Wildlife Photography

Following my recent blog entry 'The Nesting Season', I'm back with an update in the shape of more wildlife photography.

Recent wanderings in my locality brought me a few photo opportunities in the company of Mute Swans. I'd left the compulsory loaf of bread at home by mistake so I wasn't too hopeful of any close-up shots, especially as I didn't have my 'Lure'. Never mind, you've gotta be optimistic.

I'd stumbled across 4 Mute Swan nests when I was out with my son Christopher, and as usual, the hen was sitting. Naturally the birds become quite aggressive if you push your luck and get too close to the nest site. Over the years I've had quite a lot of experience photographing Mute Swans at the nest site so I know my limits - wouldn't fancy being pecked in the face off one o' them buggers!

It's been around three weeks now since the nest discoveries so it shouldn't be too long now before each clutch of eggs hatch. That's when the fun will begin. Obviously, as experience tells me, the best shots of cygnets are most definately during those first few days, when they look very photogenic at such a small size. I have a few photo's of day old chicks on my website but I'm hoping to get plenty more in the next week or so. Hopefully all eggs will hatch successfully and the nest robbers will be kept at bay, well, for at least another year!

As hatching draws nearer here are a few more shots that I took last weekend. They were all taken at ONE of the nest sites but I hope to visit the other three this coming weekend, so there might be more news in the pipeline by Sunday night. Looks like I'll be parting with some pennies to buy a loaf of the owld Warburton's Toastie, eh. A small price to pay if I'm gonna get some good close-up's. Anyway, hope you like the latest shots. I'm liking the reflection one quite a lot. See ya later...

Ash

Too Much Telly?

Aye, Mr Corr has been monpolizing the Tyne Tees TV weather slot lately. Well, that's according to someone who sent me the two images shown here (you know who you are!) he he.

I've been forwarding my recent photo's to Pip Thomson via email and she's included twelve of my shots up to now in 2010. The other weather girl, Alex Watson, stand's in for Pip now and again, especially on weekends.

I have changed the text in the second image. Aye, it was a bit naughty.

Click on an image to enlarge. I wonder if I get any more sent through???

Ash

The Nesting Season

It's been a while since I took any nature photo's, mainly due to the long cold winter we had recently. It was nice to get back into it this week at a local location which I will simply call 'The Pond' - for reasons I will touch on later in this post.

My son Christopher, aged 9, loves a bit of nature. Ya know, frogs, spiders, fish and the like. He was dying to get round the pond with his net and jar to catch a few tadpoles, so off we went on this calm summer's night. It was nice and peaceful and we only passed a handful of people on our journey which lasted a couple of hours.
It didn't take the little fella long to get into his stride as he brought up atleast 30 tadpoles with hid first scoop of the net, which brought a big smile from him shortly afterwards. As he sat at the waters edge I nipped into nearby reeds to photograph a coot's nest which contains both eggs and chicks. The chicks could have only been a day old and were ready to take their maiden voyage on the pond as I snapped away. I grabbed half a dozen quick shots before leaving the nest site and returning to the little fella and his jar of taddies.

We then walked around the whole site, passing many nests in the reeds as we went. It's a great place to visit and photograph but you always encounter the odd 'Bad Egg' or two on your travels.
By this I mean the regular knbob-head who has nothing better to do with his time other than rob nests and even shoot the nesting birds as they sit. It's a problem that seems to have tailed off over the years but not entirely, as a male swan was shot in the neck a couple of weeks ago and the hen then deserted the nest in search of it's mate. Quite sickening really. Only last year a Peregrine Falcon laid a clutch of eggs at Houghton Quarry but was later found dead after being poisoned by the preverbial knob-head. God knows how many years it's been since a Peregrine nested in Houghton! So, without really knowing which locals could be reading this blog entry I will avoid naming the location where I took these photographs for the safety of the birds and their eggs, especially when I came across a Mute Swan with a massive clutch of 10 eggs! More on that one later...

