Many Thanks!

Many thanks to everyone who has visited my website. The hit counter has increased dramatically this year, even as recently as January when it was approaching 40,000. Since then, almost three months ago, ashleycorr.com has had a further 5,000 hits and counting. I aim to fulfil my promise of regular updates, not just in image form but in blog posts, which I enjoy adding each week. Already in 2011, ashleycorr.com has had 43 updates and that number will continue to rise throughout the rest of the year.

Thanks also to everyone who has purchased my work in it's various formats, not only through my site but also the local outlets where it is currently available. New ideas are in the pipeline and more details will be released soon, so be sure to revisit my blog for full details.

More photographs to come shortly. Thanks again.

Ash

Tyne-Tees Television (Parts 25-28)

It's time for another video clip, in the shape of some recent images I sent in to Tyne-Tees Television. I am a regular contributor to the daily weather bulletins as I submit my work that reflects our regional weather. Quite often my photo's are shown on the day I send them in, via email, which is always nice, and even better to be able to share them with visitors to my Blog. The screenshot (shown here) is the 25th photo that I've had shown on ITV's regional weather bulletin since I started last year - I accidentally deleted the footage for this one so it doesn't appear on the video clip below. Instead I managed to get a still image from the footage that has now been transferred to dvd. Not a clear image by any means, a similar one can be found here on my blog. Taken at nearby Rainton Meadows it shows a Mute Swan with a nice backdrop of broken cloud on a blue sky. A nice Spring image that I captured during a quiet Sunday morning at the nature reserve. That bird must be sick of the sight of my camera by now. Aye well, it aint seen nowt yet! The video footage below shows the following images... (1) Seven Sisters In The Fog....... (2) Angel Of The North At Night....... (3) Finchale Abbey, County Durham .......And that's all for now. I'm planning a visit into Sunderland tomorrow to grab some colourful shots in Mowbray Gardens, and if the weather is smiling I might try and squeeze in a trip to the beach at Seaburn and Roker. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Thanks again for visiting. Ash

Copt Hill Barrow (Seven Sisters)

I wish I was given a fiver for each time I've visited the Copt Hill Barrow, known locally as the Seven Sisters. Only six trees are standing these days, plus a sapling, which brings the total back to seven after one tree was burnt down. The sapling is always vunerable to vandals although no-one has had a go at it to date (touch wood - no pun intended). As regular visitors to my blog will be aware, the Seven Sisters is situated in my home town of Houghton le Spring and it is literally five minutes drive from my house, so I often make visits outside of the Summer season. The reason I miss out Summer is simply for photographic reasons - nothing else. The Sisters are much more photogenic when they've shed their leaves so I'm a regular visitor during Spring and Winter when I can grab some nice silhouette shots. As you can imagine, I've made countless visits to this place down the years and the resulting images are always different. Here are two recent examples that perfectly illustrate the changing mood that the weather can bring.

The first shot was taken in mid-March, on a cold foggy morning. I hadn't photographed the Seven Sisters in fog before so it was time to put that right by making a visit, with visibility being very low as I drove up to the Copt Hill Public House car park. I met a dog walker as I was in position taking my first shots near the path that leads you to the barrow from the top of the field. As she was heading over the barrow with her dog she kindly offered to pose for a short while as I took more shots. A big THANK YOU to Sue and Henry for making the first shot (above) possible. I love it - captured the moment nicely!

The second, and more recent shot, was taken just before sunset as we entered the last few days of March. I had been out somewhere in the car and was heading home along the A690 when I noticed how low the sun was, and also how full and orangey it appeared. Normally, just before sunset, the sun is so bright that the glow around it is blown out and it's shape isn't visible. Today there was almost no surrounding glow, just a perfectly round deep orange sun, on it's way down and quickly approaching the skyline. As I had my camera bag with me I made a quick diversion and drove up to the location once again. A quick dash from the car to the barrow gave me enough time to take half a dozen quick shots before the sun had set. I just made it in time. There were no dog walkers about today though - just as well as it must have looked odd seeing a grown bloke legging it over the field with a large back-pack bouncing up and down. Oh dear!

Anyway, no tripod involved in these two shots - both were handheld. I'll be uploading them to my website very soon, on a page dedicated to the Copt Hill Barrow (Seven Sisters), that's if there's any room left on the page!

Next up - I'll be blogging again with some accompanying Springtime shots.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Ash

Bowlees, Middleton in Teesdale

Now and again I find myself photographing scenes that contain water, whether it be a seascape, a river scene or simply a waterfall, which are very few and far between in my neck of the woods. Waterfalls in the north-east of England are usually confined to an area approxiametely 35 miles from my home, in a place called Middleton in Teesdale. There's a few dotted about in this region - High Force is the best known, followed by Low Force and Cauldron Snout. On the approach road to High Force, the B6277, look out for the signpost 'Bowlees Visitor Centre, which is tucked away behind trees off the road. A short drive leads you to the car park which offers free parking all day. From here, follow the signpost that leads you to the wooded area where you'll find 'Gibsons Cave', a waterfall at the end of the route. The woodland path ends at Gibsons Cave but there's no fence stopping you from getting nearer to the falls so I took advantage and stepped over the rocks to find a decent position to shoot from. A couple of test shots later and I'd found myself a decent spot. Three legs down and the camera was then perched and primed.

My first shot (shown here) was taken en route as I walked through the woods towards the cave. It's a simple waterfall, with a drop of around 10 feet, and it's a taster of what's to come further up the path. I've visited Gibson's Cave on two previous occasions, the last being a couple of years ago around the same time of year. Depending on recent rainfall you'll see the main waterfall in different moods. As I reached the cave it was immediately obvious that the flow of water from the top wasn't as forceful as the last time I was here. There was plenty of water cascading at the top, before dropping below on the fairly still waters, but it definately wasn't as dramatic as before when it was in full flow after a heavy rainfall. Nevertheless these waterfalls always make for good photographs if you know your slow shutter speeds. A one second shutter gave me these two shots, together with a very small aperture to give max depth of field (that's front to back sharpness). I had me wellies on, so getting me feet wet wasn't a problem, just the slippery rocks I had to negotiate on my way into position. I was the only person at the site during the 30 minutes I was photographing, which was fine by me. From there I was back into the car and making my way back to Houghton, listening to the Wales versus England football match as I drove.

Pretty dull weather today. Ideal for waterfall shots though. Hope you like them. Catch ya later,

Ash

Mute Swans At Dusk

As promised, some new images that I captured last week at Rainton Meadows, Gods Country. With the nights getting lighter and the days seemingly becoming longer, it's been an ideal time to get out with the camera in my locality. Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve is part of the Durham Wildlife Trust and is situated just off the A690 in Houghton le Spring, five minutes drive from my home. Readers of my blog will no doubt have read about my previous visits to Rainton Meadows, especially during the Spring/Summer months when the place is a hive of activity. Many birds breed on the reserve during this time and this in turn attracts many visitors to the site, all of which are encouraged to stick to the designated footpaths - myself included (ahem!).

