Presenting another video clip, taken from the local weather bulletin on Tyne-Tees Television, this is Penshaw Monument At Night. My son Christopher (9) accompanied me on this swift sortie up Penshaw Hill and he even found himself on the photo, and the television!
I've taken many low-light photographs at this location but very few with people in the frame. I think it worked quite well to be honest as it gives a sense of scale to the viewer who may not know how big the monument actually is. When Pip chose this photo it came as a big surprise to us when we were sitting watching the weather bulletin and there it suddenly was. It was a case of little fella - big smile. He cant wait to tell his mates at school.
Til the next time, cheers.
Ash
Saturday 6 November 2010
Friday 5 November 2010
Northumberland Coast
Hello again to you blog readers - all 3 of you, he he!
What better way 
to brush off those cobwebs eh - a trek through the dunes on the Northumberland Coast near Dunstanburgh Castle. A favourite spot of mine for seascapes, the weather at Dunstanburgh Heugh's was quite mild today and the sea was very calm. You'll find a lovely sandy beach up here - a long stretch of it infact, before you hit the bolder field on your approach to the castle which is perched high on a crag behind Lilburn Tower.
to brush off those cobwebs eh - a trek through the dunes on the Northumberland Coast near Dunstanburgh Castle. A favourite spot of mine for seascapes, the weather at Dunstanburgh Heugh's was quite mild today and the sea was very calm. You'll find a lovely sandy beach up here - a long stretch of it infact, before you hit the bolder field on your approach to the castle which is perched high on a crag behind Lilburn Tower. This is one photogenic coastal spot! 
Negotiating the bolders is a tricky one mind, so tread carefully if you're thinking of retracing my footsteps. Taking a few risks may well bring in those hot shots though, so it's a case of 'Who dares wins' I suppose. Waterproof footwear is the way to go, especially with the incoming tide crashing against the rocks. No problem in that department today though, I'm glad to report, so it was back to the car and a trip back down the A1 to Amble Marina. A nice chippy awaits and a big box of haggis 'n chips, weshed doon wirra bottle of ice-cold coca-cola. LET'S GO !!!
Negotiating the bolders is a tricky one mind, so tread carefully if you're thinking of retracing my footsteps. Taking a few risks may well bring in those hot shots though, so it's a case of 'Who dares wins' I suppose. Waterproof footwear is the way to go, especially with the incoming tide crashing against the rocks. No problem in that department today though, I'm glad to report, so it was back to the car and a trip back down the A1 to Amble Marina. A nice chippy awaits and a big box of haggis 'n chips, weshed doon wirra bottle of ice-cold coca-cola. LET'S GO !!!Ash
Saturday 30 October 2010
Tyne-Tees Television - Part 18
One of the best sunrises I've ever witnessed was at Roker Harbour in Sunderland, just a few weeks ago when I dipped my feet into sunrise photography after a spell away. The colours that were present in the sky shortly before the sun appeared were spectacular and it was a great reintroduction to low-light work during the 'Silly hours'. You may also have seen this photo here on my blog at an earlier date - I'm sure it's here somewhere!
Anyway, I give you the same shot in a short video clip that was shown on Tyne-Tees Television very recently.
Thanks again!
Ash
Tyne-Tees Television - Part 17
It's another video clip folks.
Once again I've been hogging the weather slot on regional television - I must give it a rest, eh. Maybe not. This time it's a recent sunrise shot of mine that you may have seen earlier on my blog page, it's Roker Pier in Sunderland, gods own back yard. A fisherman takes up position just I'm ready to trip shutter, adding a presence to this dramatic sunrise on the north-east coast of England.
Jobs a good 'un!
Ash
Autumn Stroll
After my recent outings at t
he crack of dawn to bag some low-light shots, it was nice to return to some afternoon photography on a mild Autumn day in Durham City. Not that much cloud kicking about to begin with, but very typically that would change as the afternoon turned into early evening.
Durham is a great place to visit during the Autumn season and the riverside pathways and walks are quite picturesque, offering plenty of colour when the sun hits against the trees. From a vantage point on Prebends Bridge overlooking the River Wear I spotted a break in the trees ahead of me, just off the river bank. I was drawn to this spot immediately as the ground was covered in golden brown leaves and I noticed a wooden bench in the middle of the plot. I suddenly imagined what view I would get if I were standing on that spot, looking towards Prebends Bridge where I was actually standing at that time. Only one way to find out so I got my arse into gear and headed across, passing a couple of elderly ramblers on the way. After reaching the spot the first thing that struck me was how quiet it was. I sat on the wooden bench for a minute or two and adjusted my camera settings, priming the toy for action. As I took my first couple of shots I was distracted by some movement to my left - a young couple walking along the path towards the bridge. They stopped behind me, looking straight ahead into my field of view and admiring it for what it was. A few whispers were going on and I got the distinct impression they fancied a bit of action - photography, that is!
