New Year, New Challenges

Last year was all about discovering a new and exciting me. About pushing all the boundaries and seeing what sort of person I became. Had a few wobbly moments, but on the whole am very happy with how it all turned out.
Now all I have got to do is decide what to do with the new me!
So I have started off with a few new challenges. First one is another photography challenge. This is through Flickr and is called 52 in 2016. Basically a theme is assigned for every week and you enter a photo fitting that theme. This week has been "reflections" and this is what I entered.

Taken by the canal in Ellesmere and just tweaked a tad in Lightroom.

Next week is "minimalist" and I haven't got a clue at the moment. I think this one is going to be a real voyage of discovery.

2nd challenge is the 1000 miles in 2016 which I mentioned before. I have worked out that I need to walk roughly 20 miles a week to achieve it and at the end of the first week I have walked 26, so a good start. Much of it at Criccieth.

I really want to discover some new places, but before I do, just had to revisit my favourites. Although at Criccieth I was very daring and parked the other side of the Castle! 

It was a beautiful evening just as the sun was setting and it cast gorgeous colours over the water, but I just couldn't get a good photo. If I picked up the colour there was no focal point to the photo and it just looked flat, the main interest was on the other side with the light behind me. This is all still very much trial and error with me, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't although I think the working bits are starting to outweigh the non working ones!

Had a walk to Hell's Mouth too which was as fabulous as usual, and to make it even better, not only was the tide out so far that I could explore previously uncharted territory, but also a couple of surfers came out to play!

3rd Challenge is the resolution to do something daft, outrageous or dangerous every month. I think I have January's covered by signing up for the 1000 miles. Can't get much more daft than that! I have a few ideas for future events, some I need to get a bit of weight off for tho. But suggestions always very welcome.

4th Challenge is the diet. Just got to do it this time, and currently feeling very positive, but we all know how long that usually lasts!

Today's hike took me to Llangollen. The day started off very misty and was quite ethereal and beautiful.

I walked from the weir into town, around town, had coffee and walked back again. I have never seen the river so high and wild. All the areas that you could walk on in the Summer were completely covered with raging water, it was actually quite a scary sight.

So wild, and with the mist still hanging, so beautiful.

Lessons Learned: I am actually enjoying the walking. I have been lucky with the weather and visited some wonderful places, so I think there is a good chance I will keep on with this.

Still can't get used to the idea of not having cake with my coffee. It's just not right!

Diet Diary: The walking does appear to be helping and I have lost 5lb in my first week which I am completely chuffed about. So only another 2 1/2 camera bags to go!

Rambling Record: I am going to keep an account of how far I get each week in case anyone wants to follow my progress. 

So week 1, 25.92 miles - 974.08 to go!

Showing Off

Because I usually have to apologize for things I have done, it makes a nice change to have the opportunity to show off about them!
I recently entered a photograph in a competition in The Observer New Review. It was about sharing pictures on the theme of Heaven.
My immediate thought of my idea of heaven is to be walking down a deserted beach while the elements battled around me, which brought me to one of my surfer pictures that I had always been very pleased with.

The Newspaper people seemed to like it as much as I did as they sent me an e-mail last week saying that it may be printed in today's paper, no guarantees.

So the last 2 days went by very slowly and I was waiting on the doorstep of Tesco as it opened. Found the Observer and flicked through. It may seem churlish but at £2.90 a copy I wasn't going to buy one if I wasn't in it. My hands were shaking and I could barely turn the pages, but there it was on page 38! I may have whooped, I can't honestly remember as it is all a bit of a blur. I do remember walking around Tesco with an inane grin on my face clutching 2 copies of the paper (one to show around, one to stroke).

So here it is.

You are now reading the musings of the terminally unfit, but nationally published, photographer! 

Wild, wet and very windy

So the forecast said gale force winds and heavy rain, so I do what every photographer does and head to the beach. No? Just me then!

To be fair I had been promised 11ft waves but I must have read the forecast wrong as they weren't that. The water at Hell's Mouth was wild certainly but not to that height. And there were no surfers to photograph either.

I have recently bought a rain covering for the camera. It is designed to fit on one that has a much longer lens and also a flash gun, so there was a lot more plastic than I needed, but it seemed that it would work.

