More Activity at Brogborough Lake

  School term time is around once more, so the chances of meeting up with my daughters and their families has now dwindled, and my younger daughter was uncertain as to whether she might come over. Edge to edge blue sky and a reasonable amount of wind at least here;  a short distance from the lake at Brogborough, the potential for activity on the lake was therefore high and helped make up my mind to drive over with my camera. I packed both my heavyweight gear and long lens as well as the lightweight alternative, the versatile LUMIX FZ10002.

On arrival at the Windsurfers' Car Park, the gate was open, so I presumed I was likely welcome to enter on this occasion. My surmise that the favourable conditions of sun and wind would be a magnet for members of the club proved entirely correct as for once, after a long lull due to Covid there was a good crowd onshore, and much activity on the water, with yet more preparations under way by others onshore.

I received a call from Lizzy to say they were soon to be on their way over, so that helped decide which camera I would bring out to use, the LUMIX won as it required little preparation, no tripod needed, I would be able to move around at will, and the clincher: the wind direction favoured most of the activity would be close to the near shore.

Within five minutes of my arrival I was shooting from the launch area, and after a while decided to head for the woodland path at the far end of the greensward landing and launch area. I was travelling light so made good headway through the winding path that is often used as a cycle race path, and after a brisk pace in the shade soon arrived into the sunshine and the first spot where I could make my way down the steep bank to be close to the water's edge, and get a reasonably wide angle of view of those on the water.

I stayed here for a while shooting, then climbed back up to head further round with a wider view. I moved to two more vantage points before the call came from Lizzy to say she had arrived, at which point, I stopped shooting, and at a brisk pace, headed back through the shaded woods to my car, to head for home, I did break off for a moment or two to chat to one of the newcomers to foiling, André who  had initially fashioned his own hydrofoil, before succumbing to a professional version. We had a brief conversation, before I drove home and a relaxing time with Lizzy and family. This gallery is therefore more delayed than normal before appearing.

Marston Lake Sunny Afternoon

I set off to my nearest Anglers' lake, Marston lake to see what life was on the water in the warmth of the afternoon, and spotted some Tufted Ducks, a juvenile Grebe, and a Gull. All at some distance from the shore.
It was therefore lucky that I had decided to use the 60-600mm Sigma Sports lens with the additional 2x Converter, as on this lake, many of the smaller birds stay a good distance from the shore, unlike the Swans.
When I first arrived I met up with the Angler from whom I had learned about the Willington Lakes, and we chatted before I set up the camera a short distance closer to the entrance to the lake, as with the sun so low, the light was at a better angle. I did fire off a few shots at the more distant birds, but they were of no value so do not appear in this small single-page gallery.
Although it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon in the sunshine, and avoid close contact with others, it was not an exciting group of images, but it was good to see the Grebe stretch its wings, and the swan with its upturned wings as it headed straight for the shore ahead of me, when I realised he seemed likely to be coming ashore, I quickly gathered a handful of Sunflower seeds and threw them for it as a reward, but he seemed disinterested at first though once ashore for a moment did start to pick at the few that I had thrown onto jetty, and later even some of the seeds on the water. I got the impression it was some morsels of bread it would have found more appealing. The last shots I managed before leaving were a couple of Mallard ducks heading for the reeds.

2020 New Year Concert – St Mary's, Eaton Bray

 

             A New Year and New Decade begins for the Aylesbury Concert Band, with its opening Concert for the Season. At the rehearsal the Car Park was filling steadily as I brought my Sax-playing daughter in, and as she went in to set up, a steady influx of Band members continued as I gathered my kit, locked up and walked in with the Day's Conductor.

               Inside St. Mary's Church, Eaton Bray, the atmosphere was alive with the sounds of animated chatter and the setting up of numerous music stands, and arranging of seating for the Band. The numbers of Band members arriving continued to swell, gradually giving way to the more musical sounds of tuning up – Cacophany in C; if there was any nervousness amongst the players it was certainly lost amongst the general hubbub of greetings, re-arrangements of seating and constant flux as Chaos gave way to Order. It was during this phase, I realised I was missing a vital component if I was to use my monopod. I left my kit on a couple of chairs close by the aisle towards the front, and when I returned two reserved tickets had been placed where my camera bag was, so I had to find an unreserved place, one row nearer than planned.

               The Vicar greeted me to generously offer access to the Organ loft, which I accepted gratefully, but from which, on this occasion I found I was unable to use. Once I felt sufficiently organised, I took a few shots to gauge the lighting levels and set my base exposure, and learning that a very full congregation was envisaged, realised that the majority of images of the Band playing were going to be gleaned not from the Concert, but during Rehearsal, where I was free to move around, and take shots of musicians who were in the rear rows or hidden behind pillars.

