Three Marbled Whites

Three Marbled White Butterflies (and Hover fly) at Whay Dale

Friday 31st July 2015

It was a fine, sunny, if somewhat cloudy morning. I knew I would be child minding in the afternoon, so took advantage of the morning and went for a walk in Whay Dale. It is Open Access and is on the north east side of the Fimber to Thixendale road about half a mile south of the triangular grass area at Burdale. Whay Dale itself runs roughly north to south and is across the valley. I had a very pleasant walk, there was the odd butterfly flitting around, but as I wandered back down the valley, I came across three Marbled White butterflies on thistle flowers, which to me was unusual. They stayed still just long enough for me to get a picture.

Borage

Borage Crop

Thursday 30th July 2015

Doing my Cleveland Way volunteering bit today. We were working on the path near the radio station at Osmotherley. On my way to Osmotherley in the morning, I had passed this field of blue, which I knew to be Borage. Short of time, I decided to photograph it on the way back, but, by the time I got there, the cloud had come in. I jumped out of the car, began taking a photograph when I was attacked by a few bees. I ended up getting stung on the forehead and made a hasty retreat. No time to wait for the sun to appear again.

Fish Nets

Fishing nets Scarborough

Wednesday 29th July 2015

Went to Scarborough today. In the afternoon we took a walk onto the sea front and after an ice cream at Alonzi's Harbour Bar (I never can pass there without calling in) we ventured onto the pier. There were plenty of boats and activity in the harbour, but the one thing that really drew my attention was the line of fishing net stretching along the back of the pier. I loved the colours of the nets and the snake like appearance. I knew it would make a great shot, but there was one big problem, all the background distractions. These ranged from the fawn coloured concrete, to multi coloured painted surfaces and crab pots at the rear which were vivid blue and yellow. These combined to make the image a mess. I decided to copy the image (using Photoshop) and turn one into high contrast black and white, then with the original colour version in a layer below, 'painted back' the only colours I wanted, that of the nets, so no distracting background.

Contrast, Patterns & Texture

What is the object?

Tuesday 28th July 2015

Wet day today, so stayed at home. My photograph is one of patterns, contrasts and texture, for that you need low lighting. When the light is very low it brings out texture in objects, when viewed at right angles to the source. Where the light cannot go, there is deep shadow and where the light source strikes a facing object it is white, there is the contrast. What is the pattern? The Vibram sole of my walking boots and artificial light!

Film Spools

Two 35mm film spools

Monday 27th July 2015

I had gone to look for something in our garage and was standing on steps looking on the top shelf when I saw my old Paterson darkroom developing tank. I opened it up, forgetting that there were two 35mm film spools inside. Now I was back down memory lane. The last time I loaded these with film was about twelve years ago. I found myself twisting the reels as if I was loading film onto them, remembering how it was all done in the dark by touch. Do I miss it? Yes and no. I miss the anticipation of chemically producing a negative from a latent image. I do not miss the time taken to produce the negative and then process the negative to come up with a print that may need further development. I certainly do not miss the smell of chemicals. Photographing the reels, I last saw about twelve years ago, cried out for a vintage look. I still will not throw them away!

Gooseberry

Gooseberry backlit

Sunday 26th July 2015

Not much time to devote to photography today. A combination of gardening and heavy rain. I had picked some gooseberries and thought I would photograph one, warts and all. In order to see the veins inside and the hairy outer skin, I decided to backlight it. It turned out, there was more 'mush' inside the gooseberry than I had bargained for and in colour it was too messy and didn't work. Not brilliant in black and white, but no more time available to experiment.

Alone in the forest

Light and shade in the forest

Saturday 25th July 2015

Today I was in Harwood Dale Forest. Part of my duties as a Voluntary Ranger with North York Moors National Park is to check routes to see if they are dangerous, are obstructed or in need of a bit of maintenance. I walked the majority of footpaths and bridleways in Harwood Dale forest today, whilst none were dangerous, some called for the use of pruning saw and secateurs! Some had not been walked for ages and were very overgrown. The weather was dull and cold when I set off, but the sun put in an appearance later in the day. Following a footpath through a forest can be very daunting to some people, the sound of the wind in the trees, branches moving or snapping and the feeling of not being alone, not to mention wondering if you are on the right path. The image was good in colour, but in order to convey a sense of mystery surrounding forest paths, I decided on black and white for right and wrong, good and bad, lost and found.

