Spoilt for choice at the opticians recently, getting new specs. As usual I have a camera with me – not just the smartphone – but small enough to be reasonably inconspicuous! And they kindly allowed me to shoot the displays while I waited. The array of frames is quite dazzling, and I was indeed spoilt for choice. Should it be big, bright and bold? Or maybe rimless – how about Harry Potter completely round and owl-like? I caught my reflection here in the full length mirror, surrounded by just some of the choices. Shot with the Lensbaby Sweet 50 optic, which gives an in-camera fly-away effect to the shot. On Flickr you can find my Album of Sweet 50 photos and more about the Lensbaby if you feel like exploring an interesting way of looking at photography.
I live with notebooks even now – memory is not what it was, so any and all means to keep me on track!
I do try! Try to live the paperless life! I’ve got an excellent list-making app on my smartphone and on my laptop too. And they sync for added convenience. I’ve got Notes apps too. But I keep returning to my first love – actual paper notebooks! Oh … and Post-It notes as well I just love having real paper, and yes! a fountain pen too. I so enjoy discovering a new notebook – my latest find is Conceptum. A6 size and a pen loop for my favourite fountain pen. Purple ink this year. I stick in cut-out images, ideas, poetry and quotes I’ve picked up and enjoyed. I try to make it attractive, so I can enjoy it visually as well. Maybe I am just being old-fashioned and out-of-date? But this seems to be one battle that technology just can’t win – at least not with me ;o)
First outing for the Lensbaby Twist 60, shooting the loch-side walk at Fyvie Castle
The kind of place you just want to sit and watch the world go by! The rhododendrons are still blooming at Fyvie Castle. Too good to miss the chance to enjoy them! And a chance to try out my latest Lensbaby optic, the Twist 60.
We’ve had a small wooden ranch-style fence in the garden for years – and this year we have replaced it. Work completed yesterday, and the smell of new wood, and wood shavings, fills the garden! I’ve planted clematis to grow up and over the fence, but at the moment it is bare, pale wood. I wanted to celebrate the new fence, so I took some rhododendrons from the front garden to adorn it. Shot with the Sony A77ii and the Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro.
A white rose with raindrops. Shot with the Lensbaby Edge 80 optic on the Sony NEX-6
A simple single white rose, shot against a black velvet cloth. I used the Lensbaby Edge 80 optic, which means shooting in Manual Mode. This optic is a favourite of mine, as it can produce amazing clarity and detail. I’ve written more about it here And ‘Flying Solo is all about using full Manual Mode on your camera.
Pink geranium flowers. Sweet 50 with 16mm macro converter
Thinking of summer as the flowers start to bloom. A pink geranium that we grew in a pot, close to the porch so it could get the sun and be sheltered from the winds. It rewarded us with beautiful flowers. Shot here with the Lensbaby, which is one of my favourite range of optics. The Sweet 50 optic gives a sharp focus point called the “sweet spot” and a gentle blur surrounding that spot. There’s a whole series of articles here on the Lensbaby optic system On Flickr you can find my Album of Sweet 50 photos
… the rain has gone” Last summer (2018) we had a long hot dry three months. The impact was felt all over the crop growing area of the N E of Scotland, where a great deal of the local barley crop was stunted and shrivelled. Personally it was our garden we struggled to save, taking every drop of usable water out to help the plants survive. In the cool of the evening we could be found with hosepipe watering cans … and of course with cameras too! My favourite for catching the water droplets on the plants was an old Russian Helios 44-2 lens that I found in the back of a cupboard. The lens is frozen at F2.8 but it is such a delight! Serendipity, on Flickr tells more of that story. So here is the original shot I took of the late light catching the leaves on a miniature acer
Raindrops on miniature acer in colour. Helios 44-2 lens at F2.8
The slanting light, the water droplets on the leaves, and the light yellow of the entire bush – they are all there. But how will it change if I take away the colour, and transform it into B+W?
Raindrops on miniature acer in B+W. Helios 44-2 lens at F2.8
I did crop the right side of the image, which brings the leaves and the water droplets closer. But the overall effect of the change, for me, is to draw the eye more immediately to the sun falling on those leaves in the foreground, and to emphasise the cast shadow in the bottom right corner. There is more light and shadow, and more sense of the sun touching the leaves in the foreground. I feel that both versions are equally strong, and complement each other very well.
