Quietus

Quietus, a photo by rothwell172 on Flickr.

Wow, having got round to purchasing myself a set of six Cokin filters, for my landscape photography.

I finally managed to get the combination of exposure bias and length of exposure right for this terrific shot, I love how the colours combine with the light of the sun. Which, was literally setting as I clicked this.

This is definately one for my book, i've taken a few tips and been reading how best to use specific filters for landscape and seascape photography, as you can guess from my style, I like to give my shots a sense of movement.

So the end of a 'Manic Monday', and another day beckons our Olympic heroes, some of course getting a bit of stick on a social media site.

How manic was it then? Well according to the tube reasonably quiet, the buses on Tottenham Court Road, queued waiting for some punters...yeah even the cabbies' had a quiet day.

It is a shame that on a day that we fail to get a medal for diving, it seems we have a negative attitude towards our athletes.

Why oh why, do trolls feel the need to give someone crap, about the athletes performance and no need to give that person about losing a relative. No need at all, shame on you, when it happens to you, you will know then how people really feel when they lose someone.

I just want to finish on a positive the 'famous five' have excelled themselves a true team effort for Team GB, and the British gymnasts make history

Well done lads more like that please!

The Chase

The Chase, a photo by rothwell172 on Flickr.

The Chase I took this last year and now and again I enjoy coming back to certain shots, to get some inspiration or to revisit a particular theme, i've not worked on in a while.

I like the striking colours in the frame, and how it shows the Police chasing another vehicle.

In The Thick Of It

In The Thick Of It, a photo by rothwell172 on Flickr.

Here we see another Kite Surfer, launching back into opposite direction, hence the sea spray!

This is why I love this sport, as i've mentioned earlier in my blog, I love movement especially that of water!

This surfer had certainly given me a fantastic action shot, I love how the spray fills the frame.

Carving

Carving, a photo by rothwell172 on Flickr.

So there I was on the other side near the airport wanting to get some shots, not much was coming out there though and boat museum just seemed like that, a museum...not really exciting!

So I decided to move further down the M53 get something to eat and drink, as I came off at the A554 near Bidston Bridge, I drove towards sunnier climes and eventually New Brighton to be greeted by the sight of the Kites high in the sky, they're was many of them too!

Great I thought, the one sport I love photographing and so they're I was in my element...the thing about these lads and lasses is they enjoy being photographed the fairly competitive and great showmen, this gent even shared a conversation before spinning back towards the sea, here is on a beam reach, so he is sailing in a direction perpendicular to the wind (at a 90° angle).

He commented on the breathtaking view of a rainbow which was just appearing over Merseyside, with the light rain showers, it was as the surfer implied a beautiful sight.

Stay

Stay, a photo by rothwell172 on Flickr.

Another fine example of the Ilford Pan F 50 film, the contrast and low smooth grain film is superb for texture close-ups like this one pictured.

Movement

Movement has always fascinated me, whether it be a runner, a cyclist, a car, a climber or even the movement of the most beautiful and the most strong in terms of how it can change and shape the world we live in.

The movement of water has been constant from it's source at sea level to the higher plains of glacial level, water is always evolving always changing, it what drives us to live where we do near water, for it is a source that all that dwell on the planet come from the very water, that has created this planet.

I love to photograph water, and luckily for myself and others, we live on an island surrounded by water, which puzzles me, why do we have satellite navigation when we live on an island?

Anyways back to the point of this post; as you know I've been clicking away everyday or so shooting in analogue or digital, mainly in analogue for my month with monochrome.

Well I've just recently developed a series of images that were taken on Ilford PAN F 50, a great film to use for portraiture and certainly for landscapes and that of moving water. In this frame, I took to the gorges of Wales one in particular is privy to a series of steps through the Welsh landscape, and in this shot taken near Betwys-Y-Coed, is a lovely Welsh idyll of the famous Faerie Glen.

The first thing you will notice in the image is how striking, the water is when used on Pan F 50, I love the slow swirling mass around the eddies in the flow of the water, the movement of the water in the Welsh landscape is very significant, partly because most of Wales is ageing volcanic mass, Llanddwyn Island is mostly made of volcanic rock, and partly because Wales or in this case Britain has been shaped by the movement of glaciers, these glaciers have long since gone in their solid form, but they still exist in their liquid form.

Okay they're not nearly as big as the glaciers found in the Canadian Rockies, Athabasca Glacier but you get the idea that through climate change and it surely is a natural process! Wales has been shaped by the flow of the water through the many rivers and gorges, that wind they're way into neighbouring England River Severn is one example of this, and the M48 Bridge that separates the estuary River Wye .

They're many rivers and gorges that shape their way through Britain, they're all fantastic to photograph and I for one, will certainly be parting my hard earned money for a bulk buy of Ilford PAN F 50 film.

Composition...

Okay so most photographers have heard of the "Rule Of Thirds" or the "Golden Mean", yes of course you have.

Many aspiring photographers have started were you are now, reading and viewing as many images as possible in the hope of gaining understanding and inspiration and creative knowledge from renowned photographers, renowned of course are those photographers who have inspired their would be followers and of course been published at some point in their career.

