Flowers in The Rain

As it was raining all day today I couldn`t really go far with my camera because I didn`t want to get it or me soaking wet through,I was out in the garden at my mums when I saw this Dahlia all covered in raindrops and thought it would make a nice picture so got my camera out of the car and took a couple of pictures.I like the way the rain reflects the light but I think the pictures could be a little bit sharper.I do like them though and think that for my first try at this kind of picture they look reasonably good.

The Fast and the Furious.

Today we went for a walk in the countryside of Cheshire with some of the family.Thomas my nephew was more than willing to be a model for these pictures which involved him running and jumping over a big mound so I could take some shots on continuous mode with these results in mind.I am sure he had fun but was very tired by the time we finished.The results were very good and I am really happy with how these pictures have turned out and am sure that at least one of them will end up being hung on a wall by at least one of the family.

Roman Ruins of Chester

I decided the other day to have a walk around Chester and visit all the places I never usually bother to go,I am interested in the history of Chester and there are many really interesting relics from the past that you can find without too much effort.I must admit however that most of the historical sites in Chester tend to pass me by as living here you tend to take it all for granted.So for once I thought I would have a look from a tourist point of view and take a few pictures on the way.These Roman stones can be found in the Roman Garden situated between the Ampitheatre and the City Walls.







These are just a few of the Roman artifacts that can be found all around Chester and I wonder whether anything we make today will still be around in 2000 years,somehow I don`t think so !!

Swans In Love

Whilst out walking along the river today I came across this swan just gracefully floating along with the idea in my mind that swans are beautiful things I decided to take a few pictures.This one turned out particularly well and I decided to have a play around with it in Photoshop.I have seen this particular idea done somewhere before and thought I would give it a go and see how I got on.Whilst my Photoshop skills are somewhat limited I do think the final result is not too bad,I have submitted this picture to the carious stock sites and wait with baited breath to see whether it will be accepted and make any sales.

Just Trees

When I say just trees I don,t mean just any old tree but one of the oldest trees in England the Oak tree.I don`t know what it is about these trees but I think they always look quite good.It makes me think when I realise how old they are and what has passed them by in terms of the landscape and how it must have changed whilst the trees have been growing.
This particular tree can be found in a field in a small village in Cheshire and although you can see it has been in the wars slightly it has no doubt outlived many generations of residents.

Car Crash

Driving along last night whilst working I came round a bend to find a car on its roof,as it had only just happened the driver was still in the car in a funny position so myself and a truck driver who was right behind me smashed one of the back windows in the car to make sure he was ok whilst we waited for the emergency services.The police were on scene almost immediately and checked that the driver was ok and managed to get a response from him.After a few more minutes the ambulance arrived and the driver was a bit more responsive once all the services were there we were in the way so moved back and let them get on with the job,after about five more minutes to my surprise the driver stood up and walked to the ambulance.I think it was his lucky night !!!

Industrial Stuff

Went for a wander around Ellesmere Port today looking for some photo opportunities.First of all while on the way there I stopped and took a few shots of the motorway and thought that one in particular looked quite good.I went into one of the industrial estates and saw the Carbon factory which looked like it would make a reasonable pic and turned out quite well.I also went down by the river near the boat museum in the hope of finding a big cargo ship coming up the river and all I could find was this little boat being unloaded.After
I have also sorted out some of the settings on my D200 now and am getting my pictures a little bit sharper.It is also giving me a bit more picture so I can be more creative with my cropping.I took my D50 out later in the afternoon and can really notice the difference in quality.

D200 The Next Installment

Well I have just got back from an afternoon walk with Tigger in the fields to try out some of the new settings I have saved to my Nikon D200If I am really honest then it is a lot more complex than I expected it to be and I am having a trouble getting it to do exactly what I want it to.I guess its my own fault as I was just about getting the hang of my D50 and then I went and changed it.Still it is early days and I am not planning on buying another one for a while so I will have plenty of time to get my head round it (I hope).I was shooting on the settings that I loaded for action shots with continuous focus and I seem to have caught Tigger in mid air again so things are not all bad.

First Pics with D200

So I have finally managed to buy my Nikon D200 and have been out to the river with my dog Tigger,he is an English Springer Spaniel who is just so full of energy you would not believe it.Every time I take him out with my camera he manages to do something worthy of a picture or two.I have previously managed to capture some action shots with my older D50 but it was nowhere near as fast as my new D200.This picture has been compiled from four different pictures taken in a high speed burst which I have stitched together in photoshop.I think it looks quite good.I still need to read the instruction manual a bit more though because when I shoot in RAW the pictures just don`t seem as sharp.I have got a spread sheet from the Nikonians website with lots of custom settings so I will try some of those and see how I get on.