Autumn Sunsets

                         Remains of the day


One from the archives. The Poyll Dooey Nature Reserve. Dying embers of the evening sky. No street light, purer colours.  Bit of peace and quiet in a noisy world.


Image part of  Our World Tuesday


Nikon D50, Ramsey, Isle of Man.

Sulby River Reflections

                             Mirror Image


Sulny River
Sulby Bridge

Nothing changes much apart from the weather and the camera. This was taken 2008, on a Nikon D50, attempting manual settings.

Image part of weekend reflections

Walk up to Albert Tower, for the view

                            Misty Mountains 


Short and sweet tonight. A walk out of town up through the Ballure Reservoir, cross the mountain road, continue to Albert Tower and watch the local mist known as Manannan's cloak roll over North Barrule. Then the walk back down through through the glens in time to catch a sunset. Not bad days photography work with the 
trusty Nikon


Jane Hards Photography 


Image is "up" part of ABC, created by Mrs Nesbitt, who will be over to the Isle of Man and Ramsey next week and Our World

Laa jiu, a selfie and fishing boats

                                Two for one 


Today on the blog I have combined two nemes. One day a week I introduce a Manx word, as I live on the Isle of Man. The Manx word today is coincidentally actually "today," which in Manx is "Laa jiu." The other part of the blog post contains what we are calling the "shy selfie" and somewhere in there you can spot the shadowy image of the photographer.  Image taken down by the harbour, West Quay, where moored fishing boats are at rest. 

Image Nikon D50, my old camera, around noon. 

Jane Hards Photography

Laa jiu part of ABC

Selfie part of the CDP theme day

Silhouettes and sunsets

                                 Hometime


Looking onto the town from the beach at a sunset, from my office. Not my office window, my office. The beach, from dawn to dusk is my place of work, photography. Standing ankle deep in a freezing cold the Irish Sea, waiting for the setting or rising sun may not be a conventional  way to make a living but it's one enjoy. Hope you enjoy the view too.

Jane Hards Photography

Ramsey a small town on the Isle of Man

Image part of skywatch, camera, Nikon D7000

Poyll Dooey Sunset

                              Chasing the light


One of my favourtie places in Ramsey, Isle of Man, the Poyll Dooey Nature reserve. Summer evenings, chasing the last golden embers or pink flushes of the setting sun. Winter evenings, still chasing the sun, but with the added bonus of leaf less trees, making striking silhouettes.  A haven of peace out side of the town, yet only a minute or two walk form the main high street. Great place for dog walkers, nature lovers, and of course photographers.

Nikon D7000

Jane Hards Photography

Image part of Skywatch where you can join or view other Bloggers skies.

Sunset blues

                                   My office


The sun rises over the sea, so Ramsey is better for seascape sunrises as it lies on the east coast. On the other hand, if you don't mind getting your feet wet, the inland sunsets can be just as colourful fading over the town. I don't mind getting feet wet, though I do mind having to buy new footwear at an alarming rate. Saltwater, not good for shoes. View captured on my trusty Nikon D7000, in the place I call my office as I do most of my seascape work photography from.  I can think of worse views. 

For more of the Isle of Man views (little island in the middle of the Irish Sea I call home) go to Jane Hards Photography

Image part of Our World Tuesday

Multi coloured sunrise

                    The sun isn't even awake yet


I refer to this spot jokingly as my office. It's Queens Promenade, Ramsey, Isle of Man where I do most of my beach photography.My most licensed sunrise photos have been across this beach, hence my office." No two days are the same and the strangest colours are often before the sun rises. Throw a stick any morning and you're bound to hit a local photographer capturing this scene. And why not. My nest step will be to paint it. I used to be an artist, and got sidetracked by photography, but scenes like this, call for a paintbrush. Mother nature's natural paint palette, knows best

Jane Hards Photography, find me on facebook for more colourful landscapes

Image taken with my trusty Nikon, no filters or alterations, and part of skywatch

Skyhill, Landscape

                               Greenfields


Skyhill is in the distance, to the left, the large hill in view.  Image taken from the Poyll Dooey Nature reserve, the fielded area. It doesn't always look like this. By that I don't mean the panoramic view, I mean the field is usually awash with green grass not dug up. New housing and drainage accounted for that, for several months pf work. Fortunately not in this area, but out of shot across the Sulby river. New housing and greenfield areas separate. Not everyone wants to live in a place with view like this  but I like it. Drainage works and all.

Jane Hards Photography on facebook

Taken on my old Nikon D50, which stood me in good stead for many years of the blog, mid afternoon, Spring time.


Simonetta

MONOCHROME ODD SHOTS - LOOKING GLASS

Bresson-esque by Babooshka

Reflections of Ramsey 

Last week we had a trip around the two beaches of Ramsey. This week I am purely indulging myself with for me pure photography reflections. As it is Monochrome Odd shots I used this one to start the theme, "Looking Glass." It's Mooragh Lake with the park. I was standing one side taking upside down reflections, a particular speciality when I spied the couple of walkers. I purposely waiting for them to walk into the frame.  I have often tried to convey that photographers are born not made and you either think photography or you don't. I saw in my mind's eye how the image would look and waited for the walkers to arrive into my image naturally. Not serendipity, not stage managed, but a natural image nonetheless. 

(Photography, what is it?)

