Hi all,
If you have been looking at this blog please not I have put together a new website and incorporated a blog page within this. I did this as I updated the site using Wordpress and it just makes sense to keep everything on the same site. So head over to my website and you will see the link to my blog
www.leepellingphotography.co.uk
www.leepellingphotography.co.uk/blog
I hope to be able to import all my blog posts and data using a import utility bit I haven't tried this as yet.
Again look forward to your comments about the site what you like what you don't like , thanks for looking
Lee
My Web | My Twitter | My Facebook | My Flickr
Sunday, 12 May 2013
Saturday, 4 May 2013
Kings Wood
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| Kings Wood |
Directions
King's Wood lies between the M2 and M20 near Challock in Kent.
OS Grid Reference: TR 027 499
Directions by car: From the M2 take the A251 towards Ashford. From the M20 take the A28 towards Canterbury and the A251 towards Faversham. The car park and entrance to King's Wood is situated off the A251 1km along the road to Wye
I went to Kings Wood with the intension of getting some shots of Bluebells, ( Hyacinthoides non-scripta ) but due to the bad winter we had they seem to be a little late this year.
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| Bluebells not blooming yet |
The area above is usually a mass of Bluebells but as you can see they haven't bloomed yet and probably need another week of some good sunshine.There were a few small patches of the forest that had a few Bluebells in but these were very sparse, but as I had driven for about forty minuets to get here I was determined to get at least a few shots of what I could find, with the view to hopefully getting back here next week when I hope they will be in full bloom.
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| Bluebells Starting to Appear |
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| Forrest Floor a little Stumped |
If you have never visited Kings Wood, this is a great time of year to walk around the forest, its a great walk with some lovely areas, frequented by many a dog walker and cyclist alike. Car Parking is free so when you cant think were to go why not pay it a visit.
Friday, 26 April 2013
Image Published in Magazine
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| My image Published in Fortean Times Magazine |
I was contacted several weeks back by the editor of Fortean Times Magazine, they had seen a image of mine and wanted to use it in a article they were doing about Peter Cushing, who is from Whitstable in Kent.
After a few emails I had agreed with the editor their standard fee and after payment uploaded the image in full res for them to download and use.
Today I received a copy of the magazine and was pleased to see my image takes a two page spread. Its just nice to see in print and that someone else had looked at it and thought I like that, enough to purchase it and use it in a article.
Now if I can just sell a few thousand more images every year I could give up my day job !!
Thursday, 25 April 2013
St Margaret Bay Chalk Fall
Today I went to St Margaret-at-Cliffe and walked along the Bay and came across the chalk fall, not as big as the one at Langdon last year but you wouldn't have wanted to be walking underneath at the time!
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| St Margaret Bay Chalk Fall |
In the Photo above I like the low level cloud hugging the cliff face, felt like you could almost reach up into it.
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| St Margaret Bay Chalk Fall |
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| St Margaret Bay Chalk Fall |
The two pictures above were taken using a Lee Big Stopper and circular polarising filter . Processed using Lightroom 4, Photoshop CS6 and the mono conversion done with Niksoft Silver Efex 2
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Ramsgate Boating Pool
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| 3min 20sec Exposure with Lee Big Stopper and Hoya Pro1-D CPL Filters |
I had taken this shot last year but then I had a Canon 7D and a Sigma 8-16mm lens, have to say really am starting to miss that Sigma lens, fantastic for tight spaces just not easy to fit filters straight out the box!
Think Ramsgate boating pool are currently working on a website but well worth a trip down for a relaxing cup of tea or coffee and a range of snacks. Also has been holding the mini V festival here for the last few years with some great local support.
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| Taken with Fuji X100 |
Took the above shot with a Fuji X100 I have borrowed from a friend to see how it performs before I decide to part with my hard earned cash. Looking for something that is fairly compact yet doesn't compromise on image quality and with a APS-C sensor in this the IQ is fantastic, shoots RAW, its a real photographers camera, so far very impressed
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| Ramsgate Boating Pool |
Monday, 15 April 2013
Leeds Castle
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| Leeds Castle |
Yesterday saw the first real day of spring and my wife and I decided to get out for the day and decided on Leeds Castle. The weather looked a little overcast as we left the house but rightly or wrongly decided to trust the forecasters, and come the afternoon we were not disappointed. It reached the low 20s and made for a nice day out.
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| Dreamy Leeds Castle |
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| Leeds Castle |
In 1278, the castle became the property of King Edward I. As a favoured residence of Edward's, Leeds Castle saw considerable investment. The king enhanced its defences, and it was probably Edward who created the lake which surrounds the castle. A barbican spanning three islands was also built. Leeds Castle was also fitted with accommodation fit for royalty: a "gloriette" with apartments for the king and queen were added. In the Late Middle Ages, the growth of the royal household meant fewer residences could accommodate the monarchy when they visited. As a result, the expenditure on royal residences in south east England generally decreased except for the Tower of London and Windsor Castle. The activity at Leeds Castle during the reign of Edward I is a notable exception to this pattern.
