Strike while the iron is hot

Yet again I left going out too late when the sun was shining, and then made things worse by imagining the sun would continue to shine. There was lots going on at the beach when I parked up, but having stuff to do in town I thought I'd get that out of the way first.

There are some brightly painted portacabins and fencing on the prom where there is restoration work going on. I had an attempt at making pictures of them a while back but got nowhere. Today I got somewhere, but maybe not quite where I wanted.

My first two shots included a plant (palm?). I liked the way the natural form contrasted, but also mimicked, the regular pattern of the painted steel. The hint of yellow in the leaves also worked with the red and green paint.

Yet again I think that a viewpoint midway between the two might have worked more successfully. The trouble is that my knees only have two settings these days - standing and kneeling...

Then I tried a more abstract composition using just the metalwork. But that seems less interesting.

I called in at the camera emporium to pick up some paper and as they were quiet had a look at a micro four thirds camera. The electronic viewfinder was pretty good, and the focusing surprisingly fast. Then the manageress showed me an older secondhand model they had in stock. While I was trying to get the hang of it the battery died. Never one to miss the opportunity of a sale she offered to put it on charge and if I could return in an hour I could have another go. Not wanting to walk to the beach and then back into town and back again to the car on the seafront I hung around in town for the hour. During which time the rain arrived.

To shelter from the weather and  keep myself amused I spent a few minutes trying to make some shots of bunting blowing around in one of the arcades using a slow shutter speed to blur the flags. The natural light was dull and the bunting not as colourful as it could have been. The lamp adds a little to the picture as do the beams and ironwork.

With the time killed I went back to look at the camera. I have to say that these things are compact and lightweight. The range of external controls are reasonable, but not quite as simple as on a DSLR, or even the X10. No doubt with a bit of consultation of the manual they can be set up to work the way you want them to. Although the price was very much right I was undecided.

Did I mention what a good saleswoman the manageress is? She said I could take the camera away to try out and to play with some files then drop it back on Monday... As it wasn't set up, and the rain was still falling, I made my way back to the beach. The crowds had deserted the sand, driven off by the incoming tide and the rain. Even the donkeys were sheltering when I got there. I should have gone straight to the beach while the sun was out. The forecast for tomorrow is a reverse of today. Rain first, sun later. I'll believe it when I see it.

---