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I love being a photographer ... and I am so grateful that the Internet allows me to share the beauty of my images with millions of people. Sometimes I take a picture and my eyes actually hurt when I look at it on my PC. I do take a lot of shots, but only some of them make it onto this website for your enjoyment ...
a tranquil moment from cornwall
So please find below a gallery of my favourite images from 2009. It's taken a lot of thinking to figure out which ones I like the best and I've had to work through each article and be really choosy. Each image has it's own back story which you'll see below. The R & C notation shown refers to Row & Column and designates it's position within the gallery grid.
click on any thumbnail to see the larger image
R1C1 - Drifting Clouds @ Cornwall ...
Julie & I were on the second day of our Cornish Odyssey and after the traumas of a 12-hour bike trip in a storm we were glad of the fine weather the very next day. After exploring St Agnes we were now sitting on top of a ramshackled WWII Spitfire Den on the cliffs above Trevellas Cove. We must have been there for a good two hours, just watching the movement of the sun towards the horizon. As the last rays disappeared and the sky turned into that beautiful peach colour that precedes twilight, the three clouds drifting lazily above the horizon just made for a simple and beautiful picture. I can still hear the roar of the Atlantic even now and long to return to that beautiful land.
R1C2 - Chaffinch @ The Eden Project ...
Another shot from our Cornwall trip. We were at the Eden Project and were really happy. The place was wonderful, the sun was blazing down, and being in an old quarry, there wasnt a hint of wind. The Biomes were absolutely amazing but I remember seeing this little fellow singing his heart out in the hedge outside and remembered that the small things in this world are just as wonderful as the large. He sat there for only a few seconds and I was able to get just one shot. Beautiful little creature!
R1C3 - Majestic Eagle @ Warwick Castle ...
A hot and muggy May bank holiday found me solo at Warwick Castle. I'd been tramping up and down the towers carrying my camera rucksack and my neck was in dire need of a rest. I went down to the pageant field to watch the raptor show and was absolutely amazed when this fellow flew over my head and landed on the trainers arm. I felt the wind from his wings in my hair and heard the powerful whoosh of air as he sailed past not two feet above me. Such a majestic creature had to be photographed and I was really pleased to get loads of shots of him. I will confess to this image being a composite though. He deserved much more than the boring grey sky he was in, so took the background with my IXUS the next day and then layered the two images together. A bit of a cheat yes, but totally worth it :)
R1C4 - Oyster Catchers @ Willen Lake ...
It's always a privilege for me to go to Willen Island. My volunteer work with The Parks Trust takes me there from time to time and it truly is a wild place. Occasionally we get rare visitor on the island and I was pleased to see these Oyster Catchers happily wading around the edge of the sand bar on the eastern side. Although I have a 500mm lens, I still had to sneak down as close as I could to get the best possible picture. I was in awe of them when they took off and flew around for a while. I was so close I could hear their wings beating as they flew past me. A lovely moment ...
R2C1 - Indian Dance @ The Chrysalis Theatre ...
Theatre is so inspiring and I was very pleased to be invited to watch Baharan Spring by the Pagrev Dance Company. It was a stunningly beautiful presentation of an age old story, and I got caught up in a swirl of emotion throughout the entire show. I was very careful to time my shots with the music so as to mask the sound of my shutter and it was over far too soon. I loved the stances, the little back steps, the beautiful costumes, the maudlin tones of the cello. I'd like to see it again, but next time I'll sit front and centre and leave my cameras at home!
R2C2 - Sunset @ Lodge Lake ...
I finally got to Lodge Lake and had a happy few hours wandering around shooting whatever I could see. I'd been spooked by some beer swilling teenagers showing a touch too much interest in my cameras so crossed the lake and sat quietly on one of the fishing stages just watching the sun go down and enjoying the warmth of it on my face. There was a gentle breeze blowing the rushes that surrounded me and I took my shoes and socks off, roll up my jeans and dunked my feet into the blissful warm waters of the lake.
R2C3 - Picore @ The Pitz ...
