Gimme Shelter

from the rain, because it's not always blue skies
 


A Saturday photo. The place where I sit before photographing Ramsey Rugby, and the half time break. The beginning of the season is around late August each year, and blue skies abound. Fast forward a few months and winter rugby games are accompanied with torrential rain, and howling gales. This is where I seek shelter. This bench nestled within a brick structure on Mooragh Promenade, overlooking the Irish Sea. There is more than one of these shelters along the promenade, but this is the one right behind the rugby pitch. Though with the horizontal rain, it's not always as sheltering as it should be. Theme day on the blog today, with all the other City Daily bloggers is Shelter. 

Click here for other images from the daily photos
Click here for Skywatch for skies around the world

Harbour sunset

                                 Sundown


I photograph the local rugby team home games on Saturdays. As the game is played over the Autumn through to Spring, the light is fading fast as the nights draw in towards the end of the game. The walk home through the park and onto the harbour inlet at this time of year coincides with the setting sun and occasionally the last embers of a fading sunset, cloud cover and evening light allowing. It's a working harbour, as you can see by the silhouetted cranes and sail masts. Win lose or draw, always a sunset to focus on. Rugby in hail storm photos

Part of Skywatch

Jane Hards Photography

Ramsey, Isle of Man

Ramsey B 33-13 Douglas B. Rugby

               Ramsey in blue, scoring a try


My Our World Tuesday post this week is about one of the local sport games on the Isle of Man, rugby. Played by both men and ladies teams, school teams, and boys teams, the juniors across the island. I photograph Ramsey most home games, played at the Mooragh Park pitch. It's a sport I have photographed for 8 seasons now, through wind rail hail or shine. Even in a snow blizzard. It's a winter game, so the sunny image will soon be replaced with wetter windier images. I have occasionally photographed away games, but usually those are cup semi final or finals. As the island is quite small and not enough teams for a full season to play each other, the teams are part of rugby leagues across. Across to anyone living on the island is England in rugby terms. I've taken the team new kit shot for the rugby club website, and have several images printed in local newspapers, both here and England. Anyone can come and watch, there is no entrance free as the pitch is open, overlooking the beach. My world in winter, rugby.  See below for links to my other photos or my facebook page, click the badge to get there.

My facebook albums here
My latest rugby in print Chester Chronicle here 
Our World Tuesday here

Ramsey 79 vs Helsby 0. Rugby

                      Try, Try, and Try again


Ramsey may have dropped a division since last season, but so far the first team are on a winning form. Four out of Four wins, and as the scoreline suggest pretty comprehensively too. Rugby is one of the many sport event taking place any weekend on the Isle of Man. Ramsey's home ground overlooks the sea on one side and the mountains on the other. Both first and second team are sponsored by local business. The players are all volunteers, and the club house bar and events too are run by volunteers. All games are free to watch. Local sport is often at the heart of a small town and community, and Ramsey is no exception. Always a good day watching/photographing the rugby, even better one when you capture the winning action, from the winning team. Commiserations to Helsby, but congratulations to Ramsey, back to winning form.

Manx Semi Cup Final, Rugby

                        Ramsey 0-48 Douglas

During the rugby season, through the winter, I can be found here, photographing my local rugby team. This wasn't a league game, but a cup game, The Manx Cup, and as you can see by the result, not a good one for my daily photo of my town, Ramsey, but a good result for the opposition, from South of the island, that being the Isle of Man. For those that don't know where that is, it's commonly referred to jokingly as the Rock, or the Rock in the Irish sea.

Other bloggers our world posts can be found here

Ramsey 5-47 Bowdon, Rugby

                                 Half Time


Most Saturdays I can be found at Ramsey's local rugby pitch photographing the game. I've photographs wins, losses, draws, cup finals, both won, lost and survival games. Unfortunately this survival game became a relegation result for the local side. I'll be back next season, and so will the team. Hopefully photographing a promotion result and a few more winning cup finals.

Rugby

                        Ramsey vs Marple

Saturday afternoons from late Autumn to late Spring are spent photographing Ramsey Rugby and whichever team they are playing that week. This week, visiting Marple from across, or should I say England. Ask any local and the island is considered the mainland, and England, Scotland and Wales, "across." Sadly, I have to mention the result which was a loss for Ramsey, playing in red and blue above, though the photograph shows the one and only try scored by the lads. I'd also like to add, this photo does not show the gale force wind that almost knocked me off my feet several times!

Skywatch # 90 When Saturday Comes....

.....you will still find me here

Saturdays from late Autumn, through Winter to early Spring, everyone knows I will be here. Why? Rugby! Everything stops, no shopping, no cooking, the other half has to fend for himself(I do leave directions to the kitchen), while I toddle up Mooragh Park to photograph the action. I have been known to have a JD or several in the clubhouse too, as rumour has it.

After the game, fading light, forgetting to change the camera settings, one night I captured this pastel sunset, just hinting at the snow capped mountain. After a drink or several, the walk home through the park (but of course) and capturing even more unused photos. When Saturdays comes....you know the rest.

