What a diff'rence a day made Twenty-four little hours

Brought the sun and the flowers. Where there used to be rain.

After yesterday's grim weather it was good to be out in the sunshine. I was alone again so the road bike was my chosen steed. I think as I add miles to it the brakes are improving. Before I bought it second hand, the bike had only been used occasionally. It still has the new bike health and safety stickers. The last time I had a new bike I was as a kid. I don't remember any such stickers being on my Raleigh Chopper. The only warning was to not carry passengers on a seat clearly designed for two. I was never joined by a friend on the bike, it was too heavy with just me. With only three gears any hill was tough enough.

There are at least three stickers suggesting you check that the wheels and pedals are attached. There could be more that I haven't noticed yet, they are very small. 

Because the sun was shining I travelled further, to Westerham. I didn't stop at a cafe, that's for when the team is riding. This meant I was home early to start the chores for the day. Once that was done I could sit down to catch up with the Tour de France. It's looking good for the French with Alaphilippe ahead by just over two minutes after stage 14 of 21. 

Cycling is the only sport I watch, maybe with an occasional cricket match.

Motorsport is influenced more by money now. There is a human element to it, but it's not the deciding factor.

There is big money in cycling, Ineos and the other top teams spend millions. But if their top rider has an off day it could be all over. 

It's easier to relate it to my cycling. I know my bike is worth only a very small fraction of theirs, and I don't ride as fast or as far. But when they are pushing themselves on a climb, I know what it feels like.


I do a few all day rides but miss multi-day routes. Riding to Paris with two mates a few years ago was great. We arranged everything amongst ourselves and carried cloths etc on the bikes. Being self sufficient made the feeling we got approaching the Eiffel Tower even sweeter. Four days just thinking about cycling. It was tough at times, but worth it.

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It felt good to be out in the rain

My bike hasn't got a name so I think the post title is fitting.


It was to be a lone ride and as I walked to the garage the rain started. Not too heavy so I kept walking.
As I started the ride it got heavier, the further from home I was, the worse it got. I haven't ridden in rain like it since my first RideLondon. But I was wet so decided to carry on, and then thunder rolled in. Followed by hailstones.

It wasn't cold, and once the clothes I was in became saturated my body warmed up the water.

I only went to the bus stop at Tatsfield, around 17 mile there and back. I took my gloves off to take pictures and it was then I realised just how wet I was. My outfit was very heavy. Putting the gloves on again wasn't pleasant, they had cooled considerably.

Near home I passed along a stretch of road that always floods. There are specially built culvats at the side. Constructed a few years ago after the whole area almost ground to a halt due to a long period of torrential rain. The local water treatment plant was close to being swamped.

As I write this the sun is out and the rest of the day looks good.

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Dark in the sunshine

Another dark style shoot. A reflection of my mood perhaps?

Meeting Alex and walking to the first location we chatted about the theme she was bubbly and full of energy.

When the shoot started, her persona changed as if a switch had been thrown. Delivering the look I wanted, confident and assertive. But not looking angry or frowny, I think that's a word?

Between shoots we planned the next setup and she was back to her energetic self.

The first location was a lane behind a police station.

At one point a police car parked up and the two officers stopped to watch us. Then drive off, I guess satisfied all was well.

The next location was a metal staircase, it was the rough gritty backdrop I was looking for. The rusty metal, dull paintwork, graffiti and the train tracks were perfect.

Parts of the it had harsh light, which was a challenge. I could have done with a diffuser. A big one, that might also have needed an assistant to stop it blowing away.

We changed our position, and added flash to really give it some punch.

My favourite

Our time was nearly up, but Alex was still full of energy and ideas.
A lane was just the other side of the staircase.

As we entered there were tiled sections down one side. I suspect very few people have or will ever see them, but it gave a great opportunity for a different look.

And then a moody walking to camera picture to finish.

With more time we could have continued to walk around finding other gems like this lane. And as the sun dropped it would have altered the light.

My photoshoots are not about having hundreds of finished pictures. I took over 150 and aimed to reduce that to around a dozen to process. I only managed to get it down to twenty three though. It was difficult because Alex gave so much variety to each set. It meant I could be very picky and still have many great shots.

The last challenge was choosing the pictures for this post. I hope I didn't include too many.

With the exception of those shot against the tiled wall I could have exported all of the pictures as black and white. I had that in mind when I planned the session, but some do benefit from staying in colour.

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Cornwall

Our week away in Cornwall eventually arrived. The hottest day of the year so far, and we were in the car.

As we got close to Treworgans farm, the clouds gathered and the temperature dropped by fifteen degrees. Still pleasant but a remarkable change.

The cottage was perfectly setup for disabled access and living, so less stress for Marcia and I. Almost the only sound were the sheep, literally under our window, and surrounding the decking where we ate some meals.

The sign on the gate had me hearing the Jaws theme when I read it.

Going to need a bigger "boat"?

