Before I am ready for it, another working week will begin.

Last weekend I was tired, and it rained heavily; that meant no cycling. This weekend I was looking forward to riding, but...

This morning, the picture above was all I had. I thought I might go out a little later, but as the sun rose it became less likely. Rain isn't always a reason not to go cycling, I rode my first RideLondon through a storm; flooded roads, heavy rain and even hailstones. The first day of my ride to Paris was wet and windy. A lot of the South Downs Way was ridden through showers.

The difference was that I had committed to raising money for charity or I wasn't alone.

To be honest, this morning I received the abort text from Matt as I was typing my own. So I had decided not to go out before I knew Matt wasn't.

That's the trouble with this time of year. The days are short and the weather is disappointing; all week you leave for work in the dark, get home in the dark and then it's wet at the weekend.

The good news is that I have Christmas eve and New Years eve off this year. It means very long weekends and the chance of more cycling, fingers crossed.

Cycling is much more important to me than just a way to keep fit. For a while I can switch off from day-to-day stresses and thoughts. I catch up with friends. There is the adrenaline and endorphins that I don't realise I miss until after the ride has been cancelled. Even when, like last weekend, I am too tired and down to go out. I feel momentarily worse at being defeated. I wander around the house, restlessly trying to find something to do. And contemplating going for a ride. But as is nearly always the case the weather isn't improving and life is now in the way. I have missed my chance. It affects my whole week, I don't feel as motivated and I actually feel more tired. I'd be in a better mood too.

I am looking forward to a photoshoot tomorrow. Will the weather get in the way of that too?

And before I am ready for it, another working week will begin.

Please add your address to my mailing list, or click the follow button to be kept informed about future posts. 
Follow me on twitter. 

Leave a comment about this post. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this or any blog post.

For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.

and 

website

Remembrance

Last weekend included remembrance Sunday. I watched the various programs over the weekend and was touched by the ones remembering everyone affected by war. It's been said we shouldn't keep having this day and looking back. Nothing I saw glorified war, if anything it should have reminded everyone how pointless war is. We have to remember what happened and work harder to avoid it in the future.

The other programs attempted to show what it was like to have been there. I don't think people realise what it was like. Obviously I don't but I had a connection to both wars. My grandad was in the First World War, my dad was in the Second. He never spoke about it, although I don't remember asking him. It seems as the number of people who lived through it has declined the effort to remember has increased, as it should.

I don't think it's taught in the same as it was, so many today know almost nothing of the two wars. It's too easy not comprehend the incredible suffering they caused. Or any war for that matter.

The picture above is of a church in Godstone. The poppies looked knitted, I'm guessing the locals have created this special centenary display as have others at churches and schools around the country.
There is a war memorial in the grounds with the date of the war on as is usual. Except the dates aren't what you expect. 1914 -1919. When we saw these dates years ago it prompted an internet search. The usual dates of the war and the ones being remembered this year are for the ceasefire, or armistice. The Treaty of Versailles was signed in June 1919, officially ending the war.

Please add your address to my mailing list, or click the follow button to be kept informed about future posts. 
Follow me on twitter. 

Leave a comment about this post. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this or any blog post.

For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.

and 

website

Nikon 1

I didn't go out last Sunday, heavy rain and knowing it would be a solo cycle meant I just couldn't motivate myself.

Matt had been saying that since buying his new bike punctures had no longer been a problem for him. He said it a lot and so it was inevitable that they would eventually strike; last weekend they did. It didn't affect last weekend, the rain saw to that. But this morning's joint ride was lost. Matt had repaired the hole during the week, but either there was another one or the patch hadn't held. I woke to an abort due to puncture text.

It was a grey morning but I wanted to get out. Apart from anything else I wanted to test my "new" camera. When I first started photographing my cycling I used a big DSLR, a Nikon D70. It went everywhere with me. The short local rides and the longer ones to Paris and the South Downs Way. But on one off-road ride I fell off and landed on the bag containing the camera. It was never the same and frequently wouldn't work. I had by then upgraded to a better DSLR, so I wasn't going to take that cycling. I read a few reviews and bought a second hand Nikon Coolpix 8800. I was lead to believe it was a good camera. It was newer than the D70, but classed as a bridge camera. Something between a point and shoot and a DSLR. I must have been spoilt by the D70 because the 8800 just didn't compare. It was incredibly slow, had poor highish ISO performance and frustrated me everytime I used it.

I had a bit of spare cash and started to look around for a "new" camera. A few years ago Nikon released the Nikon 1 series. I guess you could say it was somewhere between a bridge camera and a DSLR. The specs were good and the reviews said picture quality was very good. Maybe a little fiddly to use due to a lack of buttons. Even minor changes require diving into the menu system, rather than a button press or dial movement.

Oh, and it was very expensive, you could have bought a full size DSLR for the same money. And you needed to buy 1 series lenses. It just didn't make sense and Nikon slashed the prices and then discontinued them fairly quickly.

The quick price drop and discontinuation means they are now selling on ebay at a very good price.


