HOW TO CREATE ABSTRACT WAVES

Surreal, naturally

No not the sky. Skywatch is the post below. It's an abstract image of a wave crash created naturally with a camera. We've had glass reflections and crashing waves caught in frozen time moments but now for a visual feast of abstract photography. Don't be scared. Come with me on a mini journey to see how it's done.

Now you can take a photo and just play around with your digital software until you get the desired effect. Now me I'm the world's laziest photographer( you get to be good by nailing a shot first time, by being lazy) and I just want to take the image and go. For the image today I wanted to create an arty image of water. The sea was very obliging and tempestuous. Good start. Next I wanted to capture the fluidity of the water, not freeze it. Think looking at a still image but seeing movement. So it's all about shutter speeds and low light. So not a noon shot. What you want are longer shutter speeds. Think the longer the shutter speed the smoother and more silky the waves swirls will be. I wanted to retain a little choppiness so I didn't use a tripod. To get those mist silken water images a tripod, very long shutter speeds, low light and a remote are paramount. To create a slight fuzziness like artist feathery brushstrokes hand held and longish shutter speed will do just fine. One trick I did use was to photograph the water bouncing off the dark promenade wall( not in the image,but left hand side) to intensify the sea-green we get here. So the result you should get is a still image that feels like it's moving, not frozen. Only alteration to the image re sized for the blog. For examples of other shutter speeds and water images see the red words below.

Fast crashing waves

Frozen crashing waves

Mirror image reflection
Still surreal


Taken the same place as the skywatch image in Ramsey. Fortunately I live on an island so water a plenty for me but I appreciate not everyone has access to the Irish Sea on their doorstep. Try photographing a puddle, and overflow pipe, a stream, a gushing leak if you don't have the sea. Necessity if the mother of invention.

Have fun.

FROM PIER TO ETERNITY - SKYWATCH

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside, don't you?

Skywatch

I know, bad pun but I just can't resist. Couldn't resist this image above either. The sea so still and the clouds just breaking to reveal the promise of a blue sky. Very different to yesterday and one day of snow image I showed you( which I am still quite excited about sad to say) that has since disappeared. Anyway back to the pier. Remember I said we have two beaches in Ramsey, well this one is not the one adjacent to the park this is the other one along Queens Promenade. Guess what the Pier is conveniently called Queens too.Where are we today then?


In the distance is Maughold(pronounced Makold) a small village named after St Machaoi. Maughold Point is the most easterly on the island. It's also the closest point to England so you can imagine the view on a very clear day. It's also where Johnny Depp stayed when he was filming the Libertine over here. If you take a walk under and past the pier you will arrive at the arches. I took this at the top of the promenade steps that lead to the beach. It looks like the pier is actually situated on the land but that's just perspective. Here are some other images to put this view in context what is around here and some pier close ups. Click the words in Red.


Close up pier
Beyond the pier
Under the pier

Hidden Arches beyond the pier
Big Sky and touch of pier

Steps where the image taken from

Room with a view


last week we covered the golden hour in photography. This was around noon. Sometimes photography rules just don't apply. This image needed to be flat and smooth no shadows so noon was the best time to shoot it. I know it's one rule for one image and one for another. Just think fight club. First rule of photography really should be- there are no rules in photography.

Skywatch watchers can be found here. Many thanks to Dot for the inspirational idea, Tom for the first care taking and the My world gang for looking after skywatch now.

Babooshka Ramsey Daily Photo hhtp://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

IT'S SNOWTIME. COME WALK WITH ME?

Spring has sprung....snow!

Finally it happened we got us some of that there darned snow you folks out there have had and not just a dusting on the mountain. Actually it was really weird. It snowed for a couple of hours Tuesday night, started to settle getting that lovely white blanket on the ground then guess what happened? It started raining washing most of it away. Noooooooooo! Some has survived though. Clumps of snow dotted about the garden and round the town. Where would snow be then in Ramsey that hadn't washed away? A conundrum. Ah the answer would be the image above. Care to walk with me? I made you an offer you can't refuse by the way.


