ALL PHOTOGRAPHS POSTED ON IMAGI
Below are all the photographs posted to imagi since the start of version 4 in May 2008. NOTE: As you are loading all the thumbnails of all the photographs there may be a small delay in loading the entire page.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PHOTOGRAPH BROWSING
To browse through the photographs simply click on a chosen photo and you can view it full size. You may then click on the left of the photo to step to the next photograph (if you are viewing the latest photo there will be no forward link) or click to the right to go to a previous shot. All Photos are displayed in chronological post order.
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We went to The Swan Inn today for Sunday lunch and to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday.
Afterward we came back for birthday cake, which Nik made, but everyone was full from lunch so Nik's parents took the cake with them.
It would take too long to explain where the title comes from, suffice it to say that it is a recurring joke in our family.
This is another shot courtesy of Jey, which is quite dissimilar from the others he took in as much as it looks almost staged.
You can appreciate by this point we were all pretty smashed and dancing our backsides off which I think the shot illustrates perfectly.
Nik and I have been visiting our good friends Rachel and Jey in Kent this weekend.
Jey had lots of shots from our wedding that we hadn't even seen and he was kind enough to let me have copies so I could enhance a few to post on imagi.
Here is a shot from the evening of our other good friends Matt and Eli (thanks for the photo Jey).
Another Hipstamatic shot today, this time of the guy who recommended the app — Mr Bursill.
I had a really weird time working with these images. For some reason when I email from my iPhone to my computer the images (as attachments) come through at 800px, which is the size for square images on my website. However they looked upscaled and, sure enough, when I checked what size the images were they seem to have imported to the computer at 525px. This meant the emailed versions had been enlarged. Even stranger, when they are uploaded directly to Facebook from the iPhone they come in at 600px.
Confused…
This shot was taken in my lounge with my new iPhone app — Hipstamatic.
My friend Ian, from work, suggested I give it a go. He has it already and is going to post shots he has taken each day on Facebook for me to have a look at.
I must admit it's quite good fun.
Today's shot is an old one and my entry for this weeks Photo Friday challenge.
I wanted to post some snapshots I took at a photoshoot we had for work but I left the files in the studio and can't get them as I'm on holiday at the moment.
I haven't been very well this week hence a lack of entries on the site.
Today's shot was taken at the same time as this. Hopefully when I feel a bit more human I will get some more shots up.
I haven't been feeling too great recently.
I think I'm just joining in with everyone else. I thought a 10K run might not be the best idea tonight, on one of the coldest days of the year (so far).
This means I have more time to post a photo; where the snow taketh, it also giveth. Here is a shot of my colleague Ian from this morning in the car park at work.
Today's shot is an really old one and my entry for the Photo Friday website this week.
Time allowing I may actually get out with the camera this weekend.
I was planning on taking some photos today but the fence is threatening to relocate so I have been out fixing that.
I was flicking through some old shots from Tenerife, wishing for warmer times, when I saw this shot of whales near Los Gigantes which will do for the Photo Friday entry.
The title comes not from the photo but from me being unsure about what to call the shot.
This is the photo I mentioned on Sunday which I quite like.
Just after this shot the dog took off and refused to come back when called. Needless to say I'm not sure I'll be getting any more shots of her off the lead anytime soon. If we lost the dog I don't know what we'd do.
We have a guest living with us at the moment.
Little Roxy Roo (my brother-in-law's dog) is enjoying staying with us. She especially loves tearing around the park near where we live and generally running around like a loon. All in all this dog sitting/walking lark is rather easy: Take dog to park, let it run around, then bring it home where it will promptly sleep all day. Sorted!
I needed a shot for this weeks Photo Friday challenge and I thought this one would be fun.
The brother in law took the shot and I processed it, just for the record. This one was taken at the same time as this.
For some reason today I am feeling a little delicate.
It seems my enthusiasm for my friday evening got the better of me and I'm paying for it today.
As for reasons for today's shot? This is actually another photo Rik took which I have processed. My wife noticed the shot when I was going through her brother's photos and I thought she would appreciate a finished version. That and the fact that the orangutan looks pretty much how I feel at the moment. ;)
No one was more surprised than the demolition team that the Timken steel mill towers didn't fall after they detonated explosives at their base.
As you can see from this, in the end they pushed them over but everyone was hoping for something a bit more dramatic.
I haven't anything new so I have processed this shot taken by my mum at the wedding.
There were a few problems with the shot, some of which I could help a little (like exposure), others less so (detail in the shot).
I'm posting it because I like the relaxed pose from the guys, far easier than in some formals earlier in the day (we had a few drinks in us at this point).
The two mill towers at Timken Desford Steel Ltd, Desford, were levelled on sunday.
The mill has been closed for a few years now and slowly, but surely, the building has been torn down.
The whole demolition was marked by a charity event to raise money for the breast cancer centre in Glenfield hospital.
For a change I thought I'd post something from our honeymoon.
The shot reminded me of illustrations I have seen of the Colossus of Rhodes, hence the title. This was taken by my wife Nik as I recovered from the hot Cretian sun in the sea. I love the way it seems I tower above the landscape. The photograph makes me look immense because of the wide shot and the perspective.
Today's shot was taken by Nik's brother Rik and processed by me.
We have been dying to see our professional wedding photos but they will not be ready for a while, so we have been satiated with other guests' shots. Everyone has taken fantastic pictures and Rik took a whole slew of them. I will process some of the better ones and post them here from time to time.
The whole wedding and honeymoon seems like it was a million lifetimes ago now. :(
We're back in good ol' blighty.
I'd love to say it's great to be here but we'd be lying. It was a fantastic honeymoon and it's really hard to come back to normality.
On the other hand it is nice to be in our own house again with the luxuries that brings, like being able to drink tap water and flush toilet roll. ;)
Home time is upon us and I am gutted.
I guess the mark of a good holiday is if you regret leaving it, plus this is no ordinary holiday being our one and only honeymoon. Okay, so we said this is a short honeymoon as we couldn't come away for long (Nik cannot spare the time from university), but honestly, will anything later on feel as special as that first trip away together as man and wife? I guess we shall see.
Happily Married.
Mrs Stokes in charge of the camera again and for once the blog also, whilst 'Happily Married" gets ready for dinner. And boy does it take some getting ready for - the food I mean. I'm hoping they only weigh the suitcases for excess baggage as we're dragging back a few extra holiday pounds with all this fab mediterranean munch.
This shot is from the island of Spinalonga, once a colony of lepers.
This shot is actually from our departure from the island. It is so quiet, beautiful and sad; we only had an hour to explore and you could easily spend a day at the ruin. I have an abundance of shots from the trip, some of which I will post.
My wife snuck this shot in while I was sorting the barnet.
For a change of style I thought I would post something less holiday location and more personal to me. I processed this with a bit more grit (and noise) and let the contrast give the interest. Except for that I don't have much to say other than I wouldn't have got in that shirt I'm wearing a few months ago were it not for all the bike riding and running recently.
I'm not so sure I will fit it again after I get back from this holiday with all the gorgeous Taziki, Olive oil and bread I've been eating. And let's not mention the Kleftiko lamb, Moussaka, Haloumi…
This is the first of quite a few photos we have taken while on our honeymoon.
The shot is of Mrs Stokes looking out to sea near Elounda, protected by an umbrella because it got so hot.
I won't go into too much detail as we are about to go and visit the coastal town of Agios Nikolaos, suffice it to say, the fairytale continues...
Not long until I get to marry my beautiful fiancée.
And not long until I unleash the awesome dance skills of Matt, held aloft by my trusty Loakes. What a lucky bride Nik is! ;)
For a tall guy I sure do have Hobbit feet.
I've not much to say about this shot other than I fancied playing around with the colour and contrast a little. My Nik hates it, by-the-way; she thinks my feet look really grubby, which they aren't. Honest!
I was hoping to get a wonderful yellow bruise on my leg to photograph but, considering how much it hurts, I can see nothing. I feel a bit jipped really. :(
After a spectacular crash on my bike this morning on the way to work I thought a spot of 'after work anaesthetic' might be called for.
The good news is, I am in one piece and can still get married.
The bad news, is much the same… (just kidding my baby).
The moral of this story. I should drive to work more often, and when Matt has anaesthetic, he is mean! >:z
Quick fire photo round tonight - this is a shot from our run on Sunday (I know, I know, the whole point of a PAD is to shoot and post a photo from the day you're on but I've simply had no time today).
And this one is off the iPhone again. As far as camera phones go it's not the greatest model for taking snaps but now and again it produces shots that are just about good enough.
Those familiar with 2001 will not need to ask about today's PAD title.
The wedding is now but a week away and I'm starting to feel a little nervous. Not so much about the wedding, just about everything that has to be done and in place for it.