Poppy Field

Poppy field, Flixton

Friday 24th July 2015

I had gone to Flixton this afternoon to look at some gravestones of my ancestors in Flixton Cemetry. Whilst taking photographs of gravestones, I spoke to a gentleman (alive), who asked if I had seen the field of poppies. He then directed me across the road to this beautiful vista. It was such a vivid red display that it almost hurt your eyes looking at them. This photograph was taken looking north west across the Vale of Pickering.

The beautiful South Bay Scarborough

South Bay Scarborough this morning

Thursday 23rd July 2015

At Holbeck car park, Scarborough this morning and couldn't resist taking an image of one of my all time favourite views of Scarborough. Yes, it's iconic, the old South Bay pool, now concreted. From left to right, the Spa, Grand Hotel, the foreshore, harbour and castle. High tide and the sea as calm as a mill pond, it could almost be the Mediterranean! Why was I at Holbeck? Our Cleveland Way volunteers project, strimming back rosebay willowherb from the car park to the golf course along the Cleveland Way footpath. Tough going but we managed it and what a big difference.

Photogram?

Electricity connectors

Wednesday 22nd July 2015

Saw this complex wiring on a simple wooden electricity pole. I don't know the purpose of all the insulators and 'bits', but it looked interesting. I took a photograph against a plain blue sky and already had plans for the finished image. When I first produced a photographic image of my own at school, we laid keys, safety pins, combs etc. onto a piece of photographic paper and exposed it to light (a photogram). The result was, areas of the paper that received no light were white, those exposed to the light black, so you had outlines of the comb in white etc. Back to the image. In order to make the wires, insulators etc. stand out, I removed the colour, then reversed the image to a black and white negative, I then removed traces of grey, to give it the 'Man Ray' effect. The wooden pole could do with a bit of sanding down!

Alien world

The Aurora on planet Bluto

Tuesday 21st July 2015

All the current talk of the pictures being beamed back of the farthest 'planet' in our solar system 'Pluto', set me thinking. I had a picture of the Aurora on planet 'Bluto' beamed back to me today. What a joy to see the various colours of light as it is affected by the magnetic radiation and solar wind from its sun. Note the penumbra of light around the edge of the planet, not to mention the bottom right corner and part of the spacecraft taking the picture. Coming right back down to earth, this is the working side of a DVD with me shining lights onto the surface in a dark room. Look very carefully into the shadows bottom right and you might just see the letters DVD!

Into the valley

Great Dug Dale

Monday 20th July 2015

Took a walk into another of the Wolds dry valleys at Great Dug Dale near Warter. It is also Open Access, so you are free to wander in the valley or on the hill sides. I have wanted to take this picture for sometime, with the sun striking the top of the hills in the middle ground and pouring light onto the side of the valley in the foreground. It also creates deep shadows in places, giving contrast. Always a dodgy shot as it is directly into the sun, with a very high chance of lens flare.

Making Connections

Scale Lane Swing Bridge, Hull

Sunday 19th July 2015

Driffield Photographic Society had a summer outing to Hull Old Town today. Rain first thing, clearing, then cloudy and windy, so a good mixed bag. This was the first time I had seen the 'new' swing bridge that links the Old Town with 'The Deep' and I was impressed. The brief when planned was to make it a swing bridge to facilitate large boats travelling up the river Hull. I have walked alongside the river Hull and most craft using the river are small and would have fitted under a fixed span. The only one that wouldn't is the Hull side trawler, 'Arctic Corsair' which is a floating (stuck in the mud) museum about 200 metres upstream! I would love to see lots of industry on the river Hull using the river, but at the moment I only see new uses for old warehousing (flats) and demolition. Sadly, it is hard to see this river coming back to life with industry. I liked the lines of the bridge and with a leaden sky, black and white, for me,  was the better choice.

Utopia?