As the sun dropped I decided to get my arse into gear so I headed round the meadows to catch a decent sunset. It was quite chilly, but when you find the swans in a prime location on the plot you tend not to feel the cold. I suppose you're that pre-occupied with landing some good shots that some of your senses become almost immune to the elements as your concentration levels are hiked somewhat. Mute Swans can be quite temperamental though, don't get too close, and beware otherwise you might get a pecked mush! During the last few years of photographing these birds I've had one or two close calls with them, but have never been clobbered as yet. Saying that, I'll probably get fettled during the coming nesting season when I push my luck near one of their nests. Down the years I've picked up a fair knowledge of their behaviour and especially their tolerance levels around people, or predators as they would percieve them. I always photograph from a safe distance, usually with my 300mm lens, although some Mute Swans are very tame and even feed from your hand, so getting up close to them is quite normal and they don't react. Never take them for granted though, as I've heard one or two stories where the swan has laid the law down and showed what it's capable of when riled.

As the sun was about to set I fired off a few frames - ISO 100, aperture priority, using a flashgun instead of built-in speedlight, and recording each image in RAW format at a resolution of 18 megapixels, pulling in massive files of 102 megabytes apeice. Mind you, these creatures are a lot easier to photograph than most birds, mainly due to the fact they aren't very mobile, especially on the water. A loaf of bread is a must. Swans at the far end of a pond will very quickly swim across to you at the chance of a feed. Once I was photographing Mute Swans with a dramatic sunset backdrop, then I ran out of Warburtons. Disaster! The birds buggered off in no time and there I was, feeling a bit blown out - they'd scoffed me 'quid-fifty' loaf and done a runner!!! For each good shot you achieve, you can easily land two or three poor ones, but taking plenty of shots will normally up the total of 'keepers' when you review them later on. You're obviously aware of the welfare of the swans as you're photographing them, especially when using a flashgun, although on this occasion they weren't at all startled by the bright light.

I photographed the swans at the waters edge for roughly ten minutes before packing my gear away and heading out of the reserve. There was no-one else around at this time, give or take the odd dog walker here and there, so the place was well calm - just the sounds of birdlife and a shotgun cracking in a nearby farmers field. Oh well, time to make me'sel scarce.

I don't know what it is that attracts me and the camera to Mute Swans. One this is certain though - the ability to capture nice photographs of these birds is never too far away when you've got the rights components in front of ya. Still waters, a sunset backdrop, a pair of swans - oh, and don't forget the loaf o' breed, eh.

Catch ya later, Ash

Warkworth Castle, Northumberland

Warkworth Castle was originally a Scottish motte castle - a wooden fortification on top of a mound, built in the mid twelfth century by Earl Henry of Northumberland, son of King David of Scotland. By 1158 Warkworth was in English hands, and Henry II gave the castle to Roger FitzRichard. Work began on turning the original wooden fortification into a stone castle. During wars between England and Scotland in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Warkworth became a major defensive position. Following two sieges by the Scots, Edward II presented Warkworth to the powerful Percy family, who were obliged to provide defense against Scotland in return. It was in the late fourteenth century that Henry Percy built the huge keep which dominates Warkworth Castle. In 1536 the Percys were involved with the Pilgrimage of Grace, the north's attempt to rebel against Henry VIII's decision to change England's religion from Catholicism to Protestantism. This was the beginning of a period of wildly fluctuating Percy fortunes. Under Henry VIII the Percy family lost Warkworth and their castle at Alnwick, had their holdings returned to them by the catholic Mary Tudor, only to lose them again under Mary's successor Elizabeth I. Elizabeth's reign was to see the end of the Percys as power brokers. Warkworth declined with the Percys, and suffered damage during the Civil War in the seventeenth century. It was at this point that the once mighty Percy family finally abandoned Warkworth. In the late seventeenth century all Percy estates passed to the Smithsons, who confusingly took the name Percy. They carried out some repair work. In 1922 Warkworth was given to the state, and is now administered by English Heritage. Several castles, including Warkworth, were used as locations for the film Elizabeth. It's around this time of year that I make my first trip to Northumberland when the countryside embraces the new season. Farmers fields are brimming with spring lambs and the country lanes and villages are awash with daffodils. All you need to finish it off is a bright sunny day with little or no breeze and you're laughing. My trip up the A1(M) was potentially a good one for photography as all the elements were present and my batteries were fully charged so I was raring to go. My intention was to photograph the rugged coastline at Dunstanburgh, but although the tide was ideal, the sea itself was quite calm - not much good for those 'Crashing Wave' shots. As a result, last minute changes were put it place and it was time to press ahead with Plan B. I headed back inland to Warkworth, a small ancient and picturesque village, unspoilt by modern development, which is built on a rocky spur within a tight loop of the River Coquet. Its skyline is dominated by the magnificent Warkworth Castle, home to an impressive 15th century keep and courtyard – one of the finest preserved in the country. In spring the castle is surrounded by the vibrant colours of hundreds of golden daffodils but when I arrived the daffs weren't in bloom - I was a week or so early! With a nice blue sky and broken cloud above I decided to pay a visit to Warkworth Castle, which was by now my second time. I coughed up the £3.00 parking fee, which was refundable when buying an entry ticket to the castle, before grabbing my kit and making my way inside. The girl in the castle shop was quite eccentric and wouldn't have looked out of place on the set of 'The League Of Gentlemen'. After I declined the offer to buy a tour book I was given a verbal history of the place, which kept me there for a good ten minutes. During this time I occasionally glanced out the window, hoping the sun wouldn't disappear before I'd taken my first shot. She eventually ran out of steam and I hastily headed for the door - my history lesson was over...phew! There were a dozen or so visitors in the castle grounds, plus a handful of kids who were running amok with plastic swords as part of a war game. Today was an ideal opportunity to grab some nice shots of Warkworth Castle as conditions were spot on and I had all the gear I needed. Time to start work. I ran off a dozen or so shots with my Canon 7D - some with the 18-135mm lens, but the majority with the 10-22mm wide attached. All shots were taken handheld due to the bright sunlight that bathed the castle walls - not a tripod in sight! I was also running with a £7 circular polarising filter that I picked up on eBay, due to my Hoya version falling to bits recently. Using the CPL was a must, especially the way the sky was behaving. And on the subject of behaviour, he he, the kids with the plastic swords were running all over the castle grounds by now. They were re-enacting a medieval war by the sound of things. Every ten seconds I could hear the cry of 'Who goes there' as one kid chased the other. Anyway, they vanished quickly enough and I continued to photograph the semi-octagonal tower in front of me through the camera viewfinder. Without realising, one of the kids had sneaked up behind me, shouting 'WHO GOES THERE' as he pressed his placka sword against the back of my neck. I nearly shat me'sel!!! I had a brief look inside the castle tower but there wasn't a great deal of photographic interest. As I walked around I tried to visualise what this place looked like in its day, in its glory. Inside are the complex remains of a range of buildings, with the tall Lion Tower and Little Stair Tower giving access to the Great Hall. I only took one photograph within the tower itself, from the foot of the main staircase as the sun shone brightly through the landing window above. This, and the other photographs from my visit, can be seen on a dedicated page of my website. Click this link to visit the page directly - Warkworth Castle, Northumberland. Thanks for visiting my blog page. I'll be back soon with another update which features some night time photography of a pair of Mute Swans, plus some waterfall shots from a location in Teesdale. Until then, see ya. Ash

Finchale Abbey, County Durham

Finchale Abbey (pronounced finkle) was a 13th century Benedictine Abbey, the remains are sited by the River Wear, four miles from Durham City Centre. It is a Grade 1 listed building and until recently there was an admission charge to the abbey, but now visitors can enter free of charge until the gate is locked at dusk.

