Cumberland Basin

By shendyNo Comments
Today was the first trip out with the full new camera kit - yesterday I traded in the D200 and lenses and picked up a Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 lens to go with the 24-70 f/2.8. I headed down to Cumberland Basin in Bristol and took some pretty industrial stuff - photos that turned out really nicely in black and white. I started off around the Floating Harbour/Avon locks, then headed along the Portway where there are a couple of old jetties that are decaying rather nicely. Finally, just by Bridge Valley Road, there are a couple of old bits of rail tunnel that have been blocked up. There are quite a lot here, but I took 300 shots today and I like what I've got. I'm not sure if it's the D600 or the high-spec lensesthat's made the difference  (probably both) but these shots are really crisp and sharp. Liking the new kit. ...
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Meet The New Boss, Better Than The Old Boss

By shendyNo Comments
We took a trip up to London yesterday, for the first time in ages - well, years in fact. The primary purpose was to visit the Proud Gallery Ossie Clark exhibition, along with Mother and The Brother. Before that though, we had a wander - which gave me an opportunity to try out my new camera - a Nikon D600 with a 24-70 f/2.8 lens. We took the DLR to Canary Wharf, took some photos around there and then walked down to the river, under the Thames via the tunnel and to Greenwich. I reckon the last time I was there was about 35 years ago - the Isle of Dogs has changed a little! At the Royal Maritime Museum we took in their Ansel Adams exhibition. Some seriously gorgeous prints - the first time I've seen originals of his. The large print of "Clearing Winter Storm" was just fantastic. Afterwards, we headed over to Chelsea to see the exhibition - my dad's four...
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Venice

By shendyNo Comments
Having waded through the 1600+ photos that I took in Venice, I've finally come up with a moderate selection to post on here. This was our 4th trip to Venice, each of them for a week, but I never tire of the place - it's absolutely wonderful. We did pack an awful lot into the first few days - probably too much - and were pretty knackered by the middle of the week. The 60+ steps up to the apartment (overlooking Campo Santa Maria Formosa) didn't help, especially as they got steeper nearer the top. I think the most I did was 5 times in one day. The first lot of photos are just some general views. One thing I love to photograph in Venice is the decay, although the tourist people would probably hate me for it. I think that the rusting ironwork, the rotting wood and the decaying plasterwork add to Venice, showing that it's a real place, not some sanitised...
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Ducks On Tour

By shendyNo Comments
This is going back a fair bit - something we did in 2004. We "borrowed" two plastic ducks from our then-landlords, SWMBO decorated them in a His and Hers stylee, and we took them on holiday to France. It was the early days of my having a digital camera and I also had a portable Canon postcard printer, so we sent postcards from our travels. 1) Hampton Park, Bristol. 31/08 Hello! The rubber ducks are off on their holidays. See you in about 3 weeks time. Tarquil & Jocasta 2) Newbury. 31/08 Are we nearly there yet? Sebastian & Ludmilla 3) Giverny. 01/09 You know what's missing from Monet's water garden pictures? Duck! That's what! Jacquies & Nigella 4) Chateau de Chambourd. 02/09 OK, if we must slum it tonight. Hector & Clarissa 5) Puy-de-Dome. 03/09 No ponds! Claude & Henrietta 6) St Flour. 03/09 Ah, the joys of a luxurious hotel. Jeremy & Cynthia 7) Pas de Payrol / Puy St Mary. 04/09 The views are so good that I've taken up photography. Timothy & Audrey 8 ) Tournon d'Agenais. 05/09 Hooray! A pond at...
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Flat Holm

By shendyNo Comments
I went to Flat Holm today - an island in the Bristol Channel for those that don't know.  There are some fairly interesting Victorian gun emplacements, and it's particularly notable for a substantial colony of aggressive seagulls that will dive-bomb you with poo if you get too close to their nests and chicks. Couldn't have asked for a better day - the hottest day of the year so far, and completely calm for the crossing. The boat goes from Penarth, just by the Cardiff Bay barrage - this is the counterweight for one of the bridges. As seen previously, I'm always a sucker for lighthouses, and this one came with a nice rusty gun as well. This one was taken from down in one of the old gun emplacements A load of the flying crap factories. I didn't get pooed on fortunately, but it was close a couple of times. Next month I'm going to Steep Holm, which is nearby and apparently steeper than Flat Holm....
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