Masham Steam Engine Rally

Saturday 18th July 2015

Why the above photograph? I decided on this because to me, this image has a lot of what Masham Traction Engine Rally means to me. First, it's old heavy engineering, which means plenty of hot oil on the big moving parts (which has a unique smell and glistens in the sun). Then there is the hissing of steam from safety valves, the smoke from the firebox rising from the chimneys and covering the area in thick smoke (hence the dark sky), breathe deeper - cough, cough! The heat from the boiler and boiling water dripping. What you cannot see, but I can hear is a Gavioli fairground organ blasting out some appropriate 'fairground music', and being Masham, a vision of the photographer with a pint of Theakstons in hand. With all senses suitably stimulated, "That's Masham" or to some utopia! Visit Sunday and find out what you are missing.

Among the fields of gold

Okay, so I'm not wanted!

Friday 17th July 2015

Driving around the wolds this evening, I came across a field of ripening barley. The sun was going down, so there was a nice evening glow, but the wind was very strong and was blowing the ears all over the place. I couldn't help but notice in this sea of gold, there was one barley ear that was not like the rest. It was still green!

Inanimate or not?

Watering the spuds

Thursday 16th July 2015

It's that time of year, when the heat (at last) dries up the soil and the fields of potatoes need irrigating to produce the best crops. Farmers use different types of systems to put water onto the fields. This particular one caught my eye in one of Sledmere Estates fields on the road from Garton on the Wolds to Sledmere. I was fascinated by the way a large area of the field was watered by a combination of a swivelling head and a swinging boom at the end of the head, that interrupted the length of the water jet. Water was fed from some supply through the giant hose reel and into the red metal stand finally being squirted out of the pipe. The more I looked at this inanimate object, the more it came to life! On a calm evening I could hear the water falling on the crop, there would be a 'hiss' as the boom dropped onto the water jet causing a secondary spray. Coupled with this was the head twisting and firing water almost at random, as if it had a life of it's own. The hose reel was completely inanimate, but the red metal structure with two arms and feet, plus a head that could turn and spit suggested to me some form of dragon, squirting water instead of fire. Rain forecast tonight, will that kill it?

Pink and White Fuchsia

Fuchsia flower

Wednesday 15th July 2015

Not feeling too good today, so no jaunts to nice places. I picked up the camera and photographed the first flower that I saw in our garden, which happened to be a Fuchsia. I don't know the name of this particular flower, the label has disappeared. As children, we used to refer to them as 'Dancing Dollies' and even now, I always bring that name to mind first when I see them.

Juvenile Dipper

A young Dipper on the Burbage Brook

Tuesday 14th July 2015

We parked at the National Trust car park at Longshaw Lodge near Grindleford in the Peak District and commenced a walk, which eventually took us alongside the Burbage brook. Within minutes of me saying, 'This is dipper country', we saw our first. There appeared to be two flying up and down the stream, keeping pace with us, one with a definite white breast (adult) and the other (above) with a speckled breast. It was so peaceful watching them, until someone let their Alsation dog go into the stream!

Magpie Lead Mine

The remains of Magpie Mine

Monday 13th July 2015

I caught sight of this place on TV and vowed I would visit. It is located about three miles west of Bakewell and the site is criss-crossed by a network of public footpaths. It was a lead mine dating from 1740 and was last worked in 1954. What you see in the picture is a fraction of the entire site, with the steel headgear housing the cage over the main shaft, the winding house extreme right. Behind the headgear, the stone building is the remains of a Cornish Engine House dating from 1869, the chimney is behind. We visited in the rain, which was good as I wanted a dramatic sky to give feeling to the place. The site is looked after by the Peak District Mines Historical Society.

Chesterfield's Crooked Spire

St. Mary and All Saints Parish Church, Chesterfield

Sunday 12th July 2015

The reason there has been no posting in the past few days, I have been away to the Peak District and unable to post. On Sunday, we found ourselves in Chesterfield on the eastern edge of the Peak District. It's church is famous throughout the UK as the only church in the country with a crooked spire, which rises to a height of  228 feet (77 metres) and leans 9 feet 6 inches to the south west. The spiral twist is about 45 degrees from the base and was built with green timber in the 1300's possibly by design. It is a grade 1 listed building.