Well now where are we? No it's not the park or the nature reserve. It's not one of the Glens either or the woodland leading off from the arches image I've shown you. We are still in Ramsey though. We are just starting out on Claughbane Walk. From where I've taken the image from is just in off the main road leading out to Douglas. To the right of the image looks onto one of the housing estates looking down onto the town. To the left leads you into woodlands and Glens but we'll discover those another day. Back to the walk. Don't know how well you can see this bit the path has a very slight incline down into the town. Eventually we would take a slight right as the path meanders passing fields and woods on the left hand side and hedges and the housing estate on the right. It is another haven for wildlife with sparrows nestling in barns and longtails(rats) rabbits scurrying about, hedgehogs not scurrying and of course an abundance of butterflies in summer. The walk takes as long or as little as you make it, but if you have a camera with you then don't plan to hurry. Eventually you will get to town. If you want to see where you will eventually arrive at your destination( a clue) then click here.


Just a quick snapshot with the point and shoot, no smartypants camera work today. Had to make sure you got a least one image of the phenomena will call snow that has eluded these parts. As the weather gets better we'll have a proper walk in this area and see what we shall find. Might even be those elusive Manx Fairies

Babooshka ramsey daily photo http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/

GODRED CROVAN - G

Godred Crovan

ABC This week is brought to you my the letter G

I am so excited we have snow!!!!!!!!!!!!! Back to the letter and a Viking tale.

Godred Crovan founded of the last Dynasty of the Isle of Man. His father was Harold the Black of 'Ysland' (i.e. Iceland). His origin is murky, as is a lot of Island history. He received a considerable amount of support from the Hebrides and he was successful in establishing a Dynasty that lasted for two centuries without challenge that we do know. These circumstances argue that he was in some way related to some of the previous Kings of the Isles. First noting was 1066 and all that, when we find him with Godred, son of Sigtrygg, King of Man and the Isles at the time. He was helping out King Harold Hardrada of Norway and Tostig Godwinson. That would be assisting them in their invasion of Merry Old England. The invaders were routed by Harold Godwinson, King of England and a brother of Tostig at the Battle of Stamford Bridge as all Chelsea fans should know. King Harold of Norway and Tostig were slain. Both Godreds( confusing isn't it) escaped to guess where, yes, the Isle of Man. King Godred Sigtryggson of Man and the Isles died soon after succeeded by his son Fingal. Godred Crovan seems to to have returned to Iceland. However he had plans. Big plans! In 1071 in Norway, he formed an army to invade little 'ole Isle of Man. Naval support came from the Hebrides, but stubborn opposition came in Man. Apparently the islanders were not at all impressed with this interlopping Viking. He in return was also equally as stubborn though and unimpressed. Despite two setbacks, he finally triumphed in battle at Scaefell(Skyhill) Ramsey. The Hebrideans received the South part of the island. It was take land or plunder it. The people of Man were driven into the Northern portion, that would be places like er, Ramsey then. Godred Crovan was a mighty ruler, conquering Dublin and a large part of Leinster. He was married leaving three sons, Lagman, Harold and Olaf. He died of pestilence in Islay in 1087.

Godred Croven established the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles after the Battle of Skyhill, Ramsey as it happens, on his third attempt. Sifting through info concerning anything to do with the events and timelines can be a nightmare, but the above married times, dates, places and names most frequently. It's also a Ramsey connection, rather than just generic Isle Of Man. The image is part of a scuplture to be found in the lobby of Ramsey Library of Godred and his
son Olaf. To see the full sculpture and read about Olaf click here for my other post and the scroll to Olaf lower part of the post.

Go to Mrs N for a plethera of G's.

babooshka ramsey daily photo http://dailyphotoisleofman/blogspot.com/

Life's an Isle Of Man Beach - My World

Mooragh Beach, Ramsey

Keeping it simple this week and responding to a several requests for more beach images. So here we are again, walking out of town. As you can see the tide is out so you are able to actually walk out quite away. You see we have wonderul sweeping bays(two remember) but the sand is always damp due the incoming tides as I have mentioned before.