That's all for now,

Ash & Christopher

My Website - www.ashleycorr.com

Hello again!

I'd just like to take a bit of time out from my recent photography outings to say a few words about my website - Ashley Corr Photography. In early April 2010 my site cleared 30,000 hits, which is quite a landmark even though the site went 'Live' back in November 2003.

I've been monitoring the hit counter at regular intervals recently and the last three weeks alone have turned in almost 700 hits. Behind the scenes I've been advertising my website and its domain name (ashleycorr.com) is featured on everything I sell, including framed prints, mounted prints, postcards and calendars.

I endeavour to update my site as regular as possible, whether it's new images, new pages, page ammendments, or even a link to my latest blog entry. One thing that has taken a back seat is my online store which has been under reconstruction for longer than I had first anticipated, but should be up and running within the next couple of weeks. This has been a time consuming excercise and I do it all myself, which often limits the time I spend outdoors doing the best bit - taking photographs. It's been a bit of a juggling act but hopefully everything will pan out soon and normal business shall be resumed. If it's not then you're more than welcome to call round to my house and hoy a brick through the winda! Erm, only jokin' folks - forget I said that bit, he he.

So, to everyone who has emailed me regarding online purchases, thanks for your co-operation and hopefully everyone got what they wanted while my Store section was 'Down'. I always try to help customers where I can and alternative transaction methods can be done until the store is up and running again.

To those customers who have enquired about canvas prints through my site - until now I have not been in a position to offer my work in this format but that may well be about to change as I'm currently looking into the possibility of 'In-house' canvas printing. Stay tuned here and on my website for further information...

Finally, thanks to everyone has purchased my photographs, not just through my site but also the outlets in Sunderland that currently stock my work. Also, thanks to all those who took the time to post in my Guest Book. Your feedback is always welcome!

Catch ya later, Ash

Spectacular Sunsets

Unless you've been on another planet during the last ten days or so you'll have
probably heard about the volcanic eruptions in Iceland, which has sent huge clouds of ash our way. According to news reports the micro fine particles of dust from the ash cloud are reflecting in an abnormal manner in the sky. So when the sun goes down the reflection of these particles makes the sunset more spectacular.

Well I haven't seen much of these 'Spectacular Sunsets' on my travels during the last few days. Well, there's been the odd nice sunset up here but nothing special. Maybe I missed all the action when I was sitting in the house gorging on Indian takeaways!

Last Friday night I headed off to the Angel Of The North in the hope of seeing one of these fine sunsets. I thought a silhouette of the Angel against a sunset backdrop would work well, so off I went. When I got to the location the car park was stuffed! It was obvious there were a lot of other folk up here for a nice sunset, but although there was quite a bit of cloud kicking about I wasn't expecting much in the way of a great sunset. I eventually got parked along the far end of the car park and made my way towards the Angel. When I got there, as I expected, there were lots of of photographers kitted up and ready to go. It was a case of jostling for position without p*ssing anyone off. Aye, it's a bummer when you set up stall and some tit walks right in front of you and sets his own gear up. You're then thinking to yourself 'Ere mate, can ya shift out me way afore ah wrap that tripod aroond ya skinny neck' !!!

As the sun went down there was a young couple sitting on a nearby bank, taking in the view. I took a photograph of them and waited for the colours in the sky to show, which they usually do shortly after sunset. After about 15 minutes a few photographers packed up and disappeared. I waited a while longer in case the colours got better. A couple of times in the past I've left a scene too early and the sky suddenly burst into colour, so I wasn't gonna make the same mistake this time.

Well, that was about it. Nothing spectacular tonight and although it was a decent sunset it wasn't what I and quite a few others had hoped for. I hung around and took a few more
photo's before walking back to the car. Never mind. Maybe next time...

Ash

Staithes, North Yorkshire

The remote village of Staithes is located on the North Yorkshire coast, between Middlesboro and Whitby. This is a perfect example of a village that has expanded over time - the original 'old' village is located at the bottom of a very steep hill. At the top of this hill is the 'new' village where there are houses that are mainly occupied now by local residents.

