Tag: Photography

The High Lands of Orcombe

Posted on Posted in Devon, England, i phoneography, Nature, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , 18 Comments

 

Orcombe Point at Exmouth marks the beginning of the Jurassic Coast, as well as being a part of the South West Coast Path. Start by walking east along the sea front until the road ends, in front of the red cliff. Look left and climb the zigzag path to the top.


There’s a bench or two along the way.

With plenty to see.

And these information circles dotted on the bank as you climb up the hill are an excuse to stop and breathe!

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It really isn’t very long before you reach the top.Where for a while the sea is out of view.

 

We pass a field where orchids are abundant in May.

Then look seawards again.

On a clear day you can see as far as Portland, but not this time. We’ve found these instead!

Who can play hopscotch?

I did it all the way to the needle, this bit’s for Meg.

If you start walking by the lifeboat station on Marine Drive, then up the cliff to the needle, it’s less than a mile and a half. If you keep going you reach Sandy Bay, with it’s caravan park in another mile. So this walk could take less that an hour, if only there weren’t such wonderful distracting views!

This little stroll is for Jo, my first Monday walk for a long time. Happy Monday Jo 🙂

 

Camera dabbling

Posted on Posted in PhotographyTagged , 21 Comments

This time last year I was about to go on holiday to Barcelona. My Canon dslr and accoutrements had been weighing heavily for some time and I found I was leaving it at home more and more. Should I take it, or make do with my phone and a tiny compact?
Of course I started browsing for possibilities online and then went to town. The camera shop had a very good offer on an Olympus with two lenses, a camera that I knew took good photos, because a certain blogging friend has one. It was love at first sight and I wasn’t going home without it. With no time to get used to it, I left it on auto settings, with a bit of fun playing with the special effects on offer and the press of a button.
Since then life has been chaotic one way or the other, I still haven’t learnt how to use it and I’m going away soon. Never mind!
Today I was inspired by Sue, who creates stunning still life images and loves a bit of decay. So I gathered a few bits together and just tried a few of the automatic creative settings the camera has.
The first photo is just the normal auto setting, a bit dull?

Next a slideshow of various scene settings, a couple of which I like. If I hadn’t used the camera to get these effects, I might have tried some post processing, but that would be more time comsuming. What do you think, are both methods cheating? Is there an image that you like best?

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The Butterwalk

Posted on Posted in Devon, England, Photography, Weekly Photo ChallengeTagged , , , , 12 Comments

A row of former merchants houses and grade 1 listed buildings, the Butterwalk in Dartmouth has been standing since the early 17th century.

The structure features 11 eleven granite piers, originally 13. I’d guess the granite came from Dartmoor. There was some serious bomb damage in 1943, thankfully renovated a few years later.

It’s been ages since I’ve posted for the Weekly Photo Challenge!

Seven minutes on Exeter Quay

Posted on Posted in Exeter, i phoneographyTagged , , 11 Comments

I find my self on the Quay, not early, but too soon for the shop I need. Nine am is ahead of the masses, but the light gleams perfectly for this  i-phonographer with seven minutes to while away.

The restaurants and bars are silent, in an hour aprons will be donned, veg chopped and scones baked.

Meanwhile the swans get ready for today’s bread throwing children and thank goodness there’s not a gull screech to be heard.

Looking down river I can imagine myself somewhere more exotic, but then again, this is my Exe, perfect and pretty in it’s own way.

Piazza Terracina, named for our twin city in Italy, will be buzzing through the day, with plenty of choices,

for coffee and a sit down,

and one the old lamps for the evening.

I’ve turned towards the canal basin now, where for the summer we have pop up theatre, the Bike Shed Boatshed, complete with caravan, perhaps for more intimate performances.

I wonder how this boat got it’s name, I doubt it’s come from Meg’s territory.

Exeter canal runs parallel to the river for a few miles. It was built on the 1560’s and is the oldest navigable canal in the country. The canal was commercially successful until the decline of the wool trade in the early 19th century, followed by the arrival of the railways.

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you’re having a good Bank Holiday.