Roseberry Topping (Via Newton Woods)

There hasn't been any photography activity this weekend so it would seem a good a time as any to catch up with another blog entry. I've got stacks of photo's on the back burner, from recent outings with the camera, so it's a case of getting them all uploaded to my blog page as soon as I can. Another set ticked off the list today, in the form of Bluebells, and lots of them! Two trips to Roseberry Topping in mid-May yielded some nice shots of the blue carpet, right across the meadow and pasture, towards the hill in the background. My first visit was an early evening affair and upon arrival I had been beaten to the box seat by another six photographers. This came as a surprise, although I never expected to have the plot to myself, I had an inkling one or others may well be in my company at some point. These fella's were by no means novices, judging by the banter and not least, their kit. It was full frame all the way along the back fence of the meadow. A gang of camera robbers would have made an absolute killing. The sun eventually broke through the clouds, just I was set up, so the first few frames were captured in the evening sun. Nice colour bathed the meadow and in turn brought the colourful hue from the bluebells right into our faces. After a minute of sun it was gone again, seeking refuge behind the cloud cover to our left. At this point the posse was joined by Andy Redhead, another photographer from Bishop Auckland, who I first met on a dawn visit to Buttermere, which to date remains one of my most memorable photography outings.

We waited for the sun to show again as it dropped towards the horizon, ready to set. We were out of luck. One by one we packed up and headed out, back through Newton Woods and on to the steep descent to ground level and eventually the car park. At least I had bagged a few nice ones, albeit during one minute of a 90 minute stay in the meadow. Oh well, owt is better than nowt, as they say. I got back home around 10.45pm, rather knackered after a days work before the 80 mile round trip for some photography. I intended to get another trip under my belt before the Bluebells died off, so it was a simple case of watching the weather for favourable conditions. And it wasn't soon before I made the second trip South, accompanied by Billy Short, friend and rookie photographer. The last two shots in this blog entry were taken during visit two, one of them ending up as a mock magazine cover (below). It was composed with magazine in mind - I think it works quite well. I gave Billy an insight into graduated filters, giving him a free run of my Lee grads, and  he commented later that they made all the difference to his shots, which was nice to know. The sun spread so evenly over the landscape that the filters weren't required for the best part, but as the sun dropped behind cloud cover they came into play, balancing the exposure as required, using 1,2 and 3 stop grads.

It only took two visits to bag these nice shots. On my first trip one the other photographers said he'd visited over the last 7 days in the hope of catching the light, which he never did until that very night we all stood alongside eachother. The things you do to grab the shot you want, eh. Oh well, been there and got many t-shirts!
Until the next time...
AC

As always, click an image to reveal enlarged version...

St. Mary's Lighthouse, Whitley Bay

It's time to unveil my latest sunrise photographs, taken at St. Mary's Lighthouse, near Whitley Bay. I know I've mentioned this once or twice previously, and I'll make this one the last - it was at this location that my Canon 5D2 bit the dust on the rocks after a gust of wind. The tripod blew over as my back was turned and the rocks did the rest. I was out of action for 5 weeks, during which time my camera was away for repair and it never returned, deemed 'Beyond economical repair'. My insurance company replaced the camera with a brand new 5D3, much to my disappointment... NOT!  I was chuffed to bits. Everyone loves a happy ending. And so the new chapter begins. The 5D2 was my dream camera, so when I finally got my hands on one I was a very happy bunny. 5D3 was always a pipe dream, until now. Getting my hands on this spec was more than I ever imagined and it's fair to say I have now reached the top of the tree, camera wise. It's now up to me to get the very best from it's capabilities. It's gonna be a challenge and I don't feel as if I'm punching above my weight, not at all. Let's just see what's round the corner...