Ian took our photo last night for a picture to have at the wedding that guests can sign. We narrowed down the shots to two which he printed out for us to look over. We have just chosen one of these which we will now get framed. It's a beautiful shot, but I still hate the way I look in photos. I'll be glad after the wedding to be back on the right side of the camera! :)
The title for today's PAD is because you can see my Nik's reflection in the window.
To me it looks like she is crossing past the cars and is over 50 foot high!
This shot is from yesterday (oops!), but because of the reflections and huge amount of detail to look at, I had to post it. This one, unlike yesterdays, I took.
I was going to post a photo I'd taken today but I really like this one from yesterday so I'm breaking with PAD requirement; after all it is my photoblog! ;)
I knew what effect I was after yesterday but I wanted this shot to be quite natural by comparison; that is, I didn't want to muck around with it too much in post processing.
I decided to stop running and take a shot here, part way between Desford and Newbold Verdon.
If you are wondering about the title; the bales looked to me like great columns that you find in ancient ruins. These, scattered across the field, could have once upheld the roof of a great palace to King Midas, coloured by his own hand. At least that's what I imagined as I processed the shot.
I hate having my photo taken.
Many people also hate this but are good enough to let me take their photo so after Nik took mine today I could hardly turn down her suggestion of posting it to imagi.
As I type this she is standing behind me, a big grin on her face; she knows how much I dislike posting my picture, and apparently I also don't like it when she takes a better shot than me.
You're right, I don't, but baby I haven't had to worry about that yet (just kiddin').
Another shot for the PAD.
I'm getting this shot up quickly as we are off to the pub for a few cold ones.
This is a character I worked up for a client of ours. It's not that often that I get to chance to illustrate many characters any more, and even less that I actually draw by hand, so this has been a fun project. The character 'J.D' has been approved and I illustrated a digital version of it, which considering I haven't had as much time as I would like, I am happy enough with.
Today's PAD is of Nikki looking over Ian Bursill's latest work on his blog.
The reason I got my camera to shoot Nik was that she got my attention by shouting and exclaiming in delight at his latest set of photographs. Ian is shooting our wedding and the more Nik goes over his site, the more excited she is getting. I am a bit disappointed though as Nik's pose doesn't really convey her enthusiasm. When I first got to her some of her body language was perfect for the shot but, as does happen, the moment passed and I didn't get the shot I really wanted.
Starting today I am going to keep a PAD (Photo-A-Day) on imagi for about a month or so.
It's a good way to keep practicing at my photography and, on the build up to our wedding, it will be a nice lead up to the day and beyond.
Here's another shot for mum, as she asks, 'where are the photos you took of those beautiful goslings?' whenever we talk on the phone.
The shot is interesting enough but what I really like is the blue of the sky reflected in the ripples of the water. Funny what we see when we look at images, isn't it?
Nik, Malc (her dad) and I went for a 12 mile run from Desford to Mountsorrel today.
We have been planning, and by that I mean I have been planning, to do this run for quite some time ever since Malc showed me all the different individual parts to the run. I was just dying to do them altogether.
In keeping with the subject matter from the last shot I posted, here are more swans.
This is also an entry for the Photo Friday website, for which this week's challenge (or rather for two weeks this time) is titled "Cameraphone shot'. The photo was taken on my iPhone today at the pub called The Swan where Nikki, her folks and I all had lunch.
I processed this shot for my mum (she liked this one and another of the goslings which I will post on another day).
When I visit her in Peterborough we often go to Ferry Meadows, near her home, and while we are there we sometimes take photos of the wildlife. This shot is from the last visit I made where the male swan was watching over his family but let me get close enough to take the picture.
I made this shot very simply, processing it through Capture One and rendering the black and white effect in Photoshop.
I always like this shot.
As I don't have any new material, this is an old shot of my fiancée's brother's girlfriend Luce. Most photographers love that moment when you capture a little something of your subject, and I think this photo does that.
It has been mentioned that there have been a few problems with the site. As usual, if you notice anything and are able, please email me.
I've been a busy bee updating my onine social and business networks using my new iPhone.
Considering I have never been that into these sites, my new iPhone has got me to update all my Facebook and Twitter pages. I guess I'm just a sucker for gizmos but there is something really cool about updating your pages verbally with your phone.
If anyone fancies popping to these sites and following/joining me then feel free. The more the merrier!
We have spent the day working out different parts of our wedding.
Who would have thought something meant to bring us so much joy could be so tiring to do!? And this is the point where Nik says she did most of the work.
On the plus side, we have finished for the night so we are going to chill out, watch a film and take onboard some excellent snacks. There is just enough time to post this shot. Not the most interesting shot I have ever taken but I really like the colour. See what you think.
I must admit I have been rather busy of late sorting out all manner of things including my new iPhone, which rocks.
These bits of kit are fantastic and I can't recommend them enough, especially if, like me, you're into Apple kit.
The phone is fast, the apps are brilliant and the O2 coverage isn't bad although not quite up to Orange's standard. To be honest if the handset had been available on Orange I wouldn't have moved as, over the years, they have been pretty good.
It's mid-week and I have just about recovered from my Stag Doo, (hic) thanks guys, top times!
I was pretty tired after all the partying, but yesterday it really hit me for some reason. I guess it was a delayed reaction to all the various imbibed goodness that was had.
I've had a quick look through my snaps and there's nothing too exciting in there; as everything got interesting I forgot to take any snaps, which is one of the hazards of having a good time, I guess!?
This shot if for the Photo Friday website.
I haven't a great deal of time tonight so I'm posting this shot quickly. There's lots to sort out before the weekend as I'm off to Brighton to see the dudes for my Stag Weekend.
Hopefully next week I will still be in one piece - enough to maybe post some shots from the weekend's antics!
I had a late one last night playing poker so have only just managed to get on the computer to post anything.
This shot is from the Louvre of one of the pieces of stonework. I liked the way the near character has her fingers to her lips, echoing the silence of the gallery (or at least for the room we were in when I took the shot).
So much for the weather forecast. I'm not complaining, just explaining why I am not sitting here typing more for today's entry. I'm off for a bit of quality UV.
You would be forgiven for thinking this shot an HDR shot.
It isn't, it is just something I was playing around with in LAB colour mode. I've not much to say on it other than that. It was made with a combination of curve alterations in LAB, altering colour and saturation, targeting specific areas of the shot with masks.
As I said yesterday I would be posting another version of this shot.
I approached the processing differently. Originally I was simply converting the shot to work. It was underexposed a great deal, I was shooting in near total darkness and even with the VR on the 18-200 I was expecting really soft images. I think some of the shutter times were almost a second, hand-held!
As you would expect with the D200 I could only push the ISO so far and already, in the shadows, the noise was very apparent.
This is an old shot I am recycling for this weeks Photo Friday challenge.
I did change the post processing for another version which I will post tomorrow for comparison. The difference with tomorrow's version is I approached the image more like an illustration than a photograph. The colours are different, with almost rotten hues rather than an overall colour cast (as is the case with today's).
Tonight's shot is the Tour de Eiffel in Paris, France.
If you haven't been to Paris I can't recommend going enough. For a large Metropolis (and I don't like big built up cities much) it has an abundance of character and beauty. A prime location for taking endless photos - I hope Nik and I get to go back one day soon.
This shot is for the Photo Friday website.
It seems like my holiday has flashed past me. I thought, maybe, that being at home might mean I'd at least get some time to chill, but with going out and organising things like our wedding and honeymoon it seems as if I have only been off for a few days instead of a week. So, it's back to work Monday, just as the sunshine really kicks in.
It will, at least, be good to see the guys at work and see what trouble they have managed to get into.
Today's photograph is of Sutton Bonington Hall which is the venue for mine and Nik's wedding in September.
We had a meeting at the hall to go over the particulars of the wedding. The lady who runs the hall is simply amazing and we feel so confident that the day will go smoothly.
Aesthetically - Boy, did we pick the right venue, as you can see. The hall is amazing, the grounds are immaculate and the proposed menu is mouth-watering. The only problem? Having to wait until September!
I'm on holiday this week and I'm having a great time!
It's been so long since I've had some free time with Nik and we have just taken things easy. We do have a few things lined up though including a trip to the Bards county.
While she's on the phone I'm am taking the opportunity to post this abstract shot from fireworks night 2007.
I had an amazing time in London visiting friends, apart from getting a parking ticket which cost me £200 quid!
I can't stress this enough. The signposting for parking in and around Canary Wharf is a shambles. The sign showing that we needed a parking permit was first of all mounted on a fence low to the floor. This was also mounted on one side of the entrance way to the estate so if you entered from the right you missed it and it was partially hidden by trees. Needless to say I am not impressed and have appealed to the common sense of the borough in an attempt to reclaim my fine. I expect very little back…
This is another shot of my Nikki taken when we went ice skating.
