Infinity and beyond.

Built by local company, Balfour Beatty who appointed Cleveland Bridge and Doorman Long of Darlington to fabricate and erect it, it’s great to know that we have such quality engineering companies in the area and when you see the bridge for real it is just simply stunning.

John and I spent the early afternoon taking a look and seeing which angles worked and which didn’t. The Bridge looks even better at dusk, dawn or indeed at night. Therefore, after our afternoon reccé we carried on to Skinningrove to make some images there before calling back later.

Upon our return, the area looked different again. We were met with a fully lit bridge that changes colour as you walk across it along with a wonderfully calm river which made for some wonderful reflections.

It had been raining quite heavily during the day which left a large puddle on the far side of the bridge and, after spending some time on composition, found a really great reflection that mirrored the bridge. This, I found was better than using the river as a reflection as I found it difficult not to interrupt the reflection in the water.

Infinite Eiffel

As I walked back over the bridge I noticed a more abstract image which I decided to spend some time with being careful to compose so that everything was symmetrical. However, after seeing the image on my computer later, I decided to flip it horizontally so as it looked bottom-heavy instead of top-heavy for better balance which I think works well.

Finally deciding to take a look at the architecture underneath the image I really loved the way the reflected columns looked like those spaceships out of Star Wars (or is it just my vivid imagination)!

A highly recommended visit for those winter months when there’s more darker than lighter hours!

Just on the technical side for a moment, I’m stunned by the sheer quality of the 14-45mm lens of my Panasonic G1 with these images. With hardly a smidgeon of Chromatic Aberration and excellent exposure metering (which is always more tricky on dark scenes), this camera has got to be the best digital camera I’ve owned by a long way and yet by far the cheapest. As its now technically discontinued for the over-feature-laden G2, anyone looking for a fabulous camera on a budget should, in my opinion, hunt out a G1 whilst they’re being flogged off. You really won’t regret it I promise you.

Please check my Gallery Page for all four images as I’ve only posted two here.

Technical Data: Panasonic G1/14-45mm, using various apertures and shutter speeds.

As usual you can find this image and more in the ‘Recently Added’ section of the Gallery, Enjoy.

Coastal Tractor

I’d already spotted the cameo-style image I wanted to make but as the sun was almost directly behind me I didn’t know whether my shadow would hamper making it. Fortunately this wasn’t the case and I went about my business of making sure everything was set up perfect for making the image. using the pulley wheel as the anchor within the image I could see that all the other components fell into place, including the tarpaulin which lifts the image by adding extra colour and dimension to it.
I get extreme satisfaction from this work and could have spent hours pawing over this one subject, but alas the light was fading behind the nearby cliff so that was that.

Technical Data: Panasonic G1/14-45mm, 1/40s @ f13

As usual you can find this image and more in the ‘Recently Added’ section of the Gallery, Enjoy.

Summer, Hawnby

In particular though, I enjoy the tranquility it affords, it just makes you feel so at peace. As I’m just about to hold another workshop in this area with good friend Steve Lewis, I noticed that I only had one image of the location which I made earlier in the year when all that snow was about. Therefore, I’ve decided to post an image I made a couple of months back. Simply named Summer, for me this image sums up the beauty of the area and summer in general.

I decided to make the image early evening as I rather like an image made by Joe Cornish on the pier at Saltburn which again has been made at around this time instead of waiting for the golden hour. So I supposed that was what inspired me to make this image at the time I did.

Technically this caused a few issues with the light though. showing around six stops of light on my spot meter meant I had to keep the sky at bay with a two-stop grad filter. However, the foreground fence-post was also displaying one stop too high also. I therefore used a one stop grad upside down to keep this at bay too. Anyone doing this will understand that this starts to mess up your maths when working out the correct shutter speed! Anyway, it appears my maths was good that day and I’m rather pleased with the outcome.

Technical Data: 90mm, 1/15s @ f22, Provia 100F, 2 stop grad + 1 stop grad, Rear tilt

As usual you can find this image and more in the ‘Recently Added’ section of the Gallery, Enjoy.

JPG Image

Whilst turning into the road end at Skinningrove I had to do a double-take at an old disused warehouse with the initials JPG on it. With a wry grin I carried on before noticing a similar sign to the entrance. At this point I just knew I had to make an image of the sign if not just for fun. However, I decided to spend a bit of time setting up the image to make sure it was correctly composed and as sharp as possible. Using f8, which is the optimal aperture of the 14-45mm lens fitted to my Panasonic G1, I set to work. The sign being over 7ft high meant stretching my tripod to its limit to compose the image straight on and the surrounding foliage helped lift the colour of the composition to make a pleasant if not unusual and tongue-in-cheek image!
Eventually making my way into Skinningrove I spent a little time on the sea front which, I have to say, was rather quite pleasant and a bit of a surprise to be honest. OK, the pier is a little worse for wear nowadays but I reckon even that on a stormy day could make quite a decent image in itself - possibly a black and white? Today was a warm and muggy day though and there were quite a few families taking in the warm evening air along the beach area. Unfortunately, clouds were starting to roll in and everything was looking a little dull and overcast to make a decent image but the area is certainly worth another look at some stage.

