Project 26: shooting the moon 4

As mentioned in my second post for this project, the Photographer's Ephemeris told me that the next occasion when I could shoot the full moon rising over the horizon at twilight was on 28th and 29th November.  Unfortunately nobody informed the weatherman and on both nights a large bank of cloud totally obscured the sky.  The moon did, however, appear later in the evening but too late and too high in the sky to include any foreground.  I did, however take the opportunity to take the image below.

Project 27: by the light of the moon

Although I am not especially pleased with the photograph, I am absolutely amazed at the result, although it was what I expected.  It looks just as if it was taken in daylight, even down to the shadows cast by the moon.  I chose a night of a full moon to do this project, in fact it was a full moon that rose just after the sun had set so I had hoped for some spectacular images for project 26 but, unfortunately the weather had different ideas and the sky was covered with cloud and it was raining.  By 8.00 pm, though the sky had cleared somewhat and I decided to attempt this project.  I drove out of town so that the picture would not be affected by the light pollution.  I placed the camera  on the tripod, set mirror lock-up and enabled noise reduction for long exposures.  Then using bulb and my electronic release took an exposure of 8 minutes at f4 having used the course notes as a guide.  The red dot on the right of the horizon is the aircraft warning light on to top of a nearby mast.

What have I learned?
Firstly I have learned that it is entirely feasible to take photographs in the darkness given a long enough exposure.  Our eyes have two different types of sensory cells: rods and cones.  Cones are responsive to bright light and provide us with our colour vision during the day.  Rods are very sensitive to light and allow us to see at night and under low light conditions but do not respond well to colour; hence a moonlit scene appears almost colourless and the sky black.  The camera film or sensor does not have this restriction, however, and given a long enough exposure will produce an image as if it were daylight.
I found focusing somewhat of a problem and, consequently, the picture is not as sharp as I would have liked.  Composing the shot was also a bit of guesswork.  Although there were clouds, it was quite breezy and they were moving quickly across the sky and so do not appear sharp.  I had hoped that I might have captured some star trails but there were very few stars present.
I am now intrigued by this procedure and shall certainly have another go.  It has always been an ambition to photograph star trails and I shall take the next opportunity.

Assignment 3: a linking theme; Water. Response to Tutor's comments.

Again I was absolutely delighted with my tutor's response to this assignment.  I presented 8 images and he was more than complimentary about 6 of them.  The second he felt that I could reduce the colour temperature slightly and increase the white slider a touch to give more sparkle to the sea spray.  This I have done as shown below and also printed out.  The sixth image was the only one not well received also he stresses that the comment is subjective.  It was felt that it has too much cyan (perhaps a colour cast caused by using an ND filter to achieve a long exposure)  and the long exposure, combined with too much cyan has produced a surreal effect that does not fit with the rest of the submission.  I have adjusted the image as suggested and reproduce it here and have also reprinted it.  Several of my alternative images were suggested as replacements and I have selected the one illustrated here.

In this image I have reduced the clour temperature a touch as suggested and also increased the whites to give some sparkle to the spray.

Here I have adjusted the white balance to auto as suggested.  I am not all sure about this and think I prefer my version.  Auto WB gives a colour temperature of 5100k whereas my original version I set a colour temperature of 4856k.  As it came out of the camera it was 4750k and definitely much more blue.  At the end of the day I shall replace this with the image below. 

This shot of Pollenca Bay in Mallorca was taken at dawn just before the sun rose above the horizon. The sky is suffused with orange and this is perfectly reflected in the waters of the bay. The masts of the yachts are also reflected. The image embodies feelings of peace and calm.  I also love the relationship of the complimentary colours of orange and blue particularly in the print.

I may now change the order of the sequence of images and include the sunset at the end.

Jitka Hanzlova, National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh. November 17th.

Jitka Hanzlova defected from the communist regime and settled in Essen, West Germany.  Her work is a constant pursuit of the relationship between the individual and the context in which he/she lives.  The exhibition begins with Rokytnik, the village where she grew up in Czech Eastern Bohemia.  She took the photographs between 1990 - 1994 after the fall of communism when she was able to return.  The village was still old-fashioned and living in the past.  The images evoke her childhood, a time long past and is a mixture of landscapes and portraits.