I'm posting this shot for Photo Friday website. Actually I am rushing to get this one up as I'm off for a bit of a run this morning. Not really sure why as it must already be about 19 degrees out and I may melt.
I went to a Star Wars card game tourniment yesterday which was really good fun, apart from being inside on a glorious day. This won't mean a lot to most people but for those in the know, I went 3 - 3, came a respectable seventh, and should have done a little better, but I'm not complaining. It was fun, the guys who came are great and everyone went home with a prize anyway (thanks Darren!).
The site has been playing silly buggers again so if you do notice anything broken, please email me.
Not long until the weekend and beautiful sunshine again fills the air. Except I am in all Saturday playing cards. How the hell did that happen?
Tonight's shot is an old one that Nik likes. She decided it was going up tonight.
Today's shot is from a recent golf event held by Intercare, a charity whose website I designed, and is hosted by my work, Mulberry Square Ltd.
The chap in the shot is my friend Lorne, playing for Team Mulberry, who were one of the thirteen teams attending. More details can be seen on Intercare's website, including a few team photos I took on the day.
I only managed to snap Lorne out of the Mulberry Team as they teed off so quickly I wasn't set up for the shot. I was pleased with the burst of images I took around Lorne's swing, always having a composition like this in mind.
I chose to post this one to go in for the VFYX theme this week.
As for the title? It reminded me of the father son turtles in Finding Nemo; the dads name being Dude Crush.
Work, work, bloody work… oh, and did I mention work?
Needless to say no prizes for guessing what I have been up to this week. Oh, didn't I mention it?
On the plus side I do have a day off today, which, lashed on to the start of a bank holiday makes for a tidy few days off.
For today's shot it's another golden (well, black and white) oldy.
Mrs Chipmunk is my entry for the Photo Friday challenge this week.
Not much else to report. The sun shines, the wheel turns and things are pretty good.
I always liked this image of my Nik.
It always seemed ethereal and other worldly, which appeals to me. And sums up the missus! ;)
It's been another fun filled holiday.
imagi has had a few problems, as I am sure you know if you visited recently.
Firstly, I may have had a few more problems with hackers. There was a malicious file sitting in the folder that my old flash gallery used which had to be removed.
Secondly, my imagi database had some sort of corruption, whether down to a potential 'hack', a few problems with a new version of java script that I use or if something else caused the hiccup, the effect was much the same. imagi was broken, only displayed weird characters when you visited the site.
I am posting this shot quickly tonight as my lady has just got in and I haven't seen her all day so I'm off to say hi.
All is good in the world. The sun shines, the wine flows and the good times keep on coming.
If only I had new photos my world would be perfecto.
As for the shot - this is my colleague Dave answering the question, " would you like to make me a cuppa?"
I have been very busy of late and haven't had a lot of time to post images.
We have had a bereavement in the family, work is busy (as usual), there have been friends over and things to do around the house (with a bit of exercise shoved in where I could).
I'm hoping to get out a bit more soon and take some more shots, though the way things have been going lately that could easily not happen.
I am posting this shot for a couple of reasons.
1.) The theme at Photo Friday is 'Grandmother' and I happened to take a few shots of my nan on Mother's Day. 2.) I liked the pose of my nan with my mum's dog Misty.
I often get told by mum ana nan that the dog is my little sister. Personally, I don't see the resemblance.
I am posting this from bed as my legs are about to come off. The effect of exercising for three days straight intensively, not resting and not be used to so much body strain.
Fortunately I don't type with my feet so I can still post this shot of Dylan the dog that I took on Mother's day in Peterborough.
I've not much to say on this shot. I couldn't get too close to the dog as he had lost his mate recently and wasn't taking it very well. He was skittish, unsure of himself, and with a gnarly set of gnashers I wasn't going to give him cause for concern.
I am surprised if this image looks any good at all; my eyes feel like belly buttons because of the lack of sleep i got last night. Our neighbour's garden door got off the latch, and with the intense winds, flapped and banged about at a quarter past god-knows-what-time in the morning.
Lack of sleep aside I am feeling pretty good really. I met up with an old friend for some game playing the weekend and got the living hell beaten out of me (it's the participating that's the thing though, right?) The running has been coming more easily to me and with all the exercise I feel awesome. And I even have some new photos to post. Amazing huh?
My colleague at work got a D700 today and I am totally jealous.
This was the camera I wanted to get but haven't been able to at the moment what with one thing and another.
It's probably a good thing as I have taken literally zero photos recently and there is only so long you can raid the archive. :(
Ian has said he will come out with me on a shoot, maybe in the town centre, so all is not lost. I may yet get a chance to take some new pictures soon.
I have been busy with lots of different things at the moment so haven't had a huge amount of time to take any photos or post anything new to imagi.
Between lots of birthdays, visits and the odd date or two with my lady I just haven't been near the computer.
Tonight's shot is an old one from Fuerteventura and reminds me vaguely of the clever way Matt Stuart takes photos, though not in the same league. If you haven't checked out his site I suggest you do. He is a sort of modern day Cartier-Bresson and, quite honestly, his shots are just so clever. I can only presume he practices a similar technique to the famous french photographer as written in his book on the decisive moment. It's funny because the shots look so opportunistic, they must be planned. How ironic.
This shot is from Bradgate park near Old John.
The photo is made from a set of exposures, one stop apart, put through Photomatrix Pro then worked on in Photoshop. I used a number of different adjustment layers to get the effect I was after.
The boy in the shot is the son of my fiancée's friend, who we ran into in the park. Oh yeah, one more thing. I didn't take this shot, Nik did. I haven't taken a fresh photo in weeks (yikes!). Maybe Nik should take over filling imagi? (Especially as I am doing an NVQ soon and will have less time to post shots. Great!)
I was going to put this into the Photo Friday challenge, until I realised I already entered this.
Mine and Nik's wedding invites went out today (made by yours truly). Nik is bouncing around with excitement and I have a big smile on my face.
My mum came up the weekend and we went out so I could try on wedding suits. I felt like an extra on some BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. It felt kinda good! :)
I have just enough time tonight to post a quicky.
I got a new Cartier-Bresson book through the post today and it put me in the mind to process something in black and white, with grain, with some older subjects in it. Not that I would ever compare any of my work to his but you know how it is? You see a photo you enjoy and then try emulating it in some way.
I have posted this shot before in the old site but wanted to upload this new, larger version as an entry for this weeks Photo Friday competition.
Work has been really busy at the moment so, again, I haven't taken shots of anything new. At the moment I am confined to the office designing our wedding invites which must go in the post next week or Nik will kill me.
Which reminds me. Happy Valentines day baby (for when you read this). I hope you liked the flowers and your cook book? Let's hope you put it to good use tonight for our romantic dinner for two. :)
I had someone contact me after discovering imagi on the web and seeing photos of the old Timken steel mill that I took shortly before it closed in 2007.
The shots were taken in near total darkness, with only the lighting to cast any kind of illumination outward. I must say, looking back over these shots, I do enjoy the raw, industrial feel the photos have. Here is one I posted shortly after imagi v4 launched and more can be found in the old gallery.
My fiancés dad has been enjoying the portrait shots of Bitter and Twisted, as have I, so I am posting another portrait shot today with a slightly different treatment.
I thought I better get a photo posted today as work is turning very busy and the last thing I will want to do after working on a computer all day is to continue on one at home.
I am hoping the snow will come again this week (or weekend) so I can get out and take some shots.
It seems like an age since i have had time to actually take any new photos. Considering we don't have any kids I still don't seem to get a lot of free time at the moment. God help us when we start a family. Although I suppose I can take lots of shots of the kids instead of having to go to look for things to shoot. Cool!
Todays shot is of a sculpture near where I live. The metal rims around the piece give an optical illusion which is kind of funky.
Here is another portrait shot of Bitter and Twisted, in one of their many costumes.
Considering the weather I would like to get out and take some shots in the snow but it's late now and I will have to wait until tomorrow to see if I can get any.
This shot was processed similarly to Friday's but I concentrated on making the image sharper than it's predecessor. I actually quite like both so I can't really decide which I prefer. I think you will agree that they are both striking? (and fun ;) )
Tonight's shot is from the act 'Bitter and Twisted' and is for my entry for the Photo Friday website.
The act itself is a comedy show in Tenerife. Two guys dress up as different women and mime to all manner of artist's tracks from Tina Turner to Britney Spears. They are very funny, and if you are on the island I would suggest looking them up. They tour all the local, large hotels and some smaller bars.
