A Corroding Frame Of Reference

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A backup photo today, shot at the weekend.

Reminder

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I was doing a (tiny) bit of clearing up tonight and came across this badge from my MR2.
I badly need to get the car back on the road, and this repaired badge back on the car. It had been a bit of a goal for this summer, but that's clearly not happened.
I really miss driving it - it's not fast, but it's extremely good fun, and a million miles away from my normal car.

This did give me an excuse to use the tilt on the new lens though - much more of the badge is in focus than would have been without tilt. More care and a tripod would probably have helped, but the tripod's in the car and I couldn't be bothered to go and fetch it!

I thought I'd stick in a pic of the car when it was on the road a few years ago (after the jump)

Soar

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I've been pretty useless this weekend, doing very little more than lying on the sofa.
I've had to throw out a lot of food that had gone off over the last week or so due mainly to a total lack of energy to cook - I hate doing this in any case, and it particularly pains me too because food waste was always one of Lucy's pet peeves.
I did at least manage to do most of my washing without breaking or wasting anything, which I suppose is slight mitigation.

Evidence Of Autumn

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I went on a mission to the camera shop this afternoon.
While I was walking, I spotted these leaves and pods drifting down the canal, which I thought made for an interesting shot.

A tilt-shift lens followed me home, so I'm hoping to have something to show from that soon.
It's a very long time since I used a camera with lens movements, and even then, I didn't do very much with it - I borrowed a large format camera from the photography department of the uni I worked at in a previous life, so I have some re-learning to do on the Scheimpflug principle.
I did once own most of a 4x5" large format camera that I was working on restoring, but I don't recall exactly what happened to it in the end - I guess the project just dissipated and I lost the bits over time and house moves.
I do remember learning how to make bellows, and I built myself a controller for a Copal 0 electronic shutter I found on eBay. A kind person in the US who I'd met on a photo forum took delivery of it and forwarded it to me, as the seller only offered US domestic shipping.

Texture In Smooth Stuff

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Another possible option for 52Frames texture.
It's interesting to find texture like boulders even on a smooth surface, when you get close enough.
I gelled the flashes in suitably garish colours to bring the texture out more.
This is a 3.5x macro, and is a stack of 22 shots.
The rest of the stone is after the break.

Sticky Business

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A 2x macro shot of a roll of gaffer tape.
Now I have a pile of equipment to put away again 🙃

Interesting Shapes

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I came across this interesting shaped theatre building on a walk this evening.
It's a possible early contender for 52Frames "Texture"

Looking For The Way Out

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Another backup photo today.

2025-09-29

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A backup photo today.

Some silly muppet trying to manoeuvre their van flattened a fence post at the end of my drive, taking my weather station and a light out, so I had to clear that up this evening.
By some stroke of luck, the actual weather station appears to be largely undamaged.

The Fade Out Line(s)

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This one's my submission for this week's 52Frames challenge, "Soundtrack". The song I'm on about is The Fade Out Line by Phoebe Kildeer and The Short Straws.

The lines in the sand reminded me of magnified vinyl record grooves fading out into nothing.

Temporary Mushrooms

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These mushrooms sprung up at the end of my garden. Oddly, they only lasted a day or two before wilting down into mush. I've never seen mushrooms appear and then disappear so quickly.
Not the finest photo, but such is life.

If I Ignore Him For Long Enough, He Might Go Away

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Late posting this one.
My neighbours' cat was perched on my fallen-down gatepost, so I thought I'd make her today's subject.
I may have become mildly delayed going out as a result.

You Have So Many Ears, But You Don't Listen To Me?!

I picked up this chunk of lichen on a walk several weeks ago, and it's been hanging out in a (clean!) poo bag ever since.
I was absolutely knackered after work today, and didn't have the energy to go out, so when I'd recovered at least a bit, I thought it was high time I did something with it.
This is a 5x macro photo made up of 99 stacked shots.
I've added a behind-the-scenes shot to show the scale of the main photo after the jump.

