Cambridge Botanical Gardens in Winter

The Botanical Gardens in Cambridge are not large, but they look beautiful, even in winter.  And the glasshouses are (mostly) warm on a cold winter's day.  All pictures taken with Olympus E-3 and 12-60 lens.

Grass reaching for the sun

HDR (mk 2) treatment of gardens

Powder Puff plant

A bookcase set into the glasshouse wall

The vent mechanism in the Alpine House

Into the Blue

Today was my first day back at work, for various reasons, and my first flight for 3 weeks.  It was a gorgeous day, with blue sky and little cloud – no sign of the cold front which would arrive in the afternoon bringing a polar maritime air flow . . .

Here is my cockpit as I climb through 2,000 feet at 80 knots heading north.

Clear Ahead

New Hood for my Lumix 20/1.7 and GF-1

This is the new hood for my Lumix 20/1.7.  It means that I can use my pancake lens as a pancake lens again; although I do like my Leica-like hood (the "vented" type), this will allow me to carry my GF-1 in smaller bags or pockets.  I bought the hood from Japan Exposures, and it arrived very quickly (less than 10 days' time, over Christmas!).

Well done, Japan Exposures.

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Dome Hood from Japan Exposures

Effects in LightZone

I use Apple's Aperture for processing almost all my images, but I own Pixelmator and LightZone.  I've just checked to see if Pixelmator will open my .CR2 files from the new G12, but no luck.  However, LightZone will show them in the browser window, at least.

But when I open the full file I get wacky colours, as if a slide had been cross-processed in negative film chemicals; it looks interesting, but unpredictable.

So, still with LightZone, I opened the .JPG file of the same image (I'm shooting RAW with JPG while I wait for the RAW files to be readable with proprietary applications like Aperture) and used a bit of mono conversion and Palladian Gold tint; this is how it turned out, and I like it.

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The Lodge on Croxton Park

G12 Images of Autumn

Well, I took the rather lovely Nikon P7000 back to the shop; it had been the demo model so there was no problem from the shop (Digital Depot, in Stevenage).  No, the problem was between me and the P7000: it was too slow.  I like, sometimes, to take a shot followed by another to improve the scene, as it were.  It's impossible to do that with anything that's moving with the P7000 as it takes so long to write RAW files to the card – about 5 secs.

Whereas the G12 takes a second or less.  So I bought the Canon Powershot.

I had a G5, years ago, then a secondhand G7, so I am familiar with and like the shape and functionality of the G12.  It is pretty speedy, has a decent display and an articulated monitor.  I'm not a great user of articulated monitors; I have an Olympus E-3 on which I use it but it takes me ages to level the camera when the monitor is at an angle.  But the G12 has a little level gizmo available on the display; hurrah!

And today, despite a hacking cough and rather debilitating cold, I managed to get out in the sunshine and get a few shots of autumn trees.

Wood near Waresley

The Lodge on Croxton Park

Woods on Croxton

Gate and Leaf, Croxton

I took each of these photos with the G12 and processed the jpgs in Aperture.  The RAW files are not yet readable in Aperture; I normally have to wait a month or 2 after the first sales of a camera to be able to do that.

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The Nikon CoolPix P7000

I have a new toy tool.  This is a shot taken with my brand-new Nikon P7000 "compact" camera.  I hesitate to describe it as compact as it's larger than my Panasonic GF-1, well taller, but not as wide or as deep.

So it is compact, I suppose.

I took it out for a run in the sunset this evening; here is a shot of an ancient driveway to an old estate around where I live.  The RAW files are not yet readable with Aperture, so I have just taken the camera's JPEG file and plonked it here.

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Tetworth Estate

Ford and Packhorse Bridge

This is the ford and packhorse bridge in Sutton, near Potton. I had already washed my car, but fords would be used for washing vehicles in times gone by.

The sign beyond the bridge cautions drivers, "Try your brakes".