As I haven't had much chance to shoot anything new for my 'Shadow' monthly theme I am extending it into next month, although I have an NVQ starting up so I am not sure how much free time I will have. I guess we will see.
This shot is for the 'Iconic' theme on Photo Friday this week.
You have got to love the design of the Omega Seamaster watches. I have never really been bothered about expensive time pieces but once Malc (my fiancé's father) bought one and I got to see it, you really get an idea of what an amazing item these watches are. Absolutely beautiful!
I think I shall have to get me one of those. One day.
The title for today's shot is from a track by the Fleet Foxes, of the same name, that I am listening to while posting.
I was going to take a few photos today but got completely distracted playing COD 'World at War'. Whoops!
I did manage to nip in to town to try and get an adapter for my new Macbook Pro only to find you can't get the type of adapter I want yet. I forget that the Macbooks tend to come out with new ports that manufacturers haven't made cables for and you have to wait six months before you can get any. It was the same with my old Macbook and the express 34 card port. Oh well!
Today's shot if for this weeks Photo Friday theme – Meditation.
Things may be getting a tad busy at work so I am posting while I have the chance as it's the last thing I'll want to do after a long day on the Mac.
Historically, today Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the US. It's strange the global sense of optimism that has seemed to spring up as he takes office. Not that I am knocking it. I think the President will need that kind of optimsm with the state of the US and the rest of the world. Still, you can't help but get caught up in the all the good feeling…
It hasn't been very sunny of late so I haven't been out to photograph anything for this months 'Shadow' theme.
Instead, this morning I tried to shoot a few different, simple combinations of an household object, in this case a fork, with light spilling in the window. It is amazing how many ways you can shoot the same thing and it look so different.
I rather enjoyed the shot I posted the other day and fancied putting another shot up of the same ilk.
This one has a slightly different treatment and feel to it, I think. It is much sharper, less surreal, seems a bit more grande and feels almost protective to me, hence the title. See what you think.
Also this one is as I shot it, compared with my last post, which I cropped on purpose.
Today's shot is another to add to the 'shadow theme'.
This time I thought I would go for something a little different, with an image that is not quite in the frame. It is amazing how something like this can give more of a dynamic feel that if it were centered. The shot itself was processed in ACR and then cropped to 7x5, as I didn't have any at this ratio and I am trying to fill each image gallery with at least one photo.
Right, I am off for a run. Now do I take the camera?
Here is another shot for the Shadow theme this month taken at the same time as my last post here.
This image is another HDR, made from 3 stop exposures but with a different finish to the 'Jesus steps' shot (apart from the fact that this is Black and White of course).
If the weather breaks, there is some sunlight and I get a moment I will venture out this weekend to get some new material.
I took this shot in Leicester one weekend, when I drove in especially to shoot some photos around town.
Most of the shots I came back with that day were pretty uninspiring. I noticed these stairs in a back alleyway, surrounded by urban debris, with the graffiti scrawled above it. Something interested me about this collection of items, though I wasn't sure what and when I got back home and looked over the capture I didn't think that much to it. It was only recently that, looking over the old RAWs, that I again saw what attracted me the day I took the shot. Isn't it strange when that happens?
I also think the HDR treatment adds to the shot. I made it with 3 shots, 1 stop apart, then combined and tweaked in Photomatric Pro and finished in Photoshop.
I wish you all a very happy new year.
This shot I snapped last night when we let off fireworks to welcome in the new year. Nik and I were at her parents house and we had a great time. I think everyone was nodding off before midnight but when we got outside the sub-zero temperature soon brought everyone back to life.
Here's hoping we all have a great new year with, of course, lots of new, fantastic photos from me for you to have a look at. :)
Happy Christmas everyone and I hope you have a great New Year?
I find it strange that during my time off from work I seem to have had even less opportunity to do anything, like update this site, than during my working time. Oh well!
It has been a good week (in more ways than one) since I posted anything on imagi and to be honest I haven't got much new to show other than a few snapshots taken over Christmas. Speaking of which, here is a shot of the missus (or soon to be) enjoying opening her presents on Christmas day morning. We didn't get each other that much, unlike previous years, as it looked like we would be needing a new laptop and, after getting a really sweet deal with Apple, we did just that.
I saw my friends at the weekend in Brighton for a Christmas getogether and to ask them if they would be my best men.
Not satisfied with one I had to have all of my pals, with whom I grew up with, in the role. Thankfully they agreed and now I can hardly wait until September.
As for the weekend it was another awesome time had by all. We don't see each other that much through the year being so far away from one another but when we do we make the most of our time. If I remember (and I had quite a bit to drink so I may be off slightly) I think I staggered to bed finally at 4.30 which is unbelievable for me. I mean most times in the week I am usually in bed by 10!
This shot is taken at the same time as this and this at Palma Cathedral.
I am keeping this entry short and snappy as I haven't been feeling myself all week and tonight seems no exception.
Nothing that Christmas won't fix I am sure. :)
It's not all that long now Christmas.
This means a nice long break from work and the chance to take some new photos. It will be about time as I haven't really shot anything in ages and imagi is only just ticking over on my archive.
This shot really is an oldy. You can see the similar original back in the old archive. I have played around a little more with it this time, toning, selective sharpening and alike. The view is actually from Cropston Resevoir, looking over and into Bradgate Park.
Today's photo is inspired by this on Chromasia.
Looking over the website it reminded me I had taken a similar shot ages ago in Tenerife that I never processed for one reason or another, so here it is. I think it was the shapes made by the water that caught my eye. Like Mr Nightingale on his site I think my shot merits posting.
I processed today's shot with the new Adobe camera raw settings which handles the RW2 LX3 raw files very well.
Relatively speaking I haven't done that much post processing to the shot other than a bit of sharpening and adding a slight vignette.
I like the Adobe interface and I prefer the results to the Silkypix output but I still love the results of Capture One. There are so many programs to handle RAW but I always seem to come back to Phase One's product.
Also, for the record, I was in the front passenger seat and just leant around and pointed the LX3 back and shot. It's not a bad image for an 'off-the-cuff' snapshot eh? I like my LX3.
Just for the record the title for today's entry is from another song I am listening to as I post (can you guess from what?).
I don't have a lot of time tonight as Nik's folks are coming over so I will post and run. The shot is from the Louvre (our Paris holiday last year in February) though for the life of me I can't remember what the sculpture is called. Beautiful though isn't it?
Oh wow! Just noticed that Adobe have released a new version of Camera Raw which supports the LX3 RAWs. Sweet!
Oh no! Just about to come off the computer and I have missed Nik's parents. Dammit! (Sorry guys for being a completely ignorant git – have a super holiday).
LIke most of you I am sure you are putting your Christmas decorations up.
We are really enjoying it in our house this year. In 2007 we went away so the build up to the holiday season was lost a little but not so this year
Last night we (and I mean Nik) put up our decorations while I watched and DJ'd Christmas tunes with the likes of Bing, Slade and Mariah!?
I was listening to Coldplay's Viva la Vida tonight as I processed this shot and this is where the title comes from.
The photo is an old one I took when I went to visit the dentist early in 2007. As usual my dentist was about one hour behind on appointments so I nipped with Nik to the nearby park where this kid was jumping about all over the place with his scooter.
If you are interested in the processing I did some blurring to the background, balanced the image and made it contrast fairly heavily before I made it black and white with an adjustment layer. In case you were wondering…
I was lying down at the weekend, unable to get to the computer and not having the laptop to fall back on, when I noticed I was being watched.
I took a photo of the face I saw looking at me. Can you see it in my photo for today?
Well, here is December. Not long now until Christmas. I have to say, at least at the moment, I am in the Christmas mood and really looking forward to it.
The laptop has finally shuffled off its mortal coil with a logic board failure.
Consequently with Nik working on our main computer I am unable to get time to post anything other than in a quick hour slot today.
So, in a rather speedy fashion I am posting this shot which I noticed when I posted this. I am not sure if I like it particularly but I don't have the luxury of sifting through my RAWs and I haven't had time to take any new material.
It does seem an age since we have been on holiday and even longer since we visited Los Gigantes.
I shouldn't complain really. Things are fantastic at the moment and Christmas is around the corner but when I look over some of my old photos I do miss that little bay in the Canaries.
With that in mind today's shot is a nostalgia trip.
My Noo (Nik) has decided that she wanted to post something tonight so here is her chosen shot.
This photo was taken by her dad Malc and is of the two of us snuggling on the beach after one of many feasts that we had at our hotel in Majorca.
I couldn't decide what I wanted to post so it was nice to have NIk make it instead. Thanks Noo! x
This photo is unusual for a couple of reasons.
One – I don't tend to do self portraits often. I never like myself in the camera's eye, which is part of the reason I try to stay on the safe end of it.