So undeterred I got to the beach, attached my new rain mac for the camera and headed for a walk. The rain wasn't heavy but it was being whipped by the wind and felt like needles on my face. There was a lot of spray coming from the sea and before long I was completely soaked. My waterproof boots aren't and neither are my waterproof trousers!

It was so wild and really dramatic but absolutely none of the photos came out which is really disappointing. The one above is of Criccieth a bit later on. The spray made it really misty and it was so windy it was impossible to keep the camera still, so I put it away and just revelled in the experience of being the sole person on a very wild beach in the middle of a storm!

Then I thought that I was already soaked I might as well do my 2 minute beach clean as I couldn't get any wetter! I now always carry a couple of plastic bags and some bbq tongs with me so I can do a clean wherever I am. Its amazing how much you can pick up in a short amount of time. I know my little effort isn't going to make a huge difference but it is so important that we all start to think about taking care of our wonderful coastline.

So I get back to the car park and start to disrobe. The wind is so strong the car is rocking and I am sitting there in little more than a t-shirt and towel and the bag I carefully packed full of spare clothes is sitting on the sofa at home. The car is like a sauna as I am trying so hard to dry my clothes. It doesn't work. There is little worse than putting wet feet into wet boots through wet trousers! I just hoped that no-one would come by as if they see a rocking car, all steamed up with a scantily clad passenger I think that they might jump to erroneous conclusions!

 

On the way back I briefly stopped at Llanbedrog. I had been here over the summer and it is a beautifully sheltered beach. I found that they have moved all the beach huts to the carpark for the winter, and I thought that this would make a nice colourful photograph. I have done very little to the colour here, the surrounding areas were as grey and dismal as they look!

But I didn't want to go home, still had a couple of hours of daylight left! So my final stop a squelch along the front at Criccieth, 

Had a very welcome and warming coffee at Cadwaladers so things seemed to be looking up, but when I went for a walk on the beach and the sea went over my wellies and I found I didn't have a square inch of dry cloth to wipe my camera lens with I decided enough was enough and time to go home for a long hot bath!


Lessons Learned: I have since been taught how to read the forecasts properly. Apparently the wind was too strong and in the wrong direction for high waves, but hopefully I will know better next time.
Take the darned bag with me next time!

Five Beaches

Today I had decided was going to be a beach day. I had the opportunity to have a full day out so could go a bit further. You may have noticed previously that one of my favourite places to go is Hell's Mouth and there were waves of 6-9ft predicted today, so I don't really think there was any doubt where I was going!

When I left home it was windy and raining and it rained practically all the way there and I was starting to get a little concerned. However, just before arriving the sun broke through and sent the clouds away and it turned gorgeous. Still incredibly windy, but dry.

I decided to take my music with me today thinking that ear phones would protect my ears from the extreme winds, which they did. There wasn't a soul around and with the deafening crashing of the waves it seemed like a good opportunity to sing along. There is nothing like being where absolutely no one can hear you to bring out the inner diva. I can recommend Sam Smith, with all that raw emotion, unrequited love and very high notes, you can really let rip!

There is something so very special for me about Hell's Mouth and I'm not really sure what it is. I think possibly because it is so different every time I go and there is something wild and untamed about it. That is something I would love to have been myself!

It has been noted that I may have a slightly unhealthy obsession with surfers. It's possible and there were a couple in the water, but when you see them somewhere like this, its not all Hawaii Five O, the conditions look pretty scary to me, so lets go with admiration rather than obsession.

I decided to head for Pwllheli after this but saw a sign en route pointing to a different beach, so nothing if not adventurous, I detoured. It was a National Trust beach called Llanbedrog and was so different from Hell's Mouth. It was sheltered by a cliff and the water and wind so calm.

But the main beauty of this beach were the huts. A long row of gorgeous brightly coloured little houses.

A photographers dream! I can just imagine sitting on a deckchair with a kettle on a camping stove brewing some tea. 

Next stop Pwllheli and back to wild winds and waves. No pics of those because I think you can only get excited about occasional images of waves before they all start to look the same.

You can walk a long way along the beach to get to the harbour where all the boatyards are. There are some very impressive vessels here and I would love to have a go at sailing. Ooh, another thing for the bucket list!

