The Weather: again

Somewhere on my blog it’s written quite plainly that “Vic’s Blog is, broadly speaking, a photo blog.”

Well, that was certainly the original intention, and from time to time I do find myself writing about photographic things and discussing B&W stuff etc. etc.

However, more often than not, I seem to drift totally off topic and waffle on about what I did at the weekend or how the day progressed weather wise. Not very interesting for the vast majority I’ll grant you, but somehow it just easier to write.

Now, in an effort to heave the blog back on track, I’ve decided to at least try to write about more photo related stuff during the next few postings. That could well be quite difficult though, because let’s face it, who am I to discuss photography? Well, I enjoy taking pictures, but is that really enough?

We’ll have to wait and see how long this new phase will last, but for the moment I must write a line or two about the weather: The Indian summer has passed and has now turned wonderfully autumnal presenting damp, leafy pictures everywhere. Oh, and it’s quite chilly too, so it was decided that a fire be lit to enable us to hear the TV over the sound of chattering teeth.

Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/2,8; 1/50; ISO 400; Developed with GIMP
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/2,8; 1/30; ISO 160; Developed with GIMP
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/3.6; 1/5; ISO 200; Developed with GIMP

Autumn Sunshine

Sunday morning and quite a damp, misty village greeted me and the dog as we enjoyed our after breakfast stroll. Not that I’m complaining, because I quite like damp misty autumnal days, but since Europe seems to be enjoying an Indian summer I didn’t want to be left out. To bask in sunshine before lunch there seemed to be only one option: head for higher ground. So having thrown a few sandwiches in the rucksack that’s what we did. Others seemed to have a similar idea because we weren’t completely alone on the alp, but that didn’t bother us too much. For those interested in the weather, the sun was shining when we got home too.

Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/5.6; 1/400; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/6.6; 1/200; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/6.3; 1/400; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP

Wednesday Evening

This evening I attended a so called ‘do’ at work, you know the sort of thing: ‘get to know thy colleague’. To cut a long story short; the food was splendid, the barbecue was magnificent and nobody went thirsty 😉

To lend this evening’s post a hint of autumn, I’ve included a couple of “still life” sort of pictures of our traditionally decorated straw bale which greets visitors at our front door.

Sony-Ericsson W995 mobile phone. Developed with Gimp
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/2,8; 1/125; ISO 800; Developed with GIMP
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/2,8; 1/160; ISO 800; Developed with GIMP

 

Early in the Morning

I was strolling around the garden at just after 7 o’clock this morning. The first rays of sunshine were beginning to fall on the many spiders webs which currently adorn the hedge, and by half past the apple tree was bathed in a golden autumnal glow.

Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/2.8; 1/125; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/4.5; 1/200; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/3.2; 1/160; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/3.3; 1/125; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP

Black and White

Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/4; 1/30; ISO 100; With a bit of flash and Developed with GIMP

Quite some time ago I read on the “365 project” a remark that got me thinking about the phenomena Black and White.
Rob Wells took a really interesting photograph of a tree that had obviously seen better days. (http://365project.org/robewells/365/2011-08-13)
It’s clearly a monochrome image and it seems that he was somewhat uneasy about taking a Black&White shot in the summer. I Quote: “…..although I’m not very happy doing b&w in the summer.”
To be honest I usually take colour photos, I actually like colour: The youthful greens of spring, the warm summer hues and the beautiful autumn golds, to say nothing of the somewhat reserved colours of winter. But once in a blue moon I load a B&W film in an old camera to produce something a bit different, just for the fun of it.
Thumbing through various photo magazines I’m often quite surprised at how many photographers still use Black and White to achieve something a bit special.
Could this be akin to the desire to travel in an old railway carriage being pulled by a steam engine, or the primeval urge to light a wood fire in winter instead of just turning on the central heating?
An inexplicable yearning for all things old perhaps? Is there really a truly ‘superior’ artistic quality to B&W pictures that my somewhat  limited artistic talent hasn’t quite grasped (yet)?
Anyway, let me return to the start of all this. The “…not very happy doing b&w in the summer” line certainly caught my attention and seemed to challenge me to do just that; take monochrome pictures in the summer.

I had to show myself that B&W pics can be taken  without appearing errr, colourless.  It’s very doubtful whether I achieved  anything other than a few greyish looking photos, but it was great fun experimenting and I don’t think I’ve finished with B&W just yet.
Incidentally,  It was very interesting to note that although the fruits of my labours may tell a different story, I was very motivated during the summer months and I actually had my camera with me quite often, thus proving how important it is to photograph with some sort of purpose, however trivial!

Feel free to take a look at all my ‘summery’ monochrome pics at:

http://www.harding.ch/Gallery21/main.php?g2_itemId=873

For the technically interested, the photos in the gallery were almost all original B&W pics, but a few were desaturated with Gimp. A mixture of Panasonic DMC-LX2,  Sony-Ericsson W995 mobile phone and Samsung ES30 was used.

Europa Park

I’ve just forgotten all the ‘to do’ lists, the chores and duties of everyday life. We’ve just spent a couple of days in a theme park.  No real point in writing much about it really. We’ve been regular visitors there for some years now, and despite being a little older, the enjoyment remains. Something for everyone! Wild roller coasters, serene boat trips and a variety of attractions far too numerous to mention here.
Here are just three impressions, but I hope to post more in the B&W article coming soon.

Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/4.5; 1/200; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/5.6; 1/400; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/4; 1/125; ISO 100; Developed with GIMP

Thanks!

You may remember that early June saw us spending a Saturday afternoon in a car park trying to coax a white 1961 Cadillac Eldorado Biaritz into starting again, after a short photo shooting with the birthday girl. http://harding.ch/WordPress1/?p=198

Well, the rental company said we could take the Cadilac out for another spin for an hour or so sometime when the weather was good. Last Saturday the weather was ideal, the car was free and off we went. It was fantastic, we spent a good hour or so cruising through the warm, sunny countryside waving and being waved at. I must confess it’s not the sort of car I’d want to own, but a quick cruise now and again really is splendid. We decided not to stop for a photo session this time, but I did snap a picture or two in the rental company’s car park before handing over the keys again. Thanks!

 

Panasonic DMC-LX2; Original B&W Developed with GIMP

 

Panasonic DMC-LX2; Original B&W Developed with GIMP

 

Panasonic DMC-LX2; Original B&W Developed with GIMP


City Light

My last posting saw me getting all excited about autumnal light. But it’s not just a case of the low sun casting its golden light over browning woods and exaggerating the texture of grassy fields. Strolling through the city on the way home the other night I noticed that department stores were casting their own particular light over the advancing dusk.

Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/3.2; 1/25; ISO 200. Developed with GIMP

Autumnal Light

Sitting here in front of my computer, my eyes just strayed out of the window.
It’s quite dark. Dark at a quarter to nine in the evening!
Gone are the long summer evenings, the cool beer outside at 10 o’clock,  in daylight.
Autumn is upon us, and with it the long shadows and golden light that only this time of the year can produce.
Quite exciting really, all those fantastic autumnal goodies to look forward to, such as apple crumble and strudel, and all that interesting light.
The following photos were taken a couple of evenings ago at about 19:35ish, and apart from being reduced in size, are straight out of the camera.

Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/4.9; 1/125; ISO 100
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/4.9; 1/125; ISO 100
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/4.0; 1/250; ISO 100
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/4.9; 1/200; ISO 100
Panasonic DMC-LX2; f/4.9; 1/160; ISO 100