Out of adversity?

The lack of ideas continues, as does the repeat visits to places in the vain hope that I'll find something worth photographing. With the weather still refusing to settle any sunny day has been seized as chance to get out with a camera. Even though I know I'll be wasting my time as far as getting anything useful goes.

I drove to the auction mart a week ago and didn't even get the camera out of the car. The sun was making a rare appearance so I headed to higher ground. For once I found some sheep action of sorts. But not enough to make more that casual shots. Although the tup's bum picture has something going for it. I determined to stop going on these wild goose chases.

A couple of days later the sun made another appearance as did the undomesticated geese. It's strange that I find it impossible to make decent pictures of places I like being in. There must be a project to work on about the moors, but I'm buggered if I can find a ket to unlock the box it's in. You might imagine a neolithic burial site would kickstart something, but it's just a ragged pile of stones. The best I could do was contrast the ancient stones with the transmission masts which also echo the dead pine trunks in the middle distance.

Friday had another sunny afternoon, which is short at this time of year, and I ended up at the sandplant.where nothing much had changed. I'd set out intending to look for sunset sheep and only had the telephoto zoom with me, which limited my options. There are no sheep at teh sandplant so what made me go there is a head-scratcher.

I found some sheep elsewhere, but the sun decided to set behind clouds and the light was grim. The sheep weren't playing ball either. I got home earlier than intended so dropped the big camera off before going for fish and chips. I stuck the Fuji in my jacket pocket and tried it for some night time pictures. Where there was a bit of light it worked OK. While I'm not a big fan of its files as a rule it does do black and white conversions I like. This messy picture (with self-portrait) has given me some ideas for the future.

On Saturday morning it was a struggle to get out of bed and go to the poultry auction and show. I really wasn't in the mood. Repeating myself at the auction wasn't going to happen. My daft idea of shooting the show entirely in vertical format was forgotten. It was hard enough to see any pictures. Arriving after most birds had been penned might have had some bearing on that. I did manage to get a picture which gives a better idea of a chicken being put in a pen than any I've managed before. Which was a small victory.

I still like using the flippy screen for low angles. Rather belatedly I have realised that the focusing issue is best overcome by prefocusing and waiting for action to come to me. The hit rate is much better that way.

Not being interested in the auction I was resigned to getting pictures of the judging. Despite the much increased entry for the show over previous years there didn't look to be as many judges! This can be a subject where the longer zoom can be useful to blur a background.

In this case there wasn't much background to blur.

Pictures like this are very much dependent on gesture and expression  of judge and bird to lift them above being ordinary.

Although these sort of pictures are nice enough a wider lens used closer, as always, draws a viewer into the scene. In most judging situations the best place to be would be in one of the pens looking out!

A better opportunity came after the judging was concluded and one judge was mentoring someone else. I rattled off a lot of frames on this, always trying to file the frame with shapes and gestures.

I even tried the flippy screen , but I think the eye-level pictures worked better in terms of engagement.

When it comes to detail shots it's pretty much impossible to find anything new. Variations of repeated themes from past shows are inevitable.

There can be novel effects of light and shade though.

I might not have been in the most enthusiastic frame of mind for taking pictures at the show, but I still managed to come away with some that are worth adding to the files. A larger selection can be found here.

One thing I did want to record at the auction, if nothing more, was the new line of cages in the cattle pen section. Poultry sales must be doing well for the mart to add more permanent cages. I tried to take some pictures of the sale in this area but it proved tricky. Getting in position before the throng arrived would have been the best plan.

Perhaps the lesson from this is that if you stick to it and take enough pictures some of them will be OK. Another manifestation of the 'working through' a period of being stuck. If you don't take any pictures none of them will be any good!

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Another hot day

The weekend away from sheep and shows must have recharged my batteries because I was keen to get to Garstang on Saturday, even though the forecast was for another hot day. I took along the 35mm intending to use that most, with the superzoom available for its close focusing ability. In the end I took one picture (deleted) with the 35mm and used the do-it-all lens for most of the rest of the time. The exceptions being a few taken with the 20mm I always have with me. So much for my good intentions.