The wind was still extremely strong and blowing the sand around and it felt like needles hitting my face, so with my hat, sunglasses and scarf pulled up over my nose, I must have looked like I was either Scott of the Antarctic or a soon to be bank robber! It did mean however, that I didn't take as many pics as I would normally for fear of getting sand in the camera, and having only just got Bob back, don't want to be sending him away again so soon.

Heading now to Caernarfon for petrol and journey home, except I get distracted by the sign pointing to Trefor. Been a couple of times before and really like it there. It has a pier which can only be being held together by wishful thinking.

After the winds today, I am surprised its still standing. Back to the music, and Russell Watson this time. With the wind raging and the waves crashing, opera felt a bit more appropriate.! 

Tide was out and so the boats in the harbour made an interesting scene. Haven't done much editing to any of these pictures, just a bit of cropping and colour definition. I think that the more I take, the better I am getting at composing the pic actually in the camera, playing around with exposures and shutter speeds. Still a long way to go, but I am definitely seeing some improvement. Hope you are too.

So last stop of the day, Dinas Dinlle. Another place I had heard of but never been. Being a member of some of the North Wales Facebook groups has introduced me to some wonderful places and I would recommend anyone joining. You don't have to submit your work if you don't want to, but you will probably see some amazing pictures of places you really need to visit.

So a wild and completely amazing day and not only was it great fun and good exercise (7.4miles) but it was also free. Apart of course from the fortune spent in petrol!

Lessons Learned: OK, I may be a tad obsessed with surfers, but the Mantra I live by is "You may be on a diet, but that doesn't mean you can't look at the menu"
Followed swiftly by "Looking is fine, but nibbling may be deemed inappropriate"

Diet Diary: No comment!

Ellesmere Canal

Reunited and it feels so good (anyone under the age of 30 isn't going to get the musical reference, so ask your parents!). Bob is back. He has had to undergo minor surgery to have a lens removed and fix a broken focus panel apparently, but he is recuperating well and had his first outing today.

However, before I start on today's trip, I must tell you about my outing last week. I was still using my little black point and click so decided to go somewhere where I didn't need to take photos. I decided to revisit my favourite way to spend a day. Criccieth for a walk on the beach, 2 minute beach clean and cake at Cadwaladers, then on to Hells Mouth to watch the waves (and if there are surfers, that is a bonus). 

Got to Criccieth and had the obligatory cherry and rhubarb cake then walked along the beach. The tide was out so I was able to walk around the bit of headland jutting out. I actually paddled barefoot and the water was really quite warm. The sun was shining and it was so beautiful there. Got completely lost in my own thoughts. On heading back, I was a bit perturbed to find that the tide had come in and by the time I got to the headland, perturbed had turned to quite alarmed. The water was bum deep and there was no way around it, only through it! So through it I went, holding camera and shoes aloft, hoping that I wouldn't trip and end up completely submerged. Made it through to the other side but was completely drenched, as you would expect after walking through 3ft of water.

However, I was wearing my quick drying shower proof Mountain Warehouse trousers and by heavens, they are good. By the time I had got to the other end of the beach, I was completely dry. Couldn't believe it. So off to Hell's Mouth for a recuperative loiter in the sand dunes watching the abundance of surfers who were there!

Back to today. Its Monday so it must be singing lesson. So a good 45mins to occupy while Maisie sings her heart out!

It has been a dull and overcast evening with occasional showers, but I thought a walk along the canal would be fine. We are so lucky in Ellesmere. We have the beautiful Mere and woodland, plus a fabulous and busy canal with all sorts of interesting things happening around it.

I have done a bit of editing on these photos to add some definition and boost the colours and clarity. 

However, I think the subject matter works well with the more muted colours too.

Many of the canal boats were bright colours and I think I will have to revisit when the sun is out and the light will be better, but for tonight I have gone for "moody" rather than bright.

Only took the camera, no spare lenses or tripod, as with only a limited amount of time, I didn't want to spend it putting up, repositioning and taking down the tripod. Had the ISO at around 400 which gave me an acceptable shutter speed.