The second part of the exhibition is entitled Bewohner (German for inhabitants).  She took the pictures between 1994 and 1996.  They feature Berlin and Essen but also other european cities.  They are pale and old-fashioned photographs and again evoke a time long past.  They are a mix of portraits and cityscapes.

The exhibition moves on to Forest, produced between 2000 and 2005.  It continues the cycle of work about the village where she grew up; it is the forest of her childhood.  The pictures are largely landscapes and make the forest appear dark and gloomy, a place of dreams and nightmare.  I think that she looks back to her childhood nostalgically and refers to the experiences of her youth, but, she says that the forest has a powerful existential quality- as life source, as the darkness in which we sometimes find ourselves and from which we emerge into light.  Does she refer to a childhood and youth repressed by a communist regime?  For her the forest is critical to human survival, for the exchange of oxygen, the cultivation of flora and fauna and the growth of micro-organisms.

Flowers 2008 onwards are wonderful still lifes.  They are beautifully lit and reminiscent of the work of Robert Mapplethorpe.  I liked one, in particular, of a dying delicate flower in beautiful oranges set against  a velvety black background.  In this section she recalls the fleeting nature of existence and the inevitability of death.  It also relates to the influence of the renaissance portrait in which black backgrounds were used to intensify the luminosity of the subject.

Brixton 2002 comprises photographs of Afro-Caribbean women against the backdrop of the urban environment.

Section six of the exhibition is entitled "Here" and the pictures were taken in 1998 and from 2003 - 2010.  They are photographs of Essen and capture the detail of a western industrialized city being taken back by nature, seen in images of stunted vegetation, cracked walls and isolated buildings.  Again they are pale and nostalgic, like faded 1960s transparencies.

Horses, taken from 2007 onwards are unusual portraits of the subjects from strange angles and odd close-ups.  Not my style at all.

The final part of the exhibition is entitled "There is Something I Don't Know"  and the photographs are taken betyween 2000 and 2012.  They are all portraits inspired by the renaissance tradition of portraiture.  They are the product of an intimate rapport between the subject and the photographer.  They are brighter, more saturated than other images in the exhibition and for me more appealing.  Again, as with many other protraits, many are not making eye contact with the camera.  I mention this only as some protraits that I took for People and Place were criticised by my (then) tutor for not making eye contact.

Largely the pictures in this exhibition are not to my taste. Although often nostalgic I often find the ideas behing the images quite dark.  I am reminded to a degree of some of the work of William Egglestone, perhaps early Martin Parr and to some extent Joel Meyerowitz.  I am much more attracted to the rich colours and black and whites of Galen Rowell, Edward Weston and Ansel Adams.  Despite this I found the exhibition interesting.  It certainly worked from the perspective that it gor me thinking: did she have a dark childhood, are the images deliberately undersaturated to give a nostalgic feel, does she remember her youth with fondess or dislike.

What have I learned?
I suppose that I haven't learned that not all photography is to my taste and nor should it be, but it has reinforced this in my mind.  It also pointed out that photography, even landscape photograhy, can be used as a social commentary and as a form of autobiography.

Reflections 6

Just a quick noet to record the fact that I have now calibrated my monitor and successfully downloaded the printer profiles for the Permajet papers that I use.  I found downloading and installing the printer profiles extremely straightforward thanks to the very clear instuructions that I downloaded from the Imaging Warehouse website.  It was easy to copy them to the folder that both Lightroom 4 and Photoshop Elements can see.  I have printed on both Permajet Oyster and Portfolio papers and am delighted with the results.  The only slight technical hitch was that the Epson 2880 didn't immediatley recognise the change from the photoblack to matte black cartridge.  Hopefully this is not going to be too much of a problem.  The next stage is to download the Hahnemuhle profiles.

