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

To the lighthouse

                                   Suntrap


Sometimes the tide is so far out, you can walk continuously from one beach to the other along the coastline of Ramsey.  You can also capture upshots of the lighthouses standing where would normally be covered in the Irish Sea. Doesn't happen often, but when it does worth taking a camera. If you're lucky you'll even capture a local group of horse riders cantering the same route.  One for future photography projects. 

Ramsey, Isle of Man, around noon, Nikon D7000

Image part of Black and White Wednesday

Derby Road, Ramsey, Isle of Man - Sunset

                                             Mirror image


Skywatch this week, a dusky pink serene scene. Mirror image reflections along the harbour inlet, Derby Road, looking towards Bowring Road. The sun rises over the beach, and sets inland, always casting a myriad of colurs over the harbour inlet, Sulby river and buidlings. No two days are the same, which is great for a photographer on a night time walk. 

To see a sizzling orange fiery sunset of the same view see here. You'll see what I mean about the colours of the setting sun. Unreal, yet natural.

Skywatch images around the world by others can be seen here.

Yn vooir - The waves

                     Night time photography


As it is ABC on the blog, another Manx word or saying. I thought Y might be a difficult letter, but a whole list of words appeared. yn vooir =  the waves. Night time photography, with the Nikon, crashing waves under moonlight rays. Living on an island you are never far from the sea, and midnight strolls along Queen's Promenade are the norm. 

Y words in Manx


For other abc's around the world see here. 

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

Parliament Square, Isle of Man TT

                             Chasing sidecars


It's almost that time of year again the island is becomes a haven for motorbikers tourists and competitors (one of those is Mrs Nesbitt who created the abc meme) the Isle of Man TT Road Races. As you can see Parliament Square part of the race route, right in the heart of Ramsey For those who follow the races via TV, this is one of the camera checkpoints shown, passing through Parliament Square. It's also the place I do my job, TT photographer.


Jane Hards Photography - TT photos
Isle of Man TT - older post

Image part of abc

Mooragh Promenade

                         The beach seat view


Sundays are made for sitting on a bench and watching the waves. The more adventourous can brave the freezing cold waters and surf the waves. The photographer can sit a capture the scene. 

Jane Hards Photography

Image part of The Weekend in Black and White

Open, the new tram tracks

                          Alternative travel


The tram tracks have undergone an update and renovation during the closed winter period. General maintenance and shiny new cables, and paved and painted. A popular way for tourists to view the island, by tram all the way from Ramsey, through Laxey when you can depart for Snaefell Mountian, or continue on to Douglas. It's a long ride, so if you're in a hurry bus or car might be for you, but on a sunny lazy day, a slower ride through the Manx landscape might be the way to go. If you don't mind a bit of a chill sit in the outdoor car, as it's a great vantage point for photography. 

 Jane Hards Photography

Image part of abc

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

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

Mooragh Lake, sepia

                    Who pulled the plug out


The same view from the post before Icy reflections and what a difference a day makes. Mooragh Lake at tide out looks like someone has pulled the plug and let the water out. No boating today, though the birds walking on water was a bonus photo shoot. 

Jane Hards Photography

Sepia for Simonetta, for that old fashioned nostalgic view of the place of her dreams Ramsey

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, Beach Sunset

                               Wet feet time


Like an explosion in a paint factory. In a troubled world, nothing better than to spend a day on the beach with a camera. I am lucky to live here, a small island in the middle of the Irish Sea. Not much happens that will affect the world, just day to day life and we like it that way. 

Image part of Skywatch where other bloggers around the world contribute to show you their sky. 

My partner is a UK Political Cartoonist, Gary Barker Cartoons and this week I am thankful he can work here with this view, observing the troubled world through his paintbrush and not be in the midst of it.

Frozen

                                   Zoom lens 


A winter walk round Ramsey using the zoom lens. The zoom, allows me to capture inaccessible areas. I can stay on the pathways, walking round the Poyll Dooey Nature Reserve and focus on hidden ponds through trees and the wildlife at a distance without disturbing either. Early morning image taken a few winters ago. Still waiting for the snow to return to capture more Narnia shots


Image part of Abc where you can find other bloggers around the world and their posts for the letter each week. 

Skywatch, golden sunrise

                               Good Morning
 

Sunrise over the beach, is never the same two days running. Image part of Skywatch, a group of people all over the world showing their skies. Click here to join or view. 

You can view more of my photography on facebook here 

Mooragh Promenade, Skywatch

                                  After the rain

There are two beaches in Ramsey. I usually take photos from the other one. This week, skywatch image is from the other beach. The silhouetted building are apartments overlooking the Mooragh promenade and beach. On a clear day you can see mainland UK from the Isle of Man. From those top floor apartments you can view both beaches, the harbour, UK on a clear day and most of the main part of town, and of course a great vantage point for skywathcing.


