Maulden Afternoon Visit – Somewhat Random Images

Some days do not turn out as expected, but in the present situation I find myself, it seemed not unreasonable to go with the flow when I found it difficult to find the spot where the map seemed to indicate a lake. The young lady who was engaged in dropping leaflets through letter boxes, seemed the ideal person to ask for help, as I was assuming her local knowledge would provide the answer. She very kindly took a look on her phone, whose screen was far larger than mine, and gave me some directions, for which I thanked her, and headed in that direction.

Sadly, I must have slipped up along the way, for I found no indication of the proposed destination, however, I did spot something that caught my eye — I often see trees that have been the site of an abundance of balls of mistletoe, but never so many as seven different sizes on a single tree. I pulled up and parked on a widened area of verge, and attached my EOS R6 to the 24—70mm lens. I was assisted for part of the time by sunshine bringing some detail to the spherical growth of this parasite.

As a direct result of this distraction, I eventually came to the village of Maulden, where I parked near the green close by where a fellow photographer I used to know once lived. I made a quick call to mention where I happened to be, and surprisingly, he greeted me by name, so he must have recognised my number! We had quite a chat, even though it has to be at least seven years since we last spoke! After the call, I continued shooting occasionally walking to different spots to capture both human and bird activity and various plants I came across that appealed to my eye. Since I had got a shot of a girl walking her horse, and was within hailing distance, I asked whether she minded my photographing her, to which she had no complaint. Although I took a shot of a light aircraft with the short focal length lens, it was a testament to how good both the camera and lens performs as its number and propeller blade are visible. The pigeon on the distant roof ridge were on the 60-600mm, which would not have fared as well on the shorter zoom lens.

Altogether, an enjoyable excursion with pleasing results, and both lenses justifying my choice to have to hand. Obviously, the longer lens had it been attached at the time would have made a considerable difference to the light aircraft shot, but that it resolved the propeller blade was still a testament to both camera and lens.

For the observant among you, I apologise for not correcting the text to the blog gallery text which repeats itself at the end (dittographic error!) but sadly may I just apologise, as altering it at present will give grief to my son in law, who is kindly helping me out… Put it down to falling dominoes in 'anno domini' ! Try not reading the titles, and look at the pictures instead. Note to teacher:  I must try harder, Sir!

 

Interesting Multi-Purpose Vehicle - Right Outside!

At the junction of Squires Road and Station Road, Marston Moretaine is a rectangular flower box on the left as one enters, and on the other a fire hydrant; this morning a large multi-purpose vehicle pulled up close by the latter. Since in an earlier life I had worked at a Photographers in Weybridge who had one very frequent user of our services for photographing their various body conversions to standard chassis, the sight of this vehicle  seemed to be calling me to bring out a camera and take some photos. That company from my earliest days in commercial photography was Hawson Garner. 

We would drive to the client and follow in our own vehicle, or be collected from our studios in Weybridge High Street, in the vehicle to be photographed, either way we would  be given a brief for the shots needed, if there were more specific details to be highlighted we might meet up with the client or take the brief from their driver, the most frequented site for the pictures was at a spot by the banks of the Thames. I just tried seeing whether using Google Earth I could find the spot after all these years — I failed! Perhaps after the length of time that has passed perhaps I should not be too disheartened!

Back to the present; I just felt that as the sun was shining, despite being from the wrong direction,  I just had to get out there and get some shots. I did wonder how many shots I might get before the man had finished his task, and helpfully the Stop cock attachment was the wrong size which forced a delay before one of his colleagues came by with the correct-sized key, giving me a few extra minutes. Eighty shots was not too shameful in the time.

Back in the day, I was shooting those shots on 5x4 sheet film with a Sinar, and on a tripod — these images are in full colour and have been tweaked, and available the same day, whereas I would be in the darkroom to unload the slides, heat the tanks to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, clip them in frames and stay by them in the dark for the Development time which was around eleven minutes raising and lowering the frame each minute, before transferring them via quick rinse into the Fixer for another ten minutes, they then had 30 minutes wash and twenty or so minutes in the Dryer —  that only got us to the Negative! The printing of the half- dozen or so shots would take probably another hour or two to get exposed, developed, and printed also in the dark before being washed and generally glazed on a heated stainless steel drum. With other work going through in the same time frame our regular turnaround would be three days, though obviously if needed more quickly this could be reduced, though not the price! Rush fees were the way to allow us the time to work efficiently rather than in mad bursts!

Today’s images taken in the morning, reach the blog in the same day and they possess both quantity and quality. And I am not even being paid for these!