As I get to grips with all my new camera has to offer, it seemed a good idea to return to the fateful location that is St. Mary's Lighthouse. A kind of unfinished business, shall we say. A summer sunrise and a 3.30am alarm call. Now that was a first. I had only had two hours sleep after a late Saturday night, so I was rather knackered as I drove out of Houghton toward the A19 and Tyne Tunnel. Arriving at St. Mary's at 4.40am in time for a 5.00am sunrise, there was already colour showing in the sky and I was hopeful of even more as shooting time approached. There was one other guy on site, already set up and pulling in shots. He warned me that the tide was rapidly incoming, so I kept out of wet reach and opted for safe haven on the causeway steps as the sun was about to rise. I dotted about, not wanting to bag a whole set of shots from one viewpoint. And here is a small selection of them. A stunning light show and what a way to return to a location which holds bad memories of my last visit, now banished and well forgotten, judging by the shots shown here.

Cheers, Ash

Saltwick Bay, North Yorkshire Coast

Following on from my recent Whitby blog entry, here is the latest instalment featuring Saltwick Bay. The Bay is a north east-facing bay situated 1 mile south of Whitby. Above the bay is Whitby Holiday Park, where we stayed over the course of a weekend in May, with the Cleveland Way cliff top path running through it. Access to the beach is via a footpath just beyond the park's gate. The path has suffered from some erosion and in places can be quite steep and also very slippery when wet. The path leads down to the sandy beach which gives way to rock and slate scar at either end. To the left is Saltwick Nab and to the right is Black Nab. If fishing from either end, be aware of the tide, as it travels quickly across the scar. The beach and rocks reveal much of Saltwick's alum mining past, and it is also a great venue for finding fossils. Saltwick Bay has many photographic opportunities due to its North-East facing coastline. This means that at the height of summer the sun sets over the sea when looking North-West as well as rising over the sea when looking North-East. In this respect, this small part of the Yorkshire coastline is unique in the whole of Northern England. The Bay also has a sandy beach either side of which is a flat, shale shelf (the Southern and Northern Shelves). These shale shelves are littered with texture-filled (and possibly fossil-filled) shale rocks. On the southern shelf is the local icon “Black Nab” and the remains of the wreck of the 'Admiral Von Tromp'. On the Northern Shelf is the other local Icon 'Saltwick Nab', which from a distance makes the outline of a whale.

I was out of bed bright and early to catch a sunrise on our second full day at the Holiday Park. It was a bit of a wash out to be honest, with very little colour on offer as the sun rose and quickly disappeared behind the low bank of cloud cover on the horizon. The tide was advancing at a fast rate so I kept this in mind as I photographed from a position at the cliff foot (see top photo). Because of the lack of sunrise I was back up the steep cliff path and back to the caravan within an hour of leaving it behind. Infact, no sooner was I back in the caravan and my head was down once again. Can't beat an already warm comfy bed. The Mrs was none the wiser! On the way back to the caravan I was already planning a return visit to the bay later that day, when the tide had retreated. The mission was to find the wreck of The Admiral which I had read about on the internet earlier in the week. I knew it was located somewhere in a hole on the Southern Shelf, so plans were made and later put into action. On our return the tide was way back, leaving the path clear to explore the bay in greater detail. Firstly I took a few black and white shots, one of which you can see in this paragraph. 

A ten minute walk along the Southern Shelf was all it took to get our first glimpse of the ship wreck. The mangled metal, twisted and eroded stuck out like a sore thumb and it was no time at all before we were on site of the mysterious remains.  The Admiral Von Tromp was a fishing vessel from Scarborough which came aground during a storm in 1976 with the loss of 2 lives. Not much of it remained, although the curved bow was instantly recognisable as it sat slumped to one side in the hole. Remnants of the engine sat nearby, covered in limpets, offering a reminder of its sorry state. Black Nab sits in the background of my third shot (shown here). At high tide the nab resembles that of a submarine floating near the sea surface. I walked out to the Nab to take my final shot (below). The colourful flat rock formation is quite an eye catcher as you walk along the ridge to the Nab, which rises approximately 18 feet to its tip.