My first impressions are good. Yes, having to go into the menu system to make basic changes is a pain. But I think I now have it setup as I need it for most pictures. Everything else about it is great. It's fast to use, and the picture quality is excellent. I am really going to enjoy using it. And I'm sure I will take more pictures as a result.

Please add your address to my mailing list, or click the follow button to be kept informed about future posts. 
Follow me on twitter. 

Leave a comment about this post. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this or any blog post.

For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.

and 

website

joggers

The weather forecast for the weekend wasn't good, and as it drew nearer it looked more and more likely to be a washout.

Then the dreaded abort text from Matt. We don't normally leave our houses if it's raining, being on my own made it a certainty. As I went to sleep the rain was lashing down and the wind was blowing.

I woke up to still air and blue skies. So it was an easy decision to go for a ride. Last weekend Matt and I had thought about Godstone, that's where I headed. Being on my own I knew there would be no stop for tea and cereal bars so I took a longer route than normal, including an extra hil; The Enterdent. The recent wind and rain had dislodged plenty of leaves, it looked nice but made for very slippery conditions. 

High speed descents were out, especially if it included a bend. I stayed out towards the middle of my lane for this reason and also the big puddles could be concealing potholes. It meant other traffic had to think more about their overtaking, but that's never a bad thing.

On the way home I came across some joggers, they ran in a group spread across the road. As I approached they parted and I cycled between them. I guess they have a similar problem to me, drivers giving them little room unless they take control of the road.

As a way to keep fit I prefer cycling; jogging just seems harder work. I think it is classed as a high impact activity. I did run a 10k race many years ago, it was okay, but I wouldn't do it again. When I signed up for it I knew my general fitness would get me through but I'd still need to practise. I didn't do much, I just didn't like it. The run went okay, completed in just over fifty minutes. 

Cycling means I can travel further, and have a rest on the downhill bits. It's definitely for me.

Please add your address to my mailing list, or click the follow button to be kept informed about future posts. 
Follow me on twitter. 

Leave a comment about this post. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this or any blog post.

For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.

and 

website

Conkers

Saturday saw a big change in the weather. It was very cold yesterday, frosty grass and cold feet. Matt was back from his trip to Japan so we cycled to the Tudor Rose tea room in Westerham for breakfast.

Regular readers will know I'm not one for lots of words, Matt's the writer after all.

I can remember he said he was on his own for the weekend and didn't know what he was going to do. I suggested he just sat back and chilled out. He thought maybe some decorating was likely.

We parted company near Botley with a plan to cycle to Godstone today. Then I got the dreaded abort text. And this morning an explanation; Matt's front room was to be redecorated.

The forecast was for rain today, when I looked out of the window it had rained overnight but it looked okay. I didn't go far, cold wind and rain does temper motivation. But it did give me the chance to take pictures, my other hobby.

Only a week of work until I can go cycling again.

Please add your address to my mailing list, or click the follow button to be kept informed about future posts. 
Follow me on twitter. 

Leave a comment about this post. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this or any blog post.

For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.

and 

website

darker mood

I had an idea for a darker photoshoot for a while. My usual style is what you might call bright and light. I wanted to use more dramatic lighting with an edgy theme.

I considered an outside shoot, but I didn't find a location I was happy with. It had to be somewhere I could control the natural light or modify it either with reflectors or flash. Without an assistant this can be difficult. Maybe I'll try a shoot with an assistant next year.

Now that autumn is here, outdoor shoots are much harder, it's cold and likely to rain. The theme of the shoot was moody, not cold and unhappy.

In a studio I can work slower, more deliberately. I don't have to worry about bystanders and equipment, bags etc are safe. There is always somewhere for the model to change, this can be a big problem and consumes time when you're out and about.

Natasha arrived well prepared. There is always a get to know you period when working with someone new. I meet her at the local station, so by the time we reached the studio everything was relaxed and the shoot flowed really well.

The studio, Murder Mile was darker than I had expected. The flash system had modeling lights so there was no problem focusing. It did mean the lighting was very controllable. I had planned to use two lights at a time and gels, but in the end I used one light for each set with either a ten inch reflector or beauty dish. Keeping it simple was definitely the best way to go. I was able to just light Natasha with the background almost black. Most of the outfits were also black; but shiny so standing out from the background wasn't a problem. As I edited them a realised a lot could be better converted to black and white.

Looked great in colour too

The studio had a cage, it was too heavy to move and was a bit hemmed in but we couldn't resist using it. It did mean full length shots were out; I think it still delivered.

The exceptions were the sparkly dresses. Treated to the same lighting they remained in colour. See above and below.

And the coat Natasha arrived in. It was too photogenic to ignore.

My wife saw the pictures and remarked how different they were to my normal style. Reinforcing how successful the shoot had been.

I am so pleased with what we achieved, I'll be returning to the studio, with Natasha again.

Please add your address to my mailing list, or click the follow button to be kept informed about future posts. 
Follow me on twitter. 

Leave a comment about this post. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this or any blog post.

For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.

and 

website