The more shows I go to the more difficult it becomes to find fresh pictures. I also have at the back of my mind a vague idea that my photographs might serve as a record of these events and as such shouldn't be too 'arty'. This has come about through looking at Martin Parr's pictures which, while they make a social comment, don't always explain what's going on. So I'm always trying to strike a balance between good pictures which work on a formal level and pictures which serve as records to tell a story. Of course there's flexibility allowed in this. Especially for 'detail' shots.

I started the day with the Jacob sheep, which always get a lot of last minute primping. Although I closed in on some details, which I've photographed before, I also realised that these preparations are a sort of group activity and had a go at capturing that aspect.

As I spend more time looking than photographing with the novelty factor wearing off I also do more talking, or maybe more listening, to sheep breeders. I don't know if what I hear informs my picture taking or not, but it is interesting to learn about sheep husbandry, the history of breeds and other aspects of the breed societies.

This show doesn't have a big Lonk class, in fact it was almost cancelled this year until some last minute entries made it worthwhile. The Gritstones were thin on the ground, only one pen in the any other breed section, and they were (rather unusually) halter trained.

The unloading of sheep still attracts my attention and this was when I used the wide angle. I guess I keep photographing some things on a regular basis in the hope of getting that one 'killer' image if I try often enough!

The same reasoning goes for photographing the judging. Although this time I made an effort to try and capture inspection of both ends of the Lonks.

Catching up the sheep after they've been 'let go' for the judges to watch how they carry themselves is something else that is likely to make for good pictures. And so it was I rattled off lots more frames destined for the waste disposal.

The flippy screen is handy for low level shots. Although there was a barrier between me and the sheep in the frame above, had there not been I could have got out of trouble faster standing holding the camera low using the screen than kneeling down using the viewfinder. However, I found the autofocus in liveview dismal - yet again. There's only one focus area and no option to let the camera pick where it goes. I might start taking my fishing camera along to use in that mode as it does a much better job of it.

By the time the sheep had been judged it was as hot as predicted and I was beginning to melt. My second plan for the day had been to look round the rest of the show after the sheep action was over, but I was too hot and bothered. I took a few shots on my way back to the car, but nothing of note. Maybe if I travelled a bit lighter I would survive longer in the heat. I might be more nimble, too, and more inclined to get lower for different angles.

Lots of options next week, midweek and weekend, which I'll take up remains to be seen. It might be a challenge to go to a less favoured show with just one camera and one lens of a single focal length. That would take me back to my days as an impoverished student who could only afford one lens!

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The best laid plans and all that

With Christmas over and done with I went in to town to get some stationary, and also to visit an exhibition at the art gallery. The shopping went well, the exhibition viewing less well. The  gallery had shut down before Christmas and doesn't open again until after New Year is done with. Bloody austerity. Or bone idle council staff more like. As I'd paid for two hours parking to give me time to look at the exhibition I went for a wander.

Out of character I'd stuck my 50mm lens on a DSLR body rather than take my Fuji with it's wider alternative. The town was pretty quiet and I was a bit pissed off. I did find the reflections of 'that bridge' worthy of some attention. I got one shot that is OK, but I should maybe have persevered.

There weren't even many dogs being walked, and I am trying to stick to one angle of view for that project, but once I'd got used to the change in viewing angle of the longer than usual lens I got a couple of shots. I still prefer using the wider lens, not only does it put more background into the frame it's surprising how people don't realise you are photographing them when you are up close.

Saturday was scheduled to be the brightest day for a while so I made plans to get out and about. While it was sunny at times it was also cold from a strong wind. As a result I spent more time driving than photographing. It was that wild even the Swaledale sheep, a hardy breed, were taking shelter. As another daft experiment I had taken my telephoto zoom and my neglected wide zoom. The wide zoom proved once more why it's neglected.

