Not My Forte

213 - Gala Night, originally uploaded by North Light.

Thurso Gala Parade, the beginning of Gala Week, an annual event run by Thurso Town Improvements Association.
My photograph a day would not be complete without some images of the event, but I do have to say that photography of people is really not my forte, and something I would normally avoid like the plague!

After a Day of Rain

199 - After the Race, originally uploaded by North Light.

This is one of my personal favourites of the photographs I have taken over the last couple of weeks, after a day of rain, watched from the reception area of the hotel I was contemplating what to do for the "Days photograph", driving west out of Thurso gives a great view of the bay, I could see yachts racing in the bay, so the location was sorted, as so often happens, a little bit of luck makes the photograph, the days racing had finished, and the best photograph was of the returning boats.
Why do I like the photograph? Simplicity is the answer, a very minimalist composition, the bold colours on the sails providing a touch of contrast against the muted greys, above all it catches the mood.

Somewhere New

191 - Old Track, Dirlot, originally uploaded by North Light.

There is a real joy in finding a new location, a visit to Dirlot Castle one evening with Thurso Camera Club this week produced a couple of interesting photographs despite not so good weather. I am now more than a little captivated by the place, so went back at the end of the week for a second take! I have no doubt that this will be repeated, as I think there is more to come from this location.

Working with Overcast Skies

182 - After the Rain, originally uploaded by North Light.

We are now beginning to get to the point in the year where overcast skies are common, they seem to be very characteristic of July and August weather in Caithness. The popular thought would be that this is not good for photography, the opposite is true, the diffuse light allows photography throughout the day, exploration of colours and shapes is much easier than in bright sunshine, saturation and contrast being lower and easier to control.
Sandside Harbour is always a good subject with lots of detail and interest in the equipment dotted around the harbour, this old storehouse providing an excellent backdrop.

Wick HarbourFest 2009

178 - HarbourFest 2009, originally uploaded by North Light.

Or perhaps the title should have been "Expanding the Repertoire".

After long days at work it's all too easy to take the easy option and go where I know that I can get a photograph with the minimum of effort. Not surprisingly this ultimately proves unsatisfying, it seems that I need to keep a level of challenge in my photography, when it becomes routine and I feel that I am not learning, or pushing myself, the motivation becomes much more difficult to maintain. An interesting thought as I near the half way point of this year, and contemplate that I am also closing on the mid point of my objective of three years of a photo a day!

So yesterday I managed to get to the HarbourFest at Wick on a glorious summer's day, I arrived late in the day, and most of the stands were being broken down, definitely not my usual subject, lots more photographs than I would normally take, but I am pleased with this one which I hope gives the feeling of a crowded marina. As usual I've had to keep the saturation down, Nikon reds easily become too dominating.

A Grumpy Photographer

174 - Fresgoe Thrift, originally uploaded by North Light.

It's reached that time of year where there is an inevitable conflict between my photography and the "Day Job".
The hotel is busy at the moment, and combined with Summer light, which is not my favourite it makes for difficult photography.
I am still achieving the "Photo a Day", but am I succeeding at my other objectives? Is my photography improving is an important question for me, part of the satisfaction I get is from being able to see an positive changes in my photography, having spent a little time looking at photographs from a year ago I think I am still improving, so I shall try and be a bit less grumpy today!

Sliding into Summer

Flowers, Cottage and Crows, originally uploaded by North Light.

So the weather is improving as we approach the longest day, my only complaint is that the temperatures are not really matching the sunlight, a cold north / north easterly wind is holding it down in the lower teens.

The hotel is busy so my time to "Blog" and comment on Flickr is considerably reduced, today I have grabbed a few minutes whilst I am sitting at reception waiting for a group of Italians to check out. Today I will make some time to ensure I respond to all those people who are kind enough to comment on my photographs.