Saltwick Bay

Saltwick Bay and Black Nab

Saturday 11th July 2015

Today, in soaring temperatures, I and several other Voluntary Rangers from North York Moors National Park were improving the public footpath from Whitby Holiday Park down to the beach at Saltwick Bay. The path (very well used) had become very overgrown, so a lot of the vegetation needed strimming back. We then cleared the grass from the steps and opened up a very clear path. The biggest job we faced was repairing the stone pitching in the final twenty metres before the beach. This had been washed away by the winter storms and we managed to reinstate it, to the delight of the many people using the path today (all our work is to the left, out of picture). My image is a shot of Saltwick Bay looking south with Black Nab jutting out of the sea. The Cleveland Way footpath runs along the top of the cliffs. 

A Rose is a Rose?

Pink Rose

Friday 10th July 2015

A rose is a rose. Is it? This pink rose is one of many that adorn the arch over a seat in our garden. It smells absolutely beautiful. I took a photograph of a flower, but it looked very bland. I decided to work on the photograph to give it some depth and form, at the same time try and create a soft focus and painterly effect. The finished result. It could almost be a painting on canvas?

Wharram Percy Deserted Medieval Village

The ruins of St. Martin's Church at Wharram Percy

Thursday 9th July 2015

Good weather today and in the afternoon a walk down the old Malton to Driffield railway line from Wharram Station to the deserted medieval village of Wharram Percy. Hidden in a secluded valley is what was the Parish Church of St. Martin. The church was in use until 1949 and the bell tower collapsed in 1959. To the west (left) of the church on top of the hill is the deserted medieval village, last occupied in the early 16th century. Archaeologists have been studying the village since the 1950's and are still continuing. The whole site is in the care of Historic England (English Heritage as was) and is well worth a visit. The Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail runs directly through the site. For more information check out the English Heritage website for Wharram Percy at this link. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/wharram-percy-deserted-medieval-village/history/

Boots

Gore Tex boots!

Wednesday 8th July 2015

Late posting today and late taking my image. Took my walking boots out of the back of the car and about to put them away, when I saw a pattern. It was a combination of the laces (almost snake like) and the fabric mesh construction of the tongue. Removing the colour (so as not to show the dirt!), I then reduced it to an almost black and white negative to emphasize the pattern. It's different!

Hairy Bob's Cave

Hairy Bob's Cave, Marine Drive, Scarborough

Tuesday 7th July 2015

A visit to Scarborough today, shopping! I have always tried to leave my father's house in Scarborough with a journey down Columbus Ravine to Peasholm, then around the Marine Drive, across the Foreshore (sometimes a pause for ice cream at the Harbour Bar), up the Valley onto Seamer Road and home. I just get a buzz from this journey, whether it is harking back to my childhood or an inner sense, I don't know, but I love it. Always on the lookout for an image, I was on the Marine Drive today, when I saw the sun shinning on 'Hairy Bob's Cave'. Hairy Bob's Cave is a large boulder that no doubt many years ago rolled down from the top of the Castle hill (above). Someone unknown (Hairy Bob?), carved out a door and a couple of windows in the rock and legend has it that it was home to none other than Hairy Bob (whoever Hairy Bob was). It is for me, an iconic image of the Marine Drive, but to many tourists, they park in front of it and never see it. Now there is a fantastic skatepark in front of it and named after him! It still looks spooky to me, perhaps it is the echo of my late mother, who, when I was very young would say, "Behave yourself or Hairy Bob will get you". Cruel may be, but this rather scarey image of the cave is forever embedded in my mind!

Wagon Train

Gypsy caravans pass through Driffield

Monday 6th July 2015

Out in town shopping, when I heard the clip clop of horses hooves. Looking up the main street in the Beverley direction, I could see a long line of gypsy caravans (ten in total) heading towards me. I guessed they were on their way to Seamer Fair which runs from this Friday through to a week tomorrow. Nearly all had new canvas covers and were nicely painted. It is good that these traditions carry on and Seamer Fair is one of a number of events around the country that gypsies attend annually. There has always been mystery surrounding gypsies and their way of life, but to some, outside the gypsy community, in this high tech age, it is difficult for them to understand. The weather was gloomy when I photographed the convoy turning right towards Bridlington on my mobile phone camera.

