Memories from Dorset - *lots* of images

H

Hoodi

Guest
Here's some of my photos from the 2 days of the Dorset meet. A few of these are a rush job and could do with a tad more work, so will update accordingly. I also shot a fair bit of film, so I'll have to get that processed and will endeavour to get some sort of scans done :)
Really cracking to meet the lot of you. Over the course of the two days the following were about :
Gandhi
Milou
Minimeeze
Forbidden Biker
Matt

And what a fantastic bunch of guys (n' gal!) you lot are. A lovely bunch, I'd certainly jump at the chance to do anything similar with any of you.

Oh, just for the record - if Gandhi ever makes out that he'll organise a meet in the future, beware. His organasational skills are non existent. Even if he says otherwise.

Onto some photos! They're hopefully in pretty much chronological order.

#1 Descending down to the beach at Kimmeridge for a bit of a wander
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#2 We were walking along the rocks when this chap comes past with a pack of border collies running alongside him. Certainly a sight to see. They were well trained, too - one whistle and they'd all skid to a halt and lay down, another and they'd be darting off again - ace!
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#3 IR shot from the other side of the bay
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#4 What I'm guessing is an old WW2 firing // lookout bunker. Now boarded up and full of rocks, it still stands strong despite the harsh elements.
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#5 Looking back down across the bay, you can just about see the scaffolded folley on the headland.
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#6 Just before the sun slips away. It was a beautiful sunrise - ideal for us!
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#7 Although we were relatively untouched by rain, there was certainly plenty of it about - we could see constant storms not too far out at sea.
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#8
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#9 Long exposures are par for the course in post-sunset conditions, and although I do feel they offer the best shots here, stopping the action can be interesting too.
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#10 But everyone likes a misty shot too :D
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#11 The last of my shots from Kimmeridge. The rocks there are so fantastic - battered by the elements but with extremely interesting textures, and some wonderful warm colours too. The tide was in for our visit, but I'd love to go back when the tide's out.
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#12 After food & a sleep we got up at silly o clock to shoot the sunrise, now in Swanage. I don't really have anything to show for the sunrise as I shot almost exlcusively film - so hopefully something later. Here's some old machinery I found on the shoreline, though. The white object is a buoy, which was chained to it - so perhaps the machinery was being used to anchor the buoy, and somewhere along the line has ended up washed ashore.
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#13 After heading back to the B&B for brekkie we met up with Matt and shot a bit more in the area. The pier at Swanage is a beutiful, simple wooden affair. Well worth the 40p it costs to take a stoll on it. This is what we could only guess to be the old pier.
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#14 Trippy pier shot. It was raining on and off, which was giving some nice reflections from the pier wood. Matt, Gandhi Forbidden Biker & I took shelter, mini didn't. Mini got wet. Ker-azee hair ensued.
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#15 The pier is adorned with lots & lots of seating. We were there out of season and still fairly early, so it was relatively quiet. I've no idea what's going on with the right hand lampost in this one - maybe it was really askew!
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#15 Shelter from the rain, right at the end of the pier.
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#16 From Swanage we headed over to a long national heritage beach - the name of which I don't recall. It was pretty in a simple, idlyllic sort of way, but it was also rather busy.. And not brimming with photographic opportunity. So we didn't stay long. The water lapping the shore was full with a reddy / orangey seaweed - I found this in the sand, the mark of a past adventurer.
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#17 Sheltered by sand dunes, many beach huts lined the shore. These weren't your usual huts - bright colours & ice creams, these were altogethor more reserved.
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#18
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#19 For the sunset of the Sunday we headed to one of Gandhi's haunts, Durdle Door. It was so windy descending to the bay, and even once we got down there. After the trek down, the shingle on the beach was also pretty hard going - so we never ventured very far. The rocks here were quite soft, porous & had all kinds of interesting seams & mineral deposits - all of which made the shingle an interesting variety of colours.
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#20 Rocks a short ways out at sea broke the rough waves in one of the two coves we visited here, so the waves were interesting, but decidedly tame in comparison to what was around the corner.
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#21 Heading around to the actual "Door" the weather was harshest. With little to break the waves here the sea was eating away at the shingle beach. As it sucked away vast volumes of the shingle the waves created something of a precipice, over which the odd wave would shoot, throwing shingle with it. Realising that this could produce an interesting shot, I staked out a suitable position and started to wait & shoot - problem was that there was so much spray headed my way that the front lens element was constantly getting plastered with it, and OOF blobs aren't much fun! So I was stood there with a cloth sheilding the front of the lens, and then whipping it away and firing the shutter when I thought a wave was going to break over.. And frantically wiping the lens and doing it all again when I missed the shot. Eventually I got what I was after - just a shame the sky was so bland!
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#22 The sunset ended up being something of a non starter. But the light was interesting and the scenery even moreso. This was my last shot of the trip, after which we nabbed some quick food and then began the trek home..
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Wow!

If I had to pick three, they'd be #6, #8 and #13, but they're all great. Looking forward to your film scans.

Thanks for sharing (y)

(PS Interesting you should make the point about Mini getting wet. Again. ;))
 
Cheers sir.
hohoho @ mini - she did get quite damp, too.