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For other skies around the world see here

After the rugby, the drinking

Rugby is thirsty work

My world

Well you have all seen the images of the Rugby matches dotted about the blog, but what about afterwards? What happens when the game is done? It's drinks of course in the clubhouse. These lads were the chosen few downing yards of ale and such like for dubious or not so honours such as "Man of the Match" etc. As you can see along with the game, this is also what we call here a spectator sport. Also good for the thirsty photographer, because yes photography is thirsty work, to gain a few extra after the main event images too. What you thought I just went home after the match? Don't be silly there is drink on offer. Be rude not to partake of the odd glass of cider would it not? Yes that is rhetorical. Also gives me an opportunity to show you people of Ramsey which seems to be what you most want to see here, after sunsets, beaches and woods. So today that's what you get a completely random image taken by a drunken photographer who has supposedly put the camera down after her work is done. No such thing. There is always something, someone to photograph and the best social documentary images are the ones you get when you socialize, not work. More my world images can be seen here

Can you drink a yard of ale though?

RAMSEY RUGBY RELOADED - ABC LETTER R

Another balls up!

As I inadvertently posted a r for a q last week I thought I'd play it safe with a reliable R, boys swinging into action. We have had lots of boys keep swinging recently haven't we on the blog? Just the way the cookie has crumbled. They are the blue shirts, black shorts, and stripey socks by the way. Ssh! Not allowed to name the other team, the away team. Let's just say people on Douglas may know them. I'm actually more of a Football( it's not soccer it's football) but I do think Rugby is a fabulous contact sport to photograph. I can also tell you at least one of those blue shirts went to see Star Trek. How do I know, ah well my sweeties I was with him and G. at that very Star Trek showing.

If you want to see my close up Rugby images and play guess the famous statue pose see links below.


Hand's off it's my ball
Grab
Statue
Run for it
Flags

Bottoms up

Soft Focus

Wonder if anyone else saw the this game?

PHOTOGRAPHING RAMSEY RUGBY - MY WORLD

Statues

My world

I asked recently what you'd like to see on the blog. I was surprised to see so many ask for more of  the sport photography I am known for. So not motorbikes and the Isle of Man TT but the Rugby again for those  who just wish to be known as J, O, M, and B. Here you are. Ramsey are the ones in the blue shirts. J. by the way has turned this image of mine into a mousemat. In fact this image is also on a mug a set of coasters and greetings cards as far as I know. 

This wasn't a recent game, last season. Had to use an archive tonight due to a little editing of the images and selecting ones for the website. Hence the late post. Back to the Rugby. It's a game I photograph a lot as the pitch is between the park and the beach a place as you have noticed I photograph a lot. It's free to watch. Not many sport events you can say that about now can you? The Superbowl yesterday I think prompted the request for more Rugby images. Although on the surface they are very different games the basics for photographing the action shots are the same. Freezing the jumps was the most requested pose. "How you make them look like statutes." OK here are the jumping statues. I know one of those posing players well. He has been called many things, but never a statue.  For M, you are right it is unusual for a female like me to be good at sport photography, but if you want I'll give you pink flowers. For a price. I get bored photographing flowers. I need a challenge. I'll stick with 120mph motorbikes.

For other my worlds click here and thank the skywatch team for the idea.

Yes

maybe

could be

Snooooooooooooow!

I hope so. I am the only person not to photograph it this year.

MONOCHROME ODDSHOTS - HANDS OFF IT'S MY BALL

This image will not be to everyone's taste, but I know some of you out there will get a kick out of it, the arty sport shot. A combined theme shot again. Obviously it's black and white, so that covers the monochrome and hopefully the odd part of the shot speaks for itself. Needless to say this is personally one of my favourite images to date I've posted.

I'm working on a a couple of Ramsey related projects at the moment that are going to be a little time consuming so my blog visits time may be limited. I am on the verge of a turning point professionally and need to concentrate on a few Ramsey related projects that will need my fullest attention. I may also have to curb my advice, ideas and help for a while too and it's time to follow up on some suggestions and offers I have had recently concerning my work. You may also notice the images have reverted back to a smaller size. This is simply to protect them from being used by others without my permission. I know this all sounds a little cloak and dagger but the blog is a work in progress, my words, my ideas, my images about Ramsey are to be used at my discretion, not for others to take the credit. Ramsey is my town, this is my blog.

On a lighter note tomorrow Tue. 7th Oct. will be my 200th post. Join me for an ideas session of things you'd like to know about Ramsey or links you'd like. There is so much more to show you but sometimes when you walk past something everyday you may not think to photograph it. The beach, the park, the shops, the pubs, the Manx signs, the churches, I could go on. So today, just comments on this image. Tomorrow your ideas and comments on the next 200 posts would be welcome and appreciated.


One for Ramsey residents, a message. Dig out those electric blankets for testing soon. It's free remember to have them tested but priceless for peace of mind.

RAMSEY RUGBY

The Isle of Man really isn't full of men, despite the photo. We actually have a higher percentage of woman here, as do most parts of the world(not Alaska I hear though.) Perhaps this is why our sport events are often frequented by hordes of single woman. Purely to show support for whichever team they support you understand!

The 2 Teams above are Ramsey( the darker shirts) and Douglas Vagabonds. This was a home game for Ramsey, so the support was tremendous, but alas we lost( yes I support them) as we have all too often this season. Sorry lads, but you know I'm right. All that beer in the Rugby Club perhaps hampering your skills and speed. Ther'e 's always next season.