This week I am going to use one camera, the reasonably priced Nikon D50, wide angled lens on various setting, times, weather conditions. All images will be pure. No cropping, colour balance, contrast, brighten sharpening. The ugly and the beautiful will stay within the image. The common links will be around Ramsey and all reflections of one kind or another. One camera, one lens, one photographer. Ramsey is a very normal looking town as I have shown you. I intend to make it look surreal in a natural way. Twin Peaks, Alice In Wonderland anyone. You may or may not like these images. They may not be easy on the eye, or may be too easy. For me photography is using my eye, my brain, my natural ability. I think when we employ other techniques ie photoshop then it should be classed as photo art,a new genre perhaps. We really do need to make the distinction to safegaurd both photographers and artists. I am a photographer and I take photographs. I am a dying breed, please don't make my partner or I the artist extinct.

Aileni will see to your Monochrome needs

Katney will see to your Odd shots.

To know me as a photographer, go google one word Bresson.

REFLECTING ON A BRIDGE THEME

11/100

Could it be? No not Ramsey Swing Bridge again. It's been a while but the challenge was to take 100 shots of the same subject, but snapped in a different way/angle/time of day etc. About time we had another then. Come in No 11 your time is up! To be honest I had several emails asking what had happened to the bridge so I am posting the image due to public demand and also as requested a long shot. Ooh you are a fussy lot.


Small isn't it? I don't think this is something that has actually been conveyed in the partial bridge shots, just how small the bridge actually is. It is afterall just a short hop skip and a jump to the other side of the harbour, but it beats walking all the way round to get to the other side on a wet blustery day. Can you see how high the tide is too? The rippled reflection was due to a swan diving (no not a heavy metal fan, the bird kind) just out of shot. Liked the mottled pattern the ripples made cutting through the reflection. They don't all have to be glass like reflections do they?


What else can I tell you. The weather conditions, poor but dry. This kind of blue/grey light or (lilac grey light) is most common over the island. Again this is not the Big Nikon, it's my tiny point and shoot straightforward olympus. No whistles no bells, no groovy lens, tilt screen or light meters. Not even it's tiny zoom on. No need, right on top of the subject, cloudy setting point shoot away we go. Cameras don't take images, photographers do. Cameras just enhance what you compose. Go on have a go. Don't be so serious just have fun with the camera.


It seems there are problems with blogger, mr linky and of course our own server on the island. Posts maybe scheduled for a while. Slowly catching up with the emails. I couldn't open any for 5 days and a lot of sites/ blogs I am having difficulty accessing. Had to download new software which I am trial running with fingers crossed. So far so good.


More Bridge shots from the series. Remember it's all just for fun.

Here
There
And Everywhere

RAMSEY SWING BRIDGE AND POO, POOP, DE POOP

Ramsey swing bridge 10/100

Here we go again! You know the story by now, but for the unitiniated(shame on you where have you been?) I posted saying how I must have hundreds of images of this bridge and was told it wasn't possible to photograph one subject in a hundred different ways. Ta da! Number 10 is today's offering.

This is the middle section, apex, right hand side, harbour side. The gull of course is an optional extra. Please note he doesn't come with the bridge and isn't caged behind the metal rods poking up and was free to depart at any time. I am not sure whether he was responsible for the inordinate amount of bird poo on this side of the bridge compared to the other, so we won't chastise him unjustly. Innocent until proven guilty still applies. Even the Isle of Man abides by this ruling. I know I could have spent half the day cloning out the offensive poop, but what you see is what you get around this blog and it does add a certain "je ne sais quoi" don't you think? No, Ok just me then.

I should also point out, as promised to do so when applicable, that this image was my trusty little point and shoot no frills Olympus and not my all singing dancing Nikon. I should also have posted on the Mooragh Park image yesterday that was also shot on my Olympus. Sometimes it's good just to leave the Nikon and see what I can get from the little Olympus. After all, the one thing the camera still can't do without you is frame the shot, so now and again it's just good to get back to basics. It also gives you an idea what can be achieved with the point and shoot, for those who don't have the big camera and loads of lenses. It's also a much better way to practise photography, makes you work harder by using your grey matter and eye to produce the shot.

So, would you have preferred a clean no poo poop de poop, or do you prefer the real deal image.
As always can't wait to hear your thoughts.

ODD SHOTS MONDAY - MARTIAN FOOTPRINT?

Ok, you got me. It's not to my knowledge a Martian, or any other kind of visiting alien footprint, but is a little bit of an X File. I noticed these footprints when we first came to Ramsey. Wherever you wander around the central town streets you come across these strange painted footprints with the little Chad type figure on. They only go in one direction though, which is odd in itself. A bit like Ikea when you get shunted in one direction from start to finish, and can't deviate. If you follow them you will actually do a circuit of the town. Useful then perhaps if you're a visitor. Tried to find out how old they are, but most people don't notice them anymore or think I'm weird for asking. Imagine the looks I got taking this! I hope you like the chewing gum decoration, not me, but probably the litterbug who I berated on my blog before.

Does anyone else have anything like these cute footprints in their part of the world?

The next bridge shot in the IOO shots series is tomorrow. By the way the footprint, Saturday's bridge shot, and Fridays metal theme/skywatch shot were taken with my handheld tiny Olympus. No fancy lenses, no zoom, no filters, on a sun setting. I do take most of photos on my Nikon D50(and even I want a better camera now) with a number of lenses, but I just wanted to encourage all those that only have a small point and shoot, great shots can still be taken. After all it's you that composes and times the shot, not the camera.

No footprints or aliens were hurt in the making of this post.

Want to join Odd Shots Monday?

Then see KATNEY