Well, I got the shot I wanted so it was time to make tracks and head up towards Palace Green and the nearby Durham Castle. As I walked along the riverside path I looked over my shoulder and noticed that the young couple had nicked my position to take photo's of their own, he he. Aye well, it was worth it. I was probably one in a long line of folk who had been at the exact same spot at some point this Autumn, and no doubt not the last.
Ten minutes later I was
amongst the people at Palace Green, a grassy area directly in front of Durham Cathedral. This was my main reason for visiting Durham today as I was after one particular shot of Durham Castle. Some idiot had parked a builders skip exactly where I wanted to take up position, so it was a case of pretending it wasn't there and simply working around it, compsing my shots the best I could . The house in the castle grounds was almost covered in red leaves, giving it that typical Autumn postcard appearance, but there were a lot of visitors kicking about, spoiling the shot. You need a lot of patience in these situations and especially when a pair of fishwives spark up conversation in the place where you least want them. Jesus, I must have waited a good fifteen minutes before they ran out of gas and buggered off, and when that eventually happened the sun went back in!!! Patience kicked in again as I noticed the clouds moving rapidly south - the sun would be out again within minutes. Whe-hey!
And it shone brightly, folks. I was just about to raise camera to eye when I noticed the pair of gasbags were walking back down towards the castle and bang-centre of my frame!!! I won't tell you what I was thinking at this point, he he. I quickly fired off a few frames and got out of there - relief - JOB DONE.
Before I knew it I was
travelling back along the A690 towards Houghton. Although the sun was still quite high at this point I decided to pay a quick visit to Lumley Castle on the outskirts of Chester-Le-Street. The castle is tucked away in it's own grounds and is surrounded by tree's of all types, many of which have changed colour as Autumn reached its peak. I parked in the overflow just off the main drive and looked around for a spot to photograph from. I was drawn to a tree near the main lawn which was covered in golden brown leaves, just like the floor beneath it. Seconds later I was lying on the grass underneath said tree and focusing on the castle facade. The shooting angle was critical to the shot and the result I was aiming for - it worked well, as you can see here in the third shot.
As always, click on an image to reveal the enlarged version of it.
Thanks again for reading. I'll be back soon...
Ash
he crack of dawn to bag some low-light shots, it was nice to return to some afternoon photography on a mild Autumn day in Durham City. Not that much cloud kicking about to begin with, but very typically that would change as the afternoon turned into early evening.Durham is a great place to visit during the Autumn season and the riverside pathways and walks are quite picturesque, offering plenty of colour when the sun hits against the trees. From a vantage point on Prebends Bridge overlooking the River Wear I spotted a break in the trees ahead of me, just off the river bank. I was drawn to this spot immediately as the ground was covered in golden brown leaves and I noticed a wooden bench in the middle of the plot. I suddenly imagined what view I would get if I were standing on that spot, looking towards Prebends Bridge where I was actually standing at that time. Only one way to find out so I got my arse into gear and headed across, passing a couple of elderly ramblers on the way. After reaching the spot the first thing that struck me was how quiet it was. I sat on the wooden bench for a minute or two and adjusted my camera settings, priming the toy for action. As I took my first couple of shots I was distracted by some movement to my left - a young couple walking along the path towards the bridge. They stopped behind me, looking straight ahead into my field of view and admiring it for what it was. A few whispers were going on and I got the distinct impression they fancied a bit of action - photography, that is!
Well, I got the shot I wanted so it was time to make tracks and head up towards Palace Green and the nearby Durham Castle. As I walked along the riverside path I looked over my shoulder and noticed that the young couple had nicked my position to take photo's of their own, he he. Aye well, it was worth it. I was probably one in a long line of folk who had been at the exact same spot at some point this Autumn, and no doubt not the last.
Ten minutes later I was
amongst the people at Palace Green, a grassy area directly in front of Durham Cathedral. This was my main reason for visiting Durham today as I was after one particular shot of Durham Castle. Some idiot had parked a builders skip exactly where I wanted to take up position, so it was a case of pretending it wasn't there and simply working around it, compsing my shots the best I could . The house in the castle grounds was almost covered in red leaves, giving it that typical Autumn postcard appearance, but there were a lot of visitors kicking about, spoiling the shot. You need a lot of patience in these situations and especially when a pair of fishwives spark up conversation in the place where you least want them. Jesus, I must have waited a good fifteen minutes before they ran out of gas and buggered off, and when that eventually happened the sun went back in!!! Patience kicked in again as I noticed the clouds moving rapidly south - the sun would be out again within minutes. Whe-hey!And it shone brightly, folks. I was just about to raise camera to eye when I noticed the pair of gasbags were walking back down towards the castle and bang-centre of my frame!!! I won't tell you what I was thinking at this point, he he. I quickly fired off a few frames and got out of there - relief - JOB DONE.