After my workshop last weekend, I am trying to look out for the detail in a scene and get in a bit closer. Don't think I am there yet, but possibly heading in the right direction.

I will always welcome comments on my posts or pictures, and I know sometimes it can be impossible to get a comment posted. If that is happening to you, please feel free to e-mail.

I have lived in this area for over 20 years and there are still places that I haven't been to. Today was the first time I had visited the marina and it is a very interesting place with all the canal boats moored, in varying degrees of repair

I've never been on a canal boat either, so maybe that's another thing to add to my bucket list. Not got a lot on there yet, so suggestions welcome.

Lessons Learned:  I really am not safe to be allowed to go out by myself and yet people still let me! 

I will always love the oceans and mountains for a day out, but I really must explore the area around my home a lot more, before they frack it, build on it and generally destroy the charm of Ellesmere.

Criccieth and Hells Mouth

I know that you are probably thinking "doesn't she know how to get anywhere else?" Well there were 2 reasons for heading for Criccieth. Firstly, it was a damp, drizzly and misty morning so I didn't think it safe to go mountain hiking. Secondly, I haven't been able to get out for a few days and Criccieth seems to be my "go to" place when I am in need of a bit of a lift. So off I went.

So after the mandatory coffee and cake at Cadwaladers (Banana and white chocolate today, for a change, Scrumptious) I hit the beach.

On the journey there the clouds had parted and the sun had come out and it was actually glorious and quite warm. So I shed a couple of layers and walked. The tide was really far out and I was able to walk further than I had before. There is a bit of headland jutting out which had always been cut off but I was able to walk around it and found caves! 

I had no idea they were there so had to explore. Its a strange formation and reminded me very much of the old photos you used to get of the circus when they used to make elephants stand with their front legs on the back of the elephant in front. Can you see that? No? Only me then.

Criccieth just keeps getting better and better. The beach on this side is firm and compacted and you can actually park on it, so that is something to investigate for the summer.

The colours in the rocks were completely gorgeous and the beautiful bright weather made them a joy to photograph. No need for a tripod as I could keep my settings tight.


So after a well earned rest (sunbathing, stretched out on the beach, in March!!) I decided to head onwards. Only one place to go for me now, Hells Mouth.

The last surf forecast I had seen hadn't predicted good waves so I wasn't expecting to see anyone there, but things had changed and it seemed like a surfer convention had landed. At one point there were 15 in the water. The waves had picked up and with it being such a beautiful bright day, the colour in the water was glorious.

I kept the camera on manual focus and a very quick shutter speed, this way I had full control of the movement and was able to get some pictures that I was very pleased with.

I stayed probably a couple of hours, just watching and photographing. There was something very special about sitting on a warm, gorgeous but wild beach watching these graceful young men. Thoroughly recommend it for topping up zen levels. 

I stayed there until the sun started to set, spreading a golden glow across all the colours. I used the tripod here and an HD filter just so I could get the sun in the shot.

Another completely amazing day. Can't believe how lucky I was with the weather. 

This last picture has no artistic merit, is not an action shot or particularly good, but I kind of like it. Sorry.

Lessons Learned: I think I could develop a fondness for fit young men in skin tight rubber, and that's without even reading "that book"! 

Hells Mouth

After leaving the Copper Mine (see previous post) I wasn't sure where to go. The weather was still drizzly and very misty so chances are any photos wouldn't turn out great. So, where to go. You know when you just get a real urge to go somewhere despite all reason telling you its a daft idea. No? Just me then?

So ignoring all common sense I headed off to Hell's Mouth on the end of the Llyn Peninsula. Cold, windy and raining. Perfect for a walk on the beach!

Although actually, it had stopped raining by the time I got there and there were a few other people milling about. Some looking decidedly sporty and I realised that I was going to get another chance to photograph some surfers!

Learn from my last mistakes and have shutter speed as short as possible to freeze the action, so upped the ISO to 800 and opened the aperture. Managed to get speeds of over 1/2000 which worked so much better for me.

I used the telephoto lens to get as close as I could, but I have cropped in Lightroom to really bring the surfers up close and I am very pleased how they turned out.

So I had a great afternoon. Shot some surfers, visited one of my favourite places and had a paddle in the sea.