The castle was captured on 31 October 1321 by the forces of Edward II from Margaret de Clare, Baroness Badlesmere, wife of the castle's constable, Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere who had left her in charge during his absence. The King had besieged Leeds after she had refused Edward's consort Isabella of France admittance in her husband's absence; when the latter had sought to force an entry, Lady Badlesmere had instructed her archers to fire upon the Queen and her party, six of whom were killed. Lady Badlesmere was taken and kept prisoner in the Tower of London until November 1322. After Edward II died in 1327 his widow took over Leeds Castle as her primary residence.Richard II's first wife, Anne of Bohemia, spent the winter of 1381 at the castle on her way to be married to the king. In 1395, Richard received the French chronicler Jean Froissart there, as described in Froissart's Chronicles.
Henry VIII transformed the castle in 1519 for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. A painting commemorating his meeting with Francis I of France still hangs there.
In 1552 Leeds Castle was granted to Anthony St. Leger
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| Swan at Leeds Castle |
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| Leeds Castle Gardens |
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| Old Outbuilding at Leeds Castle |
Thanks to Wikipedia for the Info
Friday, 12 April 2013
Canon 7D For Sale
Hi all,
Just a quick one, I am selling my old Canon 7D as I have not used it since I purchased my 5D mkiii. It is in immaculate condition has had a screen protector on the back and shoulder since new and has a very low shutter count of 9669. I am selling elsewhere for £700 but anyone here will be £650 If interested please feel free to contact me here or this link
Canon 7D For Sale Like New
Friday, 5 April 2013
Abbey Mills Pumping Station
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| Abbey Mills Pumping Station |
This week I attended a official guided tour of Abbey Mills Pumping Station, this was arranged by Kent Underground Research Group and the owners of the property Thames Water. I have to say I have no real interest in underground but I have seen images of the inside of this property and was very keen to tag along when the offer came around.
From Wikipedia,
The original Abbey Mills Pumping Station, in Abbey Lane, London E15, is a sewage pumping station, designed by engineer Joseph Bazalgette, Edmund Cooper, and architect Charles Driver. It was built between 1865 and 1868. It was designed in a cruciform plan, with an elaborate Byzantine style, described as The Cathedral of Sewage. Another of Bazalgette's designs, Crossness Pumping Station, is located south of the River Thames at Crossness, at the end of the Southern Outfall Sewer.
History
The pumping station was built at the site of an earlier watermill owned by the local Abbey, from which it gained its name[
Purpose
The pumps raised the sewage in the London sewerage system between the two Low Level Sewers and the Northern Outfall Sewer, which was built in the 1860s to carry the increasing amount of sewage produced in London away from the centre of the city.
Two Moorish styled chimneys – unused since steam power had been replaced by electric motors in 1933 – were demolished in 1941, as it was feared that a bomb strike from German bombs might topple them on to the pumping station.
The building still houses electric pumps – to be used in reserve for the new facility next door.
The main building is grade II* listed and there are many grade II listed ancillary buildings, including the stumps of the demolished chimneys
This usually is part of the London Open House Weekend every September so if you get a change it is possible to get a free look around. This year it is September the 21st and 22nd. Apply for your guide to visit loads of properties not usually accessible to the public
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| Abbey Mills Pumping Station Roof |
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| Doorway to "A" Station Abbey Mills |
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| Upper Level Abbey Mills |
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| Inside Abby Mills |
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| Old Machinery Abbey Mills |
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| Abbey Mills Dalek |
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| Abbey Mills Roof Mono |
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| Upper Level Abbey Mills 32bit |
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Western Undercliff Ramsgate
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| Sea Defences Western Undercliff Ramsgate |
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Tuesday, 5 March 2013
Grove Ferry
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| Grove Ferry Inn |
Took a drive down to Grove Ferry today, parked in the car park at a cost of £1 for the day. There is a nice picnic area here and of course the Grove Ferry Inn, serving a range of drinks, snacks and meals.
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| Hold on to the Buoy |
I had a quick look around the picnic area and made a mental note for when the weather improves as it might be a nice place to come sit and relax and watch some of the small boats go by that are moored here all year round. The picnic tables had a raised metal shelf on one end which I can only assume is to facilitate the use of the disposable BBQs .
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| Stodmarsh Lake |
I then found my way to the other side of the road and along a public footpath for Stodmarsh.
I walked along this path for a fair distance and along the way came across a couple of lakes where I assume all the birds and bird watchers like to come. I am no twitcher but the area is very tranquil. I again make a mental note as it could make a nice early morning sunrise shot or a late evening sunset location, will have to do some research to find out the best time of year to come for either of the shots. I am not sure how far you can go along this path but it goes a fair distance, I decided to turn back before the path ended and headed back to the car to change my boots and head home.
Sunday, 3 March 2013
South Foreland Lighthouse
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| South Foreland Lighthouse |
Today my wife and I took a drive down to St Margret's Bay near Dover, and walked along the cliff top. When we arrived here at South Foreland Lighthouse the weather was almost nice, I even made comment on the ay there that I was getting a little to warm. Its been a long time since I said that outside !