My visits to The Pitz Club waned a little in 2009 as the scene moved into a screamo/hardcore phase. I have no interest in the angst-ridden rantings of teenagers, but occasionally a good gig popped up and an evening of math-rock saw me in the photopit once again. I enjoyed the whole evening, but this band, Picore, really stood out for me. The Pitz really ramped up the lighting for our continental guests and I was playing with my star filter all through their set. I love the composition of this shot and I know I enjoyed myself as I keep going to their myspace page and listening to their tracks!
R2C4 - Ceiling projection @ Musik4U Served Chilled ...
Musik4U Served Chilled was a great little event put on at the City Church here in Milton Keynes by the Make A Difference team. It was a shame that there weren't more people there but I really enjoyed listening to Milton Keynes' very own hip young things getting their groove on. It was very blue in there though (which was the theme colour of course). I absolutely loved the projection of the logo onto the ceiling of the church ... it actually took my breath away as I walked in a saw it for the first time.
R3C1 - Bank Vole @ Willen Island ...
Awww, this little fellow is sweet isnt he? The Parks Trust volunteers were digging out a bank in the hopes of enticing Sand Martins to nest there in 2010 but as they started work, this guy stuck his head out of his doorway to see what all the fuss was about. I actually took this shot with my 500mm from about 20 feet away as I didnt want to get that close to him. We fed him loads of Apple slices as an apology for disturbing his day.
R3C2 - Sunset @ The Wirral ...
I only get home on occasion and on this particular trip, as the weather was so nice, I took a drive round a few of my old haunts to see what was what. This was the last shot I took that day. I was sitting on a sand dune at a place called Red Rocks, right at the Northwestern tip of the peninsula watching the sun sink behind Hibre Island. There were loads of other people there doing the same. What is it about sunsets that make people just stop and watch? It was stunning, but it was soooooo cold. I could hardly operate my camera and had to put it on my small tripod as I was shaking so much. Lovely shot though ... well worth the trauma involved in taking it.
R3C3 - Cybadrummer @ TogFest 2009 ...
Someone I've known for a few years is Ed ... AKA CybaX. He's a really successful musician and has toured with Faithless as well as appearing on countless studio albums. I love all the technology he uses in his set and the lighting rig at TogFest was on full power as he wowed the crowd ... and this particular photographer.
R3C4 - Del Bromham @ TogFest 2009 ...
Del is an absolute musical genius and has had a career spanning decades. Some great songs combined with an amazing stage presence allows him to leave a crowd screaming wherever he and his band Stray perform. Still at TogFest 2009 he was about to do a Who and slam a massive chord on his guitar ... what else is there to say?
R4C1 - Togmor @ TogFest 2009 ...
The reason for TogFest! And of course they are an amazing band. I felt that in my original article, I didn't say enough about them but what is left to say? Every time I see them they blow me away and have the crowd dancing in front of the stage. Channel 4 had been filming that day, and I climbed up one of their camera ladders to pop a few shots off. This image is about the crowd as much as it is about the band.
R4C2 - Bored Lemur @ Whipsnade Zoo ...
What an amazingly sunny day it was at the Zoo! A couple of weeks earlier I'd been to Chester Zoo and got thoroughly soaked so was eager to try again in better weather. An amazing day and I'd recommend the place to anyone. The lemurs have their own enclosure which you can walk through and this fellow was sitting on a fence not two feet in front of me. He was obviously very, very bored ...
R4C3 - Snowy Peace Pagoda @ Willen Lake ...
I love Willen Lake so much and back in February when the snows came, I took a trudge through the crisp white stuff and wandered around my favourite place. I'm always in awe of the Peace Pagoda and noticed this interesting composition with the Oak Tree in the foreground. This image became my company Christmas card in 2009 and it's had a lot of positive feedback from our customers ...
R4C4 - Fishing Grebe @ Willen Lake ...
Oh what a moment! Taken on the same shoot as the snowy Peace Pagoda I was enjoying courting swans, squabbling coots and this hunting Grebe, although I don't think the fish was very happy about it. Still, a stunning photograph and a moment I'll always remember. My goal this year is to get a couple of Grebes courting and doing their beautiful mating dance ...
As a thank you for your continued support of this website, I've created a downloadable hi-res image that you may want to use for your computer desktop. Click here to download it!
Let's all reach for the horizon in 2010 ...
Until next time ...
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