Two – Today's shot is a bit dark for me. I do love photos with drama and that have a grungy, raw feeling but I seldom do any.
I'm am sure today's shot will not be to everyones liking but I noticed the silhouette of one of our house plants against the sky while I was getting forty winks in our bedroom this afternoon.
The title is a reference to the Greek goddess who tried to woo Odysseus and was a concealer: a reference to the obfuscation of the object by light.
I'm running low on material again.
Today's photo is from a while ago when I was taking some shots for work. These two kiddies were patient, helpful and just about the best children I have ever photographed. I can't quite remember what the boy had said but his sister agreed with him and was gesticulating at him to demonstrate this. Don't children just make the best photographic subjects? It will be nice when Nik and I have our own. Not that I am suggesting the only reason I want to procreate is to have something to photograph but it certainly would help. :)
This photo goes with this shot and this from my old gallery.
I took this photo about the same time that I took this one.
These guys were really out of it and made interesting subjects for both Malc and I.
My laptop is still playing up but at least it is working to some degree. I am on it at the moment and posting quickly in case it decides to pack up again.
Sunday meant more jogging this morning and I brought my little LX3 along for the ride.
The Autumn colours are still everywhere, although they are starting to turn from the bright yellows, oranges and reds to darker, more oily colours. Fortunately there is still time to get a few photos like today's.
The saga of my Macbook Pro goes on.
I took my laptop into Apple today and spoke to one of their geniuses. Both he and I agreed, after testing, that the problem was a hardware issue and I should go home and run the diagnostic tool to narrow down where the fault was. I got back, ran the program, only to be told there is nothing wrong with the machine!? (I ran the program continuously). To cut a long story short, I have reinstalled the 'Tiger' installation I got with the machine and so far it seems to be working!? I am not holding my breath but the lappy could be back…
What can I say about this shot other than I am not as fit as I used to be.
Rik and I had been on a seven mile run after my NIk had completed her charity run in the morning and put us both in the mood. I am actually playing for the camera. I really wasn't that bad. Honest!
We had a party at our house last night with fireworks.
It started raining so I didn't get too many shots. This one is a collection of three photos, combined to one layer, and all taken on the LX3 (handheld).
I spoke too soon about the mending of my laptop. The problem I have been having with it has returned making me presume there is a potentially a hardware issue. So it's going to be off to the Apple store and, no doubt, it will return will a nice, big fat bill. :(
I haven't posted anything for a while and with good reason.
Firstly, after I installed some display drivers on the PC installation of my Mac Pro, Vista crashed and somehow managed to break my OS X installation!? (I think this was because I had a program called Macdrive running which allows the PC drive to read my MAC files). As I repaired the damage with Time Machine, the startup drive I had reformatted didn't show up on the restoration interface (while the PC drive did) and I accidently nuked my Vista installation. So I had to reinstall both on my computer and repair the damage done to the system.
Before anyone gets the wrong idea I chose the title for this photo because the shot reminds me of a scene from the popular computer game of the same name.
We had fish and chips at work today. Well, we went out to the local chippy to have some, and very nice they were too. Of course, much to the chagrin of my work buddies, I took the ol' LX3 to snap away. Today's shot was one of a few that Ian and I took in the car on the way to the chipshop, just playing around with the camera. I like this one because of its dramatic angle, the police nicely composed through the windscreen in the distance. I think Ian took it, so nice one pal.
With all the cold weather there is an abundance of features with a beautiful, icy make-over to photograph.
This is a shot from the back of work where most of the foliage, early in the morning, is frozen stiff. I did apply some adjustment layers, namely multiply, exposure and curves along with some unsharp mask. As usual I would love to hear what you think.
I had planned to post something else tonight, but I meant to process this shot after the game of poker that I had with the guys a couple of Fridays ago, so ended up posting this instead.
This is my friend Tony's dog, Wilbur. Don't Basset hounds look so cool with their big jowls and huge, floppy ears?
The photo itself was only a snapshot, taken while the others finished their games, as I got taken out first. The LX3 is pretty good in low light but at ISO 400 there is the definite hint of noise, especially in shadows. That said, it's nothing you can't deal with in software afterward.
Nik's dad, Malc, got Rik and I a rather cool present (the subject of today's photo) from the States.
We both got a lighter, a carrying pouch, spare flints, a whick and a compact, metal ashtray. These Zippo lighters are different from the regular style in that they are branded 'Bottomz Up' which means they have their data coding stamped on the top and bottom. I think you will agree they look pretty cool.
There's not much to say about this shot other than I took it early in the morning.
I had processed a version of it earlier but I didn't save a copy (don't ask me why) so I have had to make the image all over again this evening. Usually if I ever do this the second go is far superior but I feel the previous version worked a little better. This will have to do; I'm off to have some dinner.
Here's another shot of my bud Ian from work looking a little happier than this.
Occasionally it is customary at work to dance around the studio; sometimes a 'jigg' for stress, sometimes 'breakdancing' to get things moving and very rarely a performance of Michael Flatley's 'Lord of the Dance'. To be honest I am not sure which one Ian was doing here but he looks like he's having fun.
I realise that the background is in focus while Ian isn't particularly, but he was moving very quickly. It was like something out of the Matrix! :)
I love oldy worldy pubs that seem to retain the ambience (or at least how I imagine it might have been) of traditional and historical inns.
Tonight, one of the guys from work and I went for a few welcome pints to such a pub where we sat next to a roaring fire, which is the subject of tonight's photo.
If you get a chance I recommend a visit to the Swan pub in Mountsorrel. It has fine ales and the food looks amazing.
I'm not sure if this is how to spell the name of this particular little lady but I can always change it at a later date.
I promised my fiancée's mum that I would process this shot for her so it's today's entry.
I took the shot by putting my LX3 on timer and dangling the camera body in front of the rabbit, who didn't seem to mind one bit.
Persephone is the goddess and queen of the underworld; the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, goddess of agriculture.
She was carried off to the underworld by Pluto, also known as Hades, although Zeus later ordered that she should spend six months of the year above ground with her mother. The myth symbolises the growth and decay of vegetation and the changing seasons. Hence its relevance for my photo's title; the image of a decaying plant.
Apparently the recent weather has caused all the extremely colourful displays we have in the british landscape.
Today's shot is of the treetops near to where I work. Biking in the mornings, in the early golden light makes the leaves so vibrant it's astounding.
I did take my new compact with me when I went for a run yesterday.
I took this shot as NIk and I came down the hill to the top entrance to Bradgate park. It's taken in a similar location to this shot, but I felt I never really did the view justice in the old shot.
As I took this yesterday I suppose this is kind of cheating for the PAD but I wasn't really happy with any shots I took today so I didn't really have a choice. Anyway, I would be interested to hear what anyone thinks about this or any other shot on imagi.
It seems a few of you like this shot of the fallen Autumn leaves, so I thought I would add another.
NIk and I ran near Swithland and the colours everywhere were blindingly beautiful. It's the best kind of run where you are marveling at your surroundings so much you seem to fall into a steady breathing pattern which makes the running seem almost effortless.
Nik, on the other hand, didn't have quite as much fun as me today. Don't worry baby, there's always the next time to have more fun. Promise!
With his dark glasses on no-one could see if Craig (my boss and friend) was awake or not at our recent poker game.
For the record I will update the poker page at some point (for you fellas that play) and It was me that was the first to go out in the game. Sometimes you just don't have the cards. :(
…but I am in a mad rush tonight because it's poker night and I want to get this image up before I go.
PADs are great, but they can tend to eat up all your time if you're not careful.
Ian, hopefully this looks a little better than this shot from the other day.
I've not a lot of time to post tonight so here is a quickie.
It's quite hard to post PADs and not want to spend hours mucking about with the post-processing. The trouble is then I wouldn't get any time to do anything else and Nik would shoot me for not helping in the house.
The idea to shoot the keyboard and replace the key with a symbol came from looking on LOVEFiLM's website for WALL-E. For today's photo I was looking to shoot a combination of keys that could spell something, and while failing to do that I did see how I could change the Y into a little stick ME. I know, tenuous, but I am rushing a little bit here and it's the best I can do.
James (from work) and I regularly engage in friendly banter.
I can't remember exactly what I said to him to produce this reaction but it was along the lines of complaining about something, which he thought was an overreaction. This is him pretending to be a baby, crying and flailing his arms around making 'wwwwaaaaa' noises, hence the title.
One thing I should mention is that he has my codes to imagi so it may be this post won't be on the website for long, so enjoy it while you can.
I walked home over the hilltop in my village and decided to stop to photograph the beautiful hues of Autumn in the leaves that had fallen thereabouts.
The colours were so rich I could have stopped and taken shot after shot, but hunger pangs shook me loose from creative endeavors.