Other Skywatch images around the world can be viewed here

Queen's Pier, sunrise seascape

                               Good morning

Reasons to live on The Isle of Man are many and one of those are the benefits of hardly any urban light pollution, or in some of the coastal or rural areas, none at all. You may have to get up early and get your feet a little wet but the sunrises are really worth the wait, North of the island, East coast. The pier maybe closed to the public now, but it's still one of Ramsey's icons. 


This post is part of skywatch and others around the world can be found here

It's raining again - My World

Wet, Wet, Wet

My World

This is what you call an unplanned post. Bear with me as they all too frequently say in customer (non) services. Having a little camera trouble. I know what a nightmare. Just my favourite telephoto lens seems to be unwell. Now I do of course have a collection of lenses but it's the big guns lens I need to shoot distances at close range( you know perspective, zoom images, sport etc) and non distorted building. So you may be getting lots of landscapes for the time being. Ah well, every day will be a skywatch day then. What about today though?


Nothing special in the scenery here. This is Shoprite (our local supermarket) car park on a very dreary wet and windy grey day. A very real down to earth day. Taken with the point and shoot Olympus. Remember Big Nikon baby is not allowed out in the rain. Still it does the job. Does get you to think about the composition more, taking in that bike and of course it helps catching the red coat in the optimum part of the image too. I admit to waiting for them to get into position. You see the shot before you take it. Of course this is an image that is also made a little more interesting by those watery reflections. See even the most appalling weather, light and point and shoot photography in a boring supermarket car park can be a little bit of magic. Of course being a witch and hanging out with Manx fairies helps too.


For other My World contributions click here

Boys don't cry

Don't think, shoot.

My World - Ramsey Rugby

Sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time and better still you have your camera with you. Forget the light being too low for the speed of the game. Forget it's raining casting that misty glow. Forget the light breeze knocking you off balance. Forget you have no tripod. No excuses. If you take images of people, sport photography, your kids school games, listen up. You get one chance and like that rugby ball you had better grab it with both hands and just have faith in your manual setting, and most of all yourself and just shoot the scene in front of you. One second later you've lost the shot, so don't pussyfoot around just point the damned camera and get that classic pose. One second either side of this shot and you've lost it and they are not coming back around for you to create the right conditions. You get the shot. You're onto the next one.


Ramsey are the boys in blue. Unfortunately we lost(well I do actually support them being an honorary Ramsey girl) I still don't get this game in the way I get football(soccer to my American friends out there) but I have an instinct for what is going on. Enough anyway to follow the action and just know when to shoot. If you really want the best advice on how to get this shot other than getting you speed right to freeze the action(novices try sport mode), setting the right ISO for the conditions, choosing the right weather setting remember this. Footwear. You don't wear killer heels(leave those for the pub) you wear your trainers and you run your ass off and follow the action. OK, not for the whole game but, not that committed but you get the gist. So what if you get a ball in the face, you also get the shot. Black eyes lasts for a week, the image lasts a lifetime. Rugby, like photography is not for wimps! Only joking.

Ooh it's good to be back.

More my world images can be seen here.

J is for Juxtaposition

It's not the ducks.

Abc

Juxtaposition in a nutshell, well in terms of art a photography and Babooshka speak is basically placement of objects or elements side by side. Artistically it is with the intention of highlighting a specific quality or creating an effect, particularly when two contrasting or opposing elements are used within one image. The viewer's attention is drawn (hopefully) to the similarities or differences between the elements depicted within the given scene. That is just the blah,blah speak. Just a fancy pants way of saying this is such a beautiful landscape of the Sulby river spoiled by the ugly discarded tyre in the foreground left hand corner. I could delve deeper into all the juxtaposed reasoning, but you can do a little thought processing too. No I didn't plant it there just to get you thinking. I don't ever walk around with arty rubbish. I just chose to take the image and not crop out the garbage that people throw in the river to create an aesthetically pleasing landscape. What you see is what you get, naturally beautiful, man made ugly. Simple as that. If you prefer to think I am an artistic genius to create such an interesting juxtaposition for you to mull over, go right ahead. I really will not stop you.


Blogging is still not paramount in my life presently.I'm dipping in and out as and when I can. I'm around, but the real world and people in it need a little more attention than I first thought. Watch out though. You never know when I will just jump out at you with a Babooshka rant, rave or otherwise comment. The soapbox is still here. Better the devil you know after all as the rude little old woman in Douglas today would have you believe I am a close friend. Oh that. Another story for another day. If I can just get her picture...... For more J's in the virtual world click here.