Dribbling Scrawl

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It's a late backup photo today.

Seven Hundred And Thirty One

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Not sure how I'm still here sometimes.
But - after the jump - the million miners still work upon the night's coal face...
(Refer to Out In Space by Travis if you want the full effect)

Selected One

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This one was my 52Frames "one light source" submission last week.
I thought I was going to lose my streak with being away from my lighting gear, but I managed to pull this one together using my little LED torch.
Probably far from perfect, and a macro lens would have delivered much sharper results, but I'm declaring this one a success, at the very least in terms of wrestling victory from the jaws of defeat.

Stumped

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We had to make a visit today that we had all hoped would not be needed so soon.
This place is beautiful, but a place of sadness nonetheless.

This is the GreenAcres Chiltern Memorial Park, where we said our final goodbyes to Lucy a little less than two years ago, and where we must soon gather to say goodbye to another person we love.

It's small comfort, but if we must have these sad times, at least we are fortunate enough to be able to choose to have them in peaceful, natural environments like this, instead of cold, clinical, soulless places.

Unlike Yesterday

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The change in the weather between yesterday and today has been stark.
Last night, my brother-in-law and I sat outside on the patio reminiscing over a bottle of wine until gone 11pm. It was virtually flat calm and remarkably warm for September.
At times today, the glasses and bottle would certainly have been blown over.

Sunbeams And Roses

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It's been a moment to reflect on good times to temper the bad.
I think this may be the first time, certainly the first time in a long time that I've posted a JPEG straight out of the camera on here. They may have a point about "Fuji Colours"...

Old Bridge, New Paint

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2025-09-17

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A backup photo today - another dark shadow has passed over our little corner of existence.

... And It's Not About You Joggers, Who Go Round And Round

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I am quite pleased with this one, I was initially just trying to line the tower up in the viewing platform's window.
As I was mentally lamenting the pillar in the middle of the window, I heard running footsteps approaching, and thought I might be able to catch something like this if I was lucky.
As it happened, the runner came right through the frame in a good spot, and I was able to get the timing about right.

Seasonal Boating

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The name seemed appropriate for the time of year. The boat looked in great shape, it's clearly someone's pride and joy.
This one's a backup, shot yesterday.

Bon Appetighten to 42 Nm (31 ft-lb)

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This is my submission for this week's 52Frames "Out Of Place" challenge.
I quite enjoyed the thinking part of this challenge, coming up with various slightly surreal situations. I had planned to borrow an old rotary dial telephone and take it somewhere odd, but the weather has turned to rain, so I ultimately dropped that plan in favour of this strange out-of-place place setting that I could shoot indoors.
This is the first time in years that I have actually used a flash attached to the top of the camera rather than off-camera on a light stand of some sort. Naturally, It was not actually pointed at the subject, but bounced off the white ceiling.

Catching up 8/8: Finish The Roll

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I had a few frames left, and wanted to develop this roll of film.
There were some interesting clouds, which I wanted to shoot with a red filter to make them pop more against the sky, but I spotted this reflection in one of my doors as I went upstairs to retrieve the aforementioned filter.
I ended up preferring this to the cloud shots. Shot on very expired Ilford Delta 400

Catching up 7/8: Evening Wanderers

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Not a backup photo, for once!

Catching up 6/8: Attach Vessel Here To Avert Mild To Moderate Disaster

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A backup photo, shot a month ago, the day I bought my Fuji X100V.
Shot on very expired Ilford Delta 400. I can't definitively remember what lens, probably the EF50mm f/1.4.

Catching up 5/8: Wait In The Shelter Provided

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A backup photo, shot 2025-09-07.

<verbiage>
You may have noticed a certain radio silence from my general direction. My head exploded due to work. Without going into too much gory detail, I ended up being faced with a requirement to conduct a time based equivalent of fitting a quart into a pint pot, which ended very approximately as well as one might imagine. All this "fun" correlates with me enjoying a bout of shingles, which adds yet more fun to the already copious quantities of fun that was already sloshing around my ankles. Correlation doesn't imply causation of course, but it's quite the coincidence if it's not causally linked...
</verbiage>

Catching up 4/8: Towpath

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A backup photo, shot almost a month ago, the day I bought my Fuji X100V.
Very expired Ilford Delta 400,
This being a film camera witout a databack, I can't definitively remember what lens, but it was probably the EF50mm f/1.4.