I really love the intensity of today's shot. The LX3 really does work on so many levels. It's fast, captures beautiful colour and is so convenient. It's like I am getting into photography all over again.
Today's shot is from work of my pal Ian, the wedding photographer, who loves a good 'cuppa'.
This is another shot from the new Panasonic compact, taken to evaluate its exposure with the window behind Ian. The camera metered just fine until I started to clown around with the settings. This shot is the second of about three that I took.
All in all, a lovely little camera the LX3.
My Nik ran at a charity run organised by the Desford Striders in the village where she is from.
Today's photo is from the start of the run. Having watched the ladies running it has put me in mind to go out myself so I am off in a minute.
I did take some other shots on my new Panasonic which I will post later in the week.
I shoot with a Nikon D200 and a range of different Nikkor lenses, some of which are of a professional build.
With the introduction of the new FX format for Nikon I am planning to get one of the new DSLRs and enjoy some of the new features the latest range have to offer. But for the moment I won't be getting any new kit as there are more important things to spend money on, like my marraige next year. However, I was lucky enough to get a new camera for my birthday (thanks to Nik, Mum and Nan).
I always fancied this shot in black and white.
Time has caught me again this week. I have been to the dentist and have to be out soon to pick up my fiancée so it's back to raiding the archives. This shot was one of the first I took and posted on imagi v3, in the gallery. When I posted it one of the photography magazines came out with almost the exact same shot on the cover. It looked so alike that I even think it may have been shot at the same place on Beacon Hill. Anyway, after that coincidence I thought I would keep going with this photography lark and here I am three years later (posting the same shot mind you – I definitely need new material).
It has been a busy weekend of birthday fun for yours truly.
Nik and I visited Peterborough, where I was from, to see my family. Much fun was had, including many presents being opened and the odd spot of 'shampoo' being consumed. I must be getting old because all in all the whole experience has really tired me out. I have just about enough energy left to post this shot, taken in Majorca, of Nik's brother Rik. I can't really remember why he was posing but I quite like the fun nature of the shot and the angle which I took the photo at.
I think Rik and Luce will like this shot (so feel free to say so).
The ol' bones are feeling a little more creaky than usual. Yes, it's that time again. It's almost my birthday. And no, I won't tell you how old I'll be. ;)
Wait! If it's my birthday Saturday that means it's my mum's today. Happy Birthday Mum! x
This image was made from a collection of three shots, each taken one stop apart.
The HDR effect is an interesting one but I can't get over how fake the final images can seem. More akin to illustrations that photographs.
I didn't know if I was going to have time to post anything tonight. Since my Nik got me to join facebook I have been catching up with a lot of old friends. What I wasn't ready for was when you are communicating with so many people it really kills any free time you have. I must say though it is so great to see all the old faces including a best friend from school that lives in the same city as me. Not only that but his wife is an award-winning wedding photographer. How coincidental is that?
Poor ol' Roxy Roo has had the snip and is feeling 'under-the-weather'.
Our family had birthday tea at Nik's parents house, to celebrate Nik's, Rik's and my birthdays. The dog was not her usual chirpy self. I took this close up while she harrassed Marg's (Nik's mum) bunny Mabel.
The image was made from three exposures, one stop apart, put through Photomatrix Pro and then fiddled about with in Photoshop.
I fancied something a little different to post tonight but couldn't really decide what I wanted to process.
There isn't anything new and nothing in the archive was inspiring me one bit.
This shot doesn't really do it for me but Nik liked it so I am deferring to her taste this evening. Besides I am fed up of looking. :)
I had a hard time trying to categorise this shot, for obvious reasons.
It's not really a portrait, nor a close up, nor a traditional landscape. I will just have to leave it unassigned.
This photo is from near the Cathedral in Palma, Majorca. I must admit as soon as I saw the statue I knew what kind of 'fun' shot I wanted, and Nik's brother was 'on hand' to help. As usual I would love to hear what anyone thinks of it.
I may well have got the nicknames wrong here and will have to revisit today's entry later to correct it.
To explain today's blog title, these nicknames are sometimes used by our family for Nik's mum and Nik's brother's girlfriend. The photo itself is another holiday snap but I don't think it was taken by me. I seem to remember Rik (Nik's brother) relieving me of my camera one night and promptly doing the rounds down by the stage area in the hotel, taking photos of pretty much everything.
This is a detail shot of one of the stained glass windows inside Palma Cathedral, Palma, Majorca.
The Cathedral itself is very beautiful, with ancient works of art adorning the walls, as you find with many large catholic churches in Europe.
Other than the main interior chamber with the altar, magnificent as it was, there wasn't a great deal else we had access to so I only took a few photos of the inside.
Many people drink far too much in Magaluf and get much the worse for wear.
I fortunately didn't because I really tried not to over do it, even though we were 'all inclusive', and I subsequently avoided any hangovers. The same can't be said for this poor chap, who I shot one morning while promenading along Magaluf waterfront.
You may have noticed there hasn’t been much going on here at imagi for the past week? The reason for this is simple. Actually, it’s more like two reasons.
One – I have been busy asking my girlfriend Nik if she would spend the rest of her life with me.
Two – Nik, her family and I have all been in Majorca on holiday, basking in the sun.
I have pretty limited net access at the moment so I am posting this image while I can.
This was taken from a busy flight path in Majorca where the aircraft literally come in every 10 minutes or so. I guess tourism isn't so bad for this tiny island.
I managed to run out of time tonight so I am quickly posting this photo.
Holiday time is looming and it seems like I am not ready for it at all. My poor Noo is sorting loads of stuff at the moment while I have yet to sort anything from my 'to-do' list. When did going on holiday become so hard?
This is another shot from the Summer Spectacular. The blur in the background, while maintaining a sharp foreground subject, is made by dragging the shutter at slow speeds. Other than that this photo was processed pretty much as usual.
This shot today is for my weekly entry for VFXY's website titled 'Vacation', and to remind me that my holiday is not far off.
This is an old shot from the bay of Los Gigantes, in the Hotel of the same name that Nik and I have been to a few times before. It's lovely and quiet there, which isn't really suited for families with children, but perfect for us. That part of Tenerife is beautiful and not all like the Las Americas parts further south, although some areas there can be nice.
This is my entry for the Photo Friday challenge titled 'exercise'.
I did mention a while back that I was thinking of putting up an image of the runners in the Race for LIfe challenge and tonight I decided to do just that.
This shot was taken while waiting for my Noo to run past. It really was so great to see everyone running; some for loved ones who had passed on, others just to run to be a part of the day and help the charity in its fight against cancer.
This shot is one from a few I took in London of my friend Nik and his son.
It's only a quick post tonight as I am off to have a swim in a vague attempt to tighten the ol' body up before I go on holiday and have to expose it to people around the pool. I know, i know. A losing battle but if I make an effort at least I can say I tried. ;)
What can I say other than clowns, rather than making me laugh, scare me a little.
I guess I have seen Stephen King's IT a few too many times? Or was it Poltergeist?
The reason I took the shot is the scene reminded me of something out of 'Scooby-doo'. You know? Where a character is looking for a monster or ghost and it is naturally standing right behind them.
I really didn't realise how much I needed a break until I made it to this bank holiday weekend.
The guys have been feeling it at work too. It has been a mental few weeks but now, at last, we have a long weekend to enjoy. If it feels this good to have a day off I can barely wait until my break in Majorca this September.
A few people have commented (here and in the real world) on my last post so I made another in the series.
If you are wondering about the post processing it involved combining layers (with multiply), selectively masking and altering luminosity and colour, then selectivly sharpening.
Out of the two I think I prefer yesterday's more. The blue tone is slightly more subtle than today's. Anyway see what you think.
This is an old shot from the Rainbows Summer Spectacular 2006.
I was going to post a shot from the pebble beaches of Playa Fanabe, but I stumbled upon the shots from the 2006 event, which I had been looking for all over the place. They were stored in my JPG archive and because I rarely shoot in JPG I didn't think to look in there. So to celebrate I have processed one of my favourites from the day.
The kite flying was magnificent, not least because there was very little wind. Still the kite operator managed to pull off some awesome arial displays.
My Nikki (Noo) needed a photo for her return to student life, so I took the opportunity to take her photograph today, which I am posting.
She hates having her photo taken, as do I. Basically this is because I look like a big hippo with glasses. I always say, 'if you don't like your own portrait, become a photographer, to guarantee you are on the correct side the lens'. I only mention this because Photo Friday's theme this week is a self portrait so, if I want to post anything, I will have to shoot myself (not literally :D )
Every year at the Summer Spectacular there is a 'It's a Knockout' competition.