Project 32: a variety of images

Recently, whilst on a visit to the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland, I took the opportunity to enjoy a walk above the Uath Lochans in Glen Feshie.  I was able to take a wide angle view from the ridge above the lochans and then zoomed in to take a series of telephoto shots from the same location.  In some I included the sky and in others not.  Some are portrait, others landscape format.

A wide angle view of the lochans and the Caringorm Mountains beyond.

Here I zoomed into the right hand lochan to show the reflections.  I took more reflection shots when I returned to the lochans.  They were amazing,

Telephoto view of the left hand lake.

A vertical shot concentrating on the nearby ancient Caledonian pines.

Another vertical shot.

A horizontal telephoto, this time including some sky.

On returning to the valley I enjoyed photographing the wonderful reflections in the lochans.

Reflection in Uath Lochan

Another reflection

What have I learned.
I have a tendency when photographing landscapes to use a wide angle with something near in the foreground and everything sharp from front to back.  I generally use a tripod and small aperture to achieve this.  I need to remember to use a telephoto from timeto time to look at more intimate detail in landscapes in the same way that both Eliot Porter and Ansel Adams did..  Both vertical and horizontal formats should be explored and the sky need not be included.

Project 26: Shooting the moon 3

Last weekend I was staying with my son in Edinburgh and we had gone up to Calton Hill to take a night scene over Edinburgh at twilight.  As we neared the observatory I noticed this crescent moon in just the right spot to include it and the observatory.  I had left my 100-400 lens behind but fortubately my son had his 70-210 with him.  I took the shot at the 210 setting which made the moon reasonably large in the frame but also allowed me to include some of the observatory.

A Week in the Cairngorms



 I have just returned from a very enjoyable and successful week of wildlife and landscape photography in Glen Feshie in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland and have included a selection of my photographs below.

The main thrust of the week was wildlife photography as we were staying as the guests of Northshots and using their purpose built hides.

Although common it is hard to resist blue tits.  In bird photography it helps the shot to have an attractive perch and a clean uncluttered background is desirable.

Although related to the blue tit this crested tit is much more rare.  In the UK it is only found in the ancient Caledonian Pine forests of the Cairngorm Mountains.  Not only does it need ancient pine forest it requires rotten, but standing trees in order to dig its nest holes.  A very special bird.

Another target species was the red squirrel which is common in these northern forests.  They can be attracted for photography by providing hazelnuts.  The streaks in the image are caused by rain.

Like the Blue Tits, difficult to resist.

 Although the emaphasis was on wildlife photography, the wonderful landscape cannot be ignored.

Late autumn colour provided by larch and silver birch trees.

My attempt to be 'arty'.  A drag shot of pine trees with the colour temperature turned right down.

Beuatiful reflections in Uath Lochan

More Uath Lochan reflections.

I find the northern birch woods very attractive.  I was thinking of Ansel Adams and Eliot Porter here and concentrating on the 'intimate landscape'

A shot I will use as part of the project on shooting at night.  There is no light pollution at all in the upper reaches of Glen Feshie and one night was absolutely clear of clouds.  The night sky was stunning - there is no space for even one more star.

Ansel Adams: Examples - The Making of 40 Photographs

In this fascinating and inspirational book Ansel Adams explains in great detail his inspiration behind, the photographing and processing of 40 of his most famous images.  The book begins with an interesting introduction by Adams himself.  In the introduction he tells us that he cannot remember exactly when some of his photographs were taken and, in some cases only an approximate date is given.  He made notes of exposure details but neglected to keep them after developing the negative.  He does, however, recall in deep and fascinating detail the developing of the film and printing the negatives.  Although he says in the introduction that he has forgotten equipment details, he does seem to give a great insight into this in each commentary.  He compares himself to Edward Weston and Minor White, who kept meticulous  diaries and record of their images, even down to the time of day.

