Sunday 29 December 2013

And is there honey still for tea?

So, to say it has been an eventful Christmas would be putting it mildly... It started OK when I fetched my parents from Scarborough and drove down through the storm to end all storms... After that we had a great time... Quinn really enjoyed Christmas Day and I enjoyed cooking and preparing the usual - roast turkey etc. That was fine...  The dawned Boxing Day... My Dad had a bad turn - blood pressure plummeted and the Paramedics were duly summoned - he came out of it and was OK. NHS - brilliant - whatever they say the girl on the phone and the two paramedics were superb... Whilst this was happening, my Mother was suffering from a migraine upstairs... all through Christmas Lucy had a bad cold and Quinn had a bad cough... I was becoming tired...

So we move to the next day... Friday... and a short walk to show my Mum the fen and amazingly that went OK..

Then Saturday... we went to Grantchester... home of Rupert Brooke and Jeffrey Archer...

The mill by the river at Grantchester...

The church clock standing nearly at ten to three.. (five minutes late...)...

And so to today... finally I managed to get out with my camera... FINALLY!!! The morning dawned cold and frosty and I wandered down onto Wicken Fen, just outside my back door... what did I find?

 Common reed (Phragmites australis) with early morning sun...

Sunrise amongst the reeds...

 Lesser burdock (Arctium minor) with ice...

 Grasses with frost

Cleavers (Galium aparine) seeds with frost...

It was a truly beautiful morning - all memories of rain and wind vanish on a cold, clear, frosty morning spent on a nature reserve...

In addition to species, I also looked at habitats, enhanced by the frost and early morning light...
Fenland in frost...


Monk's Lode in winter...


Washland with ice and winter sun...

Truly the highlight of the Christmas break on a personal level... However, I have been punished today as I had a flat tyre whilst out and about... Grrrrr!

What can be in store for me next I wonder... Stay tuned to This Site to keep up to date... I must say I am really enjoying shooting this sort of stuff again... wildlife is where I am at - keep your fingers crossed for 2014...

Well, that about wraps it up for this week and indeed, this year... The next blog will be in 2014 so I shall wish you all a Happy New Year, hope you all have a good party or whatever you have planned for this coming week, and hopefully I will see you all again next time.  I shall raise a glass to you all...



Don't forget to pass on this blog to whoever you feel would enjoy it...

TTFN



Saturday 21 December 2013

Good Christian Men Rejoice...

It has been a momentous week - just imagine, the week before Christmas and instead of planning for the festivities I have been agonising about photography; or rather the images I shoot... or more accurately the way I perceive myself as a photographer.  You see, up until this week I have always seen myself as a general, jobbing photographer... I'll shoot anything... that kind of thing... Well, whilst I will still shoot anything that pays (not going to turn down work am I?) I have taken a seriously hard look at the images I shoot, what I enjoy shooting and what I shoot best. I think it was on Tuesday that the light started to shine through... You see in addition to being a photographer, I am also a field ecologist (even more specifically I am a botanist). To me what I should be shooting is plants... As simple as that... I love plants, love studying them, love photographing them...  I read in a book once that you should always try to find what makes you happy then find a way to make it pay... I'm nearly 50... I should give it a go... So that is what I am going to aim for... So whist I will still do tutorials, and take bookings for other work, I intend to specialise in plant photography...

This sort of thing...

 woodland moss...
 different species of moss...
 sycamore leaf...
oak leaf...

Well, that's what you get in the winter... In the summer...

 ornamental roses...
 cornflower...
 sunflower...
teasel...

You will also notice a change in presentation... I like the border around the image... it adds a level of professionalism and helps separate the image from the back ground. Also of note, the Identity Plate on the bottom will be in a colour to match the image... I like that subtlety...

But plant photography doesn't just mean individual blooms or leaves... it means habitats as well... like this...

reed and sedge bed...

or this...

grasses and harebells...

and... (yep there is more) I also will look at recording associated species... like...

damage to leaf caused by a leaf-miner...

Of course, whilst out with my camera I will continue to capture other wildlife if the opportunity arises... this sort of thing...


moorhen...

So, what do you think? Good idea? Well, we can only see... Wish me luck...

On a different tack I received a lovely, heartfelt message of thanks from a fellow pro whom I taught. It is great to teach someone and watch them develop their talents... it is also great to be appreciated!  This is what she wrote...

"In the excitement of launching, I want to give a special shout out to my friend and photography mentor of Alex Scott of Alex JP Scott Photography.