This year was no exception. As usual things got very wild and very wet. Here, one of the team dressed as clowns, got a royal soaking as she tried to escape from the bouncy slide (off to the side which wasn't permitted. Tut, tut!).
Today's shot is from the Summer Spectacular.
There were loads of different stalls and shows on at the event. Two areas had birds of prey including this monstrous owl, which for a pound-a-go, you could hold on your arm. While I was shooting (you will notice with the flash off) several children 'held' the bird and I couldn't help but imagine my next few shots would be of the child being whisked away off into the distance.
I did find time, between all my chores on Sunday, to run in the countryside again near where I live.
Our running route went from Swithland to Bradgate Park and back. As in weeks before, as I was running, I noticed some beautiful spots that I wanted to photograph. Not having my camera with me (and I did contemplate running with it but it is just not a great idea) I had to trek back after the run. It's funny but I always feel great after a run but if I walk back out to take photos along the run's route I always feel beat afterwards. Weird!?
This little beauty was one of many cars on show last Sunday at the Rainbows Summer Spectacular that Ian (from work) and I took photos at.
I did change the shot quite a bit with masks and adjustment layers. I had seen other cars processed this way before and knew pretty much what effect I was after (makes a change) with the desaturated surround. As usual I would love to hear what you think.
I am still working all the hours God sends so I am afraid it is an old shot tonight for today's blog.
Early mornings and late evenings are really taking it out of me at the moment. When the hell did work get so busy!?
This shot, you may or may not know, is from the old site. A simple urban landscape where the perspective makes it kinda interesting methinks. See what you think.
Work is unbelievably busy at the moment so I will be brief tonight.
I need some local shots for a project I am doing at work, so here is a shot of Old John in Bradgate park. I processed this normally but after I made a black and white version which I used in an adjustment layer to enhance the contrast in quite a raw way. See what you think.
Right time to chill out before the antics begin all over again tomorrow.
This is the shot from Le Metro that I wasn't sure whether I would post or not.
It's not that I don't like the shot. It was just I hadn't got it where I wanted creatively. I was trying to go for a moody, gritty shot of the French underground. Something that would look at home in a film noir.
I chose the 'noir' style because of the fantastic green light given off by the underground's lighting, as read by my camera's white balance. It just gave me that seedy, underground feeling.
I took this photo before the start of the Race for Life Run 2008.
Nik has managed to cover a few miles since then. It turns out the run we did to Broombriggs Hill was over 10km, and last night I ran with Nik's brother and dad another 5 miles. I am not sure what's going on. I really do feel like Forest Gump. I want to run everywhere.
I am not sure when I will post again. The next few days are a bit busy but I will try and squeeze in a photo (or two). After the weekend I should have some shots from the Rainbows Summer Spectacular, providing it doesn't rain down.
I have been on the computer a fair bit tonight and now have found myself processing another photo.
Now this shot originally was a very colourful flower bud. I just fancied making something a little different with it. As usual I would love to hear what you think.
For the record. I used some Photoshop actions to intensify the colour of the photo. I then turned it mono with a black and white adjustment layer, then tweaked with a few other adjustment layers, cropped and sharpened.
Nik, her dad and I went for a slightly harder run yesterday than we have done in past weeks.
Not only did we manage to run a 10km track but we also went up and down loads of hills too. I suspect this was all planned by Nik's dad Malc. He is a veteran runner with a great stack of medals to prove it. As novices I am amazed we managed the track, but manage we did. Nik particularly did well, never giving in and making it all the way. You have to understand she used to stop even when we only ran 3km. Not any more! :)
It's a beautiful day so naturally I am inside processing a photo.
This is another shot of Roxy, this time with Nik's brother Rik. I contemplated toning this black and white so tried a sepia effect but in the end felt the plain black and white worked just fine as it was.
I did manage to take some shots in the garden. There are a few macro shots and a couple of wide photos which I may process next. One of the photos could be used as my submission for the VFXY theme this week, which is circle.
Nik doesn't like this shot at all but I think it's fun. Besides I needed a photo with a bit of colour, something landscape and with a bit of emotion.
I have lots going on at the moment so I haven't had too much time for photos. Hopefully I should get something new this weekend, with any luck.
For those who don't know the Dark Knight is released this weekend. I normally don't go to the cinema. Being 6' 4" tall I don't tend to fit very well in the seats and I have to be comfortable to watch the screen, especially if that screen is 4 metres high. The last Batman film was great fun and I have been looking forward to this sequel.
I was umming and arring over what to post for the Photo Friday challenge this week.
There is nothing new I have shot that I particularly like so it was back to the archives. I found some shots from Tenerife that I took on the flight over there which had a lot of colour. They were pictures I shot through the plane window of the setting sun above the clouds but as I started processing them I decided it really wasn't working for me.
Next I looked at some shots I took of birds but nothing really grabbed me. Then I remembered a shot I had processed back last year. It is very abstract (for me) but I really liked it at the time and I want to post something a bit different on this times challenge.
Today's photograph is for the weekly theme at VFXY.
I am off in a moment to run another 5km (like last Sunday) so I shall be brief.
The shot is from a set of photos I took of a swan in Swithland near where I live. Typing this reminds me I wanted to see if I could integrate a location reference option to my blog for Google. That way when people visit and see a shot they could also see where the photo was taken. I must investigate further.
Meet Roxy, Rik and Luce's dog.
It has been a while since I lived with a dog and being around Roxy is making me miss having one. The last time I did was when I was a boy and I just love dogs. The companionship, the affection and the idea of having to walk a dog sounds great to me. I could really do with the exercise.
So yes, we have been considering getting our own. There is just one problem – NIk and I both work long hours in the day and the dog would have to be on its own. We don't feel that is very fair on the dog so unless we can figure out a permanent work-around, no dog! :(
I added a new image gallery today – Fuerteventura.
I am not happy with anything I have shot recently so I have processed an old shot from my trip to the Canary Island of Fuerteventura back in 2006. There are a few other shots I may post from there, hence the new gallery.
The main difference with these shots are they were taken on my D70 with my old telephoto lens – the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S VR. The D70 was my first DSLR and what got me into the hobby/business, big time! I was fortunate that as well as being able to take shots in my spare time, work also demanded a lot of photography and I was more than happy to oblige.
This shot is the last of 3 in the Modern times set (the others are here and here) and reminds me of the huge, super-computer 'Deep Thought' from the BBC's Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy TV series.
It took 'Deep Thought', a supercomputer from the past, over 7 1/2 million years to come up with the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything. It took me significantly less time to shoot and process this shot, thank goodness. ;)
There was also a film made of the book. Sadly this was made after the author, Douglas Adams died. It was said that one of his regrets was not seeing a big screen version of his book made. I think, if I remember, he was alive as they started to make the film so at least he knew it was going to be produced. There is an homage to him at the end of the movie (the starship 'Heart of Gold' causes random objects to appear when it uses its drive and Douglas Adam's face can be seen in the final collection of objects created).
I thought I really should add some colour to my website.
This is an old shot from the archives of imagi v3. I needed a shot for the 'nature' weekly theme on the VFXY website, so this is mine. It is also one of the shots featured in the slideshow at the start of this site.
If you have come here after receiving my email mail-shot then welcome. Please feel free to browse the photos, but I wouldn't bother reading all the boring ramblings in my blog. ;) You might however post a comment (or two) if you feel so inclined?
Nik decided she wanted this shot in today's post.
I was looking at processing a shot with lots of runners in from the Race for Life 2008 to illustrate the turnout of people there and to give an idea of the 'feel' of the race. I may post that one later.
You may notice I have been processing a lot of shots in black and white at the moment. What can I say? I really am enjoying this look for my photos. I did read (I think it was Jeff Ascough – a favourite photographer of my friend Ian) that he almost always makes more black and white images than colour. I seem to have phases where one minute I prefer the drama of mono and then the other I want the intesity of colour. As Jeff goes on to say it all depends on the shot. Colour can sometimes distract rather than work with a composition.
I was looking through the shots from the Race for LIfe on Sunday when I found this.
I really fancied posting a shot like this. Something from a distance rather than close up like a lot of images I have been doing lately. As usual I would love to hear what you think of the shot.
This shot was taken after all the runners and walkers had finished the morning session of the race. Here a mother and her daughter were running the course as we (Nik, her friends, colleagues and I) were walking back to our cars.
This is similar to the Modern Times post.
I wanted something a little darker photographically in July hence the Dystopian series of images from Canary Wharf.
These series of shots are more heavily processed than other photographs I have done previously just because I fancied doing something more fantastical than realistic. To get the effect I processed two sets of RAWs at different exposure levels to suit different areas of the photos. The first I processed in favour of the dark, moody sky then I made the second image in favour of the building. I then combined these layers in photoshop and masked areas that I didn't want to show, adjusting the curves of the final composite and sharpened to the finish result
Today was the Race for Life 2008 and my Nikki ran in it.
