Coming Soon to your world - 2014

Another year closes, and as always is a time for a little looking back, and plenty of looking forward. There have been some successes for me in terms of health, and photography of course. Now firmly entrenched in Architectural photography, and with music of course.

Had some great visits to Cambridge Modern Jazz, live music is so good to hear, and will continue that actively, for no reason other than it is so enjoyable, the challenges of equipment and lighting add to the interest, for me.

Unfortunately had a stomach bug this holiday, meaning I had to stay close to home (and loo), but gave me an opportunity to do some computer housekeeping, I have multiple drives loaded with files, and many duplicates scattered around, so I downloaded a trial of TuneUp Utilities 2014, both to find the files, delete them, clean registry and fine tune other settings.
Heartily recommend it, of course use with care, but it is has livened up my pc a lot, and has made a real difference to speed.
TuneUp Utilities 2014

15 Day trial available, then get from Amazon (cheaper)

Using Lightroom 5 now,  which is resource hungry but discovering many advantages to it, so glad I spent the time with it, rather than use Photoshop for everything. Enabling me to go back over the Library, see what is worthwhile keeping, and ditch the rest. Have been tardy in that respect, not clearing folders frequently. Festival folders generally get used once and lay fallow for quite a while afterwards. Deleting all the web sized files, too, so easy to just make some via Lightroom.

My new website is now online, and placing more images there, and intend to expand the text content too.


Photography website

Skip Mcdonald at Musicport

Using Facebook quite a lot, it is so immediate and the Groups are great for sharing information and shots.

More Concrete and a little night music

Experimentation with monochrome, which I love, and a couple from a concerts at the excellent Cambridge Modern Jazz night at Hidden Rooms, recommended.






 

 

 

 

The Marine Court "Ship" at St Leonard's on Sea, Hastings.

 

Would love an apartment at this architectural icon

 

The excellent Laura Jurd Quartet

A few from the library

Off to Musicport at Whitby tomorrow, (very excited) and hope to produce a whole tankful of good images, with acts like these it should be very possible, the line-up is really special.

 

  

Our Garden - A few late shots

Been a bit negligent in taking photographs of the garden, a project I started 3 or 4 years ago, designing and building decking areas, pergola, arches and raised beds. Looking back I wonder how it was achieved with my limited resources, and very proud that it was all my own work.
Liking a casual approach to life, there are plenty of seats and recliners, and a system of trellis fences to break up the area into smaller sections, with a loose theme with regard to garden ornaments, one being the seaside with driftwood, and the like.
Now going to sleep for the Winter, (the garden, not me) it is starting to look a little tattier, so I have only photographed a part of it.

I love the grace of grasses, and they are plants that can be left to their own devices, and we have tubs and baskets with begonias, geraniums and the like, to give Summer colour.
Should really empty the containers for a few bulbs, so will look at them in November.
Further plans for next year, replanting and and making another plant focus area.

Try to keep maintenance to a minimum, just watering and a bit of deadheading, things are reasonably high with the raised beds, so not much bending, which is a blessing.

I feel the garden has an architectural feel, and was planned as part of my recuperation process, and it helped a massive amount.

 

More Meddling With Mine

Old Railway Arch Workshops, decay and degradation, contrasts abound in London.

Bit of enhancement going on here, just loved the colours.

A composite of four images, so easy to do in Photoshop.Maybe not the most picturesque subject, but I do like to photograph them.

Old garden I passed in Rugby, it seemed to take a treatment of some sort.

Mixed Medley with a tilt towards Architecture

Empty Store- Rugby

Rugby High Street

Rugby School Building

Bricklaying with Pride

My usual Car Park shot

Darkness Coming - Rugby Art Gallery

Curvaceous

Not Twin Peaks

Compressed Columns

Lively NFL Cheerleaders

Light and Shade

Short Time In Shoreditch

Little trip to London on Saturday to visit a couple of places and have a general wander round.
Took lots of shots and have sensed a theme to develop in them, that will be fun to develop over the nexty few months. I seem to have shaken of the Monochrome Madness and now tend to see things in colour when editing. Some BW here though, just to balance things !

 

 

This building, no word for it, will probably be demolished soon.

Office Window Detail, wonder what the photograph is.

I found this street scene so vivid, all the colours and textures I loved.
Shot with a Canon prime lens of 85mm on a 700d, I find the sharpness in comparison to a zoom to be worth the framing limitations.

More London Pics from Saturday