<verbiage>
You may have noticed a certain radio silence from my general direction. My head exploded due to work. Without going into too much gory detail, I ended up being faced with a requirement to conduct a time based equivalent of fitting a quart into a pint pot, which ended very approximately as well as one might imagine. All this "fun" correlates with me enjoying a bout of shingles, which adds yet more fun to the already copious quantities of fun that was already sloshing around my ankles. Correlation doesn't imply causation of course, but it's quite the coincidence if it's not causally linked...
</verbiage>

Catching up 3/8: Passing Through

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A backup photo, shot several weeks ago on very expired Ilford Delta 400.
This being a film camera witout a databack, I can't definitively remember what lens, but it was probably the EF100mm f/2.8 L IS Macro.

<verbiage>
You may have noticed a certain radio silence from my general direction. My head exploded due to work. Without going into too much gory detail, I ended up being faced with a requirement to conduct a time based equivalent of fitting a quart into a pint pot, which ended very approximately as well as one might imagine. All this "fun" correlates with me enjoying a bout of shingles, which adds yet more fun to the already copious quantities of fun that was already sloshing around my ankles. Correlation doesn't imply causation of course, but it's quite the coincidence if it's not causally linked...
</verbiage>

Catching up 2/8: I Think Paint Is Sold Here

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This was my 52 Frames submission for the "Shoot From Above" challenge.
A literal 11th-hour effort this week, I had a very busy week with work, and the weather wasn't suitable for drone operations while it was still light on Sunday. As a result, I found myself standing on the edge of the locked-up car park of a retail park brandishing the drone controller at 11PM.
I was initially just going for the patterns in the parking spaces, but the spilt paint splotches caught my eye as telling an interesting little story about the DIY shop that is closest to these spaces!

<verbiage>
You may have noticed a certain radio silence from my general direction. My head exploded due to work. Without going into too much gory detail, I ended up being faced with a requirement to conduct a time based equivalent of fitting a quart into a pint pot, which ended very approximately as well as one might imagine. All this "fun" correlates with me enjoying a bout of shingles, which adds yet more fun to the already copious quantities of fun that was already sloshing around my ankles. Correlation doesn't imply causation of course, but it's quite the coincidence if it's not causally linked...
</verbiage>

Catching up 1/8: Dandelion Clock Says Time For Bed.

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A backup photo, shot 2025-09-05.

<verbiage>
You may have noticed a certain radio silence from my general direction. My head exploded due to work. Without going into too much gory detail, I ended up being faced with a requirement to conduct a time based equivalent of fitting a quart into a pint pot, which ended very approximately as well as one might imagine. All this "fun" correlates with me enjoying a bout of shingles, which adds yet more fun to the already copious quantities of fun that was already sloshing around my ankles. Correlation doesn't imply causation of course, but it's quite the coincidence if it's not causally linked...
</verbiage>

Turn Around And Locate The Moon

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[much verbiage is redacted]

Incidental Gobo

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Late posting this one that I spotted as I was leaving work.
I quite liked the way this plant was caught in the evening sun.

2025-09-03

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It's a backup photo today, work has succeeded in entirely flattening my will to live.
I don't seem to be able to write coherently without being obscenely whiny tonight, so I'll limit myself to saying that if I never crossed paths with a protection relay again, it'd be a substantial win.

Finally, if all broadcast radio apparatus would kindly arrange to go up in smoke (or out in a shower of sparks, I'm not picky) at some point before 08:00 BST tomorrow, that would be marvellous.
I have no idea how people can actively choose to listen to commercial radio stations. Hideous, brain-rotting, advert-infested noise machines that should have no place in a civilised workplace.