There are very extensive remains of a 13th century abbey, founded on the site of a retired pirate's hermitage. Part of it later served as a holiday retreat for the monks of Durham Cathedral. There are many excellent examples of heavily decorated capitals on the original arcade columns, tracery in the filled-in nave arches of the church, and on the south wall is a double piscina and two carved seats of the sedilia. The buildings and immediate grounds are now managed by English Heritage, with the surrounds converted into Finchale Abbey Caravan Park - an award-winning eco village project set up to sustainably manage development in the area.

It was here that St. Godric settled in the 12th century, building a hermitage on a site which was to become his home for many years. After Godric's death in 1170 at the age of 105, the Durham Monks set about building a shrine to the saint, the results of which can still be seen today in the substantial surviving priory buildings. St Godric's tomb still lies beneath the priory church and is marked by a simple stone cross. Today however, the tomb lies empty, his remains having mysteriously vanished many centuries ago since when there has been much speculation about his final resting place.

Upon entering the latched gate you are confronted by the east facing remains thatit at the top of an incline which overlooks the river. A large bed of dafodils bloom in springtime, offering an ideal picture postcard scene of Finchale Abbey and its grounds. The many doorways take you on a tour of the remains, but tread carefully when you're climbing the ruins as these are a liability at the best of times. Photography of the Abbey was quite tricky during my visit, especially as the sun was very bright, so balancing exposure between shadows and sunlit stonework needed the aid of Neutral Density filters. Carrying a set of three filters of different calibrations, I was equipped with everything I needed for the challenge ahead. Photographing a ruined abbey can only keep you occupied for a certain amount of time. Capturing every path, wall and doorway can easily result in overkill so I set myself a limited target of 25 shots for my Finchale Abbey slideshow, to keep the viewer interested.

I was at Finchale Abbey for approximately 45 minutes, yet I never passed another visitor in all that time - quite odd considering the nice weather conditions. Dog walkers were staggered along the river bank on the north side as I headed back across the wooden bridge. It was from here that I made the short journey through Cocken Wood and up the steep embankment to my car. I was ready for a sit down once I reached the top - I was bloody knackered!

And that's all for now folks. Coming soon - more photo's of historical interest from my recent visit to Warkworth Castle in Northumberland. Thanks for visiting.

Ash

Escomb Saxon Church, County Durham

A recent visit to Bishop Auckland in County Durham gave me an excuse to stop off at a small village nearby, named Escomb, to check out another north-east landmark. One of the most complete Saxon churches in the UK, St John's, Escomb has been a place of worship since approximately 670 AD. The building materials that make up the church go back a lot further, though many were taken from the old Roman fort at Binchester, and Roman inscriptions can be seen on many of the stones used in the construction of the church.

The church is located in the centre of Escomb village, 1 1/2 miles from Bishop Auckland. It is not known for certain when the church was begun, but archuitectural evidence points to sometime between 670 and 690 AD. This would make it one of the first Northumbrian Christian churches to be built. As with most Saxon churches the layout of Escomb church is very simple. There is a small south porch giving access to a narrow nave. The font is to the west of the south door. To the right, the nave leads under a high chancel arch to a very small sanctuary where the high altar is located.

On the exterior south wall of the church is a Saxon sundial, believed to be the oldest still in its original setting in the entire country. There are only three lines on the sundial, corresponding to the three principal times of worship during the daily schedule of early monks. Under the lines a serrpent stretches. Several items on the exterior north wall are worth noting; a projecting lip of stone protects a Roman inscription. The stone was simply re-used by the Saxon builders of the church, so he inscription is upside down. It reads "LEG VI", meaning, Sixth Legion. Nearer ground level is the north door. This extremely simple doorway is generally accepted to be of Celtic origin. The surounding masonry work indicates that the entire doorway may have been taken whole from Binchester and reused here.

Inside the church there is an absolute wealth of Saxon material. The south porch shows two Saxon stone crosses, and several other bits and pieces of interesting carving found on the site. Inside the nave, the font is extremelyt simple. It dates to at least the 13th century, though it may be quite a bit earlier.

Set high on the north wall is another Roman sytone, set on its side, and used as part of the supports for a Saxon window. The inscription on the stone reads, "BONO REI PUBUCAE NATO", which translates loosely as "To the man born for the good of the state". Moving up the nave you come to the Chancel Arch, where the Saxons again reused an existing arch from Bincheste Roman fort. The stonework of the Romans was so good that no masonry was needed to set the arch in place. On the underside of the arch are paintings from the 12th or 13th century. Behind the high altar is a striking carving in the shape of a cross. This is believed to be a 9th century grave stone, but it may be the remains of preaching cross dating to the earliest days of Celtic Christianity in Northumbria, before the church was constructed.

I was only at the site for twenty minutes or so but I managed to grab a couple of photo's inside the church grounds. Some of the gravestones dated back many years and I noticed one or two unmarked graves, which stirred up theories of what might have been. The graveyard was well maintained and I couldn't help wishing I'd been here a couple of weeks later when the many daffodils will be in full bloom. Never mind, I could always come back later on. Taken as a whole, Escomb Saxon Church contains a wealth of fascinating architectural and historical detail, and is well worth a visit.

Cheers, Ash

Gateshead Quays

A mid-week visit to Gateshead Quays gives me a rather lame excuse to write another short blog entry. I earmarked this location as a good place to test out my new Sigma 70-300mm telephoto lens, but on arrival I had a change of plan and didn't even attach it to the camera body. Instead I took some more wide-angle shots with the already attached 10-22mm glass, beginning on the Millennium Bridge, as cyclists passed every few minutes. My first shot shows one cyclist passing me as I took my first shot, handheld, with a slow shutter of 1/25th to capture the motion as he went past. It worked well enough. A similar shot can be found on my website, here, near the end of the slideshow.

There were a few photographers kicking about on the Quayside, all armed with tripods to assist with those low-light shots. The sky wasn't doing much though and this is normally a key factor in achieving great shots at this location, as I've found to my own benefit. Never mind, it's still nice to get out and grab some decent shots after a days work.