Re-reading this I've realised my SPG is pretty dire, but I'm tired now - so I'll sort it out tommorow :)
 
Some fantastic shots there, Hoodi. Glad you all had a good time.

PS....When the sun goes down...it's generally called a sunset not a sunrise!! (No.6) ;)
 
I think they were there all day from reading through that.

This takes me back to the 'what do you struggle with' thread - I wouldn't have seen half of those!

Excellent shots.
 
:agree:

One of the best set of images I've seen on this forum - superbly caught, and a really diverse mix - I especially love the mono treatments - 13, 14 and the two 15's are fantastic.

This is what I need to do - get out there for a day and shoot!!!

I'm very impressed!
 
Excellent set there - love the shots of storms off shore, and all the rest (y)
 
HOT :banana: !!

This lot are stunning. I'm in awe.... all that lot in 2 days ... and post processed

:notworthy:
 
rwotton said:
Fantastic photo's.

Wish I had been there :crying:
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We're gonna have to do it again that’s for sure...and soon. (y)

--

Fantastic shots Hoodi, some of them really quite special, too many to list. ;)

The beach shot of the tree worked a treat too, better in B&W I should think. Nice shot well worked out...as are all of them.

You inspire me mate.
 
WOW! :notworthy:

This is such a stunning set ... I am truly in awe!
Your composition & processing is spot-on in each image.
If I could come home with just one landscape pic that looked like any of those, Id be dancing on the table for a week!
Hard to choose a fave as I keep coming back to them and changing my mind but I think Ill try & settle on ... 1,8,13, & 15 ... beautiful work!
 
I will just add my praise to those from the others. Lighting was probably not ideal yet you have captured some lovely images and a couple of downright stunners. The IR effect is great and makes me think I should have my old 20D converted.

Can't wait to see the film ones now! Well done! :clap: (y)
 
InaGlo said:
*snip* If I could come home with just one landscape pic that looked like any of those, Id be dancing on the table for a week!
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I had you down as a several-glasses-of-wine-and-a-few-beers kinda girl before that would happen!
 
top stuff mate, nothing like a weekend by the sea, some great landscapes there...liking the mono's too. something about 17 + 18...what method did you use to convert?
 
A fantastic set hoodi, which I have really enjoyed looking at, TFS :notworthy:
 
Excellent! Some very atmospheric shots there Hoodi.

Mike
 
Sensational! Too many good ones to list a favourite.
 
Absolutely stunning set of shots there Hoodi :notworthy:
I'd be interested in learning how you processed them..... they make my shots look like crappy snapshots :(
 
What no HDR? ;) Lovely set mate. Really jealous of the landscapes down there. Faves are 10, 11, 15 (cloud just ruins the perfect symmetry of the shot), 18 is just perfect.
 
nice set, really nice set :)
 
Superb...all of 'em :clap:
 
Gosh, what a lot of comments! Thanks to all of you!
shiato storm said:
something about 17 + 18...what method did you use to convert?
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Channel mixer & then I mucked about with the individual colour curves - which is something I'm trying to get more and more to grips with. Bit of guassian blur on those, too.

minimeeze said:
I'd be interested in learning how you processed them..... they make my shots look like crappy snapshots :(
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Tough to say, as they all kinda have their own very individual processing - I try to decide roughly what I want the shot to look like when shooting, and then really nail an image in my head before I start processing - then work at getting it as close to that as I can.
That said, the majority of adjustments are curves & levels adjustment layers, and then tweaking the layer masks to suit the parts of the image I feel need more // less adjustment. Colour casts such as the cool blue of #22 are acheived in-camera, I naff about with the WB (I know I can change it with RAW, but I prefer to nail it on site!).
You should definitely post your stuff though - by showing it and taking on board suggestions (if required!) you can only get better :)

petemc said:
What no HDR? ;) Lovely set mate. Really jealous of the landscapes down there. Faves are 10, 11, 15 (cloud just ruins the perfect symmetry of the shot), 18 is just perfect.
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HDR? No ta :LOL:
#4, #17 & #18 are composite images of two seperate exposures tho' !

Clouds do indeed muck up the two #15's (wtf is going on there? I can't count!). I'm getting out of practice (or cocky & lazy) with the old IR, and wasn't checking the LCD as much as I should have been! It's also much tougher to look at the D70 LCD now that I mostly use the D200's much better LCD.

HIMUPNORTH said:
The IR effect is great and makes me think I should have my old 20D converted.
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As long as you don't need the second body for anything, I'd say go for it. I'm loathe to actually convert my D70 as it sits as a backup body for jobs and / or dual body shooting. You could potentially get some amazing IR shots from your perch in the sky, but the long exposures associated with unconverted bodies on all but the brightest of days is somewhat prohibitive. Not an issue with a converted body!
 
I will just echo the above - superb.

11, 15 and 18 do it for me.
 
Great series Hoodi. A lot of excellent shots.....13's probably my pick of the bunch.
 
Excellent stuff matey especially the long exposures and the Swanage pier set.
 
The more I view 'em, the more I think the 10th and 11th are my absolute faves if forced to pick a couple from the "Kimmeridge set" - energy in the light over an abyss. Wished I'd moved further round now!
 
lovely hoodi, the lot of them. very impressed.

i'm back in cardiff in 2 weeks if you fancy some winter landscapes?
 
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