Bedfordshire Outing in Excellent Light

Warm sunshine and crystal clear blue sky was ideal weather to spend an afternoon taking photographs, so I was easily tempted, and I found an abundance of different subjects to make it worth my while and create a gallery with a span of interests. It also proved to be a day with my meeting and chatting to several others, a couple of other photographers and villagers with whom I encountered along the way.

The verges along the country roads I travelled were all well-covered by having grown fast due to recent rainfall and a distinct improvement in the weather thereafter, which meant it was not easy to pick a spot to park as any potential hazards were hidden, so with no place to park when I wanted to take my first shots, I pulled into a farm to see whether I could stop for a few moments. This action proved to be fortuitous as it was the location of a car repair facility with a specialist spray booth, and in speaking to the only man present, he said the boss was not around, but if I was quick he was sure that would be fine. It looked a very professional outfit, and so I enquired whether there were possibilities of photographing their work and I left a card for the owner’s return.

As it so happened, my return trip took me past the same location, and I was able to meet the owner, and there does seem there might be possibilities; it turns out he was for several years employed by the Maclaren team, and I had a promising chat when meeting him.

The first shots were of a splendid house and its surroundings alongside a road that dropped from a hill down a dip before rising. Later I spotted signs to a village which might have been named in a romantic novel: Newton Blossomville, and I had met the name before, but never visited the village, so I put that right. On the way I spotted a pair of very ramshackle roofless cottages, and decided they were worth capturing, and I actually met the guardian and had a lengthy chat with hime and learned a bit of their history, and it would seem that after lengthy processes will finally be replaced and let.

The rest of the trip was spent in several locations involving shots of a vast field filled entirely with solar panel arrays, and another area of energy production; a series of Wind Turbines, set against young Oilseed Rape fields, and finally I parked in Newton Blossomville and spent the rest of my time with varied subjects from buildings, flowers, walls, knotted wood, to birds – altogether a very enjoyable afternoon of photography.

BNI-Breakfast Radlett Park Golf Course

Friday morning was scheduled to be yet another very warm after Thursday’s forty-seven year record for this time of year, and it did not disappoint. Around a week or so earlier a DigiCluster member, Helena Baker had spoken to BNI’s David O’Dell, the National Field Manager for UK & Ireland to invite me to their meeting at the Radlett Park Golf Club.

I duly set my alarm for 04-40, having shaved and bathed the night before, and within three-quarters of an hour, the car had been packed and the SatNav set and I was on my way, reckoning that even with heavier than average traffic, I would arrive well early. I had not reckoned on the SatNav indicating my destination was on the right as I was in the High Street. I took that turn, but it had to be wrong as the area was completely built up, I drove uphill a short distance and spotting a lone pedestrian asked her the way, she suggested I go up the hill take a right and it would be on my left a short way further – said with no hint of hesitation, so I duly followed the directions and was still within a built-up area, so I went a little further hoping to reach countryside or another person; those directions offered, were with equal conviction, but were as unhelpful, I managed to find three further willing helpers, one of which did lead me into a golf course past a security bollard, but it was all but deserted, but I found a workman who told me it was the wrong Golf Club and he handily gave me the exit code so I could follow his directions, which began by pointing me back the way I had come! I can only believe there were stooges out there to point me elsewhere employed by a BNI rival! I certainly had the place surrounded. I almost expected everybody to be leaving as I was entering, I was so late; it has only now occurred to me that I spent as much of my time in the Radlett environs as I had taken for my my projected time of 39 minutes.

As I entered, David O’Dowd introduced himself, correctly presuming who I was and immediately did his best to reassure me and asked would I like tea or coffee. I was made to feel welcome, and at least had not been peremptorily blackballed for my heinous behaviour – Phew! Awhile later he addressed the rest of the delegates and calling me ‘Rodney’ to which I corrected him with ‘Roderick - Rodney is a Plonker!’ which resonated with at least some of the audience with some laughter.

It was mentioned I would be taking to photos as a record of the morning so long as no one objected, which later made one member check if I had his best side, so I was sure at least he had no objections. Everyone made considerable effort to make not only myself but all of the firstcomers welcomed, and the underlying structure of the event meant each person would have an opportunity to introduce themselves and was asked to observe certain time limits, but many had completed their narrative well-before timeout was called, and for those who did reach this cutoff it was generally drowned out by well-meaning laughter.

The whole morning was well-run without officiousness, and the presentations were brief and succinct, and the food provided was excellent. I hope that in the few photographs I took it gives a flavour of the morning’s meeting. Thank you all for an interesting morning. The journey back was so straightforward, I wonder whether my SatNav had been sabotaged, it was so incredibly straightforward; virtually a straight line!? – I hope I got everyone’s ‘best side’ not just Lawrence Conway’s!