Since buying the Canon wide-angle lens it's covered around 90% of all shots taken. The bog standard 18-135mm lens has been forced to play second fiddle for the best part, but no doubt it will be back in the saddle sooner or later. I suppose my wealth of recent wide-angle shots is simply a measure of much I'm enjoying using it and it's almost become the ideal 'walk around' lens for the type of stuff I like to shoot. It's refreshing to take shots when practically on top of the subject, yet still not filling the frame. There's always a 'trade off' though, which comes in the shape of natural distortion that's delivered through the barrel - but hey, this can often add to the shot, giving dramatic angles that 'make' the shot. A fine example of this is shown here, in shot 2 of the Millennium Bridge, taken at the foot of the bridge on the north side of the River Tyne.

From there I made my way back over the bridge. With fifteen minutes or so left on my parking ticket I paid a swift visit to the Sage Gateshead for a few interior shots. Auto ISO helped out with exposure due to the low light inside the building, especially during handheld shots as my tripod was asleep in the boot of my car. By this time I was well hungry so I made the short drive to Marlborough Cresent on the 'pink' side of town. Spice Punjab do a mean kebab so I was more than willing to pay the going rate, quaking in me boots as I waited for it, as the car was parked on a double yellow outside! Naughty. A fresh naan bread filled with different meats, loaded with salad, then splashed with garlic mayo, sweet n sour sauce, chilli and mint - it's gotta be tasted to be appreciated. Those black and whites can't play football, but they knock out some great scran!!!!!!!!!!!

And that was that. Feeling hungry now. I wish I'd never mentioned that bloody kebab!

Ash

Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve

With Spring 2011 almost upon us I have been preparing for another season of nature photography on my own doorstep. In my home town of Houghton le Spring you'll find Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve, which is more than handy for me as it's only a few minutes drive to the site.

Rainton Meadows and Joe's Pond can be found by following the brown signs from the A690 between Durham and Sunderland. By bus, the services 222 and 220 regularly leave Park Lane in Sunderland, or the bus station in Durham and set down at the nearby Mill Inn. There's a short walk under the A690 continuing until you reach the last roundabout of the industrial estate. The entrance to the Reserve is called Mallard Way.

During the Spring and Summer months I make regular visits, usually with my son who gets as much enjoyment from the place as I do. Many species of wildlife can be seen here, including Foxes, Hares, Rabbits and Owls, as well as breeding birds such as Swans, Geese, Grebes, Kestrels and Warblers, to name just a few.

Armed with a 300mm lens and Canon 7D body I usually pull in some decent shots, especially during April to July when the Mute Swans are nesting and the cygnets readily feed from visitors - subject to parental approval of course. Don't get too close as you might get a clout! There is normally two new families of Mute Swans on the reserve each year and each nest is normally visible from the designated paths.

Swans usually pair for life and have elaborate courtship rituals including the famous heart shape they make with their necks. They normally start breeding in their fourth year. The male, or cob, is larger than the female or pen and when together the longer neck, larger webbed feet and larger black berry of the male make identification much easier. Unfortunately many young swans die each year but some live to about 25 years in favourable conditions. The cob will establish a territory large enough to supply his future family with sufficient food and will valiantly defend it against all comers, whether they be other swans, foxes or intrusive humans. Swans are protected birds and it is illegal to harm them or steal their eggs.

The male and female choose the nest site together and use any material within about 40 feet to make the nest. The pen lays between 1 to 12 eggs, the average being 6. The eggs are laid every other day and only when the last egg has been laid does incubation start. The incubation period lasts about 35 days and the pen only comes off the nest for very short periods to drink and stretch her legs. The cob takes over after a recognition head lifting ceremony. The cob will defend the nest against foxes, dogs and other predators. Cygnets normally take to the water 24 hours after the last cygnet has hatched, usually in May. The parents do not feed them, but the pen will 'foot paddle' to bring food to the surface for cygnets to eat and pull out reeds which the young would otherwise be unable to reach. One parent will always be on guard and they often travel in line with one parent at the back, the other in front. The pen will carry the young ones on her back.

The swan family is very close and if a cygnet is lost, the parents will often look for it up to a week. Natural predators are pike, foxes, mink and cold wet weather. Unfortunately man poses further hazards. Nature has been clever with the swan's moulting period when they cannot fly. The moult takes about 6 weeks and for non-breeding birds takes place about July time. A pair with cygnets moult at different times, first the pen and then the cob in August to September so that one of them can always defend the young.

Here is a couple of photographs I took on Sunday morning (27th Feb) - the first was taken at Rainton Meadows (Pond 1) and the second at Joe's Pond which is situated at the other end of the reserve, near the Rainton Bridge Industrial Estate . Lastly, I have uploaded a short video clip of a nest site in the reeds at Pond 1, captured last May, showing newly hatched cygnets. Only a few chicks are visible but the full clutch of ten eggs hatched successfully.

A nice taster for what is round the corner in 2011. Spring is almost here!
Cheers, catch ya later.
Ash

RETRO 2 - Skyclad Live, Huntingdon '04

Another visit to the RETRO archives brings you more live music, featuring Skyclad. Before I go any further, may I enlighten you regarding this bunch of middle-aged tearaways...

Skyclad are often referred to as ‘The Originators of ‘Folk-Metal’ – a sub-genre of metal that mixes thrash/speed metal elements with traditional instruments and folk-style melodies – as typified by their seminal album ‘The Wayward Sons Of Mother Earth’ (1991). The band produced a string of highly acclaimed albums – ‘A Burnt Offering For The Bone Idol’ (1992), ‘Jonah’s Ark’ (1993), ‘The Prince Of The Poverty Line (1994) and ‘The Silent Whales Of Lunacy’ (1995) - and gained a reputation as a powerful and energetic live act with many European tour and festival appearances (such as Dynamo Festival, 1992). During the late 90’s, despite several line-up changes, the band continued to develop and experiment with their musical style - producing albums such as ‘Irrational Anthems (1996), ‘Oui Avant Garde a Chance’ (1996), ‘The Answer Machine’ (1997) and ‘Vintage Whine’ (1999) – they even undertook several ‘unplugged’ tours across Europe alongside appearances at festivals such as Wacken Open Air (1998) and ‘The Gods Of Metal’ (1999) before returning with a more ‘metal’ album, ‘Folkemon’ in 2000. Whilst Folkemon proved to be the last album for founder member and vocalist Martin Walkyier, the band decided to continue and released the ‘Swords of a Thousand Men’ single (featuring ‘Eddie Tenpole’ himself) and the ‘unplugged’ album ‘No Daylights Nor Heeltaps’ in 2002.