The kids were more than happy to scan the rock pools as I photographed nearby. After landing a few crab they had to be persuaded to leave the beach! Even the lure of Fish n' Chips wasn't enough to get them walking instantly - they would've stayed there all day if I had let them. It was a nice way to kill a couple of hours, that's for sure. I'd like to return to Saltwick Bay for another crack at sunrise photography. I imagine this place would look the part with a good sunrise, especially at low tide when I can get the shipwreck in the foreground. But that's one for another day. Until then I'll keep this place on my list of places to revisit. It's certainly worth that...

Until next time, Ash

Whitby, North Yorkshire

Hello again!
Whitby is one of those places you never get sick of visiting. This North-Yorkshire fishing town is approximately 65 miles driving distance from our home, which isn't too bad for a day out when you don't wanna be in the car too long. We were booked into a caravan park not far down the coast from Whitby, on the cliff tops at Saltwick Bay. The weather was fine with lots of sun to be had - just what you want on a May Bank Holiday weekend. The backpack was stuffed and I was more than ready to put in some photography, which was what I did around the family thing. The new camera was getting another run out and I hoped to pull in some good shots on land and coast, with one or two dawn shots on the wish list. The photo's here are a bit of a mixed bag. Everything from low-light evening shots to first light long exposures, with a bit of picturesque in between. Without further ado...

My first shot (above) was taken on one of the piers in Whitby Harbour, around 7am. I had the place to myself, give or take the odd dog walker or two. This is a 40 second long exposure using a Lee Big Stopper to smooth out the wet stuff and a 0.9 Graduated ND filter to hold back the detail in the sky. Some nice lead in lines from the wooden boards guides the eye into the frame from foreground to background and nice cool tone of blue finishes the shot off quite nicely. I took another shot, closer to the lifebuoy on the right, then converted it to mono, but left the lifebuoy as red with a little colour splash technique. My first attempt at this and I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not, but it upped the keeper rate so it avoided the recycle bin. My second shot was taken on the West side of Whitby Harbour, on the promenade opposite the Magpie Restaurant. Looking across the water towards Sandgate, this shot shows the houses and rooftops which nestle in front of the cliffs. The tour operating Pirate Boat returns to berth against the harbour walls below where I was shooting from.

No visit to Whitby would be complete without visiting the Abbey. My visit was a little different from the norm though. I took one or two shots from outside the walls of the Abbey but distance didn't really do them justice. Of course the Abbey was closed to the public as it was around 10pm by this time. I thought 'Frig this' and hopped over the wall as a naughty boy would do and then made my way over to the Abbey in almost pitch darkness. I grabbed a few shots and got my arse back over the wall. Job done. Who dares wins. A bit of fearless photography never hurt anyone, he he. This shot shows yours truly on his covert operation, hiding in the shadows and capturing the Abbey on memory card, before the Gissy's showed up and hoyd me in the back of the meat van. Of course, that never happened as I was in and out like a flash (no pun intended).

And finally, another dusk shot of the boats moored in Whitby Marina. The last shot of the night and not a bad way to finish before heading back to the caravan to put my feet up. Grabbed some Fish n' Chips en route and it wasn't long before my arse was sat down and me belly was full. Watched the end of 'War Of The Worlds' with the little fella's, then had a flick through todays shots on the camera. A few hours kip then it's another early start at Saltwick Bay, a place I haven't previously visited, and only five minutes walk down the bank from our caravan. Very nice. Back soon with photo's from The Bay. Catch ya later...

Ash

Pea Soup

The term 'As thick as Pea Soup' is often connected with fog. Last week I photographed one or two locations in thick fog with very low visibility, which was down to 50 metres at best. I've never been one for taking my camera into the fog to be honest, as those type of mysterious shots never really appealed, until recently. I don't need an excuse to get out with my new 5D3 these days, as the sheer experience of handling it is enough to get the creative cogs spinning in my head. It really is a remarkable piece of kit and I've only just scratched the surface regarding its capability, which again is quite exciting to know that there's a lot more to this camera than firsts meets the eye. When I test out the camera in various conditions and situations I'll be posting a full teardown review of it here on my blog page. Even then, it's one thing to mention the tools within its box, but another to actually try these tools out, so hands on is something I'm looking to and I've got every intention of getting into the nuts and bolts of my new toy. First impressions are as impressive as I expected and I hope the further in depth I go, the results are equally as good. But back to that uninviting bowl of Pea Soup...

