Serenity - Skywatch

Reflections on a Skywatch Theme

Apologies to any Sci Fi fans who searched Serenity and were hoping to catch a glimpse of the cast of Firefly ( yes I am TV, film buff, uber geek in addition to the music buff bit too) but his particular image above is my own personal slice of serenity. Not your most up to date image, another of those snowy image shots I rattled off within a couple of hours in one day, knowing the next this scene would disappear, probably for another 7 years until we have any kind of snowfall worth mentioning. I did warn you the icy/ snow photos would run linger for a while but I do try and vary them. Blatant lie there. It's the same Sulby river walk as last week, further along the path with a touch of melting ice in the foreground and the stillest of reflections. You'll note reflections play a big part of the blog. Easiest shot in the world on a clear crisp Winter's day with no breeze and they are always a pretty spectacular shot even in a mere novices hand with a simple (no this is the big Nikon) point and shoot. In other words, if in doubt shoot over water. It doubles the amount of available light by bouncing it around and the flatter it is the deeper the depth of the reflection.


Short and sweet tonight and I won't be around. Babooshka does not exist but the photographer does and I will be out celebrating my Birthday for the next 3 days. Yes I know it is tomorrow, Friday, but somewhere around the world over the next three day it is Jan 29th. That's my excuse an I'm sticking to it. For more Skywatch images please click here

Bold Statement - ABC

Dontcha wish your snowman was hot like mine

B

If you are on B's Facebook you will know I'm less B for bewitched and more for bothered and bewildered by the whole island failure to connect properly with the outside world.the last 24 hrs. Maddening. So you get a last minute substitute image as I've being haranguing Facebook all day to no avail about getting the Isle of Man a proper, stand alone server. We are an island, a country apart. Ramsey is not in Manchester, UK. In fact none of the island is. Don't get me started on that one, or I will tell you why we should not be paying for a TV license either! Rant over. The snowman.


Not sure if it's a snowman or snow woman. Play safe and shall we say flamboyant? Whatever he/she/it is I'm going with Lola ( you should know my musical references by now) and say that is just the coolest outfit you see on a snow person, of which I can take no credit for dressing, and that outfit surely is a "bold statement." Ambiguous B, yes but Bowring Road would be such a boring obvious B, and I have shown you the Britannia pub before. There is a bonus B in there if you look very closely. Babooshka. As I don't really exist though, only for blog purposes, maybe that reflection of the photographer is in your head.

For other ABC' liteteral, lateral or otherwise see here.

Same bridge, different day - My World

It's snow different to all the other bridge images

For those still counting.... No 24

My world just wouldn't be complete without the legendary Ramsey Swing Bridge capture. Well it's iconic to this blog and it's stalkers, I mean followers. The challenge to photograph a single standing item, building, whatever goes on and I chose the bridge and I'm stuck with it now until I finally nail that 100th shot. Actually I have probably taken over a thousand but as this blog is supposed to be about the whole of this one horse town then it would be unfair for me to inflict upon you daily images of the bridge from numerous angles. I do try and stagger them, no more than one a week and do try and show you those dreaded cliche photography words... from a different perspective, dontcha just love that composition, the occasionally juxtaposed person to bridge and of course good use of rules of thirds. Today you just get a carbon copy of the very first image I posted to kick off the blog with one fundamental difference.... you got it covered in a whole lotta snow, reeal snow not photoshopped in. I may be taking the urine with the writing, but the photography I do mostly take seriously.


If you really want to know more about the bridge, see it swing, and how and why I started this challenge in the first place then look out below at the rotating images from the annals of the blog. One of those will tell you all you need to know. For other offering around the world, bridges may feature but not compulsory, click here

Solitary Man - Monochrome Weekly

Man in Black

The photographers best friend is not Photoshop. It is serendipity. It is that single solitary moment when the photography gods conspire to deliver into your hands the image naturally that looks awkward when staged. All you have to do is notice it. You can't learn that from a book or be taught it, it's instinct. As you can see I am still making the most of the one and only day of snow we had and again another gift.The man so helpfully dressed from head to toe in black against such a pure white solid blanket of snow. The one raised foot to indicate movement within a frozen frame. Always capture with one foot slightly raised to show the sole. Again it just looks better, right, good and I am not going to bore with any jargon, it's obvious why. Could only be monochrome. Not an image where you stumble around for your setting, or you will loose the composition of the lone figure which is the key element of the image. Just take it or lose it.

Now that was far too sensible. I should really tell you that the mound of land is Sky Hill where there was this huge Lord of The Rings Style Battle (no hobbits, dwarfs or elves) between the locals and invading Viking, but I have done that soooooooooooooooooooo many times before now that I'm sure the link will pop up again or a picture and you can check it out. No today was simply see point and shoot.


For more Monochrome weekly images click here

A cold snap - Skywatch again

Skating on thin ice anyone?