I usually visit Staithes in Spring as it has an excellent viewpoint that overlooks the village and its harbour, as well as Cow Bar Nab, the nearby cliffs. The viewpoint, which is accessible from the approach road to Cow Bar, is always decorated with daffodils and this adds to the picturesque scene that I have captured above.

The village really is a walkers paradise. There are 2 art galleries displaying paintings of Staithes and other nice villages of the area, while there are the usual village amenities of a Butcher, Post Office and Village Shop. The Bottom of the village has numerous holiday homes for people to stay in and is resident to two pubs, one of these is the 'Cod And Lobster' that famously gets flooded each year by the sea as it is on the sea front, the other is The Royal George. There are also a couple of eateries; the best of these is the Endeavour fish restaurant which is opposite 'The George.'

Staithes is a nice little stop-off. My wife and I were on a little tour of the North Yorkshire coast today as the weather was very nice, although a tad chilly at the same time. Time to move on - next stop Whitby.

Cheers, Ash

The Daffodil Story

As readers of my blog will probably know by now, I occasionally e-mail a selection of my photographs to Tyne Tees Television, as they encourage viewers to contribute towards their weather bulletins with suitable photo's. I've been lucky enough to have had quite a few of mine shown on their evening bulletins, with 'Staithes Daffodils' being my sixth in total so far. The whole episode recently took on a bit of a twist recently and it's now time to enlighten YOU, the readers of my blog...

As Spring arrived, Philippa Thomson, Weather Presenter on Tyne Tees Television, appealed to the viewers for daffodil photographs. Well, the daffs weren't out in Houghton yet so I had nothing to send. I decided to submit one that I took LAST YEAR, just to get the ball rolling with the daffs on the weather slot. I had a feeling that Pip (Philippa) would have guessed my photo wasn't taken taken this year as the daffs weren't out yet due to the bad winter we'd had, which knocked back the arrival of the flowers for a few weeks. Did she guess? Well, play the clip below and find out...

Yes, the game was up, my little joke was out in the open, he he. Anyway, as the daffodils started to appear, people were sending in their photographs and Pip then had a playful dig in my ribs. Oh yes...play the next clip and all will be revealed...

Aye, I nearly choked on me Nescafe when I was watching the programme 'Live'. But hey, the story doesn't end there. I decided to prolong the fun a little while longer as I had a daft idea which I couldn't resist putting into practise. Obviously by now there was a doubt about when my daffodil photo was taken - was it 2010 or 2009? Of course it was 2009, he he he. So I decided to photograph a vase full of daffs that we had on our dining room table and then send the photo to Pip, with todays date on the actual photo as proof it wasn't taken LAST YEAR, he he. This was what happened next...

The very next night my original daffodil photo was shown again but there was nowt said this time...

I couldn't help but laugh. LOL ! And th, th, th, the...that's all folks! Ash

Lake District Revisited

Easter 2010. A long weekend in the English Lake District. Weather forecast says 'Unsettled'. Nothing new there then. Our family 'Weekender' was booked weeks ago and we were really looking forward to this one. Despite the cold, and the unsettled weather forecast for the whole weekend, we were determined to make the most of our break. We had a great time, staying on a lovely site just outside of Keswick. We were staying in a nice caravan right on the river and the place was very quiet. For the most part the weather was very much as predicted, although each late afternoon saw the sun breaking through the clouds and the whole place was transformed. The Lake District is a place of outstanding natural beauty and if you're gonna see it at its best then the weather has got to be kind. Over the Easter weekend we visited Bowness On Windermere, Keswick, Hawkshead, Coniston, Ambleside and Elterwater. With the weather acting itself I didn't bother with the camera, apart from dozens of family shots - opting to wait for the cloud cover to disperse and the sun to finally show up. It didn't disappoint! The first three photo's (shown here) were taken at Keswick Launch, a popular place where visitors can take their own boat trip across the waters of Lake Derwentwater.