As I say, I'm not one to photograph foggy scenes, but that will surely change as and when, after pulling in a few decent shots last week. I visited four locations in one afternoon, which were Copt Hill Barrow (Houghton le Spring), Seaham Harbour, Littlehaven (South Shields) and Newcastle Quayside. The middle two locations threw up next to nothing in the way of photo opportunities, mainly due to very poor visibility, but Copt Hill and Quayside offered me at least a crack at it. Here are a few photographs from my outing...

1. Tyneside Commute - It's fog on the Tyne, during an early evening rush hour on the Millennium Bridge.

2. Copt Hill Barrow, Houghton le Spring (Seven Sisters)

3. Copt Hill Barrow, Houghton le Spring (Seven Sisters), re-processed

That's all for now. I'll be back shortly. Feel free to check out my new 'Hadrian's Wall' gallery at
ashleycorr.com    Cheers!    Ash

Super Size Canvas

Earlier this week I printed my first Super Size Canvas prints, at 45x30 inches, stretched and wrapped round a 32mm gallery style frame. I've got to be honest, the print quality was outstanding, with pin sharp detail and true colour reproduction throughout. Both canvas prints were made to order and are now on display at a firm of accountants in South Shields. The buyer was so happy with the quality of the work she gave a very strong indication that more orders would follow, as they wanted canvas prints to display in their other branches at Sunderland, Newcastle and Hexham. As I have an extensive image library containing images of local interest, I'm fairly optimistic they can find something they like on my website, which can in turn be reproduced as canvas prints. Following the success of these 'Larger' canvas prints, I will be adding this option (45x30 inches) to my new store layout which will reopen in the next few weeks at ashleycorr.com. All canvas orders will receive a first class courier delivery service (DPD) which has a turnaround of 72 hours in most cases. Canvases will be bubble wrapped then secured with layers of corrugated cardboard to prevent the product being damaged in transit. So, keep an eye out for my new online shop which will be open just as soon as I get my arse into gear and finish the pages. Almost there.


Lastly, here are the two canvas prints I mentioned earlier. I quickly managed to grab a photo of each before heading over South Shields to deliver them promptly at the pre-arranged time. The canvases are...

1. Marsden Sunrise
2. Littlehaven Dawn

Back soon, Ash

Hadrian's Wall - A First

Welcome back to my Blog page!
On Easter Weekend I made my first ever visit to Hadrian's Wall, accompanied by friend and rookie photographer, Billy Short. It's hard to believe I hadn't walked the wall at some point, with or without a camera, so my maiden visit was well and truly overdue. Billy knew the place quite well, keeping me informed of what lay along the Hadrian's Wall Path, which stretches approximately 80 miles from Wallsend to the Solway Firth. Construction of this defensive fortification in Roman Britain begun in AD 122, during the rule of Emperor Hadrian. Steeped in history, Hadrian's Wall was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Although Hadrian's biographer wrote "Hadrian was the first to build a wall 80 miles long to separate the Romans from the barbarians", reasons for the construction of the wall vary, and no recording of any exact explanation survives. However, a number of theories have been presented by historians, primarily centring around an expression of Roman power and Hadrian's policy of defence before expansion.