Lessons learned: Paddling in the sea in wellies is one of those wonderful things that we grow out of as adults. Well we shouldn't. It is great fun and relaxing too. Like that other wonderful childhood activity, Colouring In. Try it next time you are stressed! Crayons are cheaper than drugs or alcohol!

Chasing Waves January 2015

A storm was about to hit and the seas were predicted to be rough so Stewart and I decide to go Chasing Waves!

I start off in Abersoch, getting there for sunrise and yes, that did mean a completely ungodly hour to get up in the morning.

Next stop, Hell's Mouth where the waves were expected to be extreme, 10 - 12ft! The sea was a bit wild, but I think someone exaggerated a bit!

So plan B. Porth Ceiriad. And oh Wow, what a place. Here were the extreme waves. Here was nature at her most dangerous. The wind was so strong we could barely stand and the noise from the sea was deafening and I have never had an experience like it!

It was so cold, but I have learned from past experiences that you need layers and plenty of them (3 on my legs and 5 on the rest of me). Top that off with a woolly hat with earflaps and I'm afraid to say that I didn't look at my most glamorous. Its a difficult call when you are on a field trip with a handsome young man. Glamour or warmth? Its probably a sad indication of the time I have reached in my life when warmth won without too much of a struggle.

When looking back at my photos I think I should have used a shorter shutter speed. I got a lot of movement on the camera because of the intense winds. I think I would have got a bit more definition. The tripod kept being blown over so I had to make sure I had a firm grip on the camera at all times.

With reluctance we left Porth Ceiriad and drove to Trefor where there were people surfing. It is very much on my To Do list to take a good photo of a surfer and although I took plenty, none were good. I have never seen anyone surf before and it is fascinating. The patience needed to wait for the right wave, the agility and balance to get up on the board, and then to be able to cruise in on the wave. Incredible stuff. But no, not tempted. Its still freezing cold water and a rubber jumpsuit. Will stick to trying to photograph it.

But what a fantastic day, some amazing locations, great company and some cracking photos!

Lessons Learned: You can't look alluring when you have doubled your body weight in thermal layers, so don't even try.

Hells Mouth December

At the moment, I have 3 favourite places to be. Criccieth beach, Snowdonia and Hell's Mouth. A year ago that list would have read Hobbycraft, Starbucks and bed. How things change.

Hells Mouth is a secluded bay on the tip of the Lleyn Peninsula and it is the place to go for some extreme waves in the right conditions. I had been once before but the waves were calm. It is a gorgeous atmospheric beach and I have yet to see another soul on it in the 3 times I have visited.

However, it's certainly something else there when the waves are high as they were for my next visit. When I emerged from the path from the car park it was another Wow moment. Never seen anything like it. It was like a wall of moving water, absolutely incredible. So I turned left and walked along the beach as far as I could. It wasn't raining but the wind was so strong I could barely stand still. The tripod wasn't much use because of the wind, so I upped the ISO, opened the aperture and had the shutter speed as short as possible. Yet again didn't see another living soul on the beach.

 

I am heading back to do the other side of the beach when I have the brainwave of getting a little closer to try and take a photo along the waves rather than in front. Big mistake. I don't know how I misjudged it so badly but I did and ended up with water up to my knees. I didn't need the whistle as I think my shrieks could be heard in the next county and you certainly won't ever have seen me move so fast! So I compose myself, find somewhere to sit and pour the water out of my boots and wring my socks out and put bare feet back in my boots. Not pleasant at all.

 

             

Decided to do a bit of exploring before I leave and head up and across the sand dunes. Spent a very happy couple of hours just wandering up and down the beach. I think a deserted beach with a wild sea and gale force winds is my new favourite place to be.                

 

By some fluke I had brought a spare pair of jeans with me so thought I would quickly change in the car but when I got back to it, a family of 8 had arrived and were milling around. I know they were probably sightseeing but me without my trousers is probably not what they had in mind so I had to sit in the car, wet, dripping and squelching while they sorted themselves out! You see, this is what happens when I am let out alone! I seem to have to remove more clothing after one of these trips than is entirely appropriate!

Lessons Learned: Always carry a complete change of clothes in the car with you.
Buy wellies.