A new studio album ‘A Semblance Of Normality’ followed in 2004. As well as having all the usual folk instruments and influences, this album also featured the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and was well received by both fans and media worldwide. ‘Semblance’ marked the start of an exciting new chapter for Skyclad, who, while continuing to play in strongholds such as Germany (Dong Open Air, 2003 & 2005 and Burgfolk, 2004), also made successful appearances in new territories such as Sweden (the ’34,000 ton of Metal’ Cruise, 2004), the Czech Republic (Rock Café, Prague, 2005), Finland (Tuska Open Air, 2005) and Portugal (Beja, 2005). All this live work culminated in a full European Tour in early 2006, which took in ten countries, and the release of the ‘Jig-A-Jig’ EP – which the band produced themselves as a special one-off release for the tour. Since then, as well as playing gigs and festivals across Europe – including the ‘Battle of Metal’ 2007 and Club Tochka in Moscow in 2007 and ‘Folk’n’Roll 2008’ in Pecs, Hungary - Skyclad have written and recorded a new full-length studio album (the band’s twelfth). Entitled ‘In The…All Together’, this ten-track album was recorded in Italy during August 2008. Again, as with ‘Semblance’, Dario Mollo engineered and mixed the album at his ‘Damage Inc’ studio in Ventimiglia. However, unlike ‘Semblance’, this album was recorded completely by the band members – so there are no ‘guests’ or orchestras etc. This was a deliberate move to try and keep the recordings as ‘live and fresh’ as possible and one aimed at taking the band into the studio ‘all together’. This wasn’t exactly a ‘back to basics’ strategy, as the songs on the new album are far from basic as the band continues to experiment with odd timings and tunings. Another benefit of this approach is that Skyclad will be able to play more of the album songs live. ‘In The… All Together’ is scheduled for release by Scarlet Records in late spring 2009.The band continue to record and tour in 2011, continuing the Skyclad legacy that is now into its 22nd year!

I'd previously met the members of Skyclad, in late January 2004 and again a few weeks later. The first occasion was to photograph them separately as they needed headshots for their forthcoming album sleeve. The second meeting was at a local venue, Bede's World, where I took some location shots of the band as a unit. The resulting shots will be uploaded here in another RETRO entry - coming soon!

In April 2004 I was invited to photograph Skyclad at the Celtic Warriors 12th Birthday Bash in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire (same bill as The Quireboys). By the time Skyclad entered the stage the venue was filling up quite nicely, but still fairly short of capacity. From memory, I think they were pencilled in for a forty minute slot, before ageing rockers Saxon took their turn. The band kicked off with a couple of songs that typified their opinions of disapproval towards government rule down the years - outspoken tales of torment, quite often shared with others during a drunken stupor. Seven years on it's not easy to remember the full set-list of songs that Skyclad delivered, but notable inclusions were Parliament Of Fools, Another Drinking Song, The Widdershins Jig, Penny Dreadful and Inequality Street. The audience lapped it up, which was a surprise to me because I felt Skyclad were 'Off the wall' compared to the more heavier metal bands on the bill at Huntingdon. Biddle on the fiddle is a prime example of that - I mean, how many metal bands include a violinist? It didn't matter though, as Skyclad were up there on merit and this was reinforced by appearing so high on the bill, with only Saxon and The Quireboys ahead of them on the day. Frontman Kevin Ridley was well up for it - his banter between songs was very amusing and kept the crowd entertained. It was almost as funny as his inability to pitch a tent just a couple of hours earlier on the nearby field! Oh well, tents and rock gods don't go hand in hand, do they (wink).

A mixture of acoustic and electric guitar gave a nice blend, courtesy of Ridley and Steve Ramsey, the 'Bouncer' of the group. Graeme English, or 'Bean' to his friends, powered in with some strong bass lines just in front of my camera - I managed to capture one or two of his 'moments' during the show, as seen here. Couldn't help but laugh at his regulation steel capped boots on the day - I have a similar pair - Arco, I do believe. All in keeping with rough and ready image of the preverbial rock star who couldn't give a gnats chuff. At the back, as per, was young drummer Arron Walton, who I couldn't reach with my bog standard lens so he doesn't appear on this blog - sorry mate! A polished performance nevertheless.

Probably the highlight of Skyclad's performance was when Georgina Biddle stepped off the stage during a song and played fiddle in the photographers pit, right next to us. The crowd showed immediate appreciation by cranking up the noise levels, before she vanished backstage. The forty minute set was over in a flash - where did that go! It was time for the encore, a blast from the past in the shape of 'Swords Of A Thousand Men', the Tenpole Tudor song from 1981. I'd been tipped off about this song being the encore, so I switched my camera into movie mode and filmed the whole song - 3 minutes duration. The audio is quite distorted due to the position I was filming from, just feet away from the PA speakers. Shot in Mpeg, the video is included here on this blog entry - not HD quality by any stretch, but a recording that sits nicely in the archives and a permanent reminder of my debut in the photographers pit.

SKYCLAD VIDEO FOOTAGE (above) - Swords Of A Thousand Men.

Thanks for visiting!

AC

Click here for full slideshow of Skyclad Live, Huntingdon, April 2004

RETRO 1 - Quireboys Live, Huntingdon '04

Welcome to my new RETRO blog entries, where I revisit past times when the camera was once again at my side. My first RETROspective blog entry is an account of a live music concert that I attended a few years ago. The event, in April 2004, was the Celtic Warriors 12th Birthday Bash in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. The all day event was held at an unusual venue - an animal shelter!

Rockers, Hells Angels and anyone wearing black attended the event which also offered overnight camping on the adjacent fields. Proceedings kicked off shortly after lunch time as over a dozen bands appeared on the bill. Most of the bands fell into the Heavy Metal category, with a couple of tribute acts thrown in for good measure. The shelter was half full during the afternoon and on entering the venue we were met by a sea of black and more leather than a SCS warehouse!

The Quireboys were headlining this event and they took to the stage at 9.00pm prompt. The two supporting acts were Saxon and Skyclad, which will be featured in another RETRO blog entry in the next few days. We were backstage from 7.00pm courtesy of an Access All Areas pass that we were given, as we were photographing the event for Skyclad, a folk/metal five-piece band from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. A brief insight into background of The Quireboys begins here...

The Quireboys are an English hard rock band formed in 1984 in London, England, with strong ties to Newcastle. When the band formed they were originally known as The Queerboys and later as the London Quireboys in the United States. The band were successful during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their debut album A Bit of What You Fancy reaching number 2 on the UK charts. Their highest charting single for the band was with the song "Hey You", it reached number 14. With a new drummer, Rudy Richman, they began working on the follow-up, Bitter Sweet & Twisted, which was released in 1993; but the birth of grunge changed the music scene and they were left behind. Axl Rose asked them to join the "Use Your Illusion Tour" with Guns N' Roses, and they followed the band for a while during their 1993 summer European tour. In 1993, the Quireboys broke up but briefly reformed live in 1995 with different members. A more permanent reformation came in 2001 when frontman Spike, guitarist Guy Griffin and bassist Nigel Mogg put together a new line-up. The band is still active, recording new material and playing live. In 2010, The Quireboys teamed up with Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott to record an album under the name 'Down N Outz'. Two singles have been released to date, both of which are covers of Mott The Hoople songs: England Rocks (June 2010) and Overnight Angels (January 2011). Down N Outz will be supporting Paul Rodgers on tour in April 2011.

Backstage was a bit of an eye opener. The brick shithouse of a bouncer let us through the security gate after we flashed our passes and we were met by a guy sitting at a table who's job it was to make 'rock n'roll cigarettes' for all who fancied one. I politely declined the offer before walking through to the dressing room area directly behind the stage. After a few minutes I felt half-stoned just from passive smoking. I'm pretty sure on a clear day you'd be able to see the main stage!!!

