Which way is up?

These old boats have been turned upside down and made into Fisherman's huts on Lindisfarne. I think Black and White suits them very well - what do you think?

 

It's been a while! Lots has happened! MANY photos have been taken! So I'll start with the biggest photo shoot I've done (Not including work) recently.

The Farne Islands Trip

In June ten of us from www.ShutterNutters.co.uk and Wigan Photographic Society had three days in Northumberland, in and around Seahouses and the Farne Isles. We had an awesome time! On day one we did a full day day boat trip out to the islands. Wow! I am definitely going back next year! On day two we did the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Superb place and again lots of photos taken. By day three most of us were knackered! So after a mooch round Bamburgh Castle and the surrounding dunes we headed home.

Here are just a few of the many photos I took that day. There are LOTS more Puffin and tern photos in the Birds galleries of my main website at www.oyphotos.co.uk

The Lighthouse that Grace Darling and her Dad made their famous recue from

Atlantic Grey Seals

Shag (stop it!)

Puffins

Arctic Terns

Sandwich Terns

 

Gloomy Day

What a gloomy overcast day up in The Lake District on Sunday!

We left Wigan in brilliant sunshine and blue skies - only to arrive in Keswick to stormy skies and very low light levels. First stop was Castlerigg Stone Circle, then on to Ashness Bridge where there were so many photographers clamouring to get a photo that I didn't even stop the car and drove on up to the end of the valley to Watendlath Tarn. Got a few nice moody pix there.  We then tried  the classic view of the Langdale Pikes but they were in total shadow so that was a no go. A quick stop at Waterside just down the road from Ambleside gave us some interesting light over Windermere as the sun tried to get through the clouds.

New Toys

I've ordered a new camera - WoooHooo! There's a 3 to 4 week wait as this is a new model in great demand - and I'm getting a good price for waiting! So - very soon I will be the proud owner of a Nikon D3 with the new Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 lens. I'm keeping the D2Xs but selling the D200 and Nikon 17-55mm F2.8 lens to partially fund the new kit! I hope it arrives before my next Wedding shoot on April 12th

Some shots form Sunday:

Castlerigg stone circle and Blencathra

Derwentwater from "Surprise View"

Watendlath

Waterside - Ambleside

Had a trip out to the Gauntlet Birds of Prey Centre in Knutsford with 7 buddies today.

Quite a good setup they have there - and next to a big garden centre that sell yummy grub!

Some pix...

Bald Eagle

Tawny Owl

Barn Owl

Busy day!

Non-stop today! Three photos shoots this morning. Started off at the JJB Stadium for the "Hate Crime Awareness Week" Conference. I was there to photograph various dignitaries posing with a Wigan black cab taxi that's been done up in Hate Crime Awareness livery and will stay that way for a year. It was freezing! Did the shoot in the shade because the strong sunlight would have wreaked havoc with reflections off the cab and the white shirts of Police and Fire Ofiicers present. Group shots and lots of general shots and angles of the taxi for our stock image library.

Shoot two was around Pemberton town centre - a list of shots that the PACT people (Police and Communities Together) want for a publication that's going out.

Shoot three - Worsley Mesnes. Shots at Kipling Park. Litter and graffiti on the various benches and playground equipment. Then onto the precinct behind The Wheel pub for shots of the shops, The Wheel and other stuff in that area. Another big list for the PACT people.

Back to the office then to edit those photos and attend a couple of meetings for graphic design projects I'm working on.

Last today was photo shoot four - Atherton Police Station for a prize presentation to local residents as a result of some football scheme that the Police and local community have been involved in.

Some pix as promised...

 

Tigers at South Lakes Wild Animal Park last week.

This small zoo is awesome! Much better than places like Chester and Blackpool. You get to see things a lot closer up - and their conservation efforts are more in evidence too.

No fat lazy Tigers here! They have to climb a 30 foot telegraph pole to get their food! These are the world's largest species of Tiger - The Amur (Siberian) Tiger! Awesome beasts and great to see them do more then just pace around the inside of a fence!

(Cute Lemurs tomorrow!)

Here they come! GRUB UP!

Up we go...

Down we come...

MINE!

Yum yum!

 

First blog entry for a while!

The kids didn't get through their quarter final for Britain's Got Talent. They made them travel all the way to London - in costume -  just to parade them onto a stage and be told no. No performance, no interviews,  nothing. Just  no.  Disgusting -  they could have told them that over the phone!

I've taken a LOT of photos recently on a LOT of themes! Thos that follow my stuff on the forums I post on will be up to date but for those that don;t and the odd one that may actually give a damn - I'll try to get up to date with some samples over the next few days.

Coming soon are...

Big cats and cute fluffy animals.

Chinese New Year in Liverpool.

And the usual bird photos :)

For now here's a small selection of shots I took today at Fir Tree Farm - King's Moss. (Just ther other side of Billing Hill)

 

Likkle Oy has!

Spent all day yesterday at The Palace Theatre in Manchester. The Soul Band my daughter plays in were at the 2nd stage of Britain's Got Talent.

What an exhausting day!

They're called Soul'd and they GOT THROUGH HOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!

The next round is on Feb 9th in London

Photos from the day to follow (Non allowed in the actual Theatre alas - but plenty from backstage - even Mr Cowell for the ladies)

In the meantime you can listen to a few of their tracks at...

profile.myspace.com/index.cfm

WoooooHooooo... I'm all better at last!

My eldest went back to Cambridge this morning - *Sob sob...

I had a trip to Manchester this morning followed by an hour at Pennington flash.

Some pix...

... and the usual suspect

Still feeling grim.

Feel a little better today and I've eaten something that's actually managed to stay down - so there is hope!

Still living in 2 hour stints between ibuprofen doses.

Knocked this up when someone said I was Nikon through to the bones

The Nikonator

It's got me - the bug!

Hot sweats, cold shivvers, aching limbs and other less pleasant symptoms. Yep - the dreaded lurgy has got me :(

I'm running on 2 hours stints of feeling almost human - then it's shakey shakey pukey pukey and off to bed - Zzzzzzzzzzzzz. Wake up 3 hours later and repeat!

Still - can't keep me out of Photoshop!

I call this "Basket Case"