It was now my turn to tread where Romans once did, so off we went, into the sticks for some photography and a taste of historical interest. We headed towards Once Brewed, just off the main gateway to the wall, the A69. It was an hours drive from Houghton le Spring, which wasn't bad at all, especially when the roads were quite busy on Easter Weekend. To give you an idea of exactly where we were heading in relation to the length of Hadrian's Wall, Once Brewed lies approximately 45 miles from Wallsend, the obvious 'End' of the 'Wall', so near the half way marker. From the car park we headed across the pasture and beyond the surrounding trees, where we caught our first view of the wall. The sun was very low and it threw a warm glow onto the crag that led the eye along the stretch of wall towards Steel Rigg. It was a sight and a half. We walked own the dip and onto the path itself, before a very steep climb up the crag via a staircase of ancient stones, strategically placed to help old timers like myself, he he. There was barely a breeze. The sun dropped behind the hill to our left as we made our way along towards Sycamore Gap, a location that appeared in the film 'Robin Hood, Prince Of Thieves'. The temperature took a noticeable dip, and this would only worsen as the evening progressed, but we were prepared for the task ahead. That task - to photograph the night sky with a series of long exposures, in the hope of crafting an eye opening star trail image. We went equipped with a powerful torch, thinking out loud with light painting in mind. This is an area that's relatively new to me, as I've only tried this once in before at Penshaw Monument. Billy hadn't done any at all, so we were looking forward to giving it a decent shot, despite our inexperience.

Thirty minutes into the walk and we reached our stop. Sycamore Gap looked the part alright, as seen on many photographs by many different photographers. Now it was our turn. We set up our camera's and done the prep work, dialling in the ideal settings for star trails, then waited for the light to drop, which it inevitably did, and by 9pm it was All Systems Gogo. You could almost hear a pin drop. This was solitude at its very best, and this photogenic location topped it off perfectly. We were underway with the long exposures, rattling them off continuously for what was expected to last around 90 minutes, weather permitting. The camera's were doing all the graft by this time and all we had to do was brave the cold as we headed towards the last couple hours of the day. Thousands of stars shone above in the dark night sky, with the moon an absentee as the exposures rolled in. Ideal - no light pollution whatsoever, until cloud cover threatened to spoil the party as it headed our way around 10pm. Suddenly the stars had disappeared, or at least most of them, making our task that much harder, but we soldiered on (no pun intended). By 10.15pm our camera's had recorded around 140 exposures, so the decision was made to call it a day, or in this case, a night. The clouds had gate crashed the show. We packed up and made our way back across the pasture towards the car park in the distance. It was pitch black and boggy underfoot, but the powerful torch saved the day and we able to navigate ourselves away from any hazards.

It was nigh on 11pm when we reached the car park and we didn't pass a single person en route, which wasn't a big surprise - only those who are 'Wired up wrong' do this type of thing, he he. And now for a brief insight into my photographs, shown here, from top to bottom... 

1. A viewpoint along Hadrian's Wall, towards Steel Rigg, as the sun was about to set behind us.

2. Sycamore Gap at dusk. That's me walking up the bank, remotely firing the camera shutter. For a brief time there was a stand off between myself and a rather aggressive Ram. Didn't know they existed, until now!

3. Star Trails. This was what we turned out for and this is what we got. Couldn't have been more satisfied with the results. My second attempt at this type of night time photography. 138 exposures and almost 70 minutes of work, but well worth braving the cold for...

4. Static Stars. Before leaving Sycamore Gap we used a torch to add an extra element to our final shots. A nice warm glow in the night sky made for a lovely shot...Beam me up!

5. Finally, another static stars effort, with a backlit tree as the focal point. Billy knows the score with torches and light painting, although he assured me this was his first attempt!

And that's it for now. A memorable visit to a place that is now on the tick list for more photography. Plenty more points of interest along Hadrian's Wall, just waiting to be picked off - It's a simple case of getting out there to explore what is on offer. With the Summer almost upon us, what better opportunity to get across there and get amongst it. My Canon 5D3 bagged some excellent shots on its very first 'Night Shoot' so I'm quite excited at the prospect of more low-light shots in the very near future. Once I put the camera through its paces (Correction - when the camera puts ME through its paces), I'll bring you another blog entry with a full teardown review. Just need to get out to test it with my other lenses this weekend. Gonna do some nature photography with my big reach 100-400mm lens. I'm thinking Washington Wetlands Centre, so keep an eye out at www.ashleycorr.com for more updates. Until then, thanks for dropping by...

Ash