I clicked once on a website entitled Blurb, a great site for a photographer to literally create your own photographic book, with easy to use templates and layout, I found an artist who specialised in street photography and the in particular portraiture, I've dabbled in this myself and the streets of the cities of Britain, can be abundant with unexpected material.

Street photography of course breaks all the rules of composition, be it the afore mentioned, "Rule Of Thirds" or leading lines and what not. One to focus on is the major / minor aspect and apply it to your creations or use contrasting colours, shapes, textures to your work, and portraiture allows you to do this with ease the backdrop of a doorway or street against the shape or silhouette of a person or persons, is a fantastic way of creating an image that will make people stop and admire your art.

In the shot below taken at the Haworth 1940s weekender, I happened across this gentleman a former Gunner with the Royal Artillery, he was drinking a mug of tea, from the tea urn in the street laid out at one of the market stands. In this portrait, you will notice the striking gaze in his eyes, he has seen many things in his adventurous long life, what an outstanding man.

This portrait tells the story of a man who has seen action, hardship and returned home to a changing face of Britain, he was quite a character and to be honest if I get as lucky as this shot again, I will be a happy man.

I have to admit Haworth brought many opportunities, but it was also good to get to know some of these people, they all has so many stories to tell.

A group of us arrived at Haworth, not together I might add, I missed the coach unfortunately but not wanting to waste the day took the opportunity of an early rise, no pun intended ;-D I drove up to Yorkshire, what a worthwhile trip it turned out to be. One of my friends Emma had taken a few shots of portraiture and snapped a stunning well dressed lady, she looked so demure in her matching hat, scarf and coat with deep red lipstick and raven black hair. Then you had the 'performers' guys and gals representing the armed forces from those involved with WWII. The costumes were fantastic, and I managed to get hold of a particular tailor who hired out dress especially for the occasion.

The latest capture of my month working with monochrome, it's been hard work finding subjects that will allow me to change format i.e, digital and analogue. With analogue it's been especially rewarding shooting in different ISO speeds and pushing them.

So I went about purchasing particular films specifically for the use of shooting in monochrome, so Ilford, Fuji, Rollei and some Lomography film too. Off I went to a number of locations to shoot in certain galleries and to shoot landscape/street images.

Shooting in galleries is not without it's difficulties, some places just won't allow it however if you are covert about how you work your camera and use your imagination, you get some interesting shots.

On the street front I found Liverpool (yay) was more receptive to street photography then Manchester, my own former neck of the woods, was less so. I suppose it was just one person, but that early in the morning, I really don't appreciate a mock violinist refusing another artist to carry out his art, I learned a lesson from this, he was no violinist and he certainly wasn't an artist in the musical sense of the word.

I am sure I could stand and mimic movement of the hand, against a CD player playing a tune in the background...really!

Anyways less of the negativity of Manchester and more on the work I do, having completed my photography first year, and getting the results which will steadily guide me towards my own personal goal.

As I may have mentioned my work is for sale on redbubble.com So if your interested in purchasing then please do and if your interested in hiring a photographer for commercial, conceptual art then contact myself.

Fast Car

Fast Car, a photo by rothwell172 on Flickr.

My street photography this guy was singing an old favourite Tracy Chapman "Fast Car", he has an exceptional talented voice, and if he continues am sure we will probably see him on the stage in future.

"Silence" Framed Prints by stonemonki | Redbubble

"Silence" Framed Prints by stonemonki | Redbubble: Silence is my latest work, I have more to come from an afternoon spent literally sitting, kneeling lying down with my camera in order to get a different perspective on art, shapes, light and emotions and a series of emotions.
This piece is available for purchase as a framed, mounted or canvas print.

Silence

Silence, a photo by rothwell172 on Flickr.

Silence is golden they say, I was always told this by my mothers parents. True, it certainly is.

I long for silence, it clears my thoughts and opens my mind to endless possibilities.

Larder

Larder, a photo by rothwell172 on Flickr.

This composed shot is one of my earliest memories, the thing with memories is this, you remember them when you were really happy, sad, tearful, shocked or in my case very afraid, I think I was only five or six, when the cabinet in the very larder, was looking very inviting the parents went out, (in those days children could be left in the street to play naked without a care in the world.) I investigated the larder and the contents of the cabinet within, it was full of food and growing boys are always hungry!

Well curiosity got the better of me, I sort of clambered up and braced myself between the two walls and lowered the cabinet door and climbed on top, although I was small it could not hold my weight. The cabinet leaned towards me, the cupboard doors opening wide as though a flood of water had been braced behind them, and it could not hold back and gave way to the umpteen jars of marmalade, jam, honey, butter and any other ingredient you can think of...I fell on my feet.

My arms were braced against the main doors, these holding the tinned stock, I was in shock I was scared and full of fear and my first emotions were running through me, I was tearful, desperately trying to hold the weight of the cabinet, my parents out and my brothers and sister no where to be seen.

It was sudden sense of urgency, that I decided to walk up the cabinet, with my arms allowing it to be lowered under the strain of such young arms, I was aching like I never ached before, gritting my teeth as kids do almost, holding my breath and knocking myself out from starving the brain of oxygen.

I managed to lower the cabinet to the ground, when in came my parents...