This shot was taken on La Palma, one of the Canary Islands, off the coast of West Africa. La Palma is often referred to as La Isla Bonita (beautiful island) and after spending a few days there, I can see why. This is from the beach closest to the hotel called Cancajos. This is a long exposure (150 second) shot of sunrise over the black, volcanic sand. The sun was finally breaking through the permanent band of cloud on the horizon, illuminating the jagged rocks on the shoreline.
Walking along the beach in Exmouth last week, the clouds took on a pattern similar to the sand bumps on the shore. My new Formatt-Hitech filter gave a warm purple tone instead of the customary cold blue of the Lee filters, lifting the colour of the scene. I was so pre-occupied with the scene that I did not notice the progressive surf. Moments later, a wave washed in from my left and soaked me to the knee. Worth it though.
I am trying to improve my cityscape portfolio, especially of London as it is my home city. This weekend, I went walking for hours and ended up back at Tower Bridge. The streets were teeming with thousands of tourists and people on half term holiday. After much searching, I found a small platform on the Thames walk, overlooking Tower Bridge and the London Assembly. The clouds framing the Shard were perfect for a portrait of the scene.
For the last couple of weeks before Christmas, I was in China on business. I spent my time in Shanghai and Qingdao. Unfortunately, in Qingdao, I did not have the chance to take any shots. However, I was fortunate enough whilst staying in Shanghai to have a day when the smog was not too heavy and the sun was out, albeit briefly.
After taking lots of shot of the river and Pudong, from the boulevard on The Bund, I spotted a raised platform and included the foreground Christmas bustle. To make the image more interesting, I used a combination of filters including a Polariser, Big Stopper and 0.9ND. I was fortunate that the lady in the yellow jacket hardly moved whilst I took this long exposure, which really anchors the shot for me.
I was in Stockholm at the end of last week and wondered down to the harbour in search of a morning shot before the working day commenced. The weather forecast had stated it would be a clear, sunny day, yet as I stood on the quayside, it started to snow gently. As the opalescent cloud drifted off in a south easterly direction, the dawn light emerged along with some dawn colours.
The second shot below I took a short while later, with a Lee Filter Little Stopper (x6 ND filter), to lengthen the exposure. I lost the colour in the clouds but the movement of the ferry and sky made for an interesting alternative version of the same scene.
A sky full of clouds.
After crossing Europe on my bicycle in 2009, I took the Hurtigruten ferry from Honningsvåg (and the North Cape) to Tromsø. I was only on the ferry for a day but the landscape in mid summer was stunning. As we were north of the Arctic Circle, we did not lose the light. The shot above was take somewhere in the archipelago around 10pm.
I aim to return in the winter, when the landscape is covered in snow and under the Aurora Borealis.
Low tide on Exmouth beach over the weekend. The water was low enough to reveal this concrete jetty, covered in very green seaweed. A long exposure blurred the sky and left the water a milky, glassy texture. You can just make out a seagull at the end of the jetty. It stood there almost motionless for the 260 second exposure.
Early yesterday morning, I stood opposite the London Eye to watch the dawn of a new day in London. The shot above is a panorama of four shots stitched together of the south side of the River Thames. The image is almost 18k pixels in width.
The shot below was taken a few moments before that, as the first light of day broke behind the Wheel. The maintenance team still had the red lights on the wheel switched on and the so too for the Marriott County Hall Hotel.
Last couple of shots from Iceland. On the day I finally completed my circumnavigation of the island on my trusty cycle, I went for a wonder around the shoreline of Reykjavik. I was treated to the most glorious light across the bay. The yellow light house a beacon at twilight just as it was at night.
Prior to arriving in the capital, I had camped on the shoreline of Jökulsárlón. This image was taken close to midnight. As Iceland is just south of the Arctic Circle, it has little darkness in the summer. However, even though it was meant to be the hottest time of the year, it was chilly, with temperatures still very much in single figures that evening.
All Terrain Photography 