As Quireboys were preparing to hit the stage we had a chat with Spike, lead singer of the band, who introduced us to one of the guitarists who was from Blyth in Northumberland. Spike insisted that we shared his bottle of Jack Daniels as we chatted. Not being one to turn down a free swig of the good gear I duly obliged, as a flashgun went off in front of us (see photo 1). I then took a photo of Spike with his rather gorgeous girlfriend - the lucky so and so. And that was that. The MC introduced Quireboys and the lads made their way onto the stage, accompanied by the theme music from the 1970's TV show 'Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads'.

At this time we headed past the engineers desk and out front and into the photographers pit, facing hundreds of rockers in the audience as we went. Sitting next to the barrier facing the stage I got me hair ruffled a few times off the rock chicks directly behind me. Nowt to do, other than laugh it off, he he. The show was quickly underway and the place was jumping. I'd never seen Quireboys play live so I was looking forward to what they had to offer. It was Rock n' Roll all the way. I photographed at will, between supping Stella Artois from the stock of four tins I'd bought earlier from the bar. The PA system right in front of us done nothing for our hearing, although the music was good and not too distorted. This was loud stuff alright. After three songs me heed was ringing and the 5% dizzy watta didn't help either. God knows how I managed to get some decent shots - I was dizzy as the preverbial duck - some people coin the phrase 'Pissed as a fart'. Aye, that was me!

It was a great night and one that I'll always remember. These AAA passes are a bit of alright.

I'd write more but that's all I can rembember, to be honest. The rest, as they say, is just a blur!

More RETRO to follow. Thanks for reading.

Ash

Durham By Night

With a couple of hours to kill I made an early evening mid-week trip along the A690 towards Durham City - Land Of The Prince Bishops. This would be my first visit to Durham Cathedral with my recently aquired Canon 10-20mm wide angle lens, so I was looking forward once again to seeing more results via the new glass.

The change in temperature was very noticable as another Spring season seems to be nudging ever closer. The walk from Prince Bishops Car Park to the Cathedral was a short one, taking no more than five minutes, so it wasn't long before I was on site and ready to pull in some decent shots. Palace Green and the adjacent Durham Castle were quiet areas, for a change - they're usually busy parts of the City Centre, but I wasn't complaining.

I took up position at the front of Durham Cathedral, near the gravestones, before I took my first shots. Didn't hang around for long though and disappeared into the building, which was also very quiet, give or take the odd visitor or two. It was then that I passed through the Cathedral into The Cloisters, where the monks dormitories and Chapter House can be found. Bright lights cast shadows across the walls of the Cloisters, which presented an ideal photo opportunity, shown here in my second shot.

After leaving Durham Cathedral I headed over to the nearby Durham Castle, which was illuminated and drawing me in like a moth to bright light. Another focal point of Durham City Centre, especially at night, and given more time I would have photographed from inside the castle walls. Quite pleased with this third shot though, which is a good example of a castle that has stood the test of time - a building that will be around for many more years to come. The Tawny Owl that roosted on the branches above me would have made a decent shot too, so I must get my act together and buy a 300mm telephoto job. Can't be missing out on shots like that again. More shots from this visit can be seen in my Durham Cathedral Gallery on my site at ashleycorr.com.

More blogging to come, including some 'Old' photo's from the ACP archives. I've been raking through a ton of shots that were taken down the years and I'll be uploading a selection of them right here on my Blog. It will be a retrospective visit to places and events that I photographed

before I started my blog page 18 months ago. Some of my archive stuff dates back to the 80's, a time of big hair and silly clothes, amongst other things. I'll be on a few of these shots myself, which will guarantee a good laugh, he he! So hang around, I'll be starting my new RETRO series in the next few days.

In the meantime, thanks for visiting,

Ash

Sunderland Winter Gardens & Museum

A few weeks ago I received an order for a large quantity of postcards that I recently designed. The destination of the cards was Sunderland Winter Gardens & Museum, which is a new outlet I now supply to. The postcards, of local scenes in and around Sunderland, were on display in the gift shop and it was nice to see them sitting alongside other crafts of local interest. There are eleven cards to choose from, all of which follow a similar style and carry their own number on the back as part of a set. The full set consists of seventeen cards at present, with more designs to follow in 2011.

I am hopeful that the Winter Gardens & Museum will shortly be stocking a selection of my limited edition mounted prints, but as yet nothing has been confirmed, so it's a case of 'Watch this space'.

I had a quick look around the Winter Gardens before I left the building, taking a few shots along the way. The place is very well maintained and although it was fairly quiet, I imagine it gets quite busy during peak hours. Had a little chuckle when walking past the museum entrance - there it was, the first Sunderland built Nissan Bluebird, in Arctic White. If I rembember correctly it was presented to Prince Charles but he donated it back to the Museum some years later. I wonder why? Maybe he wasn't too keen on it - who knows. Nissan build much better cars these days - have you seen the Cube!!!!!!! he he.

With the days starting to get longer and the nights getting lighter, I'll be out and about with the camera in the next few weeks. No more sunrise shots until the back end of 2011. Can't be doing will 4.00am starts in the summer - no thanks.

Spring is almost upon us and I've got my eye on a 70-300mm Canon lens for some nature shots. The 10-22 wide angle lens will be put to the test with plenty of landscape shots, so there's enough to look forward to as far as new stuff is concerned.

Also targeting more outlets to sell my work through in 2011. I'll keep you posted on any new developments as and when they happen. Until then, keep popping back to ashleycorr.com for the latest site updates, as well as new blog entries. Plus there's more TV clips to follow, as well as my own High Definition video clips, captured on my Canon 7D. Until then...ta ta!

Ash

Seven Sisters On The Box (Parts 23 & 24)

Two more television clips to bring you, folks. Tyne-Tees television broadcasted one of my photo's last week, on two separate nights. On the first night, my latest shot of the Seven Sisters was shown on the weather bulletin, followed a few nights later during the news bulletin itself, which was a nice surprise. It was picked out by new presenter Kerrie Gosney, who is familiarising herself with the area through photo's like mine, which has a story behind it.

The 'Copt Hill' monument includes the round barrow known as Seven Sisters. It is situated in arable land on the western flank of Copt Hill and is 300m south of Copt Hill public house. Excavation of the barrow in 1877 revealed that the primary burial was a Neolithic cremation, believed to be an example of an axial mortuary structure. There were also several Bronze Age cremations and inhumations, and an early medieval inhumation.

I've heard a few stories relating to the fact that there any only SIX trees, when there should actually be seven, if the name is anything to go by. One was burnt down by charvers. Others say the Seven Sisters were in reality, seven witches. One of the witches died and that same evening one of the trees was struck down by lightning. What to believe, eh?

Recalling the day I took this particular shot...
Leading up to sunset I anticipated a good one. Prior to this particular day we had a few cold and frosty mornings, with decent sunsets, so maybe this occasion would be the pick of the bunch. I quickly got my arse into gear and headed up there as the sun dropped towards the skyline, parking in my usual spot in the Copt Hill pub car park. Within five minutes I was set up and ready to go, right in front of the barrow with the sun about to set right behind it.