Technical Data: Panasonic G1/14-45mm 1/13s @ f8

As usual you can find this image and more in the ‘Recently Added’ section of the Gallery, Enjoy.

Take a Bow, Paddy's Hole

Deciding that the coast would be my location of choice I set off for South Gare in Redcar working on the theory there’s plenty of close up work on offer around this location.
On arrival I checked out the sand dunes but, as in the past, I couldn’t really find an image that worked (maybe one day..). I therefore walked over to have a look round Paddy’s Hole to see what was on offer. After an hour or so I came across today’s image of a large fishing boat adorned with the most wonderful livery of varnished wood. A closer inspection found a beautiful golden patina of wood grain and screw notches (if that’s what you call them?!) with each panel alternating in shades of golden brown. I felt compelled to work on an image to show off this wonderful craftsmanship.
Using my finder to work out a pleasing composition I couldn’t help hearing mutterings from a small group of fishermen obviously enjoying the warm afternoon sun on a bench around twenty or so yards away. However, these mutterings, some of which sounded a little slurred (you work it out!), were obviously intended for my ears as I noticed they were scrutinising my every move when I looked round. Deciding to ignore them and get on with my business I came across a pleasing image that almost looked as if the bow was pointing towards me although the opposite was actually true - a type of optical illusion.
I had to set up the camera within a foot of the closest point of the vessel and use my widest (90mm) lens to make an image where the steel rail left the image top right, at the same time making sure one of the wood panels leaves bottom left. After working this problem out I then had to work out the best way to keep the whole keel as sharp as possible in order to show the wood grain at its best. It’s rare for me to use swing to aid focus but it’s even rarer to use tilt and swing simultaneously but that’s what was needed. This was a situation where having the use of asymmetrical movements on the Ebony was a big plus point and made setting this up a breeze.
After taking a quick meter reading or two I tripped the shutter just as another remark along the lines of ‘legs’, ‘broken’ and ‘if I touched that boat’ came winging in my direction. That was my cue to leave and I didn’t need a second reminder!

Technical Data: 90mm, ¼s @ f22½, Rear tilt & swing focusing, Provia 100F.

As usual you can find this image and more in the ‘Recently Added’ section of the Gallery, Enjoy.

© Neil Hindle

This 2 day workshop was led by professional photographer and good friend, Steve Gosling. Steve’s work is inspirational along with his encyclopaedic knowledge of photography from pin-hole to digital, colour and black & white.
On the morning of the first day Steve explained his approach to photography along with handing out useful advice and instruction to use on location. Accompanied by Audrey, Carol, Hilary, Charles, John & Neil, Steve spent some time with each participant to find out their needs and requirements.
Our location for the day was to be Fountain’s Abbey near Ripon. This wonderful location with its beautiful Abbey and water garden are a photographer’s dream at any time of the day and the weather, although showery at times, dealt us a good hand allowing for plenty of tuition and practical photography. Time was spent looking at the different techniques required for daylight and low light conditions (in the Cellarium) and how, using the camera in full manual mode, significantly helps with slowing down and concentrating on the subject.
Early evening we decided to take a look around Brimham Rocks only ten minutes away to give participants a change of scenery.
After a long day of shooting we headed off into Ripon for a fabulous evening meal before heading back to Northallerton for an overnight stay.
Arriving at the gallery 9a.m. the following day we all set to work evaluating the previous day’s shoot along with a little critiquing before spending time in post production putting the final touches to one or two  images taken the previous day.

Anyone interested in our holistic photography workshops should check the Capture2computer pages of this website for full details. Images from the day can be found in our Fountains Gallery here.

I’d like to thank Steve and all the participants for a thoroughly enjoyable couple of days and hope you all keep in touch! For more details about Steve Gosling, check out his website Steve Gosling Photography.

Kind Regards,

Mark.

Awkward positioning

Recently though, due to mainly overcast skies, this has given me the opportunity to look for more innerscape-style images. One such image was made in mid February when John and I scoured Swaledale all day trying to find something to make an image out of. We finally ended up at Wainwath falls - a series of rather small, unassuming cascades compared to the much larger falls found further downstream. Almost giving up hope as the light was starting to fade I came across today’s image - Flowing Diagonals. Diagonals in an image are very powerful and here I spent over half an hour just composing the image through the finder before settling upon a composition I felt could work. I wanted to be sure that all the main lines intersected at the corners before leading into the image.

Flowing Diagonals

The difficult part was setting up the tripod as two of the legs had to be positioned in the water at extreme angles (see image). Then mounting the camera in a near vertical position called for a lot of concentration as it was easy to become disorientated under the dark cloth and I didn’t want to end up in the drink myself. As I was quite close to the subject I had to allow a little exposure compensation using guess work as I obviously had no place to position the Quick Disc, which I normally use to help me with close up work.

Finally, holding the tripod very steady due to a slight movement from the water on the tripod legs, I managed to make an image which I am pleased with - simple but effective.

