Playback Time

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I spent some time this evening reviewing the recording from the gig I did sound for the other night.
In hindsight, there wasn't enough bass guitar in the mix.
In my defence, I am "musically challenged", so while I'm very comfortable driving the technology side of things, I barely know a G sharp from a treble clef.
Most of my sound experience has been in recording spoken word and sound for video rather than live music PA.
More practice is required!

My camera has also started throwing errors again. How perverse of it. It must have heard the warranty expiring.

Thirty-Second Descent

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This one's my frankly rather indifferent submission for this week's 52Frames "Fluid" challenge. I am claiming the EC this time though, as I used an ND filter, which let me push the exposure time out to half a minute to blur the water.
I feel like I've run out of creative energy recently, probably due to the relentless stream of nonsense going on at work.
I'm hoping that this will go away soon, one way or another!

2025-06-28

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Late and a backup today.
I was out all afternoon and evening doing my soundman bit (The 2nd photo, after the jump, is a wonky snapshot from my phone).
The punters seemed to enjoy the show, so I'm calling that a win.

You Must Stop

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At least for a while.

I finally had a bit of success towards getting my little MR2 back on the road today with some help from my dad. After about two and a half years on jack stands, it's back on its wheels, and parked with the power of its own handbrake!

This shot's a revisit of one I took last year. I think it's a significant improvement - last year's shot is here

Portal

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A backup photo today.

Take A Long Hard Look At Yourself

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[Rant Redacted]

I crashed out hard after work today and fell asleep on the sofa, so I never got round to going out for a walk (or doing anything else).
I was reaching for the backup bucket, but I finally managed to haul my vast bulk off my lazy backside and took this flower off my Fuchsia for a bit of macro treatment.
The Fuchsia has just burst into flower in the last couple of days, and is looking lovely. Granny Pat would have been most pleased with it, and I'm reminded of her every time I see it.

This one's made up of 62 shots stacked in Helicon Focus.
Judging by the amount of retouching I had to do to make this presentable, my sensor is about due for a good clean!

Jasmine

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I had no idea what this bush actually was until fairly recently. It grows like wildfire every year, completely taking over my garden path, so I've always referred to it as the triffid.
It seems to have a particularly potent scent this year, particularly in the evenings. It's a shame I can't post the smell online!

This is a focus stack of 20 shots, fairly crudely done by turning the focus ring carefully by hand between shots. Stacked in Helicon Focus.
I tried using Helicon Remote initially to control the camera, but the minimum step size seemed to be massive for some reason, so I abandoned that because I wasn't enjoying the process.

2025-06-24: Night Watch

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Late posting this one from last night.

I don't recall having seen this old signal box lit up before, and I thought it made for an interesting photo.

Grab And Go

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This one’s my submission for 52Frames' "Daily Ritual" challenge.
It took me a while to come up with something that fit "ritual". I'm not a particularly ritualistic person, but I do like my coffee and breakfast brioche swirl in the morning, so that felt like a good subject.
I'm usually in a rush, so the motion blur style and chaotic angle also felt like a good fit.

Await Directions

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Quite a pleasant evening walk on the longest day of the year.

Flowers In The Window

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For no reason in particular, I went back to the 6D II for this one today.
For all of the technical and quality of life advantages of the mirrorless R5, there is still something nice about seeing a real optical image through the viewfinder.
It is weird not to be able to review images in the viewfinder though, I've got very used to that since I got the R5, particularly for a quick check, or when it's too bright to see the screen. I instinctively hit play with my eye to the viewfinder and wondered why I was still seeing a live image for a moment, until the 'duh' hit me!

2025-06-19: Twilight Track

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Late posting again.
I went for a dusk walk with my parents after helping them with a little plumbing job.

Be Upstanding

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A backup photo again today. I got home from work and just crashed out. Partly the heat, partly nonspecific disillusionment, I think.

Pfft to the lot of it. I shall consume whisky immediately.

2025-06-17: Union

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Late posting this one.
I keep noticing this neon sign and its reflection when I walk down here. I've not been overly satisfied with my previous attempts to capture it, but I don't hate this one.