The mountains in the distance had a covering of snow that added that extra something to my photographs. Giving an almost Icing Sugar effect it certainly made for a picturesque scene and after visiting Hawkshead during the day I eyed-up an excellent viewpoint at the top of the hill next to St Michael and All Angels Church. The scene had a bit of everything - all that was missing was the sun. The sky was overcast and on a better day I would had an opportunity to bag a great postcard shot. After returning to the camp site the weather took on a dramatic change - typical really. The clouds had parted and the sun was shining brightly. After half an hour there was a big break in the clouds and lots of blue sky was present. That was when my mind started working overtime and I was having flashbacks of the church at Hawkshead and the mountain backdrop. That was it, time to revisit. The fifty mile round trip was a bit of a gamble as the sun might well have buggered off by the time I hit Hawkshead. But luck was very definately on my side and the gamble paid off. On arrival I headed up the hill towards the church and round the back where I'd walked the earlier path. What a view! In my own humble opinion this is without doubt one of the best landscape shots I've ever taken...

Thanks again for reading. Ash

Out And About In Sunderland

The Easter weekend is upon us.
Last Thursday afternoon I had the luxury of an early finish at Nissan so I decided to take advantage of the nice weather as I had a couple of hours to kill. Lovely blue sky with broken clouds everywhere - just right for those nice postcard shots I like to grab now and again.
I started off in Sunderland town centre, on the top level of St Mary's multi-storey car park, overlooking Wearmouth Bridge and the River Wear. The wind was up and the corrugated roofing was rattling like neebody's business. I was sure it was about to fly off any minute, ending up god knows where. As long as it didn't tw*t me then I wasn't really bothered ...(that's twit, by the way). I got the shots I wanted before heading off to the ticket machine to pay the £1.10 charge. Quite steep for only five minutes stay!

I was quickly off on my travels over the Queen Alexander Bridge and a swift shuffle through the one-way system brought me out along Keir Hardie Way, near Southwick. I parked on a double yellow and nipped over the fence to grab a couple of quick shots of the Stadium Of Light and the banks of the wear. No time to hang about though. I was in and out like a ferret down a rabbit hole!

From there I drove along Wessington Way towards Hylton Castle. On arrival I dropped anchor in the adjacent car park and grabbed my gear from the car boot. Once inside the castle grounds I heard a few shouts and noticed a gang of local chav's playing footy on the grass - right in front of the bloody castle! I considered adopting my 'Park Keeper' routine and telling them to 'Get the f*ck of MY grass', but decided against it when I realised that five against one would probably see me coming off worse in the event of a stand off. I decided to suck the preverbial lemon and simply grab what photo's I could. Here's an angled effort, with the local riff-raff cut out of the shot...

Well, it was half an hour to go before my Indian scran was ready to collect so I headed up the A19 and then along towards Tandoori Garden in Shiney Row. Hang on a minute - I'm fifteen minutes early so I'll pop into Herrington Country Park for a last bash with the camera. A pair of Mute Swans were swanning about gracefully on a small pond, as they do, so I took up position with Penshaw Monument as a nice backdrop. Bob's yer uncle. Fifteen minuted was over in a flash. Time to nash. Fifteen minutes later I was back to base and gorging me'sel on the finest chicken Vindaloo money can buy. Aye, ad already done me prep work and the bog roll had been chilling in the fridge for a good twelve hours! With me belly filled it was time to check my latest photographs. Hey, quite pleased with the results, considering it a was an all round rush job.

Thanks for reading my latest exploits folks.
Til the next time, ta ta!
Ash

More River Banks

Last weekend I found myself on Newcastle Quayside and the banks of the River Tyne. Today I was on the banks of the River Wear in the East End of Sunderland, bathed in sunshine, although quite windy at the same time. It was last Spring that I got a great shot along this stretch, one which has sold well in Sunderland Tourist Information Centre and which also appeared in St Benedict's Hospice Calendar 2010. The photo in question was taken on a very similar day to today and the broken clouds were back so maybe I could repeat the performance.