In his early, and self-confessed more active years  Ansell Adams often climbed precipitous mountain sides and cliff faces carrying a 61/2x81/2 Korona view camera, lenses, filters, a heavy wooden tripod and 12 plates.  No mean feat considering how easy it is to be tempted today to leave the tripod in the car when going mountain walking, or even just to take a compact.  He often remembers such fascinating details as how cold it was climbing a gulley with patches of snow and ice remaining.  When writing about Monolith, The Face of Half Dome in Yosemite, he recalls that this image was the first time he consciously previsualized the effect that he wanted.  Over the years he bacame increasingly aware of the importance of vizualisation.  This is a fabulously rich black and white image with the blue sky rendered almost black through the use of filtration.

In the commentary of his portrait of Alfred Stieglitz, we are reminded of the danger of taking many images in the hope that one will be good - a much greater danger in the digital age.  He says that in a sequence of exposures there is always one better than the others, but that doesn't mean it is a fine photograph.

The image of the Base of Upper Yosemite Fall taken c1950 is a close up photograph of the detail of falling water.  Adams suggests that, although the wider, inclusive view may be striking, the more intimate, close-up views reveal more.  The wider view, he says "-may not interpret the direct excitement and beauty of the mountain world as incisively as sections, fragments and close details."  This fits perfectly with project 28 from the course: The Intimate Landscape and he does, in fact refer to Eliot Porter.

Although I have never been to America, the Golden Gate Bridge is iconic for all.  It was fascinating then to see an image of The Golden Gate before the bridge.  He relates that when taking this shot he waited and waited for the cloud composition to be just right.  How often to we take the photograph and move on.  I once read an article that suggested that the most underused part of a landscape photographer's anatomy is his backside.

In the commentary for Boards and Thistles, taken in San Francisco, California c1932, we hear of the formation of the f64 group with a group of fellow photographers who shared a common photographic style characterized by sharp focus and carefully framed images as a foil to the Pictorialists.  He says, "For anyone trained in music or visual arts, the shallow sentimentalism of the 'fuzzy-wuzzies' (as Weston called them) was anathema, especially when they boasted of their importance in 'Art'"  He takes pride in Group F64's command of 'the craft' of photography in which they felt the Pictorialists were lacking.  By 'craft' I assume he means technical skills.  He says Pictorialists often printed in brown or sepia tones and Adams says that Group F64 sought purity of image - sharp optical qualities, in-depth focus and smooth papers.  At the time he didn't realise that they shared the same values as Alfred Stiegliitz.

I love the image Moonrise taken in Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941.  A beautiful photograph of the moon rising above a bank of gleaming white cloud topping a distant mountain range.  He says that this is his single most popular image.  I have been taking pictures of the moon for project 26; would that I had captured an image such as this.  Apart from the beauty of the picture, the thing that stands out for me is the patience and effort that he puts into printing, including dodging and burning and even, years later, the partial reprocessing of the negative.  Another moon image that would be perfect for Project 26 is Moon and Half Dome taken in Yosemite in 1960

El Capitan, Winter Sunrise, Yosemite, 1968 must rank as one of my favourite images of all time.  I remember back to my college days (1967-70) attending a lecture by Mick Burke (later killed on Everest) about climbing on El Capitan and being captivated by the images.  I have been inspired by Yosemite ever since.  Galen Rowell's images engender similar emotions.  Yet I have never been to America let alone Yosemite; still who knows!  This is a stunning and mysterious image with the 3000ft cliff wreathed in early morning mist.  How brilliantly Adams has controlled the dynamic range of the scene with techniques that today are reminiscent of alchemy.

Lodgepole Pines, an early 1921 image is an unusual soft focus one.  He says that one positive element was the impression of light suggested by the diffused image produced by a soft-focus lens.

In Early Morning Merced River Autumn I noted that again Adams has worked in quite close.  A reminder to me to use more close-ups in my own work rather than wide angle shots all of the time.  This is also an example of the value of working 'in the home patch'.  He knew this view well and just had to wait for the right lighting conditions.  Again a great deal of detail is given about the dark room process.  Maybe we shouldn't be so worried about post processing to get it right.  Again he refers to his 'Zone System' of exposure calculation.

