It's raining, it's grey, it's the Friday before Christmas and I have the day off .. thankfully I am not joining the flocks of last minute shoppers, desperately searching for just one more elusive present, I am free and wondering Wiltshire!
I took a few shots of frosty leaves and ice, but I feel like I've been there before so many times and nothing is better than I've taken before. In search of a Christmas present for myself it turns out... some inspiration and a return to my passion for exploration, both physically and photographically.
My bag is loaded down with as many bits of gizmos as I can cram into my aging Crumpler shoulder bag, with pockets straining and clip on lens cases hanging from either side like holsters .. ready to be quick drawn as soon as inspiration raises its head.
16-35mm, 105mm macro, 100-400mm .. the trusty trio are along for the ride .. along with the tripod (I'm in the car), 8 stop ND filter, polariser, flash gun, lint free towel to cope with the rain and an array of wireless flash triggers which combine as wireless shutter releases.
The original plan, on my way past Avebury stone circle, was to maybe .. with the heavy rolling stormy skies .. to get a long enough exposure to blur the racing clouds with the ND8 filter, even if I have to merge multiple exposures to get the blur I want. I trudge down muddy lanes in the fresh air, loving the freedom, the quietness, the remoteness .. just me and the spiralling Red Kites above.
As it turns out, I just wasn't convinced the blurry clouds was going to work out, but since I'd brought my flash kit along - a rare event outside wedding photography .. I thought I'd do a bit of light painting .. albeit using multiple exposures. I took a base image at -2ev making the stormy skies look super moody, then with a wireless trigger in hand, one on the camera and one on the flash gun, I moved the flash around, triggering the flash and shutter as I positioned the light.
Subtle, it ain't, but I really like the way it gives the Neolithic burial stones the dose of mystery they deserve. For such an overcast day, I had plenty of fun and came home with a set of exposures that I couldn't wait to process! Especially impressive as I'm currently in the middle of processing a large set of wedding photos at the moment.
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| ISO 100, 17mm, f/11, 1/200s, -2ev, tripod, wireless remote + 8 composite flash exposures |
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