It absolutely poured down but I still went to support Nik in the race. Considering how bad the weather was, the field was absolutely packed with runners and spectators.
I used a rain sleeve on my camera to protect it from the weather. They are pretty good things to help keep the equipment dry but it doesn't allow for space on top of the camera for flash. I had to resort to the onboard flash, but it worked fairly well.
There are a few reasons I am posting this old shot today.
The first is that VFXY website's theme is grafitti and this shot will be my entry.
The second is that I need to set the style for the 5x4 (or 4x5 in this case) ratio and this shot fits (so I can test this image and tweak my CSS accordingly).
I was going to post another in the stlye of modern times but that will wait till later.
My friend Ian from work has posted some more wedding shots which are brilliant. I suggest you check them out if you get a mo'.
Now I felt like posting something a little darker, in homage to the ominous skies which are overhead.
This is a shot from the weekend spent in London. The Canary Wharf has many such sky-scrapers; these probably aren't sky-scrapers but I do live in the country and come from the fens. Bus stops seem kind of massive to me. If I were to ever go to New York I imagine I would dare not set foot on the streets. ;)
Know what I really hate about holidays or time off? It ends!
I didn't realise how much I needed the slightest break until I actually had one. I have been putting in so many hours lately I forgot what it was like to have any free time. And I am dreading going back to work tomorrow, which isn't like me at all.
Today's photo is an old shot reworked. I actually prefer this to the old.
At last I have the power!
Or at least I have some power. Our electrician is here bringing all our electrics up to spec. When we bought our house a year and half ago there was evidence of some amateurish workmanship having been done on the system and now finally we are sorting it all out. Consequently today on a days holiday I have been without power, and more importantly without my computer. ;(
The upstairs does have power now hence the possibility for this post.
It's more manic times at work so I will be brief.
Today's shot is an old one of my Noo again. This was taken on the balcony of the apartment we stayed in at Los Gigantes, Tenerife.
These shots of the Canaries make us realise how much we really miss a holiday Normally by now we would have had a couple of get-a-ways under our belts but work, commitments and the house have kept us locked to 'Ol' Blighty'.
This is a photo of my friend NIk, who I grew up with in Peterborough, with his son Thom.
NIk and I were in London over the weekend as it was my friend Minty's birthday.
I usually don't like London very much (as a place to live. It's great to visit). I was, however, pleasantly surprised by Canary Wharf. The place has a really great feeling about it. It's not too oppressive, considering you are surrounded at times by some pretty immense buildings. It is very safe, with security wandering around and, as you would expect, it has great restaurants and bars.
The weekend is mine!
I hadn't realised how many weekends I had been working until I got one off.
It is my friend Minty's birthday today and we are off to play in the big smoke. I had reservations about taking my camera, as it looked like the day was turning into a p*%s up but I really want to get some shots of London. I mean it's not often we farmer folk get into a metropolis and I want to make the most of it.
This post was going to be on a delay but I can't figure out how to do it at the moment and have no time left. So it is an early post today.
I love this shot from Tenerife.
Granted it is an old one and it’s not got that much about it. It’s the colour for me. So bright, so flamboyant. Magical!
As you have guessed there is nothing new from me photographically tonight. I am swamped with work so I will have to put a few hours in this evening.
I am away the weekend in London so hopefully I should get some snaps there.
On the one day off I have had off in the last two weeks I decided to nip to town with Noo and took my camera too.
This is a shot of a car that was one of many wedding vehicles running around the city centre. It stopped under the blue billboard and I thought of my theme this month, hence the photo. A long with it was the most monstrous truck of a car which I shot later when I ran into all the vehicles again by Loughborough town hall. I may post that if the photo turns out half decent.
I think this photo kinda speaks for itself.
There is not much to say about this shot. Yes, it is a montage from four different shots put together in Photoshop. Does this constitute a real photo? There is always a great deal of argument on the subject of whether a photo, after you change it significantly, is still a photo or more like digital artwork. Essentially I have used a program to make the picture. I certainly didn't shoot it, as I don't have 4 arms! So does it count as a photo?
Looks like I won't be getting out anytime soon.
I am afraid work is keeping me very busy at the moment so there is no time to take new photos.
Here is an old shot from last year. This particular one was voted top of the noteworthy shots on Photofriday's website.
I really want to get out and take some photos.
The trouble is I have to do some exercise or this waistline is gona really take off.
Problem is I was up at about 5 and I am beat. I even ended up going in to work earlier than usual, rather than just sit there watching crap, morning TV. And now all I want to do is to go to bed.
Having had such beautiful weather I have been able to get some very ‘Blue’ shots for this months theme.
If you are wondering about today’s shot I will tell you. Imagine if you will a six-foot-four man balancing on his shoulders on his lawn, sticking his legs up into the air (and we had company around who just sat there sniggering) trying as best as possible to aim his camera that sat on his sweaty face. There you go. That’s how.
I spent most of today running around taking shots for work.
I did get the opportunity to take photos of my Noo (my girlfriend Nik). She says that I never take any good photos of her so I thought I would try today as the sun was out and she looked beautiful. Fortunately the shots came out pretty well so…
We are off to her parents now to eat so I am only stopping by quickly to type this and to post one of the shots of her. See what you think.
I wanted to get out and take some photos today for work but the heavens opened.
It looks like I will have to try and get the shots I need tomorrow instead.
Work is absolutely mental at the moment so I am having to artwork on my days off to catch up on projects, part of which involves some photography.
I am really whacked out now so it's an old shot from Tenerife for today's post. I always liked this shot. Very expressive. Nik and I were waiting a long time for a bus and I feel this shot sums that up.
Hopefully I will get something new tomorrow.
More for the Blue theme.
I wasn't sure if I preferred this or another I took of the subjects (glass beads in a champagne flute filled with water in the sun). The aperture was very wide on this shot; hence most of the items are soft directing your eye (hopefully) toward the right. My Nik commented that she didn’t like this and preferred the other shots but they didn’t really give any focal point so I went with this. Anyway see what you think.
Yes, you have read today's title correctly.
I suppose I should elaborate?
Now this will give my age away a little here. A long time ago, in a city far, far away, I had a ZX Spectrum and there used to be a man called Jeff Minter who had an unusual fixation with Llamas. Electronically speaking. He wrote so many games with Llamas in the theme and I had a few of them.
This shot is the start of a month-long, photo theme based on the word 'Blue'.
My buddy Ian commented that I should pull my finger out as I have nothing new to post to imagi which is a bit sad really as I spent all this time getting the site running. Thanks for the push pal. I was getting very lazy and complacent. It is easy to do when you don't have any new material, been anywhere interesting or photographed any events recently.
I photographed the last days at Timken mill in Desford, England.
The milll there rolled hot steel for use in all manner of tubing.
I really could have taken a month shooting around the mill as the industrial setting was very conducive to dramatic photography.
Again this is an old shot. I had hoped to process something new but I ended up clearing out the garage instead (and maybe playing the odd game of Supreme Commander).
This is another photo from the archive and a real favourite with many people.
I never did find out if I spelt his name correctly but Mylan is the name of the little boy in the shot. He loved the camera and I think I remember his parents saying he had already been photographed professionally. I am sure he will grow up to be a total heart-breaker.
You simply can't beat children for photographs. Of course not having any of my own I have to rely on other peoples for photography.
I took the photo at a wedding I went to last year of our friends Rach and Jey.
This is a photograph from the village I used to live in called Rothley.
I love the way sky blue turns in deep black and white. The rich nature of the photograph's tone really comes out. I really must take more of these types of shots when the weather gets better.
The reason I am posting this photo (other than filling the site a bit) is to help work out some niggles. I won't go into it too much but basically to help with the navigation I need a portrait example posted, so here it is!
Here is another shot from the opening page animation on imagi.
I took this one morning when the sun was very bright. I was eating breakfast when, after seeing the light, the mood took me to take a photo.
The colour of the flower was enhanced by my golden reflector, with the droplets of water added with a small, hand-held plant spray that I keep for just such a shot.
I imagine the neighbours thought I was barmy running around in my dressing-gown, setting up the flowers in the window, holding a huge reflective disc. (I didn't ask ;) )
It seems like a long time ago I decided to update my website 'imagi', turning it (hopefully) into something a bit more interactive.
Finally I have got to this stage where I can begin to post content (photos and text) and lay the initial, important foundation that can be built on in the future.
I am hoping to post regularly again to my photoblog. Balancing my time with the construction of this new site and the updates for the old has meant I haven’t kept the blog as current as I would have wanted.
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