Windsurfers in the Sun at Brogborough

The afternoon on this day at Brogborough was a busy one for me, having given up my attempts at photographing insects, I was lured by the magnetic attraction of watersports and that there was some wind and sun which proved too strong to resist, so out came the tripod, gimbal head and the 150-600mm lens on the 5D MkII, and I simply captured what unfolded before me.

I met the son, of the earlier incumbent at the Club, David who was over here from Australia, he very kindly provided me with some excellent views of the underside of the board he was borrowing, and his jumps were performed heading straight for me! I hope he is pleased with what I managed to capture.

The shot of the girl that heads this piece was chosen because of the fortuitous happenstance of the reflection from her sail lighting her face and showing the set of her mouth in concentration, I apologise for cropping out the top of the sail, but the shot was a vertical, and I head these pieces with landscape images to be economic of space.

I'll let the gallery tell the story from here, as I have written enough words for one day. Suffice to say the day was a really enjoyable one.

Sunday Cricket – Bamville vs Bedford Park

It is some time since I went to Harpenden to cover a Cricket Match, and the weather looked set fair, so I travelled down to see Peter Carr who this day was scoring as is is his wont. I left in what I took was good time and chose to take a part of the journey along the country lanes, which was a reasonably good choice as far as it went, but it would have been even better, had I decided to avoid the M1 entirely as an accident on the other carriageway had attracted the attention of the southbound carriageway users, thereby slowing our journey as well!

I arrived just in time to miss only the first over. The home team, Bamville had chosen to bat. I was determined to avoid the sun where possible, so had a scruffy, but wide-brimmed floppy hat and a light scarf to protect my neck, and set up close to the pavilion in the leafy shade of some nearby trees. The pitch is part of the Golf Course for weekdays and Saturdays, and is undulating and irregular, making it very irregular and being close to dense, bramble-heavy undergrowth and tall grasses, prone to numerous stoppages due to locating errant balls despatched by enthusiastic batsmen, which has the effect of forcing fielders to do the searching aided on occasion by the occasional spectators.

Photographing level with the pitch can sometimes be difficult when using a tripod, because fielders can often obscure your direct line of sight to the batsmen or bowler alternately, but shooting handheld with a long lens can be wearing, so full-coverage is never guaranteed and capturing fielders catching balls is seriously difficult, so with the home team batting, I concentrate on them for the first half and do my best to at least cover some fielding in the second half. As a spectacle-wearer I find it hard to get a complete view of the screen with a dSLR, which is an issue when trying to follow a cricket ball!

As with the windsurfing shots I have tried to capture sequences, which means an extra burden in post processing due to the large number of shots, but it does improve the success rate of the peak of actions, but it gives me even greater respect for the sports photographers in the days of film.

I did manage to capture a few of those moments when the bails flew, but sadly lifted my finger from the shutter release when a catch was about to be made, but the waiting hands of the fielder are in view. I had an enjoyable afternoon, but have spent longer, doing cropping and occasional colour tweaks due to the light changing, and throwing out shots either leading up to or following on from an action I was trying to capture, but altogether fun.

Tring Reservoirs – 7D MkII 2nd Test

A second outing with the Canon EOS 7D MkII, again with the 150-600mm Tamron Lens, this time on all three of the Tring reservoirs, Startops End, Marsworth and Tringford and once again in bright sunshine; not that it contributed to my warmth, that was provided by far more insulated undergarments.

The subject matter was varied, but unexciting, but I was there primarily to get to understand the features of the new camera body, whilst there was reasonably good sunlight.

The response of the new body was excellent and I was impressed by the burst rate, now if I only my body would react with equal agility, my anticipation and reaction still need to improve if I am to get the peak of actions such as a duck diving, a dragonfly or a kingfisher taking off. Frozen limbs and fingers do not help; had I kept my hand on the camera the entire time, it would likely need thawing with a hair dryer! Memory is another of my failings, I forgot that the gimbal head does not remain in the car boot, so had to use a ball head in its stead.

The last shots of the gulls were taken using either the tripod with only one leg extended to form a monopod or hand held, as they were swooping and diving close to the bank. I also found that when the camera was on the tripod animals were happy to come close but off to one side, leaving me only able to watch helplessly, unable to release the camera quietly and speedily. This time it was a mink which climbed down a branch above me, then across another to disappear beyond the tree trunk and back into its hollow in a dead tree stump at the water’s edge. I suppose I should not be too disappointed as I really did only have a back view!