Chris

Ford and Packhorse Bridge in Sutton

GF-1 as a Point and Shoot

These party photos were taken with the Panasonic GF-1 and 20/1.7 lens. The lighting was from the built-in flash and the ISO was set to Auto (with 1600 limit), but it the shots below were either 160 or 200. The focus time was extended at times, but I realised later that I had left the focus assist off.  I left the White Balance at Auto.

Smart Pilatus, again

That's only a weather radar on the starboard wing. The engine, apparently, is a PT6, developing 1600shp. The aircraft can do 270kts (indicated, presumably) at FL280.

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Smart Pilatus

This PC12 diverted to Wyton on Saturday 6 Feb 10. I had had to land pretty smartly in my Tutor as the cloud rolled in from the north at around 300ft, and this Pilatus PC12 had had to divert from it destination, Cambridge, a few miles to the southwest of Wyton. Since I was in a light aircraft, the manoeuvre to dart through a break in the cloud was simple, but this chap was carrying pax! I spoke to the pilot later and he said that he enjoyed that sort of manoeuvre.

I do like the paint scheme on this PC12; I gather that OY-TWO is owned by a Danish train parts company.  I took this photo with my Olympus E-420 and 40-150 Digital Zuiko lens.

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Cambridge Buskers

Went to Cambridge yesterday, to buy some jeans. Wandered in Petty Cury and found the music all over the place. This was a great jazz quartet, with an affectionate audience.

Blowing that harp.

With a keen audience.

Restrictions on Photographers – Petition to Downing Street

I had not realised until just now that there are new laws restricting photographers from taking photographs:

"On the 16th of February, the Government passed a law (in the Counter Terrorism Act) making it illegal to take a photograph of a police office, military personnel or member of the intelligence services - or a photograph which 'may be of use for terrorism'. This definition is vague at best, and open to interpretation by the police - who under Home Secretary guidelines can "restrict photography in public places".

We call for these vague restrictions to be lifted, as they can easily be mis-used by the police."

You can add your name to this petition by going to the Downing Street website.

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11 Course Hawk – 1977

 The first Hawk course at RAF Valley in 1977.  I'm the only one still serving: Graham died in a Hawk accident at Bratislava in 1999, whereas Tim is now an airline pilot as far as I know.  The backdrop is the fireplace in an anteroom of the Officers' Mess at RAF Valley.

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First Fast Jet

1977 was a good year. I was 23, I had started the Advanced Fast Jet Course at RAF Valley (Anglesey, Wales) and I was on the first Hawk Course. Here I am being congratulated by my Boss on my First Solo in the Hawk. The flight consisted of a takeoff, and circumnavigation of the island of Anglesey before flying circuits at Valley. Since this was a speedy little machine, I got it up to 550kts (the highest the airspeed indicator would go!) by the time I got to the Menai Straits. The circuit of the island didn't take long.

I was the first ab-initio student pilot to fly it solo (the luck of the draw as there were only 3 students on that first course).

Halcyon days!

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Pheasant Visitor

This fine specimen visited our garden today, availing himself of the dry soil to give himself a dust bath. He took little notice of the humans working in reasonably close proximity.

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Photo taken with Olympus E-3 and 50-200 lens.

Gooseherd

This gooseherd has taken a book to read during his lunch hour.  But he has no spectacles and had to put his face close to the page to read; meanwhile his geese were happy to stay close to him.

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Roof in Wernigerode

The roofs in Germany are very attractive, even on new buildings.  But the old part of Wernigerode is particularly worth a look up. 

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Wernigerode

We spent a few days in the lovely town of Wernigerode, in the Harz Mountains and formerly in East Germany.  We stayed in the excellent Hotel am Anger, on Breit Strasse, and toured the area, including the lovely railway (below).  Here are a couple of shots of the Brunnen in the centre of the town.

Speed

I normally take realistic photos, but I rather like the effect of this one.  I was on the footplate of the steam train running through a dark forest in the Harz Mountains, on the way up to Brocken, when I snapped this shot of the trees going past.

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Old-style Railway Station

The train, before the whistle.  You can see that it's not that large by the station attendant talking to the driver.

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