Principally Parallel

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A backup photo from a few days ago.
I thought the parallel tracks in the way this barley is planted looked interesting.

Walk With Me, I'm Cracking Up!

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I took this on a walk after visiting my sister-in-law, who is in hospital dealing with yet another complication of a chronic condition. Her husband and / or parents are almost constantly at her side to support and advocate for her.
My initial title was simply "Walk With Me", but the resolutely marching figure despite the cracking paint, coupled with the original title put me in mind of the support that many of us are lucky enough to receive from good friends and good family when our lives take a bad turn.
This one's my submission for this week's 52Frames "Street Details" challenge. There were another couple of options, which I might use as a backup at some point, but I felt like this one had more story, and therefore more meaning to it.

Aerial Observer

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I met up with some friends for lunch and a short walk, where we saw loads of red kites.
I should have taken a longer lens with me today, but I'd even taken the teleconverter out of my bag, so I was stuck with a maximum of 200mm.
Not too bad in the circumstances though.

Not A Worm

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But certainly glowing.
I went on a glow worm hunt with a local wildlife group this evening. I'm not unhappy with the results 😊
A few more after the jump.

Moonberry

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This one is from very late last night / early this morning, the Strawberry Moon.

Eleventh Of June; 26°, Sunny

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Lucy would have been 40 today.
The messages I've had today remind me again of how special she was to so many people.
I was very lucky to be part of her story.

Thanks to @countryside_joy for the behind-the-scenes photo! (after the jump).

Reply By Return

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Because I often struggle to reply at all!
A backup photo from my late walk last night.

Point Taken

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Unless...
5⁵ comes out at 3,125 by my calculations, was that what you meant?
No? I must be overthinking again.

Error 86: Insufficient Biscuits

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This one's my 52Frames submission for this week's "use the wrong lens" challenge.
It's not typical to use an ultra-wide lens for a portrait, hence the "wrong lens" label.

I think the distorted effect is quite fun. Holly isn't interested in sitting still for very long, and the camera is really quite boring for her - she would much rather come up to you and lick your face or prod you with an enquiring paw!
The autofocus was working overtime on this one, and it's done a pretty respectable job.

With that, it's sadly auf wiedersehen to my little schnauzery friends. I have lots of good memories of them. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up with them again in the future.

A couple more after the jump.

Luminary

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I spotted the moon through this plant, and thought it made for an interesting shot.
As the depth of field was so shallow at the long focal length I had to use to get the moon to a decent size in the frame, (840mm) this is a composite made up of one shot focused on the branch, and one focused out on the moon.
You have to be relatively quick with setups like this, as the moon drifts across your frame at a surprising speed. 15°/hour doesn't sound like much, but when your field of view is less than 3°, and you're lining the moon up in a small gap, your framing goes to pot in a matter of seconds.

Pepper

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My last regular day with Holly and Pepper today, before they move away on Monday.
Quite a sad moment, and feels like the breaking of another link with Lucy.
These little dogs have been a really positive influence in my life.

Green Alkanet

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A backup photo again today - another shot from last night's walk.

Walking In The Evening Sun

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I went on a guided walk this evening with my parents, organised by a local nature trust.
I have driven and walked past this place hundreds of times, and never knew it existed.
This scene caught my eye.

Scars

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Oxidised echoes of a steel strap that once held this branch back.
It's interesting to see how the branch has probably doubled in diameter since the strap was taken off, but the marks are still so clear.

Mists Of Time

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I went out to try and capture the aurora, because the forecast was good, but we are at a bad time of year for dark skies now, and it was quite cloudy.
I thought I'd come away with nothing, but looking at this one in the edit, I can sort of convince myself there's a hint of pink behind the clouds. Might be wishful thinking though!
Regardless, I quite liked the stars peeking through the clouds here. I think I've caught a few satellites or something too, there are several little streaks in the image that don't look quite right for planes.

Which Way Is Up, Anyway?

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This one's my 52Frames submission for this week's "Through The Looking Glass" challenge.
Not strictly a looking-glass, but I guess a pool of water was probably the first thing in history that people might have used as a mirror, so I'm going with it.