A recent visit to Castle Espie produced these photographs of swans. Iv’e made half hearted attempts to photograph the swans before but they or the light never really cooperated and there was no urgency on my part as they are nearly always there and I knew that sometime in the future things would come together for me. This time I spotted some taking it easy, it was a nice bright day and so I took some photographs. As luck would have it as I finished off and started to walk away I heard wings flapping and one came gracefully into land. I brought the camera up but wasn’t quick enough to get the actual landing. My fault – I should’ve been paying attention to what was going on around me. A lesson learned!
I’ve written previously about NIK editing software and tried a trial for two weeks. I was generally impressed but moved on to other things and didn’t buy it – well not yet anyhow. I’m now looking at Topaz software. Both suits are broadly similar and and anyone looking at one would certainly consider the other. Either would probably suit me fine. Cost wise NIK is ahead at £95 for the complete suite while with Topaz the complete suite is priced at $469.99 at time of writing, but you only need buy the programs you require. I bought Topaz Black & White Effects a few years ago and use it frequently. Topaz frequently issue offers, reducing the cost, while with the NIK software there seems to be no discount available or if there is it’s not obvious.
It must also be said that similar effects to those obtainable in the NIK or Topaz suites can be obtained using Lightroom, Photoshop or other imaging software, given you have the knowledge and time.
The images below were prepared using Topaz ReStyle while I giving it a very quick run through. There are over a thousand effects and these can be tweaked individually, so lots of options and I’ve barely scratched the surface as yet.
Once or twice a month I meet an old friend in Bangor for breakfast. We used to meet in the evenings and drink too much Guinness but as we’ve got older and a little more sensible (I was going to say wiser but thought better of it) we meet for breakfast. Afterwards we go a walk along the front towards Pickie. For those who don’t know Bangor, Pickie is a play area for children with a pool and swan pedal boats, an ice cream shop, play area, mini train rides and more and it overlooks the marina.
On our latest meet to eat it was a glorious sunny day and as always I had my little Sony RX100 camera.
The windows in Post office building in Tomb Street, Belfast are reflective and depending on the time of day and the light can present scope for interesting images. Sometimes when viewed from the Lagan Weir footbridge the shipyard cranes, Samson and Goliath, are reflected in the glass, although this also depends on the position of the cranes as well as the time of day and light.
The first image below shows the Custom House and the building known as The Boat reflected in the glass. I spent some time changing position and angles but couldn’t get it quite right. This image was about the best, made that bit more interesting by the people walking by. Shortly after this photograph I realised how cold it was in the shadows of surrounding buildings and went for a walk to warm up
Click on an image to enlarge.
Reflections
It was fortunate that I didn’t plan photographs from the Lagan Weir Footbridge as it was closed. I think I read that it was being replaced by a newer, better, bigger five million pound bridge.
Lagan Weir Footbridge
I used to take photographs of The Big Fish every time I walked past. I don’t do this any more but decided I would do it today. I’m always tempted to clone out those distracting lamps behind it but I never have.
Big Fish
Belfast street signs have the name of the quarter they are in along with the quarter symbol. Some are now a bit battered and when I see a good one I photograph it. Should I have cloned out the plastic fork and cigarette butt?
I made my first visit of 2015 to Castle Espie today and I’ve included some photographs. I was reluctant to include a further post on castle Espie, making two in a row, but as the previous post included older photographs while these are fresh today I thought I’d chance it.
I would normally use a long lens for shooting wildfowl but today all these images were taken using a 17-40mm lens. The aim was to get as close as possible to the birds with the wide angle zoom so that while the bird appears large to the fore of the frame, much of the surrounding environment is also included. The birds at Castle Espie are relatively tame (they will take food from your hand) but they weren’t completely comfortable with someone clutching a bag full of cameras getting too close so the images aren’t as dramatic as I had hoped. I think next time I’ll put the camera on a tripod and use a remote.
