2013 365 31

Ah week 31, my old friend, how are you? It seems (and I've checked) that at about the same point in last year's 365 project I ran out of steam and struggled for motivation. Then shortly afterwards, things picked up again. Lesson learned. Last weeks update was a couple of days late due to apathy; this week's update is late due to having too much to do. Shouldn't complain really.

29/07/13

I've taken this photo before - that's how low my creativity is this week. It's a bird. On a bird feeder. Big deal.

30/07/13

I know the photo makes this look huge, but it's a resin cast of my youngest daughter's hand. We came across a moulding kit (dirt cheap), took it home and tried it out. It was quite interesting and a lot of fun, although not for the wee monkey who had to hold her hand in a tub full of rubbery jelly for 15 minutes to form the mould. Next job is to finely sand down the rough bits and then figure out what we're going to do with it. And what other body parts we can make casts of with the remainder of our supplies.

31/07/13

Ok, so this is bit out of focus but it represents something really exciting in my house - a dinner made using mainly ingredients from the garden and greenhouse. I am awash with the tastiest baby courgettes, shallots and garlic at the moment and these were picked and made into a rather nice pasta sauce.

1/08/13

I was reflecting about last year's 365 project earlier and recall that I spent many shots and updates on the progress of my cucumber plants. Which ultimately failed to deliver a single cucumber. This year, the courgettes have been a big success with three very study and bushy plants producing loads of fruit. The flowers are amazing and I think they are edible too, but I haven't tried one yet.

2/08/13

......mind you, if the courgettes are a success, then the tomatoes must be the biggest disappointment. There are lots of little green tomatoes but nothing that remotely looks like it's going to turn red any time soon. Given the care, attention and love I'm lavishing on them, you think they'd have the decency to hurry up.

03/08/13

The relocation of the Open House Festival to Bangor was a bit strange in my opinion but any reservations about this were kicked into touch after tonight. Local band Farriers played in the amazing setting of Bangor Abbey, accompanied by the wonderful Arco String Quarter. I'll point out that sitting on a wooden church pew for two hours was not the kindest thing I've ever subjected my bottom to, but it was worth it. The band did suggest bringing a cushion with you - I declined. I was wrong. Only took a couple of shots, the main reason being I was enjoying the band too much. That's a compliment to them - they were that good.

3/08/13

I was out wandering about Belfast this morning, primarily to try a few shots of buildings with the new fisheye lens I'd picked up. Thus far I had managed to avoid any contact with the World Police and Fire Games being held here at the moment, and which appears to have turned Belfast into the biggest annual convention for Unformed Dating known to mankind. Anyway, as I walked along the Lagan I was rudely interrupted by the final of the dragon boat race. Swiftly swapping my fisheye for a longer lens, I rattled off a few shots, f which this turned out to be the best.

2013 365-9

And they're off, racing into week nine of this 365 project like there's no tomorrow. Ok - maybe not. It's been a bit slow this week. although I am still in remarkably good form.

25/02/13

200m lens, tripod and cable release set up in the back garden today to see what I could get in terms of the birds coming to visit my bird feeder. Just the usual suspects I'm afraid but nice to look at anyway.

26/02/13

Bunch of flowers, window, moon rising behind. A reminder of a very pleasant evening with some truly nice people.

27/02/13

When I picked Sarah up from school this afternoon, I found that the school playground hand been ringed by thousands of pennies arranged in a neat line. The P7 pupils were doing this as a charity fundraising event. Small but mighty. 

28/02/13

This was taken tonight using a maglite torch suspended from the cross piece of a backdrop stand. The room was blacked out and the camera was set on the ground with a wide angle lens (about 24mm) attached. I used bulb mode, f22, ISO 100 and shutter speeds of around 60-90 seconds. The light trails produced by this were then layered in photoshop with a coloured gradient to produce the final picture. Very spirograph, for those old enough to remember spirographs.

1/03/13

Spring is in the air. Longer days, warmer weather and the first of March. This was a little snowdrop from Stormont estate this afternoon.

2/03/13

Simply Sarah, hanging upside down from monkey bars in the park. Turned upside down of course.

3/03/13

Sunday morning routine. Ironing my shirts while listening to Sunday Sequence on Radio Ulster with William Crawley. I enjoy the strange combination of repetitive activity and philosophical discussion coupled with coffee and smokes. Please don't judge me on the basis of my shirts - they cheer me up when I'm feeling down.