Before I knew it I was
travelling back along the A690 towards Houghton. Although the sun was still quite high at this point I decided to pay a quick visit to Lumley Castle on the outskirts of Chester-Le-Street. The castle is tucked away in it's own grounds and is surrounded by tree's of all types, many of which have changed colour as Autumn reached its peak. I parked in the overflow just off the main drive and looked around for a spot to photograph from. I was drawn to a tree near the main lawn which was covered in golden brown leaves, just like the floor beneath it. Seconds later I was lying on the grass underneath said tree and focusing on the castle facade. The shooting angle was critical to the shot and the result I was aiming for - it worked well, as you can see here in the third shot.As always, click on an image to reveal the enlarged version of it.
Thanks again for reading. I'll be back soon...
Ash
Tuesday 19 October 2010
Tyne-Tees Television - Parts 15 & 16
It's another video clip folks!
This is my fifteenth and sixteenth appearance of 2010 on Tyne-Tees Television's weather bulletin. This time it's a seascape, taken on the rocky foreshore at Dunstanburgh Heughs on the Northumberland Coast. Although it was a sunny day the conditions on the rocks were anything but ideal - I'll get swept away one of these days!
My photo appeared on TV the day after I submitted it, but it had been cropped (see clip one). Strangely enough they showed my original uncropped photo a few days later, which you can also see in the second video clip below.
Without further ado...
Ash
This is my fifteenth and sixteenth appearance of 2010 on Tyne-Tees Television's weather bulletin. This time it's a seascape, taken on the rocky foreshore at Dunstanburgh Heughs on the Northumberland Coast. Although it was a sunny day the conditions on the rocks were anything but ideal - I'll get swept away one of these days!
My photo appeared on TV the day after I submitted it, but it had been cropped (see clip one). Strangely enough they showed my original uncropped photo a few days later, which you can also see in the second video clip below.
Without further ado...
Ash
Sunday 17 October 2010
Sunrise, Littlehaven, South Shields
After my recent comeback in sunrise
photography I was so pleased with the results that I just had to get out there again and get some more under my belt. Again it was decided that a visit to the north-east coast of England would be my best bet, so off I went. This time I shifted further up the coast from my previous sunrise shoot to a location in South Tyneside, a place called Littlehaven near South Shields. The harbour mouth is situated here and this is where the River Tyne meets the North Sea, with Tynemouth Priory sitting on the cliff edge directly opposite.
photography I was so pleased with the results that I just had to get out there again and get some more under my belt. Again it was decided that a visit to the north-east coast of England would be my best bet, so off I went. This time I shifted further up the coast from my previous sunrise shoot to a location in South Tyneside, a place called Littlehaven near South Shields. The harbour mouth is situated here and this is where the River Tyne meets the North Sea, with Tynemouth Priory sitting on the cliff edge directly opposite.My visit wasn't a fruitful one to be honest. The sun was nowhere to be seen because of the thick cloud cover on the horizon, so I took a few shots just for the hell of it. The first shot (shown here) was one of my favourites from a half dozen half-decent ones. I used an ND grad to slow down the motion of the incoming tide, which is something I'm getting into a habit of doing more and more recently. Mind you, it seems to work quite well.
My second visit to Littlehaven 
was one of 'Unfinished Business' in a way. Not content with colourless photo's from my last visit a few days ago I was at it once again at the same spot. Today was a different ball game altogether. The sun came up shortly after 6am and it cast a brilliant orange hue over the water towards me. I was the only person on this stretch of beach near the Groyne Lighthouse which was a bit surprising considering what a lovely calm morning it was. Quite often you'll see dog walkers on the sand but today it was desolate. Never mind, I wasn't complaining.
was one of 'Unfinished Business' in a way. Not content with colourless photo's from my last visit a few days ago I was at it once again at the same spot. Today was a different ball game altogether. The sun came up shortly after 6am and it cast a brilliant orange hue over the water towards me. I was the only person on this stretch of beach near the Groyne Lighthouse which was a bit surprising considering what a lovely calm morning it was. Quite often you'll see dog walkers on the sand but today it was desolate. Never mind, I wasn't complaining.Anyway, the second and third
photo's on this blog entry were taken during my second sunrise shoot at Littlehaven and once again it was worth the effort in getting up very early to make it happen. I'm already planning another early start next week for more sunrise shots at Souter Lighthouse near Whitburn, Tyne & Wear. Let's hope I get another good one, eh.
photo's on this blog entry were taken during my second sunrise shoot at Littlehaven and once again it was worth the effort in getting up very early to make it happen. I'm already planning another early start next week for more sunrise shots at Souter Lighthouse near Whitburn, Tyne & Wear. Let's hope I get another good one, eh.Thanks for reading!
Ash
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