I know I should of called it "frozen" or "ice ice baby"(but I did sneak one song in) but as a photographer, or should I say snapper, it was the obvious title for you to groan at. Well that's the kind of weather we having been having around these parts lately. So long as it doesn't rain (so dreary) I'll take the ice and snow shots any day. Always amazes me the colours and tones frozen water on a cool, crisp, breeze free winter's day can at sundown over Mooragh Lake can produce. Needless to say manual settings of course to capture the colours and not auto which would bleach out the blue hue of the sky and the deeper blue of those obliging clouds rolling into view. Makes a photographer's life so much easier when the sky complies and those clouds sit atop the trees in the icy lake reflection. The golden yellow tones of the setting sun to break up the blue a bonus. Photographer's are often lazy artists, I know I used to draw and my partner is the artist now. Seconds for me to capture, hours for him to paint.


For other skies of the world from sunsets to sunrises you can click here (8pm onwards) and a visit the globe virtually at the click of a mouse.

Snowdrops - My World

Not what you were expecting?

If you are a regular visitor you will no doubt be wincing at the bad pun. Well it's your own fault you asked me to start blogging again. If you have wandered here looking for gardening tips like say, when is the best time to plant your snowdrop bulbs ( I presume bulbs as opposed to seeds, but I'm sure some green fingered enthusiast who has wandered here will let you know) then sadly you are most definitely in the wrong place. Nah, that above is a little slice of creative photography representing my weird little part of the planet. I honestly didn't gather clumps of snow and place them strategically amongst the bare twigs. I'm not that dedicated to the blog. No. I came across this lucky image out and about with the camera, on our one and only snowy day (and yes you are going to see a lot of those images because I'm sick of rainy day ones) and just couldn't resist capturing it, against that palest of cool blue skies. Simple as that.

Other images around the globe can be seen here.

Icing Sugar - Monochrome Weekly

Just a light dusting

I know I said I was back into this blogging lark, but the real world just keeps dragging me back kicking and screaming from the virtual one. Well a promise is a promise and I have been nagged so much by some nameless individuals out there in virtual world and some real life flesh and blood ones here and away to get snapping with the camera again, advice about photography and carry on ranting and raving about my love hate relationship with Dear Old Ramsey Town.

I would normally just take the image a little farther over to the right to concentrate on those mirror image reflections but as we had our one and only day of snow, (yes the island does actually get a light, blink and you miss it usually dusting of the pretty white fluffy stuff) I shot a little more centrally to include the footpath. Look closely and you will even see those elusive things that don't make much of an appearance on the blog.... people or maybe they are the even more elusive mythical folk that share the island with us. Don't even ask about the vampires. Who knows. Seems every photographer (human) and his dog was out and that day!



I'm just starting over again blog wise and this is my first Monochrome weekly too for a while. Sure next week I will have hit my stride and be bursting a blood vessel again. Word of warning to spammers though. Don't even think about clogging up my comments. You will just out cut off in your prime and deleted straight into the virtual litter bin.

Welcome to Narnia - Skywatch

One time only

Snow Watch

You know how I moan, rant and rave that we never have snow, I mean ever....... well look what happened the day after I started blogging again. Snnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow! I went to bed in boring nothing ever happens in this town Ramsey to walking in a Winter Wonderland of Narnia. Didn't run into the Wicked Snow Queen (I'm The Wicked Queen B around these parts anyway) but there is an abundance of melting snowmen lining the streets. So please forgive the lack of sky this week, blue sky too as opposed to the usual dreary grey. The chances of the island covered under a pure white blanket of gorgeous soft fluffy falling, crunch under foot snow are more remote than spotting the elusive escaped wallaby that haunts the hills around these parts. Yes been here 7 years finally got snow. Now if I can find those Manx fairies who are probably hiding out in the woods with the wallaby I'd be one happy girl. Like that's gonna happen. I wouldn't have any crap to moan or write about would I?



Short and sweet tonight. A bit like the snowy scene. All slush and mud now, just like Ramsey. More skywatch images can be seen here

Just when you thought it was safe!

So where was I?

Sorry I left you all with a group of drunks, I mean dedicated rugby players celebrating with yards of ale at the end of yet another rough game, but well I'm back now so perleaaaaasssse no more poking me on Facebook. For a start that really hurts a girl and it's sooooooooooooo rude ya know. If you have stumbled across this blog looking for a sensible travel guide, a little Manx history and ooh how wonderful it is living on Whicker Man, sorry the Isle of Man.....think again! You will get that from time to time, but most definitely my way. What ya see is what ya get, and how I get up in the morning is how this blog works. So, Shoprite our local supermarket (nothing super about it at all, oxymoron) if you sell chickens that go off before their sell by date and ruin Christmas..... I will be be annoyed and name and shame. One thing only I guarantee you, a photo. If you're lucky the odd photography tip. If you are even luckier I may throw in some Manx culture or a Manx swear word, I mean Manx word for seagull or some some nonsense. Well I will until they catch me and have to go back to hiding in the woods for a while.



Oh the photo. Nothing special to kick us off. A walk along the river, low tide down on one knee doing the old artsy fartsy bit with (cliche alert) setting the composition and of course this just had to be in monochrome dahlink to allow the hollow of light through the whatever that stone thing is sticking up out of the water. Look I told you, I do the photography but if you want I could pretend it's an ancient Manx obelisk that the Pagans used to worship and sacrifice virgins at on May Day to ward off maurauding Vikings. Think I may have to go into hiding.

It's good to be back.