Closer to home, with the afternoon light lasting longer, I've managed to wander round the wood a couple of times. The first visit was not going well until I took a low viewpoint shot of the base of a tree. I'm not sure what struck my about this but something resonated. Continuing my wander I got teh idea of taking some low down pictures of the tree stumps in the wood. There seemed to be loads of them. But I wanted to do them 'properly' using the lowest ISO - which would mean a tripod!!

Rather than hump my big tripod and faff about setting it low I dug out my Gorillapod and remote release.

There were a few fungi about which I had a go at photographing. The results were as rubbish as ever when I photograph fungi. I have no idea why. Possibly a lack of a macro lens, or more probably a lack of genuine interest...

I didn't fare much better with the stumps. Firstly there weren't as many as I'd imagined there to be. Secondly the ones there were tended not to be easily separated from the background, had saplings sprouting next to them, or were obscured by undergrowth when viewed from the best position. My vision of a set of well isolated stumps made into a three by three grid of nine was thwarted. I should have known better than to pre-plan something.

In the end I settled for six far from ideal stumps. Ho hum.

 

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Dogs, frogs and other stuff

There are times when I wonder what I'm doing. Taking photographs for one's own pleasure seems to me to be a strange sort of thing to do. I'd feel a lot more confident about it if I had an end use for the pictures I take. As I don't I often don't bother taking any because it feels silly. Then again there are times when I can't stop myself taking a photograph. Although I was looking for pictures to fit my Dog Town project I still took the one below. I think it works as a standalone image. Amazingly the two main figures and dog are in focus. Quite an achievement for me with the Fuji and wide angle lens.

I even managed a couple of pictures in the two hours I wandered around which do fit my Dog Town style. The way the dog has lain in the shade makes this one for me.

All this bright sunshine and hot weather makes being outdoors taking pictures both tiring and testing. Harsh shadows are a pain in the bum. It also makes shooting backlit subjects hard work. This was all brought home to me at a vintage tractor auction. Who's a thunk such things would not only exist but be well attended? There was all sorts on offer, from boxes of what looked like junk, through the rusting skeletal remains of tractors, to gleaming fully refurbished models.

I had a semi-plan in mind to make a series of pictures in portrait orientation. It almost came off. I also entertained the idea of using (shock, horror) black and white to suit the vintage theme. That didn't last long because colour seemed important for a lot of subjects. Making abstractions worked quite well. Even if it is a cop out when there are people about, but I wasn't in a people-picture mood for some reason.

There are some people pictures in the gallery I've put together.

Leaving the auction early it was into the forest to photograph a hogg hole I had found earlier in the year but not managed to get close to because the ground was so wet. I photographed it from both sides, but the harsh light wasn't helping either way I tried.

I also photographed some sheep along the way. Just for the sake of it really. This one nearly works as a sheepscape. If only the sun hadn't been quite so bright. Or the sheep would have looked to the right of the frame...

Later, when I stopped to photograph another string of dead moles (I see them everywhere now I have them on my radar!) I tried my hand at a landscape picture. The light on the tree's twisted form was what caught my eye. In fact that was what I photographed first.

I'm not so sure that the early and late light favoured by so many landscape photographers would work for this tree. It's the way the light dapples from above through the leaves on the bark that makes it what it is. Looking back down the road I saw the potential for framing a broader vista. If I could have been bothered to move my car (just out of frame camera right) I might have made a better picture. But as it's only for my pleasure that doesn't matter!

I almost forgot. Yesterday I was so down on photography that I took some pictures of a frog in my pond. Why? Because it was there and it was easy. A technical challenge to get the blasted thing in focus and no more. The composition was a piece of cake. Oh yeah. I used flash as well. Froggy is now my computer desktop picture. For the time being.