Not wishing to duplicate that shot, I took up position near the Fish Quay, on the south side, opposite the St Peter's Church. The tide was high and there were plenty fishing boats to give the shot plenty of foreground interest. The four-frame panoramic shot (below) includes Sunderland University Campus, Wearmouth Harbour, Hendon Docks and Wylam Wharf.

Hope you like them. See ya later!

Ash

Newcastle Quayside

It's been at least a year since my last visit to Newcastle Quayside. This place is one of my favourite haunts for low-light photography - there's so much to capture. Inevitably I was drawn to one of the focal points of the location, the Millennium Bridge, or Blinking Eye as it also known.

This time around things were very different. I had a Canon 7D to play with, not the Nikon D80 which had served me so well for so long. With a battery grip attached I knew I needed to upgrade my existing tripod to something more sturdy and durable. I bought another Manfrotto carbon fibre affair with a separate 222 joystick ball head grip. The new legs are the 055 XDB model and they are much lighter to lug around than they actually look.

I spent half an hour testing the Canon 7D, whilst getting to grips with the new pod at the same time. I'm very impressed with them both and can't wait for the summer when I'll be pushing them to the limit during more landscape photography. With a Hoya PRO Circular Polariser on order that's me finished with the spending for now. The time has come to get a return on what I've spent and what better way than to get back out there with the kit bag. I've spent too much time printing and framing lately that my photography has taken a back seat. Time to put that right, I reckon.

Stay tuned folks!

Ash

Canon 7D - Those First Impressions

Hello again folks!
I thought I'd take the opportunity today to let you know how I'm getting on with my new camera. Up until 2010 I'd used Nikon camera's, ranging from standard SLR through to digital SLR. The decision to jump ship and invest in a model from the Canon stable wasn't one that was taken lightly, but it was taken anyway and I've got to say with hindsight that it was a very good one.

It was a combination of reasons that made me switch sides, so to speak, the main one being the need to hike the resolution, which was previously 10.2MP on the Nikon, in order to achieve much bigger prints. Well, a RAW image shot at highest resolution (18MP) pulls in single exposures at a massive 50 Megabytes. All I need now is the large format printer...he he.
I've been very surprised at the quality of photos that've come out of the 7D, which uses an absolutely stuffed 18 megapixel, APS-C sized sensor. (So, there is a 1.6x crop factor.) I've printed a handful on A3 paper and the detail is outstanding. There's lots of impressive features on this camera and I'll not bore you rigid with the spec, just keep dropping by to see the results here on my blog and also on my website. This camera is just the job, and I feel that I'm just warming up at the minute - just wait until the weather warms up too!

With low-light photography being a favourite of mine I've been giving the camera a few tests here and there. So far, so very good. Infact, that's an understatement because the quality of images shot in almost pitch dark using a 100 ISO have been brilliant. No noise for me. The Angel shot (below) was taken in almost pitch darkness on 'Bulb' setting, using a shutter speed of almost one minute! The detail is outstanding, if I may be so bold...he he.

Mind you, I was out and about last weekend with the camera and the battery grip was attached, so it was well heavy as you can imagine. A few hours of 'hand-held' and my fingers were beginning to look more like pigs tits! I had 'Canon Claw' for two bloody days!!!
The pro's and con's eh.

Aye well, thanks for popping over.
I'll be back again shortly.
Ash

Souter Lighthouse, Whitburn

Aye, about time too! Well, after a barren couple of weeks with the camera, I managed to get out and about today. I was up bright and early at 5.40am as I had a 7' o clock start at Nissan. Not being one to back heel a bit of 'Double Time' I headed off to work on another freezing cold morning, this time there was clear blue skies. There was a nice sunrise at 6.45am but I was AWOL once again. Maybe next time.