               It does mean that many views were framed by clothing over chair backs, and many of the musicians were in mufti, rather than their formal dress, and only certain players were visible from my static position during the main event. Hopefully though the spirit of the occasion is carried by the overall range of images I have captured, When listening to music, my feet take on a life of their own, but somehow my hands manage to keep sufficient control to retain their stability; sometimes in post production it does mean verticals do have to be restored, or judiciously cropped to ensure the viewer does not suffer vertigo! It is all a measure however of my enjoyment of the occasion – a Happy New Decade to all who read the blog and enjoy the images captured.

Testing — Tripod Head + Lens Combo

I have spent time of late rationalising kit for differing weight limits imposed by how much weight I can carry over a distance yet maintain the highest quality practically. I know that optimally if the lens throw and versatility is essential then I use the Sigma Sports 60-600mm, and almost invariably I can use it with the 1.4x Converter permanently attached. The ideal solid tripod support is the Benbo, as it is fairly straightforward to set up, and one major advantage lies with its ability to have the legs in water if need be. Also even with the central column extended, it is remarkably stable.

Another aspect that requires some thought is how the camera and lens is connected to the tripod. I can use a gimbal head with a leveller which provides a safely balanced head, but when the lens focal length is changed from long to wide frequently, it can lose its advantage, whereas when the Acratech Long lenshead is used with its overall balance set centrally, the only precaution needed is to lock it speedily when not actually using it. The gimbal’s advantage is safety, and overall balance, but it is much heavier than the long lens head. So, on this occasion I was verifying that the Long Lens head was critical where weight was the consideration.

The tripod was fairly lightweight with a good leg spread, so quick to set up. I do have a Silk Road Carbon Fibre Tripod, but its first setting is too tight for safety, so it is unsafe in speedy use, because the legs need to be unclicked to go to the second setting for each leg.

I also have a Gitzo tripod, but it is even heavier than the Benbo, so that is really for inside use only. I retained my Tamron 150-600mm lens, and now that I have had its internal firmware updated it really scores when Long throw is more essential than ultimate range, as it is far lighter than its Sigma equivalent, and the quality is still very good.

I feel most would find it hard to accept that all the shots using the EOS R body from wide angle and close-up, to distant building shots, were taken using the 60-600mm with the 1.5x Converter throughout. The EOS 5D MkII shots that are prefixed _56A were shot using theTamron 90mm and are the only images that have not been taken by the Sigma and 1.4x Converter. My recent windsurfer images were all taken using the 60-600mm with the Converter, which now remains almost permanently attached. It is a testament to just how well Sigma have produced their lenses.

A Climb to Millbrook Church

As many who know me will realise, I rarely travel without a camera, and on those occasions, I will have made a conscious decision not to be taking photos, or my family will have made that decision for me! Yes, I do have a phone  that Sports a camera, but for me that is not a serious option. For several years my choice has been a single lens reflex, and although I started as a Nikon devotee, there came a point where I opted to jump from film to digital, and at that juncture Canon offered a better quality than Nikon, so I jumped ship. 

Both camera makers spent the early digital years, swapping the lead in terms of quality or ease of use, but as I simply had to wait a short while when Canon was behind before the next model made a jump, I stayed loyal. This was as much due to my investment and the prohibitive financial cost of making such a jump. Both systems are very equal, and there are subtle handling differences which would mean at critical moments I could fail to capture a shot.

Recently, as I made the switch to a mirrorless body, I fell into just such a situation. I had my recently acquired EOS R and Sigma Sports 60-600mm crash to the ground, and whilst both were being repaired, I went back to my DSLRs, only to find I had lost the fluidity in the handling, that used to be second nature! The differences are only slight, but my brain is less agile than it was when I made the jump to digital all those years back!

I made a trip to my accountant today, and on the return trip, I parked the car in the village of Millbrook, and grabbing the camera I took a steep path up to the top to see what the views might be, and whatever else might be of interest. It was only when I reached the summit and saw the view, that I realised I had actually been to this same spot before, but on that occasion, I had started from the opposite side of the same hill! It had not been a wasted journey, but it was one of those forehead-slapping moments!

The end result is a single page gallery of what caught my eye, and certainly gave me a quality that justified my purchase, and its flip screen made all the difference to the ease with which I was able to get the low angles of some of the shots, and also the landscapes, due to the lack of shutter vibration, coupled with the larger pixel count inherent in the file size increase over my 5D MkIII, had I taken the same shots with the latter.

It was a useful opportunity to become more familiar with the EOS R for when I need to work swiftly and intuitively in the future.

Sunny Brogborough Lake – Only Light Wind!