The going down of the sun

A Poppy after the rain

Sunday 5th July 2015

Last year I saw quite a few fields full of poppies on the Yorkshire Wolds. This year I have seen very few - probably not been to the right area. To some, the poppy is the symbol of Remembrance Day and the blood spilled on the battlefields during the First World War and subsequent wars. To others it has a more happier meaning of summer and corn fields (it is called the corn poppy). We are so used to seeing the full bloom of the poppies with black centres, but I decided on a closed isolated poppy with water droplets from earlier rain and late evening sun, for my image. To me, it represents an unfurled flag being dipped as a mark of respect at the end of the day, the rain drops suggesting blood or tears.

Peasholm Naval Battle

The liner 'Asturias' leads the procession before the battle begins

Saturday 4th July 2015

Parked the car at Peasholm in Scarborough, intending to walk through Peasholm Park to Scalby Mills. As we descended the steps into the park, I could hear military music. I then realized it was Saturday and the Naval Warfare on the lake. My watch said 3pm - they were about to kick-off. We were going to pay and see it, but a three year old grandson is frightened of loud bangs! What I didn't realize (had forgotten) was that the boats did a circuit of the park before they started, perhaps to get in position. We were walking along the 'free corridor', when the boats appeared. I photographed the boats in May for my blog when they were all in the harbour. The liner 'Asturias' (above) had both her yellow funnels removed at that time for maintenance. So here is my tribute to her, followed by 'Ark Royal', 'Achilles' and 'Ajax'.

Jubilee Clip

Jubilee or Hose Clip

Friday 3rd July 2015

Unable to get out and about today, so a change just to chill out. Sorting some boxes in the garage and came across a sealed bag containing two new 25-35 mm Jubilee clips or Hose clips. It was only when I looked at the date stamped on the worm drive '1991' that I realized just how long I had kept the clips. I could not remember why I bought them in the first place, but obviously I didn't need them! I thought one worthy of a photograph. Bit of 'blue-tack' underneath to stop it rolling and side lit against a black background.

View from Sutton Bank today

View from The Cleveland Way Path above Sutton Bank

Thursday 2nd July 2015

Today I was doing my volunteering bit with the Cleveland Way Volunteers. We covered the section of Cleveland Way path from the National Park Visitor Centre at Sutton Bank south for nearly one mile towards Roulston Scar. We were strimming the rosebay willow herb and long grasses that were obscuring the view points and making it more 'user friendly' around the many seats beside the path. The weather was very warm and changeable, at lunch time we had spots of rain. Once we had finished, I got my camera and decided to take a panorama view (four images stitched together) of my outlook for most of the day. By now, the sky was looking more like rain and the sun had disappeared. There is Roulston Scar on the left, with Hood Hill (covered in trees) on the right of that. The A170 road is to the right of centre and on the extreme right, Lake Gormire. The Vale of York stretches out in front with the Pennines in the far distance. There is so much to be seen in the distance on a clear day and with binoculars. 

What lies beneath the surface!

Groynes at Bridlington North Beach?

Wednesday 1st July 2015

With wall to wall sunshine and very high temperatures forecast, we set off for Bridlington. When we arrived on lunchtime, it was cold, there were heavy grey high clouds overhead, but we had a walk on the beach. There are wooden groynes along the beach to prevent the shifting sands, which are acceptable. Then there is this concrete structure (above). Viewed from this angle, it perhaps looks like a 'concrete groyne'. My initial thoughts for a photograph were at the far end, where it goes into the sea. I kept seeing beautiful reflections of the structure in the wet sand and wanted to use black and white for a really dramatic image. It would have been a great shot. But, my thoughts were probably more in tune with Bridlington Tourist Board and I had second thoughts. Why? Because under these cross beams of concrete is supported a metre diameter 'combined sewer overflow' pipe. It doesn't look good on a nice beach, but it does help to prevent flooding in Bridlington - catch 22?