castle reflection.
In the distance, along the sands, dog walkers and others were taking advantage of the situation. There was a clear blue sky above, with little or no breeze and a calm outgoing tide to boot, which was ideal. I photographed a family, walking in the distance, with a nice sandy lead-in, which you can also see below. Well, it looks like I struck lucky once again. Two out of two at Bamburgh, and I was well chuffed with the pictures I had made.

And as I depart once again, I'll stop the prattle, always preferring to let my pictures 'Do the talking',
so here they are. I hope you like them.
Until my next excursion...
Ash

(Click an image to reveal enlarged version)