In Sand Dunes Sunrise, 1948, we get the first intimation that Ansel Adams worked in colour as well as black and white.  He produced two images of this: the B&W shown and a colour version.  I would love to see the colour one.  This has beautiful detail as usual and is sharp from the ripples in the sand in the foreground to the mountains on the horizon.  Interestingly, as the sun is low in the sky, it (the sky) is unaffected by the yellow filter and so appears white.  Mention is made of technical advances; he predicts the advent of the electronic image, hoping that the 'creative eye will continue to function, whatever technological innovations may develop.

In the two images of Aspens, 1958, Adams has again closed in and excluded the sky.  In fact he has gone to great lengths to do so in order to avoid white patches from the very bright, and therefore ove-exposed sky.  Again he discusses the possibility of a colour photograph and the need to use filtration to compensate for the cool blue light.  Nowadays we would adjust the white balance, either in camera or in post-processing.  Again I was intrigued by the complex dark room procedures and the selection of a film developer with known effects on the emulsion.  This discussion of the deveolping and printing process is a recurrent theme in many of his examples and it makes me think that we are not demons in the digital age of post processing.  Although, having just read an interview of Charlie Waite, we must be cautious of overdoing it.

Mount Williamson, 1944, is a fabulous image of a boulder field in front of an imposing mountain range.  Again it is sharply focused from front to back.  The photograph is taken against the light with beautiful sunbeams lancing through the mountains.  Standing on the camera platform on the top of his car, he used  an 8x10 view camera tilted slightly forward to capture the low foreground boulders but was able to tilt the camera back to hold both foreground rocks and mountains in sharp focus.  Attention to detail.

Not only is Tenaya Creek, 1948 another detailed intimate landscape, it is also taken in the rain - a lesson to all and a reminder as well that if we work in colour we often get greater colour saturation in the wet.  A good time to take intimate landscapes.

In Farm Family, c1953, Adams was working on a professional assignment.  He describes the pressures of this: " Professional work depends on 'assignments from without'.  Creative work stems from 'assignments from within' "  He also says in the next featured image, Silverton, 1951: "I can only say that I photogrpah what appears aesthetically beautiful and what I can visualise as a photograph worth creating for myself and, I hope, for others'.  These are my sentiments exactly and I, personally. don't like photographs that focus on the ugly and make it look ugly.  This, perhaps, has a function in landscape photography when it is used as a social commentary but it is not what I appreciate.  In John Fowles introductory essay to Fay Godwin's book Land, he states that he disagrees with landscape photographers that paint a sentimental view of the countryside and pretend that the ugly doesn't exist.  Godwin manages to include the 'ugly' yet still make it appear beautiful.

Clearing Winter Storm taken in Yosemite in 1940 is another of my long time favourite images.  Adams says of it that it is often used for environmental purposes but that he has never consciously taken an environmental image.  I was fascinated by the care and attention that he took to position the camera and frame the image.  He gives this sort of detail in other shots too such as Arches taken in Tuscon, Arizona in 1968.

All in all this is a wonderfully inspiring book that has given me much pleasure.  I shall refer to it for inspiration again and again.  I look forward to going to the Ansel Adams exhibition at the Greewich Maritime Museum: Photography from the Mountains to the Sea in a few weeks time on December 14th.

Project 31: telephoto views-compressing planes

I rarely use a telephoto lens for landscape photography, so it was refreshing, whilst up in North Yorkshire this last weekend to explore opportunities for it's use.  I found fewer opportunities for  including a distant range of hills or ridges so I need to look for the chance more often.

I liked the shape and autumn oclours of this oak tree growing next to, but slightly apart from the wood on the left.  The focal length of 135mm has compressed the ridges in the fields and emphasised the crop lines.

The track here makes a good lead line towards the barn.  I liked its s-shape curve.  The longer focal length of 115mm has compressed the distance between the track bend and the barn.  Using the longer lens has empahasised the atmospheric haze in the distance.

Here I have included too much out of focus foreground.  The long lens has compressed the distance between the ridges.  210mm.