Towards the left handside would be Mooragh Promenade. We are actually further along the Promenade than we have been before. Behind me out of shot would be the harbour jetty way off in the distance now, bridge and Ramsey town. To the right is obviously the sea, but as we are an island you would expect to see land ahoy at some stage. You do, and that would be part of the British Isles, England, Scotland and Wales. On a clear day you can make out the landscape of the Lake District in Cumbria. Looking north the bay sweeps round to the promontory known as Shellagh Point. This is the closest I have taken you to it. Shellagh another Manx word. It appears Shellagh means willow. I have noted recently it's use as a girl's name. I'm not sure those using the name know of it's origin, or are Manx. I wonder if anyone out there knows of another meaning or anyone is actually named Shellagh? I'm still searching on this one. Just curious.


For perspective click the words in red below to show you stages along the beach. May help to put this scene context. For those that have read about the Grand Hotel on the blog, behind the white house on the left out of sight would be the Grand Hotel.

Beach 1
Beach 2

Beach3
Rocks

MISTAKEN GHOSTS-MONOCHROME ODD SHOTS

Ghosts

Monochrome Odd Shots

If you are here for Glass Theme Day it's the post below as today is another image. This is an archive. In fact this is one that should have been deleted ages ago and I've no idea what it's still doing hanging around vitrually. It wasn't until I stumbled across it I thought it would make a great odd shot and serve as a lesson though. Original version is colour shot in Raw. The only alteration has been to desaturate, strip the colour in Raw it's self. This left the really ghostly image you see. I know it looks like a studio image with a white canvas backdrop and overly lit but it's actually along Mooragh Promenade watching the stunt bikes. The white mist isn't ghostly ectoplasm at all but fumes from the motorbike that had just passed by. I know it looks like I'm right in front of them too but I was actually quite far away using the zoom at full pelt. The shiny black lump of plastic on the right is a bin of all things. As this image is a mistake no need to clone bins out of shot. Of the four images I took of this scene this one came out as a ghastly overexposed mistake or is it a ghostly haunting image? Depends on your point of view. One thing I will say is the girl with the white coat is far more striking as an image in this photo than the others. It is definitely a mistake to me and of absolutely no use other than here, or maybe experiment with, but sometimes they make the most interesting images. One things for sure it's odd and ghostly.


Have you made any use of your mistakes? I do find they are useful as a lesson in what not to do.

Click Katney for your odd shot quirks. Click Aileni for your monochrome maniacs. That's it off to re classify the images

Babooshka ramsey daily photo http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogpsot.com/

MARCH THEME DAY GLASS - BRITISH RED TELEPHONE BOX

A different glass

British Red Telephone Box

Theme today is glass. Glass building are relatively few in a Ramsey and I have featured the ones I could have used already, so I went for a very British Institution a Red Telephone Box. To highlight the box I just desaturated the background. A departure for me. With the advent of mobile phones phone boxes and the more modern open kiosks are dwindling in use. They are no longer replaced or new ones provided when the present ones need updating. The iconic red box stopped production many years ago, in fact there is more than one design called "K class" but you still find them in far flung places such as Gibraltar, Bermuda, obviously the UK and here. Anywhere that is part of the British Isles, UK, or British Islands. Many were sold off privately once they were de-commissioned and you will often come across one in the most unlikely country. You may have one in your area? Many also have been adapted for other uses across the world. British theme bars around the world always seem to have one too in one form or another. Click here to read more about the history from wiki.



This phone box is still in use and working. Situated outside Ramsey Football Club Ground. It still accepts coins not just phonecards or credit cards, still has a phone directory intact and as you can see is also non vandalized. Not one pane of glass smashed. It's not the only Red Telephone box in Ramsey, we have quite a few and all of them are still used. Just want to point that out. The tourist's love them. So that's my iconic glass image. Something a little different, iconic, historical, outmoded but strangely still in use here.

Have fun and do check out the many daily photos around the world and there unique images

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Babooshka ramsey daily photo http://dailyphotoisleofman.blogspot.com/