Photo of the Month: January 2015

Dreich day at Dysart

23rd January 2015, Dysart harbour, Fife

The picturesque harbour at Dysart lies beneath a high wall of natural stone which offers protection from storms. With stone piers and buildings, cobbled surfaces, old sheds and cast iron lamps, it has the ambience of a bygone age. During the winter months many of the small craft line the piers. Soon after arriving today it started to rain. I sheltered as best I could, waiting for the rain to stop, even for a few minutes, but this was more in hope than anything else.  I resisted the urge to pack up and instead set up beside the Harbourmasters House using a small reflector as a makeshift umbrella to keep the lens and filters dry.  The rain has reflected light on both the cobbles and on some of the boats which is why I was reluctant to miss this opportunity as it has given the composition an ambience which would have been lost had it been dry. 

Technical Info:

Taken with a Canon EOS 5D mkII
Zeiss Distagon T* 35/2 ZE lens

EXIF: ISO-100 / 0.5 sec / f/11
Lee filters: 0.6 Hard GND

RAW File converted to TIFF in Canon DPP, developed in Adobe Photoshop CS5 with Topaz Adjust plug-in

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Photo of the Month: August 2014

Slipway, St Monans Harbour

 7th August 2014, St Monans, East Neuk, Fife

I generally avoid photographing coastal scenes in the middle of summer when the sun has just past its zenith and beating down on all and sundry.  I had parked in St Monans to visit the Pittenweem Arts Festival just along the coast.  The tide had just started to ebb with the end of the stone slipway still wet which looked good in 'live view'.  To smooth the water I used a 10-stop ND filter and a Polarising filter helped with the glare. A shaded my lens/filters from the sun using a small pop-up reflector.  It sounds complicated but it only took a few minutes to set up.  To get the look I was wanting I used a Photoshop Plug-in called Topaz Adjust to bring out the textures in the stone and add some contrast.

Technical Info:

Taken with a Canon EOS 5D mkII
Zeiss Distagon T* 21/2.8 ZE lens

EXIF: ISO-100 / 30 sec / f/11
Filters: Lee Big Stopper (10-stop ND); B&W Polariser
RAW File converted to TIFF in Canon DPP, developed in AdobePhotoshop CS5 and Topaz Adjust.

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Photo of the Month: May 2014

Pittenweem harbour, East Neuk, Fife

18th May 2014, Pittenweem, East Neuk, Fife

Pittenweem harbour in the East Neuk. It has the largest fleet of commercial fishing boats in Fife as well as a fish market and some of the oldest buildings in the East Neuk.  I have spent many hours here photographing along the quayside.  On this particular evening the inner harbour was like a millpond as the sun was setting on a brooding sky. A graduated neutral density filter added some definition to the sky and the final image was created by stitching together two overlapping frames. 

Technical Info:

Taken with a Canon EOS 5D mkII
Zeiss Distagon T* 21/2.8 ZE lens

EXIF: ISO-100 / 2.5 sec @ f/11  x 2 frames, stitched

Lee filters: 0.6 Soft GND

RAW File converted to TIFF in Canon DPP, developed in Adobe PSE9

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Photo of the Month: January 2014

The Watcher, Pettycur Harbour, Fife

8th January 2014, Pettycur Harbour, Fife.

Pettycur, on a headland south of Kinghorn, has a harbour for both pleasure craft and small fishing boats.  It has a single stone pier which provides a haven to moor boats in the sandy and tidal Pettycur Bay.  The pier is lined with sheds and workshops, lovingly cared for by their owners.  One is a smokery and another sells fresh crab.  Staircases lead from the pier down to the boats moored in the bay and there are creels and fishing gear at the far end of the pier. When I arrived it was raining quite heavily. When the rain moved away I made my way down the sand to the boats which were beached at the far end of the pier.  They were lying at all angles. The sun set and an incoming tide soon covered the sand. I was concentrating so much on one boat, Island Lass, that I didn't notice the figure standing on the pier until after I had pressed the remote release. 10 seconds later the shutter closed and he hadn't moved. Perfect.

 

Technical Info:

Taken with a Canon EOS 5D mkII
Zeiss Distagon T* 21/2.8 ZE lens

EXIF: ISO-100 / 10 sec @ f/11, 20 sec @ f/11, blended
Lee filters: 0.6 Hard GND

RAW File converted to TIFF in Canon DPP, developed in Adobe PSE9

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Photo of the Month: April 2013

Buoy Racers, Aberdour Boat Club, Fife

30th April 2013, Aberdour Boat Club, Fife. 

The tide was retreating rapidly when I arrived.  Being a Spring low-tide it more or less drained the harbour of water as I wandered amongst the small craft.  The tidal range is quite significant.  I was quite a distance from the rear of the harbour when I took this, with the majority of small craft being behind me.  I waited for the sun to set, for the sky to 'cool' down and used the reflections off the stony harbour basin to create a very contrasty scene with deep hues and dark shadows.  The yellow buoy and the snaking cable lead the eye perfectly.  

Technical Info:

Taken with a Canon EOS 5D mkII
Zeiss Distagon T* 21/2.8 ZE lens

EXIF: ISO-100 / 3 sec / f/13
Lee filters: 0.6 Soft GND

RAW File converted to TIFF in Canon DPP, developed in Adobe PSE9

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