As is always the case when I go on holiday, it takes time for me to unwind. I never realise how bad it is until I get away. The first day is spent trying to stop rushing around. Looking out of the patio doors across the fields helped.

view from the patio

The huge welcome basket was a surprise, no need to go shopping straight away. Often it is little more than a snack box. This one had freshly baked cake, scones and bread; eggs from the farm; milk and Cornish butter. With biscuits, crisps, jam and veg; Sunday was just what I needed, a zero task day.

It was well off the beaten track, narrow lanes leading to a track up to the farm. Apart from the sound of the occasional train, it was quiet and secluded. But it wasn't totally cut off, Ladock had shops and Truro wasn't far.

There is a temptation to plan a visit every day of the week. To make the most of the time, but I held back. Visiting my sister was the priority, after that it was just see how we felt each day.

After driving to my sisters on Tuesday we took it easy on Wednesday and went to the Eden Project on Thursday.

When we last visited during our honeymoon it wasn't fully complete.  It was good to see how much had changed. The outside area is now fully planted and inside the domes have a matured look.

The walk from the car park was a gentle slope down, past a wheel from the excavation equipment. 

Marcia is dwarfed by the wheel.

A waterfall in the tropical rain forrest dome.

A bloom, not sure what it's called. 

As we climbed up through the dome it got hotter and more humid. Not quite bad enough for me to have to use one of the chilled cubicalls, it was close though.

The less humid mediterranean dome was still very hot, but it was more comfortable.

Friday was the hottest day since we arrived so we waited until the afternoon to visit The lost Gardens of Heligan. Another place we last saw during our honeymoon.

flowers in the sun dial garden

Marcia's wheelchair meant we couldn't see the whole site, but were able to see much of it; the formal and the kitchen gardens. They can grow the expected fruit and veg and also mango, and pineapples. 

There were also formal gardens.

flower garden

view from the summer house

Luckily for me the top part of the site included a huge grove of rhododendrons. The path through it provided much needed shade.

dovecote surrounded by rhododendrons

The last section was a short walk into the wilder area, not as far as the jungle trail, but far enough to see some sculptures.

mud maiden

giants head

I left my "big" camera; the Nikon D700 at home. It's too big to carry on day trips. Last year I bought a second hand Nikon 1 V1. I wrote a short review. The quality and speed means I am very happy to use it for more than just cycling pictures. It has made me think about how heavy the D700 is. The latest mirrorless full frame cameras would be much easier to carry and use. They could open new opportunities. If I were a professional photographer I'd make the move when my present kit needed to be replaced.

The drive home was again very hot, but with less traffic than I expected it only took five hours. We'll be back next year.

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Harsh light and defiance

Our last shoot was way back in December, but it took no time to settle into our routine. Saskia's mum, Janice, quickly put the finishing touches to makeup and outfit and we got started.

The theme had been discussed; dark and moody. The day was bright harsh sunlight though.

I got to the area a bit early and scouted around. Holborn viaduct has staircases down to Farringdon Street and they looked ideal. The white tiled walled would bounce light into the shaded areas. I could expose for the outside and have soft light inside. it didn't work out that way so Janice became the light stand holding the flash to add a little extra light.

As is always the case, it takes time at the beginning of a shoot to settle into it; even when we have worked together many times.

The location may not work out as expected or needs a bit of a rethink. The staircase was a case in point. The background was a distraction and Saskia had the same idea as I did; move a little. That's when you know the shoot is going well, everyone syncs.

I wasn't sure at first about the hair and shadow across the face, but I think it works.

She also took on the theme, moody and defiant.

A short walk away was a small lane, it again suited the theme.

Janice as always checking the details

Then finally a shaded garden gave the opportunity for an outfit change, and a softer theme.

Saskia easily changed her look to be much more relaxed. 

Another productive shoot in the bag.

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Published

Magazine published photoshoot.

Back in March I organised a studio session; intending to learn about and get experience of a more pressured photoshoot. The background is in this blog post.

There wasn't a big team, just three; Marylin, Jen the MUA and me. As you will have read in my precious post Marilyn did much more than model. I am very grateful to her for working so hard. But it didn't stop at the end of the shoot. She helped me choosing and processing the pictures. She planned to contact magazines, both printed and online, about publishing the set. It really pushed me to learn more about editing.
 
I could see the set improve as I added or took away pictures and how small edits changed pictures in big ways.

I had to consider the designer, and the MUA. They both needed shots they could use.

Orange dress, orange background; not easy to light. And then to ensure Marilyn's skin was lit correctly. It is one of my favourite shots though.

I wanted to provide a different look, one they hadn't had before.

And show off Marilyn's personality.

There were shadows cast by the multiple lights that I didn't want to remove completely. I tried to leave enough so that it had the appearance of only one defused light. Avoiding the floating in space look.

Here is a link to the published article.

This project was a challenge, which had me stressed. I was anxious about how the pictures might be received. But it was worth it.

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