AndyBlog

13 Jul 2012

Local beach...

I'm getting used to living near to a beach...

...but not one quite like this. This is the beach nearest to where I have been living for the last month. It's a deeply charming place - and normally very calm to swim in, or so I am told. Because of the weather system cutting in last night there were a few waves, of which I made good fare, I hope. Good enough, anyway.

There are many parts of Maryland that so could be England. This beach is not one of them. It is most definitely foreign, and delightfully so. Many of the beaches in Maryland are actually private, so getting to the coast - even if you live right near it - is not easy. If someone owns the house right next to the beach, that bit of beach is theirs, so you can see how whole stretches of beach become unreachable - whilst at the same time, the rich owners of the house get that much prized luxury of a private beach. Capitalism in full swing, one might say.

Anyway, I hope you like the picture.

Wave-Cove-Cylinders

Getting Slightly Arty With It...

Requested Scenery 2

Tirelessly charming - this one from Point Lookout, near Scotland, MD.

Requested Scenery 1

The Sunsets here can be outstanding. No photoshop trickery required.

Grocery shopping, the highlights:

OK, I have given into the whole laziness thing and am using one of these. Really, truly great fun, on one level. Utterly humiliating on another.

The Shrimps (Prawns) I can understand - It's the frogs legs that bother me. Seems like it bothers the frogs too - they're described as “Wild”. Well, I'd be wild too if they did that to me.

We refer to cheddar cheese as “Strong“ or “Extra-Strong”, whereas here it is ”Sharp“. It goes without saying that me thinking of cheese as ”Extra-sharp“ makes a funny happen inside.

Despite my resistance plan, items build up in my basket. None of them are frogs legs though. I promise. Ok, so this is the highlights of my shopping trip. In an electric trolly.

I am still embarrassed, but I arrived back at the car without feeling in serious distress physically...

I hereby bow to the pressure...

Remember that gig at the Copthorne Hotel?

Well, I decided to go ahead and show you /those/ pictures. :)

Click HERE to see the gallery.

Portrait photographer...in training.

I guess, these sort of opportunities should be capitalised upon when in a band and whilst aspiring to take pictures of people. I shall try again in due course, making the most of the long waits between setting up and actually playing.

As for the gig - it was a strange one. I do believe the crowd enjoyed our playing, but few were in the mood to dance, or so it seemed. That said, if I were in the crowd at a gig like ours, I certainly would not be dancing, so I guess I should keep very quiet indeed. Let him who is without broth throw the first glasshouse - as the old saying goes.

Off out now, with the intention of spending a pleasant, although unexpected, evening in the company of Jason and Antonia - the lovely people who just live up the way, like.

That is all I will permit myself time to say now. Not one word about my foot. Oh no.

Ancient Art

Enhanced under Jac's clever guidance.

It would be quite unfair to take complete credit for this shot. In truth, it is a combined effort between Jac and myself. I actually took the shot, but it was Jac who discovered the delightful spattered panel on the door of the shed. Jac also carefully and gently instructed me as to how she would crop the shot and colour enhance it.

I listened well, and made my own minimal input when she was safely gone. The results I find cheerfully pleasing - and I would not be unhappy to have an art-print quality picture of this. I guess it almost ranks as "discovered art" - or some such pretentious genre. I have no idea why, but I find the shot endlessly interesting, perhaps enough to want to hang it up somewhere.

The other little shot is simply a hole in the wall of the shed. Is it me - or is it an outline of a cartoon man with a massive Roman nose? I'll let you be the judge.

Whilst this is not the actual picture being taken, it illustrates the method used.

If you fancy checking out Jac's comments and pictures of the shoot, go HERE.

Photography with Jac

Jac, with her faithful Canon - rapid fire.

One of my nice pleasures in life is a few brief hours grabbed every couple of months or so to go out and photograph stuff with Jac. Last Friday was one such day. Jac arrived in time for us to travel up to Alnmouth and photograph the sunrise. My enthusiasm for these trips was further increased by Jason's kind supply of a Canon 10D. This made me feel like a proper member of the photography duo and not just an "also-ran" with my little IXUS (...as TL sometimes calls it - but that's another matter). I might even consider joining the Newbiggin Arts Forum Photography Group now that I have a camera worthy of the word 'photography'.

Anyway, we drove down the terribly-bumpy lane to Alnmouth dunes, whereupon we embarked on the long and tortuous ascent onto the dunes. Well, that's not strictly true - Jac glided effortlessly up the dunes and a climbed desperately, as if my life depended on it. Surely, thought I, this kind of harsh exploration will all but guarantee me the very finest sunrise shot ever.
I was of course, all but disappointed with the results. The sunrise itself was singularly underwhelming, and yet there were some interesting shots to be had. I was grateful to Jac for taking a picture that proved I had made the climb. I was glad that no-one had to know that I got down from the dune on my bottom, rather than via the "effortless-gliding" which Jac seemed so adept at.

It was, however, lovely to welcome the sunrise and to point a camera this way and that, whilst trying to remember how to drive one of these big heavy photolumps. As ever, my greatest successes happened when I stopped trying to be a landscape photographer and turned my attention to portraiture.

I know, more depth of field required. Should have been possible, as it was quite a big field.

I like the harsh black and white one of Jac very much - largely thanks to the splendid flash unit that came with the camera. I also like the one with Jac leaning against the wall. The big problem with taking pictures of people is having people who are willing to be photographed. So, if you fancy having your picture taken by me - perhaps somewhere outside or something - just drop me an email and let's see what can happen.

So, all this was done, and we made it back to the place I am now proud to call home by 10.30am for a well-deserved coffee. It was at this arrival that I pointed out the old shed on the waste ground next to us...but more of that in the next blog.

Maybe this little sunrise shot is OK