Shadows On a Spring day

Posted on 27/04/201820/04/2018 by Alastair

My walk this week has looked at art, craft, design and now, having come back outside on a beautiful Spring day in Leeds city centre, I am looking at shadows. Standing on the steps of the Leeds Art Gallery and looking down on Victoria Square the subject matter of my photography (iPhonography) was obvious. The patterns of light and shade created by such a bright day stood out in strong contrast against both the warm coloured paving stones and the strong blue of the sky.

The shot I took of the pattern of tree branches on the pavement confused me at first. I thought it was out of focus, until I saw on closer inspection that while the tree trunk shape close to the ground and cracks between the paving slabs were in focus,Continue reading→

Distant Horizon – Reviewing the Walk

Posted on 23/12/201714/12/2017 by Alastair

In reviewing my walk this week I can see that I have posted another set of very dark images – it must be the time of year! The selected photos from my posts about this walk illustrate both the urban start in a multi-story carpark and the approaching light of dawn on the horizon in a windy Swansea Bay.

The soundscape for this week backs up the images as always but while it includes the sound of crashing waves towards the end, it does not include the noise pollution of street cleaners and leaf blowers being used at 6 AM. Continue reading→

Christmas Lights and Lights at Christmas

Posted on 20/12/201714/12/2017 by Alastair

My walk this week, being in an early morning urban landscape, remained dark almost to the end of the walk. Some of the Christmas lights of Swansea were to be seen creating abstract growth patterns against the night sky, but there were more abstract patterns than this to be seen in the lighting at this early hour.

Some long exposure and movement of the lens allowed the traffic to create light trails en route to daytime and the darkness in other areasContinue reading→

From Light to Dark – Reviewing the Walk

Posted on 09/12/201702/12/2017 by Alastair

My walk this week took me from light to dark in Brynmill Park in Swansea. I had visited the park on many previous occasions and so was interested in capturing some of the details of the place rather than a more open view of its land and waterscape.

It was good to start my short walk in the afternoon sunlight and watch the squirrels gathering their winter stores and the swans and ducks on the dark water of the lake, even though there was the most terrific fight between two of the ducks (not included in the soundscape below).Continue reading→

Taste of Gower Oxwich 5 – Breaking the Rules of Photography

Posted on 24/03/201717/03/2017 by Alastair

During this Taste of Gower walk at Oxwich I had conversations with a couple of people about photography and the “rule” of not taking photographs into the sun or keeping the light behind you. It’s not a bad rule in general and particularly useful for holiday snapshots. Apart from any tricks of the trade which can be used when you need to shoot into the light, deliberately taking a shot against the light can give some very interesting results and indeed, if you want silhouettes this is the way to get them.

Continue reading→

Deceptive Dancing Sunlight

Posted on 01/02/201726/01/2017 by Alastair

Even though I know the context of this image I still thing the pattern of dancing morning sunlight on the railway bridge wall is deceptive. It looks as though the bridge may be crossing water, but in reality it is a pattern created by the shadows of tree branches next to the bridge and the relief texture of the stones with which it is built.

Continue reading→

Autumn Leaves and Goppa Gate

Posted on 15/11/201612/11/2016 by Alastair

Still climbing on my walk this week, I reached the first gate I needed to open. Loving the sound of gates, I just had to record it and of course that popular seasonal sound of dry Autumn leaves as the crunch underfoot.