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| South Foreland Lighthouse |
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| South Foreland Lighthouse Mono |
Sadly on arrival we discovered that its not actually open until next weekend so the tea we were looking forward to would have to wait till we returned. This was the first time we had walked to the lighthouse and we hope to make the effort to do it again as its a great location for lazing around with a picnic on those warmer days you may remember!
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| Approaching South Foreland Lighthouse |
Friday, 1 March 2013
The Old Neptune Whitstable, Kent
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| The Old Neptune, Whitstable |
Had nothing planned for today and just sitting around indoors drives me crazy so when the rain eased off I thought I would grab the camera and head out.
I ended up along the seafront at Whitstable, which was a little fresh to say the least !
This was one of the shots that I took and when I looked at it in camera I thought It was ok. When in lightroom I applied a letterbox style crop to enhance the composition but I still wasn't happy. I wished there was some cloud movement but as I took the shot at 1/320th F/8.0 ISo 100 there was no chance of any movement !
I took the shot into photoshop and made some adjustments including making a selection of the sky and applying a radial blur to give the impression of movement and did the same with the sea but applied a motion blur effect to balance the image,
Used silver efex pro 2 for the mono conversion and a few other tweaks later I was happy with the result.
Glad to be back indoors in the warm now !
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| Long Exposure |
Bermondsey Underground Station
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| Bermondsey Underground Station |
Bermondsey tube station is a London Underground station. It is situated in the eastern part of Bermondsey in the London Borough of Southwark, and so also serves the western part of Rotherhithe.
The station itself was designed by Ian Ritchie Architects and was originally intended to have a multi-storey office building sitting on top. London Underground have yet to realise this second phase of the scheme.
It is on the Jubilee Line, having been built as part of the Jubilee Line Extension between London Bridge and Canada Water stations. It is notable for its extensive use of natural light. The main station entrance is situated on the south side of Jamaica Road. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2.
The station was opened on 17 September 1999
Like its extension counterparts, Bermondsey station was designed with a futuristic style in mind by Ian Ritchie Architects. Extensively using natural light, it is built in both a cut-and-cover and tube design. The cut-and-cover section is supported by latticed concrete beams allowing light to penetrate to the platform level. The escalators down to this area are lined by flat concrete with a high ceiling to give a feeling of spaciousness. The bored section is encased with metal to keep in line the futuristic and metallic theme of the extension. As with all other deep level stations on the Jubilee Line Extension, Bermondsey station has platform edge doors for passenger safety and comfort
Thanks to Wikipedia for the info.
I like the modern cold steel with the blue accent lights running down the escalator.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
The Travelator
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| London Waterloo Travelator |
As you may know I was up in London this week and with the weather not really playing ball decided that a trip around the underground network was probably my best bet at some half decent images. I have seen many images of many different stations from a few other photographers I follow on Flickr which inspired me to go look for myself.
There really is a wide array of architecture here ranging from the 20s and 30s right up to new stations being built today so you will always find something of interest to photograph and as is our job to document.
I hope to get out more often than I have of late and really look forward to the better weather ......please !!
This image is of the travelator at London's Waterloo underground station, I just really like the strong colours of the yellow adverts and the blue lines mixed with the modern steel and space age looking roof all vanishing off into the distance.
Don't forget you can always follow me at any of the other sites I use, links are at the top of the blog. Thanks for looking
Lee
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Swiss Cottage Underground Station London
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| Swiss Cottage Underground Station London |
Swiss Cottage tube station is a London Underground station at Swiss Cottage. It is on the Jubilee Line, between Finchley Road and St. John's Wood. It is in Travelcard Zone 2 and on the Finchley Road
The station was opened on 20 November 1939 on a new section of deep-level tunnel constructed between Baker Street and Finchley Road when the Metropolitan Line's services on its Stanmore branch were transferred to the Bakerloo Line. It is named for a nearby pub, built in 1803-4, originally called The Swiss Tavern, and later renamed Swiss Cottage.
The new station initially operated as part of a combined station with the Metropolitan Line's adjacent sub-surface Swiss Cottage station (platforms 1 and 2 were Metropolitan Line and 3 and 4 were Bakerloo Line) but the Metropolitan Line station was closed on 17 August 1940
The station was subsequently transferred along with the rest of the Stanmore branch to the Jubilee Line when it opened on 1 May 1979. It is geographically close to South Hampstead station, but is not treated as a valid connection.
The platform design remains the same as when opened in 1939, and was designed by Harold Stabler. In 2006 the tiles were cleaned up and replaced.
Thanks to Wikipedia for the above info
Been to this station before but never saw these great vibrant colours being cast on the roof. With a bit of post work I managed to enhance them and make the picture really pop.
There really is some great architecture below London so next time your up there just take a few moments to look around you and take in some of the architecture that is all around you.
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| Taking the Stairs at Swiss Cottage Underground London |
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