Just then, I was joined by a local fella who I had chatted to briefly the night before as he passed me whilst walking his dog. The visitor, Gordon, from just over the way, knew quite a bit of history surrounding the Seven Sisters. Interesting stuff. I told him I was hoping for a good shot to send in to the people at Tyne-Tees Television. As the clouds turned pink he agreed that tonight was going to be a good sunset and he even took a couple of shots of his own, courtesy of his nice iphone. Might have to get one of those! If you're reading this Gordon, let me know - there's a nice print heading your way with you and your mutt on it!

As Gordon and companion crossed over the barrow I quickly tripped the shutter, hoping I'd captured the right moment. I only got one crack at it, as I forgot about setting my camera on continuous shooting mode. I got lucky. One shot and it was a good 'un. Probably my last visit to the Seven Sisters until next winter. I only photograph the trees as a silhouette, when they've shed all their leaves. Not much attraction in the spring and summer seasons, to be honest.

I've got to say though, I love this shot, plus the three exposure panoramic sweep I had the foresight to grab while the sky was in 'full bloom'. Here they are. Hope you like them.
Thanks for visiting!
Ash

BBC Tyne - A Contribution

Hello again. A couple of years ago I submitted a batch of photo's to the BBC Tyne website, which were used in a dedicated gallery to showcase my work. I can't help cringing when I view those pictures now, but I thought they were quite good back then.

Anyway, I received an email from BBC Tyne informing me that they'd used a couple of my old shots in a new gallery, featuring illuminated subjects in the North-East. Here's the link - Joseph Swan's light bulb legacy on Tyneside and Wearside. It features two of my shots and these are image 4 and image 7.

And just for the record, here's that gallery of images I mentioned earlier - Ashley Corr's Northern Highlights. Until the next time, see ya.
Ash

Newcastle Quayside, Revisited

I'm back again, bringing you more drivel about my exploits behind the lens. Well, lately I've been updating my image stock library of Newcastle Quayside, as I have a couple of idea's in the pipeline which I'll be putting together in the next couple of weeks. Because of this, I've been making regular trips to Newcastle during the last month or so after a lengthy absence. The Forbidden City and it's Quayside area is great for photography, as I have probably mentioned before, and low-light work is usually the most effective route to take because of there's so many illuminated points of interest down there.

With the help of Teal Farm Photography I managed to loan a Tamron 55-200mm lens for my trip to Newcastle Quayside earlier tonight. It's a sound peice of kit - just what I need for a shot that needs transferring from my head to the memory card. I know what I'm after, but my bog standard 18-55 job won't cut the mustard for this one. I need to bring those Tyne Bridges right in, filling the frame. I was hoping for a decent sky as a backdrop - as it turned out, it wasn't bad at all!

Not many Geordies about tonight. The place is rather quiet for a Friday. Maybe they're all through Sunderland buying half-season tickets (wink). Anyway, time to test out the Tamron glass, so I'm set up on the Millennium Bridge facing west, towards the Tyne Bridge. The sun had been down for almost an hour by this time, but there were still a few traces of colour in the sky. I'm off and running with my first shot (above), which is all about symmetry. I like this one - it was finally out of my head and now recorded on the card. Mind you, I had to wait long enough to get it! The amount of double decker buses crossing the Tyne Bridge was neebody's business. I didn't fancy one o' them wrecking the shot so I waited til the first bus went off at yon end, only for another one to enter the bridge at the other side - then another, and another, and another. I've heard the one about the Number 10 bus, but this was a prime example of taking the p1ss!!!!! Got there eventually though (smile).

From the same spot on the Millennium Bridge I decided to switch lenses and drop right back for some wide-angle shots, taking in the arch right in front of me, using a Canon 10-22 wide. Again the 'Blinking Eye' was changing colour every ten seconds or so, giving me choices, which are shown here in shots two and three.

With numb fingers once again I made my way off the Millenium Bridge and onto the north side of the River Tyne, more commonly known as the Quayside. This was where I took my last shot (shown here, number four). I cropped this one and got shot of the unwanted. It looks almost panoramic and certainly more effective than the original composition.

Finally, can I say a big THANK YOU to Nagzy, who taught me all I know about photography (wink). His wealth of information has been invaluable to me and I can't thank him enough. He certainly talks a great photograph! I tell you folks, what Nagzy don't know about White Balance just aint worth knowing in the first place. He knows more about ISO settings than I know about Vindaloo...seriously! And hey, if ya wanna aquaint yersel with camera Histograms then Nagzy is the boy to consult - oh yes indeedy. Anyway, Nagz - when is our next trip 'In the field', as it were?

More stuff in the next couple of days, folks. Thanks for visiting A.C's blog once again.

Cheers, Ashley Crumb

Tyne-Tees Television (Parts 20, 21 & 22)

Hello again folks!
Continuing the TV theme for another blog entry, here are more of my shots that appeared on Tyne-Tees Television. The shots were shown back in October 2010 and I recently found them on my hard drive, ready for upload here on my blog. There are 3 in total -

1. Sunrise - Souter Lighthouse, Whitburn
2. Sunrise - The Groyne, South Shields
3. Autumn Leaves - Lumley Castle, Chester le Street

Just a short one tonight folks. I'm off out in a few minutes for some more snapping.
Til the next time...
Ash

Tyne-Tees TV - Pip's Puzzler

Visitors to my Blog will probably be aware that I occasionally submit photo's to Tyne Tees Television, who in turn use them on their daily weather bulletins. In 2010 they showed quite a few of my photo's that I captured in the region and so far in 2011 I have only submitted one, which was shown earlier this week. This time, my photo wasn't shown on a weather bulletin, but another feature called 'Pip's Puzzler' which ITV runs every few days. The puzzler shows a photograph of a local scene that has been sliced into peices and jumbled up. Viewers are then asked to identify the scene by emailing the presenter with their answer. This is the first time ITV have used one of my photo's for Pip's Puzzler, which is a nice change from the weather bulletins, but they don't mention the photographers name...ah well!

Whilst taking photo's on Penshaw Hill I decided to send one in to ITV, so I left a gap at the left-hand side of the frame, as this is where the weather presenter usually stands when the photo's are shown. So, without further ado, and just for the record, here is the original image.
It's a tad better than the 'Squeshed' version they showed on yon telly!
Cheers, Ash

Approaching The Big Four Zero!

Yes, almost 40 folks!
By the way, that's not my age - it'll be a while before I reach that milestone (wink).
My website, ashleycorr.com, has had almost 40,000 hits since it's introduction back in 2005, with a steady rise in the first couple of years, through to a steep rise over the last 18 months or so.

My work has been advertised through certain channels, mainly through sales of my work, although I have also generated interest through Commissions, TV exposure and Search Engine Optimisation, amongst others. My website continues to improve through regular updates, including the more recent 'Gallery Revamps' that are a simple case of 'Out with the old and in with the new'. Revamps also include replacing images that were optimised during upload, as quite a few appear slightly out of focus on the page. The slideshow bug that was causing this has now been fixed, so the results should now be visible to the viewer.