The same oak tree but from a slightly different angle.  A focal length of 105mm has compressed the distance between the tree and the wood.

I used 100mm here to focus on the autumn colour.

The focal length of 150mm has compressed the undulations in the track to make them appear closer together.

A 100mm focal length here has again compressed the undulations and the vertical format has perhaps emphasised this.

I placed this oak tree on the intersection of thirds.  The 100mm focal length has compressed the undulations in the field and emphasised the crop lines.  More emphahsis has been placed on the tree than would have been possible with a wider angle lens.

I took this shot at from Whitby west pier a couple of years ago.  The 400mm focal length has compressed the headlands.  It has also emphasised the haze from the sea sparay and made the image rather cool.

What have I learned? Telephoto lenses are excellent at picking out detail in the landscape that would be lost with a wide angle view.  It also allows a great deal of options from one location.  The compression of distance often gives a pleasing effect.  I need to look for more telephoto opportunities.  I think that one reason I don't use one often is that I only have the canon 100-400 which is a heavy beast to carry around.  Whilst the 100-400 is an excellent lens, I sometimes think of buying a lighter weight 100-200 to keep in my bag.

Project 30: wide-angle views- near and far

When photographing landscapes, I think that I probable use my 17-85 zoom lens at wide angle more often than not.  It is certainly my favoured style of photography.  Often vertical format and everything sharp from front to back.  I include here a range of images taken over the last few months on trips to Debyshire, North Yorkshire and Scotland to visit our son. Mainly I used the 17mm at f22 but one or two were taken with my canon G10 at 10.7mm f8.  By and large a tripod was used on each occasion.  I have included a mix of horizontal and vertical format.



A spring shot looking over the Hope Valley of Derbyshire towards Bamford Edge on the skyline.



Bamford Edge.



Here the wall leads the eye towards a dramatic sky.

Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire.  I took this image for Assigment 3 on a theme of water.  I was wanting to illustrate relections in the water but framed the shot so the the rocks in the foreground and the rock pool lead the eye towards the headland of Ravenscar on the skyline.

An image taken on the same September day as the last looking down on Bay Town, Robin Hood's Bay.  I have taken many images of this view over the years.  The grasses in the foreground are sharp right through to the cliffs in the distance.

Another view looking out over Robin Hood's Bay with everything sharp, back to front.

Robin Hood's Bay again earlier this year.  I liked the reflection in the rock pool giving perspective to the image.  Again sharp front to back. I used the G10 here at 10.7mm and f8.

Scotland, this time on a trip to visit our son.  This time on the coast of the Firth of Forth looking towards Arthur's Seat in the far distance.

Another Scottish view, this time in the Highlands.  I used the old boat in the foreground to provide perspective in this view down Loch Ewe looking towards the Torridonian Mountains.

What have I learned.  Using a very wide angle lens and small aperture and often a low viepoint with something close in the foreground is an excellent way of showing perspective.  Lines can often be found to lead the eye into the frame.  A tripod is necessary for this type of shot as slow shutter speeds are often required to enable the use of f22 to provide the required depth of field.
In view of the large numbers of images I have had to choose from taken over the last few weeks and months, I may have a tendency to over use this style of photography, although, looking ahead to section 5 of the course, maybe this is my style.  Maybe this is why I am attracted to the likes of Ansell Adams.  Perhaps it would be good for me to leave my 17-85 lens at home from time to time and work solely with my 100-400 lens.

Project 29: re-photographing a well-known image

The aim of this project is to select an image that has been published and research it's location, lighting, time of day etc and then find that location and re-photograph it, taking the closest version that is possible.  Then from within about 100 feet of this spot take a different original image.  As I am both a fan of Joe Cornish and also of Whitby, I decided to use the image below by Joe of Whitby Abbey Steps taken at twilight.