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Time for a change

Spring arrived with a vengeance this weekend. Warm sunshine did worked its magic and transformed the beach into the seaside with people tramping through mud in unsuitable footwear to reach a sandy spot to pitch their windbreaks. The traffic was prolific too, making the journey to and from the beach painful. I guess this all combines to provide me with a natural break for my beach project.

"Trudging slowly over wet sand"

Saturday was off-putting enough, but at least I had the experience of being in the middle of a swirling mass of Old English Sheepdogs! This madness resulted in one half decent picture. On the whole I took very few pictures over the weekend, deleted most of them, and got nothing to add to the project.

A short while back a mention of Adobe Spark appeared on one of my Twitter feeds. Investigation revealed that a branded version is available to use for free. So I've been giving it a try as a means of presenting short documentary projects. It's all been a bit suck it and see, but with some preplanning I'm sure I could make a decent job of it for something. What I've done so far can be found at Beach Life.

The toy camera continues to both please and annoy. The controls are frustrating in the extreme. I just can't find a combination of settings that makes it fit my way of working. If I'm not accidentally tocuhing the touch screen I'm pressing a button by mistake. The touch screen can be stopped form being touch sensitive, but then some buttons I use get switched to different functions. It's driving me nuts! And don't mention the lack of auto ISO in manual mode. Or the eye sensor that switches the screen off at inopportune moments...

The files are nice, for such a small sensor. Much better than any form the mirrorless cameras I've tried before.It's almost like having the set up I used in my old film days. One body and 28mm and 50mm equivalent leness. All of which I can get in two jacket pockets. I don't really need anything more. Apart from a couple of spare batteries. This is the biggest bugbear with mirrorless cameras. They eat batteries.

I have a project in mind for this camera where it's completely silent mode might be useful. I just have to force myself to leave the proper kit at home. Oh, and I might start using it for some video ideas. Eeek!!!

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Sand, sea, sun and stupidity

During the week I'd been taking some 'product' shots for my fishing blog. Because I had control over the light, plenty of time to correct errors,  and I wasn't needing big files I set the camera to shoot the smallest, lowest quality jpegs to make processing the files quicker. When I went out this morning I arrived at the sandplant in bright, low sun and the heavy plant was back in evidence. I wandered around for about twenty minutes making a few pictures.

After that I headed for the beach and it was there I realised I hadn't reset the camera to shoot raw files. At the sizes displayed here you'd never know, but trying to compensate for the contrasty light when processing the jpegs was not as easy as it is with raw files. Today's lesson; check the quality of files or when shooting jpegs set the camera to shoot them alongside raw files. Ho hum.

The drive to the coast had been on icy country roads. It was still slippy underfoot as I got to the beach well after nine. I think the cold had kept a lot of people from making an early start as there weren't many about. However the ones there were mostly dog walkers.

The tide was well on its way in making for a short walk to the water's edge where there was a woman with a pack of dogs racing about like mad things. They were quite large and boisterous, but when three of them charged past me I realised they were harmless. It turned out they were not only harmless but very friendly.

Whenever you meet people doing mildly unusual things on the beach you get to learn something. I learned a bit about pointers today. I thought chickens and horses were troublesome to photograph from a control perspective. But trying to make a picture of seven lively dogs must be only slightly less troublesome than herding cats!

One thing I am beginning to realise is that while I am reasonably competent at making candind portraits of people while they are doing things I still have a long way to go at making posed portraits. I'm getting a bit better at it. Giving direction is becoming easier, not least because I'm forming ideas as to what I want to achieve. I'm also making more exposures rather than the one or two I usually take. Although that doesn't seem to be improving the results all that much. I always seem to miss something crucial. Mind you, it's a lot easier with one person than it is with two, or a load of dogs to wrangle!

Earlier in the week I'd managed to sneak to the beach and made another 'not quite what I'm after' portrait. Two people, and a dog, had been beachcoming. There was a good portrait to be made, but I bodged it. It's little things like the dog masking the woman's legs. I also forgot to ask them not to smile. Mind you I did whistle to get the dog's attention.

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