On my return home at 11.00am I decided to have a scout about after lunch in the hope of getting to grips with my new toy, the Canon 7D. Since buying the camera a few weeks ago I haven't really had a decent run of outings due to the poor weather so hopefully that will change as Spring is almost upon us. So, off I went. I headed to Whitburn, which lies between Seaburn and South Shields on the north-east coast of England.

A quick stop off at the National Trust site of Souter Lightouse gave me my first photo opportunity of the day and I was now off and running. There were a few people dotted here and there but they never got in my way, apart from one girl who decided to stand next to the boat near the lighthouse while she lit up. I had to wait a few minutes until she'd seen the tab off before I could get the shot I wanted. I reckon she knew she was holding me back but it looked like she couldn't give a ferk, as she stared me out during every drag of her Regal King Size. Silly moo!

Me patience got the shot...eventually!

Thanks for reading, Ash

Tyne-Tees Television (Part 5)

Another short video clip folks.
This was broadcast on Tuesday 2nd March at 6.25pm.
Cheers, Ash

Tyne-Tees Television (Part 4)

This week has been another good one for TV exposure, as four of my photographs were featured on Tyne-Tees Television's daily weather bulletin. Here's the first of them, which is the fourth in total since my debut in February.

Cheers, Ash

It's Been A While

Well, by my standards it has!
Yes, it seems like an age since I last posted on my blog, but I'm here now so I might as well add some more drivel, eh (wink).

Other projects have been in the way of things recently, giving my outdoor photography a temporary back-heel. Mind you, the weather hasn't been up to much so it's not like I've missed out on some good landscape shots recently. With Spring almost upon us it's going to be another busy time as I spread my wings and get back out there with my new Canon 7D camera, which in all fairness, hasn't had a decent run-out as yet.

Speak soon, Ash

Sunderland Echo Newspaper

Every now and again I send a few photographs to the Sunderland Echo newspaper as they run a daily article on the letters page called 'Your View'. My Blog already shows a selection of my work 'In Print', but if you haven't already seen them, here's some more.

I submitted a handful of my most recent photographs and it's been a good week as they've all been featured! The First two appeared on a double spread feature called 'Freeze Frame' where readers snow scenes were shown, and there were some great ones at that. Image one is Durham City, with Hylton Castle shown underneath.

The third photo features a rather menacing bull that was grazing near the foot of Penshaw Hill. With the monument in the background it made a nice composition but I had to keep me eye on that beast as it gave me a very peed-off look! I survived.

The last photo is another Hylton Castle snowscape. The people from Sunderland Echo trimmed the image, which is originally an 8-stitch panorama, but it still works quite well. So, it's been a good week all round, with four images going into print and another four hitting the telly screen on ITV's regional weather bulletin. I've got one or two other projects in the pipeline but as soon as they're out the door I'll be submitting more images to press and TV - possibly national photography magazines too. Mind you, I'm not complaining about the exposure, it's great, but nothing beats the outdoors with the camera in tow. Time spent promoting my work often means less time in the field, but hopefully I'll put that right this coming weekend. Batteries are charged - just waiting for a bit decent weather and I'm off out.

Well, until the next waffle. See ya, Ash

Same again

Yes, three days after my Hylton Castle photograph appeared on Tyne Tees Television, I had another one shown on Friday night. Again, it was during the weather forecast and this time it was an image that was captured on my new Canon 7D - a pair of Mute Swans at sunset.

There was no introduction this time, just a quick appearance of the photo as the weather forecast was being broadcast. Still, two in one week has taken me by surprise and I won't be stopping there. I'm developing a slight addiction to this game...he he.

EDIT - Bleedin' eck, there's just been another one ont telly half an hour ago! Durham Cathedral at night. I'm gonna start demanding a fee (wink). Screenshot above...

Thanks for visiting, Ash.

More TV Exposure!