All this sounds easy until account is take of the torrential rain I encountered on the day I elected to do the shoot, the fact that Joe photographed from the 'wrong' side of the railings and that the street lamp didn't come on at the required time.  It all added to the fun of the venture as well as the frustration.  I also noticed that the right hand of the three buildings at the bottom of the steps is now a different colour.  I did find plenty of scope for other shots within 100 feet of this location, however.
I include my efforts below:

When I first arrived at the location it was pouring with rain so, as I was too early for twighlight anyway, I retreated to Trencher's Fish and Chip emporium.  On returning to the spot I was dismayed to find that all of the street lights were on bar this one.  Undaunted I began to set up and the rain started again so the camera had to sheltered under the brolley until it stopped.  I then realised, when I compared my printed Cornish shot with my viefinder view that I needed to be the other side of the railings, but, as there were 'keep out' notices, I decided that discretion was the better part of valour.  Either that or age is making me more cautious.  My image includes too much of the harbour to the right and also the buildings to the right of Joe's blue one.  My lamp post is also not quite far enough to the left.

 

Having 'failed' on the first shot I retreated a short way up the steps to look for some other shots from this location.  Just before I decided to pack up for the day I checked one last time to find that the light had come on so I rushed back down and took this image.  I much prefer this to my first as the light makes the shot.  However, twighlight was now moving into darkness and so the lighting is very different to Joe's. Although Joe's image is without doubt superior, I am still pleased with my shot and I am not generally in the business or copying someone else's photographs.

Having taken these two shots I set my mind to looking for other images to be had from the location and include them below:

This is a telephoto sho tof the clock tower taken from very close to the location before the fish and chips!  I like the clock tower itself and the attractive pan-tiled roofs.  It's a pity though, about the blue netting around the buildings behind.  This is a shot I may well re-shoot in the future when building work has finished.

A wide angle shot from just below the lamp featured in Joe's shot looking down the steps into the old town.

A shot looking from the top of the steps looking towards the Abbey.

Another shot from the top of the steps, this time looking over the harbour.

A wide angle horizontal view looking down the steps and over the harbour from just above the 'Cornish lamp post'.

Although this is an older image I have included it as it is another, taken at sunset of the celtic cross at the top of the steps and within 100 feet.

Although I made a trip especially to complete this project this weekend, Whitby is a favourite spot of ours and I have many images taken around the town and harbour.  I was there a couple of months ago looking for images on the theme of water for Assignment 3.  While I was there I took a shot that I had done before on the west pier.  I had got the idea for this shot from one by Joe Cornish and so include them here.  I have included Joe's image below:

 

Although I took this shot and the one below because I had been inspired by Joe's image, I didn't have a copy of it to hand.  I wasn't intending to use the shot for this project at the time and wanted to make it my own rather than Joe's.  My view point is lower and the frame recangular rather than the square format of Joe's.  I have therefore included the light on the East pier in my shot.  Mine is a twilight shot and it needed a long exposure which has blurred the fisherman in the distance.  This makes it for me.

This is the same shot taken a couple of years ago.

Again this location has much potential for other shots.  I include some below that were taken roughly 100 feet away:

Taken looking towards the West Pier with big seas.

Taken from the same spot as the original shots of the end of the East Pier with a rainbow and storm clouds in the distance.

Another image taken from the original shot.  This time at sunset looking towards Sandsend.

Yet again from the original spot but turned round looking towards the harbour and town as the lights come on.

What have I learned? It is not always easy to take exactly the same image as someone else.  This maybe that it is not always possible to get into exactly the same position, not have the right focal length of lens or in the case of Joe Cornish not have a 5x4 inch Ebony 45 SU field camera or, more recently, a Phase One IQ 180.  Not that I am envious, of course!!  Weather also is a consideration and it would be absolutely impossible to encounter identical weather and lighting conditions.  Then there are other variables such as the light that doesn't come on in time.  Of course it is not desirable to copy somebody else's work and , as the project was designed to demonstrate there are a host of alternative images to be taken from any one location.  In fact if two people are photographing at a location together, the chances of them taking identical images are remote.  This is as it should be.  In fact when my wife is with me she usually has her panasonic lumix compact and takes her own images.  How often do I feel that she has the better shot and can't believe that I didn't see it.