Ashleycorr.com will further improve as I intend to upload more video clips to my Blog page, including short clips of my trips in the field. The footage was recorded 'In camera' (Canon 7D) in High-Definition and will be uploaded in the next few weeks. As well as this, I will be updating most pages on my website and also creating new pages which will feature slideshows and pop-up galleries. In the meantime, thanks for visiting, and feel free to tip my hit counter over the '40' mark. Cheers!

AC

From Freezing Cold To Red Hot

Hello again pop-pickers!

Last night I trudged up Penshaw Hill to take some low-light shots of the Monument with my Canon 7D and wide-angle lens. The new lens got a run out at the same location recently, but that was in broad daylight.

The steep steps on the hill were covered in ice so I walked up the grass verge instead, not wanting to go 'Arse over tit' like the last time I was there. During the climb, I only stopped for breath on twelve occasions, which is a record these days, he he. Glad to reach the summit, I stopped for a few minutes and caught my breath back, whilst taking in the view. Another photographer passed me, saying 'Allreet mate' as he went. A Nikon user, by the look of things.

I set my gear up and raked in the side pocket of my bag for the remote control unit. Silly bugger has left it in the house, hasn't he! Oh well, self-timer here I come...six and two three's. Running off a dozen frames or so, I quickly packed up and headed back down the hill. I was bloody numb from head to toe!!!! Was it all worth it, I asked myself. Seems like I got some decent shots, so maybe it was worth it after all.

Back into the car and off to collect my pre-ordered Indian takeaway from nearby Shiney Row. Soon back in the house and sat down with Chicken Vindaloo, plus all the trimmings. From being half frozen I was now sweating profusely. Jesus H - maybe I shoulda' played safe and opted for a Kurma instead, he he.

As I write this blog entry, the morning after, I'm still suffering. Aye, it feels like someone has given my backside the 'Once Over' with a frickin' blowtorch!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well, I hope you like the photo. Must dash, another 'One foot plunge' beckons!

Ash

My First Shots Of 2011 - Newcastle Quayside

Happy New Year!
As we enter a new year and a new decade I hope to bring you more photography from the North-East of England, a place that's full of opportunity behind the lens. Being born and bred in Sunderland, and a keen supporter of the 'Red And White Army', my affinity with Newcastle is almost non-existant, especially where football is concerned. However, as an amateur photographer who partakes in plenty of low-light photography, Newcastle Quayside is one place that is hard to beat when it comes to subject matter. Directly opposite, on the south side of the River Tyne, is Gateshead Quay's, which also offers an abundacnce of photo opportunities. It is on this side of the water that you'll find the Baltic Arts Centre & Sage Gateshead. Looking up the River Tyne you're presented with a series of bridges, which include the Tyne Bridge, Swing Bridge, Redheugh Bridge and Railway Bridge.

Arriving at the Sage car park at 4.20pm, I was set up a few minutes later near the Baltic Arts Centre. The sun was down but there was still plenty of colour in the sky, just where I wanted it, behind the imposing Tyne Bridge. From here I took this first shot of the Millennium Bridge, glowing red before it changed colour every few seconds. The sky was just right - something that's been lacking these past few nights.

It wasn't long before I was standing on the Millennium Bridge and photographing up stream, towards the Sage Gateshead and Tyne Bridge. A four second exposure captured this second shot (shown here), with a brilliant sky offering the perfect backdrop. I really like this shot, as the subtle colours in the sky sit nicely behind the silhouetted Tyne Bridge. I purposely lost some of the sky and water in post-processing to give a tighter crop, which improves the overall image. The shot is now finished in a panoramic format and looks much better than the original uncropped composition.

As my first shot was taken at Gateshead Quay's, followed by one in the middle of the river (on the bridge, I hasten to add), there was only one place left to photograph from. So, my third and final shot in this blog entry was captured across the water on Newcastle Quayside, near the Pitcher & Piano pub. The Millennium Bridge was now changing colour every ten seconds or so, on a repetative loop, from yellow, green and blue, through to purple and red. After a few repetitions it then changed to a variety of colours, in a kind of 'Rainbow' formation. Each colour was thrown out by separate spotlights at the foot of each side of the Millennium Bridge. It certainly made for a great shot!

This place has plenty to offer the photographer. I intend to revamp my 'Newcastle Quayside At Night' page on my website in the next two or three weeks, as I intend to replace some of the images on there with brand new ones. The new stuff will be photographed very soon, as I'll be making a few more journey's to the Quayside in the next few days. This will be all low-light work, although there's a possibility of some daytime shots thrown in for good measure.

And that's about it for now, folks. I hope you like my latest shots, I'm very pleased with them myself. The Canon wide-angle lens comes up trumps again! Thanks for visiting my blog, and don't forget to bookmark my web site, where I will be performing the usual regular updates.

Until the next time, night night all!

Ash

Last Shots Of The Decade!

2010 came to a close and I was in the city of York once again, just like last New Year's Eve. A part of the afternoon was set aside for another visit to York Minster, which is a photographer's dream. The interior achitechture is every bit as stunning as the exterior, plus there was the added bonus of staying warm indoors! A typical winter day outside, so a few layers kept the cold at bay once again. I still had my entrance ticket from last year in my camera bag, so I dodged the £8 entrance fee as the ticket ensured free entry for a full year. Just one day left on my ticket, so in I went.

Now, this is one venue that I couldn't wait to visit again, especially as I was fully equipped with my new Canon wide-angle lens. This lens is tailor made for places like this, so I wasted no time in putting it to the test. I kicked off proceedings by setting my gear up in the Nave, next to the main doors. Out came the Manfrotto tripod, followed by the attachable ball head grip. I set up the 7D and got to grips with the settings before running off a few test shots using the remote control. The lens was right back on 10mm, super wide mode, giving an excellent preview through the viewfinder. There were a few people walking past now and again, but this didn't affect the finished shot, provided they kept on the move.

The lens pulled in some great shots, around thirty in total, which were quite different from the last lot I took in York Minster. With columns at every turn I was expecting some distortion when using the super wide-angle setting, but none was present and the shots couldn't have been better, to be honest.

Just how this place was crafted all those centuries ago is anyone's guess. Who needs modern technology? Naturally, any photographs taken in this building will be packed with detail, and the shots I've uploaded here are no exception. To say each shot is 'Very busy' is an understatement. I was very pleased with these shots as they succeed, in some small way, in demonstrating the sheer scale of the cathedral. The size and ornate detail of the interior is quite awe-inspiring. For me, the best thing about York Minster is that photography is allowed inside. Many churches and cathedrals hold a strict NO PHOTOGRAPHY policy, which is understandable, especially during service hours, but for me this is a perfect opportunity to capture and archive York Minster in photographic form. You just never get sick of looking at this type of photograph. Of course, there's so much to see in the Minster and I feel that I've merely 'Scratched the surface' during this recent visit. I dare say I'll be back quite soon, to explore the Chapter House and other area's of the Cathedral that I never got to see. Who knows, I might even have a dodge up the tower!

Ash

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