Warmth and Sunshine Late in the year is still tempting even though the wind was light and somewhat fitful. When I arrived lakeside there was only one man on the water, so I wandered into the Clubhouse to see who else was around, rather than immediately ready my camera and Benbo Tripod, but I need not have been concerned; the temptation for the windsurfers to grab some of this autumn warmth on the lake, when the sun was still warm and the sky a clear but pale blue, was not going to be missed despite there being no more than a light zephyr to ruffle the water’s surface.

I set up the 7D MkII with the Sigma 150-600mm lens and originally headed very much to the left to put the sun as behind me as I could, but the vegetation was too restrictive, so I made for the jetty instead. Though not the steadiest of platforms the angle of view was much wider. There were only a mere handful on the water when at full strength, so the shots are more repetitive than for most visits I make, but I never  baulk at keeping my hand and eye in, but I do not think that these were my best shots, due to my selection of too wide an aperture and too low an ISO speed, and perhaps I might have been better turning off the stabilisation, but hindsight is always so much clearer!

Sam Barnes certainly featured strongly as I was trying to capture him when aloft on his hydrofoil-equipped board. It was however a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon and keep my hand in.

Wind at Brogborough Lake – at Last!

General Gallery - (same link as from the Title)

Jumps 1

Jumps 2

Saturday looked really promising for wind, surely a godsend for the windsurfers of Brogborough, after such a long windless spell, but it did look as if it would be likely to end with rain.

I tried to clear the decks of all my essential chores, and gathered my kit for a trip down the road to the Lake. There was activity, but rather less than I had been expecting, but it was deceptive, since the activity was preparation; rigging the sails, and donning appropriate clothing, which ranged from the summer minimal to the regular full wetsuit. I wandered towards the water’s edge and found there several already on the water, but all at different points of the compass.

I returned to the boot of my car, and started to put the Benbo tripod up at least firm enough to risk attaching the camera with lens attached, which would by the EOS7D MkII and the Sigma Sports 150 - 600mm. I had also brought along the 1.4 Converter to give it an airing in the bright light. 

Heading to the jetty with the camera and tripod assembled, then rest the tripod legs to a convenient height, with its feet located at the junction of the jetty’s slats to ensure maximum stability for I knew from past experience, that in high winds the jetty could move considerably. I started by taking a few preparatory exposures to judge the lighting levels and apertures I might expect to be using. It soon became apparent that I was not as fully prepared as I thought — I realised I had not got my hat, nor put some sun cream on my hands; I also took the opportunity to grab my 1.4 Converter.

Later, I did attach it to give me the extended reach, but twice, it threw up an error and locked up, so I decided that was far too risky so removed it, I also took that opportunity to move the tripod further out along the jetty so the reeds to my left gave me a clearer view into that bay at the end, since many of the sailors were travelling that much further.

I knew from past experience bright and windy weather such as this meant I was making a proverbial rod for my back, in that I was going to be spending an inordinate time in front of the computer in post processing, but I seem to accept masochism is all part of a photographer’s lot.

At least during the first day the wind and rain made the task acceptable as it was a comfort since the great outdoors did not offer an enviable alternative, and my family were otherwise tied up. However, I was beset by my hard disc disappearing for stints of nearly an hour at a time, and I was unable to fathom exactly what was happening and it was frustrating as Lightroom had to rebuild the catalog each time, but resolving that issue would have to wait till after the images were up on the blog.

I have split the day’s shooting into the three galleries, one overall, and the other two contain various jump sequences I managed to catch, mainly of Colin Hunt.

I hope they give a hint of the joy of the day’s weather.

Stockwood Saturday – Warm and Windy

I had managed to clear everything in preparation for the family trip to Goodwood for the Festival of Speed meeting, so having used the Wednesday afternoon to cover Luton Hoo’s Walled Garden, I decided I would pay the Stockwood Discovery Centre a visit, as I was sure the flowers and insect life would not disappoint.

I was right, there was an incredible panoply of colour on display, and the Centre was crowded with young families enjoying the afternoon sun. I had found some interesting and unusual flowers with beautifully textured leaves in the bed at the entrance, so I took out the camera even before going in! I headed for the lavender once within the walled enclave, which I was certain would be attractive to the bees, I was not expecting to see just how hard it was for them to do their pollinating! The sensible ones didi not fly off when the breezes blew, they simply clambered from one flowerhead to any that were nearby, which at least meant there was more time they spent static than had there been less wind.

Once again the long greenhouse was locked, and on this visit I was too late for anyone to let me in there, and anyway there was plenty for me to shoot in the limited time I had left before they closed for the day. I only saw one hoverfly on this visit which I found surprising bearing in mind the moisture from recent rains.

Even though several days have passed since I took these shots, I have already used some of the images in a birthday card for my sister-in-law, and I have yet to load all the Goodwood shots from the following day, but the delay was all worthwhile as I was busy doing a ‘real’ job for a designer pitching for a Royal Mail project involving a hand colouring from an original black and white image; now completed and happily approved.