1: January

Well image number one sorted, not an overly brilliant start to the project but I dare say these characters will make more appearances during the comming year.
Homer is the little one,
Mr Bunny the large one.

A wooden footballing Penguin in Derby City's market square. Somehow with the snow falling on and off it just seemed appropriate. 

Downside the only angle where I could get the sculpture and the ball in position gave an awful background.

I just love the grain on the body of that penguin.

I have a deep interest in the things people don't notice or choose not to see. Half way down King Street is a gap in the shops on one side of the road, next to it is a narrow alley "Bowling Alley" with terraced houses. This gap is what made Belper the town it is, a Railway cutting of 1840. Built right through the middle of the town, to deliver the output of George Strutt's Mill to the world.

Interesting Belper fact: Belper was the first place in the UK to get Gas Lighting in 1820.

In a field not far from where I work in Birmingham there are three horses, I often see them as I drive past at lunch time.  Today I stopped and with permission of the owner got in close for this shot of a "Hungry Horse" tucking into a bale of hay. 

Had to get a bit more creative than is usual (for me anyway) today. Bad weather mean I have to work from home, so no snow images from me. Instead just the opposite, a Thermographic image of my hand.

Nipped out between snow showers today, this is an image of a variegated hebe covered in snow and ice,  my plan was to capture shadow and leaf detail in camera without burning out the snowy highlights.

Once again no crop no Photoshop.

The Parish Church of All Saints Breadsall. The sun setting behind the church made a lovely silhouette against a clear winter sky.

This church has a rebelious history and required extensively restoration in 1915 by Caroe after being set on fire by suffragettes the previous year.

Had a bit of a posing session for our possible easter cards.  Buns were a bit lively so it wasn't quite a smooth as I would have liked.  Still I have time for a reshoot. Here is shot from the end of the session after the beasties had wrecked the set more than once (There were four eggs to start with).

This bunny is named Marge and is another of the household beasties. She is quite a character and crafty with it despite her size. At the point I took this image she was thinking about making a run for it.

My medium format baby, a Mamiya C330 Pro S with it's 80mm lens set, imaged in a darkroom, on black perspex, against a black backdrop. Hence the madness in the title.

This camera is still used regularly, mainly to break the ice with those who are camera shy.

Techy stuff:
Exposure 30sec f1/8 Iso 400
Lighting three manual flashes bounced off of the ceieling from a hand held flashgun with Stofen diffuser.

Today was a typical manic Monday at work, so to chill both mentally and physically I went to see my friend the horse.

It's amazing how far you can get with a few barley rings, and a pat or two on the neck.

My friend the horse in his field of snow, posing on request for the camera.

Not even light snow keeps this regular from our ground feeder.

Techy stuff:
Camera mounted on tripod, fury hat to keep camera insulated, weather cover over hat, 10m cable release. Warm kitchen to hide in.

Dr Beeching's handy work, a relic of the so called "Beeching Axe", the cutting back of the branch line networks throughout the UK in the 1960's.

A deserted length of branch line slowly returning to nature, it's plight highlighted by the snow and mist.

The bridge over the river Cole and it's flood plain at Cole End near Coleshill, Westmidlands. The whole length of this river is a series of nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries.

Ted, yet another of the household beasties. Ted is now fifteen years old and nothing stresses him, not even his recent operation to remove a tumor from his skull, hence his nomdeplume of "Frankenpuss" which was very apt when he had sixteen staple in his scalp! This is Ted being Ted, and not even the clicking of the camera disturbs his nightly routine for long.

Sometimes you end up leaving the planned image for another time.

The River Trent in flood at Willington. Believe it or not the water level looks as if it had fallen a couple of feet by the time I took this (based on a high water line debris) This bridge usually forms the enterance to a small car park for access to Willington Gravel Pits Nature Reserve. But not today!
The reserve is a haven for wildlife in the Trent Valley, and is an important wetland habitat attracting many rare birds in addition to a variety of more common species.

Vehicle light trails on the A38 in Derbyshire.
The image that nearly everyone has had a go at at some time or other.

Techy stuff:
Exposure 30sec f1/8
Iso 100. Tripod, cable release.

Whilst Ted struggles with the controls of his new weapon in the battle for the dining room, the black ninja stealth bunny attacks.

Velvet the ageing stealth bunny (Otter Black Rex). At almost eight years of age she is still as much of a character as she ever was, and is not afraid to come and ask for the odd treat now and then.

Perhaps a bit topical. but this is what I have been reading this evening. The center article on the changing boundaries of photography.

BFP Market Newsletter January 2010.

Electrostatic Globe. My USB powered static globe, black backdrop and a dark room!

Techy stuff:
Exposure 1/4sec f1/11 Iso1000 Canon 40D Manual Mode (Noise reduction on), spot metered, tripod, cable release

The mass photo gathering in support of photographic freedom; Trafalgar Square, 12 Noon, January 23rd 2010.

This event was so far out of my comfort zone, but I had to be there.

See the PHNAT page for more images from this event.

The River Derwent in full flow forming a massive standing wave against the wall of Strutt's North Mill in Belper.

Built in 1804 the mill was the most technically advanced building of its time, incorporating an iron frame and brick arches, to make the building "Fireproof". Considerable thought was given to the individual building components. For instance, iron beams were 'turtle-backed' that is, deeper in the middle where they were under the greatest stress. It also had a warm air central heating system, a school room in the roof space and a goods lift between floors.

Two of my cameras of the 1950's and early 1960's both fully operational.

Yashic J of 1961, 35mm rangefinder camera (Right).

Bilora Bella 66 of 1956, 6x6 images on 120 roll film, still a fun camera to use (Left).

Enough said!

An image of my Canon 40D taken with my Canon 40D!

Homer one of the two Kirkby Rescue bunneis, to be honest I nearly abandoned this project this evening, so this truly is a last minute photograph taken to keep the project going.

Champagne Flute.

A cut glass champagne flute lit from below.

Techy stuff:
Exposure 1/10sec f1/1.4 Iso 1000. Hand held with a very deep breath. Clear perspex sheet, black card with a hole cut in it, black cloth, Elemental 160W Flash Head.

I have often looked at images from the Hubble Space Telescope of deep space clouds and galactic formations and wondered if I could produce something similar.

A Rather persistant Swan that didnt leave until it had trashed the seed bag just to be sure it was empty.

Attenborough Nature Reserve, Beeston, Nott's.

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