They Tell Me There's An Aurora Out There Somewhere

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I can't see it though, so I'm going to inflict a self-portrait of sorts on you instead.

Awakening Vineyard

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Late posting this one; it's really rather a pleasant view to wake up to.
That wraps up my trip to Three Choirs Vineyard.
I didn't take as many photos as I'd perhaps intended to, but I did enjoy the wine, so no complaints.

Cloudburst

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I just made it to my room at Three Choirs Vineyard before we had quite the downpour.
It cleared up nicely afterwards though (after the jump)

Lights, Camera, Inaction

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I missed the shot I'd initially wanted to catch (harsh sunlight and some interesting shadows) because I was shovelling a rather delicious shakshuka into my face.
Losses and gains, I suppose!

Cornflower Blue

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... Isn't necessarily blue, as it turns out.

An impromptu trip to a wildflower field straight after work yielded this. I only had the RX100V with me (I often keep it in my work bag with my thermal camera, as its high-speed video mode can be useful for finding faults). It's a bit lacking in macro abilities, but it has done pretty acceptably on this one.
By some miracle, its battery was even mostly charged up!

Slightly Rained On, Not Rained Off

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One from a slightly damp walk with Bailey this evening. I quite liked the bird and walkers all broadly in alignment with the rainbow.

I had misplaced the strap I use with the R5, and then forgotten this fact, so I was left juggling the camera on a short wrist strap, as well as the lead and other doggy accoutrements, which was a trifle inconvenient.
After that experience, the proper strap has now been re-located and restored to its rightful place!

Fade Out, Vividly.

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Plus a couple more (after the jump) from last night that I couldn't post because of IG's odd attitude to mixed aspect ratio photos.

It turns out I'd forgotten how useful an internal flash can be, and the X100V has reminded me.
The acorn shot needed a little touch of fill light to get proper exposure on the subject while keeping some colour and detail in the sky. The internal flash, turned way down to (I think) 1/64 power, was perfect for this.
Also: Dog tax! I've been looking after Bailey while his mum's on holiday, so I thought I'd better get a shot of him in somewhere!

On The Turn

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The year is certainly moving on quite visibly now. It's been a couple of weeks since I walked in this park, and I really noticed the difference tonight.

It appears that the reward for half-killing myself last week extinguishing metaphorical fires is a similarly metaphorical conflagration of such proportions that it risks consuming my desk, everything on it, and most of what has passed across it in the last two years.
How fabulous.

Have A Wobble

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I did.

Sundowner

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I finally got round to putting the drone up again this evening.
Another 37 minutes in the log, and I don't think the photo is too bad either!

Sunny Character

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This one's probably going to be my submission for this week's @52frames #52frames_lowkey challenge.
As I used a single flash, this one's eligible for the EC this week.

Messing Around In The Dark

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It was quite late when I went out this evening, and the light was fading fast. I spotted this heron and thought I'd give it a go regardless.

Modern cameras and Lightroom are amazing.
This was shot at ISO 12,800 (yay for high ISO performance and Lightroom's noise reduction), 1/25 sec at 200mm (yay for image stabilisation), with the lens wide open at f/2.8
For the uninitiated, that shutter speed is almost 10 times slower than the usual rule of thumb would dictate, and I'm not the most steady-handed of people at the best of times.

I'm not unhappy with this under the circumstances.

I've put the straight out of camera image after the jump. This is why photographers won't give you their RAW files 😁

No / No / Maybe

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Almost made it to the bank holiday...
For the first time in what feels like forever, I had my office to myself today. Despite the now ever-present background din and cacophony from the workshop, it was a very welcome change.

This bridge is currently being repainted, and they have placed buoys and signal lights on it, so I thought I'd capture it with the extra lights before they're gone.

Yelephone Call For You

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A truly terrible pun, sorry!
[is absolutely not sorry]

A backup photo today, but somewhat relevant as I've spent rather a lot of time building up to a railway related meeting today. It went better than it might have done.

I(II)

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Memories Sparkle On.