I embarked on a series of tutorials here in Abu Dhabi with Alex, knowing that I wanted to take my photography from keen amateur to pro level. He tailored my lessons according to what I needed – from theory, discussions, photography walks, gear shopping trips, online reading & study links, to setting me homework challenges, then discussing the results. Always aware to take me out of my photography comfort-zones.
 
With his guidance and endless patience he has coaxed the (very) shy pro-photographer out of me… and has witnessed my skills develop and bloom over the last ten months. They say: “The only photographer you should compare yourself to, is you”… and I can see how far I have developed in this time.
So here and now, on my professional FB Page: Here’s a huge thank you Alex - from the bottom of my heart. I would never have had the confidence to launch Victoria Akbik Photography without you! I aim to make you proud and vow to continually learn, improve, and challenge myself in both artistry and technical skill.

Always truly grateful xXx"
It means a lot... Thanks Vicky...

New images will be uploaded here as usual... so if you FB... keep an eye out - if you haven't yet "Liked" me ... go on... it costs nothing!

So, that about wraps it up for this week... I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year...



TTFN



Sunday 15 December 2013

They vanish right into the air...

FOG!!! Yep, the week down here in the Fens has been marked by fog... that and a day of rain... pretty frustrating for a photographer... The only real frustration was during the tutorial on Wednesday as the shoot session was planned for this week... We ventured forth with a forecast that promised brightness by mid morning - this didn't happen, so we had to contend with water vapour that hung in the air like a cloak... I will be seeing my pupil's images next week... here are a few of mine...



Industrial landscape... play Misty for me!


I like the way the boat seems to float like the bird - on air...


A rower from Cambridge University...

There is an ethereal feel to the images and the lack of colour just reminds me of a quote by Van Gogh "There are no colours, only shades of grey" Looking at these, he was right... although when you move away from landscapes and start looking at the details, you can get rich colours... dense shades of grey...


With strong sun on these leaves the colour would be washed out...


I like the three cygnets swimming line-astern... on the look out for food...

I failed to get out with the camera until today... I did manage to get an advertisement into the local paper though...

 so you never know...

So today I managed to get out and about... only had a few minutes though... but captured this...


I just love the bokeh on this... and the light through the seed heads - for those who are interested, the plant is cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata). We shall see what tomorrow brings... I did however have a look at our Christmas tree. I do this every year... just for a bit of macro fun...


 Apart from all that I had an enquiry that came to nothing (weep sob) and some other interested noises that may or may not come to something... let's see shall we...

That about wraps it up for this week... a bit quiet... let's hope for some decent light in the next week... check for updates here...

RIP Madiba...



TTFN




Sunday 8 December 2013

It's Comin' on Christmas...

Yep, as Joni put it... "They're puttin' up trees..." The festive season is fast approaching... all that merriment, mince pies, booze, office parties etc. is just around the corner... I trust all of you out there have bought all your presents etc? No, well neither have I, although three arrived for Quinn yesterday... Good old Amazon. I wonder if in years to come Father Christmas will be replaced by our favourite on-line good supplier... humm. The outside's of people's houses instead of illuminated little men in red suits will have a big blue A...

Personally I would miss this...


I love all that tinsel, baubles, glitter etc... I think today is the day we put up our tree... pine needle time again.

So, what else has been happening? Well the big news was the tidal surge along the east coast. Many years ago I lived and worked on a nature reserve near The Wash called Gibraltar Point... still my favourite place and harbour of many happy memories. Two very good friends of mine live there and have had to watch as the inundation from the sea over topped the sea defenses and flooded the site... My best wishes to them... A similar story exists all along the Lincolnshire coast where many more wonderful reserves have been damaged... I hope it won't be long before Gib is looking like this again...


Of course the main sadness of the week was the passing of Nelson Mandela... may he rest in peace... wouldn't it be nice if other world politicians learned some of his humanity...

Back to photography... I spent an interesting day in Cambridge doing a bit of street shooting...


market stalls... always colourfull...


I love the posters on the railings...and of course the bikes...


some sort of political message perhaps?


street trader stall... I didn't even know you could still get bowler hats...


hummm... what to see tonight...

and on the way back, I stopped in Ely...


found a swan...


and managed to capture this decisive moment!

Yesterday, we had a great day out in London at Tate Britain... superb art and a stunning building...





The Art Critics...

Well, that about wraps it up for this week... hope you like the pictures... regular updates in the usual place of course... I wonder if the snow will come for Christmas? I hope not, our boiler is playing up...

See you all next week...

TTFN

Alex