The Nare revisited

I know I have posted pictures of The Nare before but I couldn't resist another one, we went for a walk there today and I just had to share this with you.

Now how autumnal is that I just loved the red berries against the blue background with the copper ferns in front on such a beautiful autumn day.

Weekly photo - family portrait.

Posting my weekly photo early today as I won't be able to get to the computer tonight.  It was family portrait time this week and as I said at the beginning of the week I am one family member down now so this is one I took on holiday - a holiday snapshot really, there was no thought gone in to it when it was taken, Mick and his girls!  Funny just realised I have one just like this taken at Paignton Zoo years ago when they were little, must fish it out to do a comparison!  I turned it to b&w due to the sky being white as it was so bright - hence Mick having slits for eyes!!!

I've just had a look at the list and seen the theme is vehicles this week, should be fun. Anyone welcome to join in - just let me know so we can link up.  Louise will be posting her's later.  Kathi has joined in as well this week :) thank you.

Skywatch Friday

I changed jobs last month and at the moment I have to drive to the main office which is based in Penryn and this is the view from the car park. Yesterday I went in abit earlier so I could take some photos, thankfully the tide was still in abit and there was a nice sky.  This one is looking up the river to Falmouth, the second one is looking across the river to a place called Gorran Gorras.

To see more skies from around the world go to

Congratulations to LOUISE

I couldn't let this peice of news go by without saying something. For those of you who follow my blog you will know my friend Louise who takes part in my weekly photo challenge and gives me an awful lot of encouragement and support. Well she has been asked to join a scrapbook design team for S J Crafts . Louise's layouts are absolutely lovely - if you have not seen them take a look here a very talented lady. So well done Louise :) xx

Another Take That image to celebrate!

Monthly photo overview

Two posts in one evening - must be on a roll!!  Here are the images taken over the last 12 months (started Oct 10 top left to right.) altogether.  I will confess to mislaying Aug 11 image - sure I took it but can't find it anywhere so I have slipped one from Sept last yr in it's place as it looked daft with a gap in the bottom.

Doesn't seem to be a great change between April and June (third row down).  Still I have enjoyed it and I will continue with my new location.

This weeks photo theme

Forgot to mention this in yesterday's post!! This week we are going to have a go at a family portrait photo! slightly difficult as two of us are a member down, so Sam's will be a week late and mine will be one I took a couple of weeks ago - possibly, or something.

And now for a very random photo - because I feel random!!  Taken at the 'Take That' come back concert at Wembly in 2009 - absolutely fantastic.

Wkly photo

This week we could choose from decay or documentary or both - in the end I went for decay having found these that didn't make their way out to the guinea pigs - I have now made their way to the compost bin I hasten to add!!  I'll buy the pigs some fresh one's :)

Here are Louise's amazing photos and I mean amazing and here is Sam's wonderful documentary of her daughter's hair.  Thamk you for coming up with such great photos and ideas.

Skywatch Friday (on Sunday!)

So I am already two days late on my second week... not bad eh?  Good excuse though as Friday was spent travelling to Bristol to take Bernadette off to uni - an act that thousands of parents are doing this weekend and many of them will find it as difficult as I have :( , still I know she will be fine and once the course gets going she will love it, we just need to get through the next day or two!

Anyway on to Skywatch Friday, there are two for this week..

 If you look closely on this one you can just make out a rainbow, it didn't come to much more, in fact as I turned away from this the heaven's opened and I mean OPENED!!!  I hate running whilst holding my camera...  doesn't bare thinking about.

Couldn't resist this one last night the clouds with the pinky tops.

Click on the link below to see more skywatch images.

