blue all over

29th June 11, Embleton Bay, 8am

A very enjoyable course with Chris this morning. As a painter, Chris was able to feedback some very interesting observations from that perspective.

There's something Lowry about this dog-walker's gait.

First thing this morning there were no clouds, no vapour trails, just a beautiful empty sky with every shade of blue represented in a natural gradient across the sky

An abstract view of the sand.

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shapes and stories

28th June 11, Embleton Bay, 8am

A bit fresher this morning but a beautiful day. Daisy had a good run around with New Friend 'Boots' and was very warm. She waded deeper in the waves than normal and the sea cooled her tummy down nicely.

Another pair of contrasting images today form the same spot. The 2nd image is 4:3 ratio - straight out the camera, the first is two images joined into a panorama. The panorama allows us to drink in the view and gives a feeling of wide space while the other image is all about the sky. Same place, two stories...

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

Game On

27th June 11, Newton Links, 8am

Daisy didn't get to the beach yesterday and she was ready for a bit of fun this morning...

It was so warm I had only a shirt n shorts on for the first time this year. (19 degC - warm for us)

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

Surf's Up

24th June 11, Newton Links, 8am

No rain likely this morning but a chilly North wind kept the fleece jacket in place.

As ever, yesterday's storms had kicked up a swell which was crashing into the bays. Daisy dug a series of holes while I sat and watched the waves

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

Misplaced Pessimism

23rd June 11, Embleton Bay, 8am

This morning's rain radar didn't look good and I was coming up with Plan B's for Andy's PhotoTrail at 8am. In the end the clouds parted as they came closer and the main storm headed south and west while other clouds headed east of us.

Looking South across Embleton bay. We're bathed in sun while the weather rages on someone else somewhere south.

To the East a thin line of clouds drifted down the horizon

Dunstanburgh castle was caught between the two arms of the storm clouds.

A rare shot westward and inland over the Skaith towards Embleton and the rain that never was...

Finally a random shot of some ferns.

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

A year on...

Daisy came to us on 23rd June 2010 (aged 7 weeks).

Hasn't she grown?!

Ways of seeing

22nd June 11, Newton Links, 8am

A fine morning on an empty beach with beautiful clouds around.

This yacht's crew must have been up early. Not much wind on the beach but obviously enough to fill the sails out there.

Big clouds like these sometimes make me see a scene in black and white - for b/w to work there has to be big variations in tone, not colour. It's all about shades of grey. Ansel Adams wrote extensively about visualising the tonal range of a finished print while viewing the landscape. Of course he didn't have a 2.5" LCD screen to preview his images so what he achieved was all the more impressive.

First here's a colour shot as there's plenty of blue, golden sand and green grass to give a nice colourful landscape...

...no less impressive in black and white though.

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