Tonight I had another photograph of mine shown on our regional ITV channel. I only submitted it yesterday and even though my last entry was shown the day after I emailed it to them, I wasn't expecting a repeat performance. So, what a nice surprise it was to see my snow scene of Hylton Castle on TV.
After watching the show I then checked my emails and the weather presenter, Pip Thomson, had been in touch earlier to say the image I sent in was fantastic and she's definately be using it, so I had to keep a look out. I was quite chuffed!

That's the second photo I've had shown on the same programme over the last few weeks. I'll be sending more weather shots in over the forthcoming weeks and may even try my luck with BBC 'Look North' too.

Cheers, Ash

The Next Chapter

It's been a while since my last blog entry, mainly due to the fact that I haven't been out and about with my Nikon D80. There's a good reason for this - I got shot of it! I felt the time was right for an upgrade and I like to work with one camera alone so I went and treat myself to a brand spanking new Canon 7D. Turning my back on Nikon wasn't a hard decision and I done my research before switching sides, so to speak. The new toy pulls in massive images, which is just what I need when planning to make the jump to high-format printing. I mean, with a capability of 18 Megapixels, and a single RAW shot weighing in at 50 Megabytes, this camera is right up my street.

Of course, these things don't come cheap. When you tot-up the add on's - Extra glass, Battery grip and Circular Polariser, you're gonna want a decent return on your outlay. Well, things are taking shape just nicely so I'll keep you all posted on developments.

Ok, enough of the prattle. Here are a couple of Jpeg's I shot with the new toy. I hope you like them. Speak soon.

Ash

Spectacular Viewpoint - Durham City

A couple of weeks ago, the 27th December to be exact, I headed through to Durham City Centre to have a crack at more low-light photography. There had been more overnight snow and the roads were a bit ropey, but it didn't deter me as I went on the wander once again.

As far as photography is concerned I've done Durham Riverside to death and fancied a change of scenery. I headed up towards the railway station which was up a height and somewhere I'd never been before. The sun had vanished and the light was failing as I parked the car on the bank next to Wharton Park. There was no-one around and I entered the park and made my way up the steps in search of a good viewpoint. The snow was thick under my boots and the steps were very icy, making the journey an arkward one, but one that was worth a try. There were no lamps in the park so I was relying on the limited amount of natural light to get me where I was heading, which wasn't easy. The park is on a steep bank but it only takes a few minutes to reach the top and I was expecting a decent view of the City once I'd reached it. It was quite eerie and snow was falling from the trees behind me, causing me to doubt whether I should be in there on my own. Ahh, what the hell eh, let's get on with the task in hand...

On reaching the highest point in the park I noticed a set of steps that lead to an even higher viewpoint. Well, no time to hesitate - let's see what's up top! It turned out that the steps lead me up a mock castle tower and on reaching the summit I was greeted by an excellent sight. It was a stunning panoramic view of Durham City Centre and it's dominating Cathedral, illuminated, and making a great focal point for any photograph.

Well I quickly set up shop and got on with the job, firing off more frames than I can remember as the available light diminshed. Well, I found myself a great viewpoint and definately one for the memory bank. Imagine the views up here on a nice Summer's day, and in the Autumn when the colours are out. Be sure to see the results here - stay tuned!

Thanks for reading. Ash

There's no let-up!

There certainly isn't!
The snow keeps on falling and I can't remember a time when it fell for as long as it has. It's been 3 whole weeks and there's still more on the way, but there's always scope for more photography so strike while the iron is hot - or cold as in this case! Yes, the sun is shining and there's a clear blue sky up above. Down below is a thick carpet of 'Snar', as we say in Sunderland. That seems like a nice combination for more snow scene photography so after a nice hearty Sunday roast I was lacing up my hiking boots before heading out to do the necessary. The customary two pairs of socks ruled the day once again - gorra keep them toes warm ya knar!

Once again I jumped into the car and headed aimlessly in my search for good photo's. I was driving here and there, trying to get that brain spark that would take me to the ideal location. The cogs were turning swiftly in my head, but as I continued driving around Sunderland the sun had dropped behind the thick cloud cover and the place suddenly looked rather flat. Never mind, it only takes a fraction of a second to capture a good photograph, and the sun might briefly show up, so it was time to find a nice spot where I could set my gear up.