New Monthly Photo

Last Oct I decided to take one photo a month to record the changes over the year, I enjoyed it so much that I have decided to repeat the project but using a different location and taking the photo on the same day each month.  So last Sat I headed over to my chosen spot, a place called Tresillian which is on the main route into Truro and is lined with trees which each year give off a beautiful display of colour.  Admittedly I haven't decided which of the images below I will use, maybe both, who knows!  (the light patch on the right hand side is rain on my lens, which I didn't notice at the time and  my photoshop skills don't stretch to it's removal ..... yet!!) so it is there and I can live with it.

If anyone would like to join me and link up once a month please do, good to see the changes in other parts of the world as well. :)

Weekly photo - food

Food hmmm I have a strange relationship with food in the sense I love to eat it, see it, collect cookery books and watch cookery programmes - but when it comes to cooking it then it just doesn't happen for me.  I would much sooner dig the garden over or watch paint dry.  So getting creative with food and camera didn't work for me this week either as you can see from the following images

 Courgettes sliced ready for tonight's meal AV mode, ss 1/60, f2.8, ISO 200, WB shade, fl 90mm

Last night's tea prior to the cheese sauce going on it - actually turned out nice !!  Auto mode!!, ss 1/60, f4.5, ISO 400, fl 40mm, WB auto! and flash used.

Now these photos are what I call being creative with food. Taken whilst on holiday.  The chefs put on a gala night where they show off their creative skills.  It was amazing.

Water melon

 Chocolate to die for

A fruit boat.  That is ice craved as a fish in the background

Skywatch Friday

I have been thinking of joining Skywatch Friday  for nearly a year now and decided today was the day - shame the sky didn't agree with me - started the day like this and ended like this - dull and miserable :(  Have had to have the headlights on whilst driving all day!!

Polo at Watergate Bay

Last night the annual Polo match/demonstration took place at Watergate Bay, I missed it last year but thanks to hubby (as always) he got me there (on bike to save trying to park) just in time for the start, (6.30pm).  Neither of us had ever seen a game before and didn't really know what to expect - all I knew was that I wanted to photograph it - well try to!  The weather was not the best, blowing a hooly and very, very cloudy and dull - never the less I did my best to remember what settings I would need to use and this is what I came up with.  Admittedly a tripod would of been a big help, as would a lot less wind and sinking into the sand as I stood there!!! 

 TV mode, ss 1/200, f9, expo comp +2/3, ISO 500 (high due to light and need for a faster shutter speed), focal length 140mm, WB cloudy.

 TV mode, ss 1/200, f9, expo comp +2/3, ISO 500 (high due to light and need for a faster shutter speed), focal length 120mm, WB cloudy.

 Finally had a go at panning (missed that week)  TV mode, ss 1/200, f8, expo comp +2/3, ISO 500 (high due to light and need for a faster shutter speed), focal length 80mm, WB cloudy.

TV mode, ss 1/500, f5, expo comp 0, ISO 500 (high due to light and need for a faster shutter speed), focal length 50mm, WB cloudy.

Weekly photo - bokeh

This week we were playing with creating 'bokeh' (The term bokashi (暈かし) is related, meaning intentional blurring or gradation).  I've come up with three images, the first one was taken in the garden this morning, after the night's rain and before the daytime down pour started!!  By using a large aperture and focusing on the flower it has thrown the background out creating 'bokeh' circles.

AV mode, ss 1/250, f2.8, ex comp +2/3, ISO 100, 90mm, WB daylight.

The next two I set up indoors, I chose a figurine and placed it on a table then position some christmas lights on the door behind using live view on the camera I focused on the 'thank you' and tried to create a circle effect with the lights around the figurine.

 Maual mode, ss 1/15, f2.8, ISO 200, 90mm WB tungsten,  for both images.  Put both in as I couldn't decide which I liked best.

Next week we are photographing 'food' mmmm my favourite, this such be interesting!!

Although Louise didn't manage her photos this week she did manage a lovely scrapbooking layout.

Monthly view

A few days late due to blogger playing up by not allowing me post anything lately, but here is the view for August taken in the morning. Will post the one from Australia when I get it.