gap in the clouds

29th Jan12, Embleton Bay, 8am

It was meant to be cloudy today but it wasn't so simple. There was cumulus at the horizon and high sheets of cloud overhead but there was a gap in between. When the rising sun got to the gap it put on a show for a half-hour before disappearing in the overcast.

In the gloom before the sun rose...

My two favourite beach huts in strong, warm sunlight.

Northumberland Photo Training - Teaching the Art of Natural Photography
andy craig photography - Family Portraits and Wedding Photography
one-eyed-hound.com - Dog Photography ...it's a dog's life

Eyes Up

28th Jan12, Newton Point, 4pm

Daisy has been a bit unwell for 24hrs but she was spritely enough this afternoon for a walk. Gorgeous skies from horizon to horizon, not a breath of wind - beautiful afternoon.

Northumberland Photo Training - Teaching the Art of Natural Photography
andy craig photography - Family Portraits and Wedding Photography
one-eyed-hound.com - Dog Photography ...it's a dog's life

into the light

27th Jan12, Newton Point, 8am

A very pleasant sunrise as we dotted about.

The frosty boardwalk.

27th Jan12, Newton Point, 3pm

On Fridays the holidaymakers arrive and things are just that wee bit busier. It was a lovely afternoon for them although one visiting dog-walker I met seemed to consider that the dunes were most inconvenient and she sighed heavily when I said it was a few hundred yards to the beach proper. I think a symptom of not yet being properly relaxed! Leave your big-city angst at home folks - such things are infectious and we don't want them here.

This happy family arrived at the coast with the sinking sun behind them.

Northumberland Photo Training - Teaching the Art of Natural Photography
andy craig photography - Family Portraits and Wedding Photography
one-eyed-hound.com - Dog Photography ...it's a dog's life

Northumberland variety...

18th Jan12, Newton Links, 3pm

For a change here's some evening light. The days are slowly getting longer but the sun is still sinking close to the horizon soon after 3pm.

The close bird is a black headed gull and the far one a red-breasted merganser (see the crest!)

21st Jan12, Howick coast, 1pm

Nice and bright day but a howling cold wind from the NW.

22nd Jan12, Kettley, 11am

We had a walk inland to visit some more cup & ring marked rocks. These ancient artworks appear all over the high moors of Northumberland but these are by far the best I've ever seen. On Orkney these would be trumpeted from the rooftops - in Northumberland they are unmarked from the roadside and you have to study a map to find them.

This one is a different thing altogether and is most likely an early Christian font. Here it holds my hot ribena!

23rd Jan12, Embleton Bay, 8am

Nice morning - I'll let the photographs speak for themselves...

Northumberland Photo Training - Teaching the Art of Natural Photography
andy craig photography - Family Portraits and Wedding Photography
one-eyed-hound.com - Dog Photography ...it's a dog's life

frosty again

17th Jan12, Newton Links, 8am

The thaw hasn't arrived here yet and the frost was still thick on the beach. We left the beach to the galloping horses and headed up through the dunes.

A couple of views by the warden's hut.

and a frosty stone.

Northumberland Photo Training - Teaching the Art of Natural Photography
andy craig photography - Family Portraits and Wedding Photography
one-eyed-hound.com - Dog Photography ...it's a dog's life

with added life

16th Jan12, Embleton bay, 9am

An amazing morning for training with Wendy and Trish. There was still some colour left in the sky at 9am and my 'trained horses' turned up on time as usual to add a bit of life to the landscape.

Wendy and Trish get down and in close to the footprints and hoofprints to add some foreground interest...

...here's my shot with handy passers by strolling on the beach.

Above the high tide line the sand was frozen and so were the limpet shells.

The calm sea seemed to go on forever...

16th January12, newton Links, 2pm

As soon as I was home Daisy wanted to be out in the sun. Ho hum, back to the beach isn't such a chore...

Northumberland Photo Training - Teaching the Art of Natural Photography
andy craig photography - Family Portraits and Wedding Photography
one-eyed-hound.com - Dog Photography ...it's a dog's life

time to stand and stare

12th Jan12, Newton Links, 2pm

Daisy had a notion to run in crazy circles...

13th Jan12, Howick, 3pm

Beautiful sunlit, peeling bark on some obscure variety of birch tree in Howick arboretum.

...then we had to stop on the way home for this sky above Christon Bank.

14th Jan12,Christon Bank 7:30am

The car was too frozen so we had a walk around the woods by the village. The theme was silhouettes of trees.

14th January12, Beadnell Bay, 2pm

Meet Buttons - Buttons tolerates Daisy but just wants to play with his ball and wishes she would leave him in peace.

Giving up on Buttons, Daisy spots more pals in the dunes - she does a lot of standing and staring (she is a sighthound after all)

Northumberland Photo Training - Teaching the Art of Natural Photography
andy craig photography - Family Portraits and Wedding Photography
one-eyed-hound.com - Dog Photography ...it's a dog's life

orange to gold

10th Jan12, Low Newton, 8am

Up and about for Bob's training course this morning.

At 8am there was no wind and the light of the sun was bright orange...

In less than an hour the light changed to gold and the wind was picking up...

...and even when the rest of the sky was grey/blue and a stiff breeze whipped through the dunes the colour hung around behind the castle.

Northumberland Photo Training - Teaching the Art of Natural Photography
andy craig photography - Family Portraits and Wedding Photography
one-eyed-hound.com - Dog Photography ...it's a dog's life

over-burdened

9th Jan12, Howick shore, 8am

Just one quick iPhone shot of the sunrise this morning. I seemed to be over-laden with gloves/toys/lead/poo bags and I never got round to getting the camera out too. It didn't stop me from collecting a carrier bag full of litter blown into the bushes.

calm at last

6th Jan12, Football Hole, 8am

Lovely golden light and the wind has died down finally.

The sea was quite calm while the west wind was blowing but this morning a big swell was telling a story about the storms that have now passed out over the N Sea

We enjoyed the peace and quiet and Daisy chased her ball with usual enthusiasm.

Golden light on the sand at the water's edge.

Northumberland Photo Training - Teaching the Art of Natural Photography
andy craig photography - Family Portraits and Wedding Photography
one-eyed-hound.com - Dog Photography ...it's a dog's life