Technical Data: 150mm, 1s @ f22, Provia 100F

As usual you can find this image and more in the ‘Recently Added’ section of the Gallery, Enjoy.

Spring Squall

Due to the limited time on an evening, I find it useful to think about a specific location to visit before heading out, otherwise you can end up wasting time simply wandering around aimlessly with nothing to show for it. Therefore, I tend to search for locations in advance and in some cases make notes in a diary to visit later. These standing stones were a typical example. In-fact I didn’t even know they existed until I noticed them on another photographers website a while back. So I checked them out and even worked out a pleasing composition. All I needed now was the right light - something for another day. I only made a mental note but this is enough sometimes.

A week ago, as it was the start of my Easter break I decided to grab my kit and head off to Hawnby as this is only half an hour drive for me and an ideal location when sunset is still only around 7.45 ish. En-route I noticed an interesting and very large Cumulus cloud formation developing in the general direction of Hawnby Hill which I thought would make an ideal back-drop to the hill itself. Unfortunately I knew I wouldn’t have time to set up a decent image from there as I hadn’t done a reccé of the hill for months. However, I remembered the standing stones and mentally worked out that the cloud formation would be in the right direction.

Having set up the camera I noticed that the large Cumulus by now had significantly shrunk in size but nevertheless would still make a pleasing image. Just as I was about to make some meter readings of the scene the heavens opened. Rushing to my bag to close it and wrapping up the camera with my dark cloth all I could do was watch a bleak scene take over in front of me totally masking the thunderous Cumulus cloud I had initially intended to shoot. Fortunately, I could see by its speed that this heavy squall would be fleeting so I decided to stick it out and wait for it to pass.

As the squall started to pass I noticed a wonderful end trail of rain being lit by the sun directly behind me. Just one look through the screen told me this was the image to capture. At this point though all my filters needed drying off, as did the lens and I still needed to take a light meter reading. At this point it feels you are doing ten things at once (very difficult for a man I’ve been told!).

Thoroughly soaked, I finally tripped the shutter very happy. It was particularly pleasing knowing that the scene wasn’t entirely handed on a plate having spent time there previously, but the squall was a bonus nevertheless!

Technical Data: 90mm on front tilt focus, 1s@ f22, Velvia 50, 0.3ND Grad.

As usual you can find this image and more in the ‘Recently Added’ section of the Gallery, Enjoy.

Capture2computer Workshop - Whitby, March 2010

This two-day residential workshop commenced on Saturday morning with a small talk on the fundamentals of Landscape photography by Pro photographer and good friend, Steve Lewis ARPS. Around mid-morning we set off towards Whitby and Saltwick Bay, our destination for the day.
After the usual scramble down onto the shore at Saltwick, Steve set about explaining the purpose & correct use of using graduated filters as well as spending individual time with Adam, Charlie, Pat, Steve & Tom.

After lunch we made our way into Whitby itself where participants were encouraged to spend time with composition working the area around the 199 steps. All week I had been keeping an eye on the weather forecast but it seemed we were going to be fated with an overcast day. As it happened though, we were blessed with a few minutes of lovely light and a deep red sunset which finished off a great day of learning.

The following day participants returned to the gallery where we discussed & critiqued images made on day one before working on some of them in Photoshop in the IT suite. Images from this two day event can be seen in the Photo Gallery here.

Anyone interested in our holistic photography workshops should check the Capture2computer pages of this website for full details.

I’d like to thank Steve and all the participants for a thoroughly enjoyable weekend and hope you all keep in touch! For more details about Steve, check out his website Landscapes of Wales.

Kind Regards,

Mark.

Fosilised Fern?

Found in passing, this small area of woodland always seems to have something special to find inside. Not that it’s always easy to make an image there. Indeed, it’s darn right difficult at times but that’s why I like it so much as it makes me work the area hard. This, I find, helps me keep my eye in and look for things that I might ordinarily overlook. Of course Winter is the most challenging time of the year for woodland photography due to everything looking dead and forlorn but even then, there’s always something that inevitably crops up if you look hard enough. In this case an image of a decaying branch which, upon closer scrutiny, almost looks as if a fern has become fossilised into the bark emulating the accompanying fern alongside.

Setting up the Ebony under such circumstances is a feat in itself as it’s always very awkward to set up the tripod so that the bulky camera faces in the downward position without it toppling over. Taking what seemed to be an age I eventually worked out the correct angle I was looking for. However, it was getting dark by then resulting in a long exposure plus the need to allow an extra 0.7 stops of exposure compensation meant an exposure time of over 15 seconds, giving the image a rough, grainy type texture that gives a pleasing effect overall.

Therefore, my suggestion for anyone wishing to expand on their photographic knowledge is to set yourself a photographic learning project (as opposed to just a photo project) - one that will take you out of your comfort zone. To test and hone your photographic skills further than those you’ve already acquired. Doing this can only help you gain a more in-depth understanding of the subject and as such make an already enjoyable experience even more so.

Technical Data: 150mm, 15s@f22, Provia 100F.

As usual you can find this image and more in the ‘Recently Added’ section of the Gallery, Enjoy.