I found myself in the grounds of Hylton Castle, Sunderland. This is a place that I've frequented quite often during 2009, especially in Summer when the colours are out. Today was a very different ball game though. Not a great deal of colour, although the sky offered more blue than it did half an hour ago. The sun was round the back of the castle but I managed to preserve the detail in the sky with an ND filter, whilst retaining the fine detail in the castle's stone work. It worked quite well and the subtle colours in the scene made it a nice shot all round. Mind you, with a slight breeze it was a case of waiting a couple of minutes for a quick burst that would lift the flag, as it looked better against a gust of wind rather than being draped 'Dead Style' against its pole.

The sun continued to shine and I made the most of it before it was off behind the clouds once again. I managed to grab a couple of three-stitch panorama's of Hylton Castle and its grounds before heading back to the adjoining car park. Once I was back in the car I had to negotiate the thick snow to get out of there, and after a few wheel spins I was off. Phew!

Cheers, Ash

York Minster - New Years Eve

Our 2009/10 new year celebrations took place in York and we had a great time. My wife and I arrived at our hotel mid-afternoon and after dropping off the handbags and gladrags we made our way into York city centre for a drink and a bite to eat. We checked out a few pubs in preparation for a busy night on the town before my other half suggested a bit of retail therapy. Well, not being a one for the shops I suggested that we went our separate ways for an hour. This gave me a chance to spend some time photographing York Minster, while she spent lotsa money in the shops!

I remember visiting the Minster two years ago and it was free entry. Times have changed -there was now an admission charge of £6. Although I was a bit surprised I was more than happy to pay, especially as the annual upkeep of the place runs into hundreds of thousands of pounds, plus the fee guaranteed me unlimited visits to the Minster for twelve months. Another advantage, unlike Durham Cathedral, York Minster has a very relaxed policy regarding photography providing it is for personal use only. Great - a free run of the place - time to get cracking!

The admission charge must have sent a few people packing after entering the Minster as the floor was almost bare, apart for a small group who were on a guided tour. I set my gear up near the Central Tower, looking across towards the Rose Window. I was using a slow shutter, around 1 second, with an aperture of f13.

From there I headed towards the Great West Window, shooting from centre-aisle near The Nave. My one hour escape from shopping hell was over like a flash. I'd manged a dozen or so shots and it was now time to reconvene with my wife. I only photographed a fraction of what was on offer, but never mind, I'll save the rest until my next visit.

Thanks for reading. Until the next time...See ya!

Ash

Boxing Day Dip 2009 - Sunderland

Sunderland's annual Boxing Day Charity Dip takes place at Seaburn, which is situated a couple of miles outside the City Centre. As expected, there were hundreds of participants - rather them than me! I mean, I don't mind contributing to good causes but the idea of running into a freezing cold North Sea isn't one that appeals to soft buggers like me. With the event kicking off at 11.00am prompt, I was cutting it fine when I got caught in Seaburn-bound traffic on Thompson Park Road at 10.40am. I got through it eventually and managed to park my car behind the Seaburn Centre before making my way onto Seaburn beach with just a couple of minutes to go before the stampede. I had me rather naff green wellies on so that I could wade in and grab some decent shots, which is what I did. A couple of rather brave lads wearing Newcastle United dressing gowns ran past me and I nearly got knocked to the groond when I tried to trip the 'Black n' whites' up. Me camera almost bit the dust too, but the neck strap saved me bacon as I had it wrapped round me wrist - phew!

Anyway, by the time the dippers had left the sea behind and retreated to the warm Seaburn Centre, I was quite soaked and quite cold - very cold infact. Me feet felt like two blocks 'o ice. That was me whack. Back to the car and a belated appointment with the heaters!

Who knows, next year I might brave the elements and take part in the dip itself. Ahem (cough), then again...

Ash (still trying to get warmed up - 7 days later) he he.