Hello and welcome to November.
After careful thought and consideration I have decided to close this blog.
The work involved in keeping three websites updated is getting too much, so from now on please visit the Somerset3d website for 3d news and the Alan Woollard Photography site for other news.
Thank you to those who made the effort to read this blog.
I hope you will still visit Somerset3d and Alan Woollard Photography.
Regards,
Alan Woollard.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Thursday 30th October – Dyram Park
Good day to you all,
A couple of weekends ago the family and I had a day out in Dyrham Park near the city of Bath.
After a while we decided to give them some peace and headed off for a walk around the grounds before we returned to the car and the journey home. All in all it was a very pleasant day.
Last weekend we made a surprise visit to my sister-in-law’s on the Isle of Wight. Leaving late on Friday night to return on Sunday afternoon, we persuaded the congregation to come back with us to so the little one would be able to spend some time with her cousins. After hours of internet searching and phone calls we eventually found them somewhere to stay and arranged the ferry crossing. It was a long journey back but the look of surprise on the little one’s face when she saw her cousins was priceless.
The weather here has gone really cold and biking to work in the mornings is a bit of an effort, especially after having two weeks use of a company car recently. It will do me good to get back to the exercise though.
I have some of my photographs featured on a new website called the Professional Photographic Gallery. Entry to the gallery is by invitation only so I was extremely pleased to be asked to contribute to the team’s project. Thanks to Trevor Hirst for the invite. My entry can be found here.
A couple of weekends ago the family and I had a day out in Dyrham Park near the city of Bath.After our customary detour around the county we finally arrived around lunch-time and headed straight for the canteen. Lunch was enjoyed and digested before we headed off out
again to have a look at the magnificent landscapes. After looking at the gardens and church we ventured out to the front of the house to search out the Deer and Stags that Durham is famous for. It didn’t take the little one long before she saw a lone Stag grazing on the hill-side. A small crowd had gathered to see the a a animal the animal as it slowly wandered over the brow of the hill. Further on we marched up another hill in search of more, and it wasn’t long before we were rewarded. There were probably over 100 of the animals all congregated on a hill top, resting in the autumn sun.
It was great to see real wildlife so close. The little one was excited too and she even had a go on my camera to capture the scene herself.
It was great to see real wildlife so close. The little one was excited too and she even had a go on my camera to capture the scene herself.
After a while we decided to give them some peace and headed off for a walk around the grounds before we returned to the car and the journey home. All in all it was a very pleasant day.
Last weekend we made a surprise visit to my sister-in-law’s on the Isle of Wight. Leaving late on Friday night to return on Sunday afternoon, we persuaded the congregation to come back with us to so the little one would be able to spend some time with her cousins. After hours of internet searching and phone calls we eventually found them somewhere to stay and arranged the ferry crossing. It was a long journey back but the look of surprise on the little one’s face when she saw her cousins was priceless.
The weather here has gone really cold and biking to work in the mornings is a bit of an effort, especially after having two weeks use of a company car recently. It will do me good to get back to the exercise though.
Somerset 3d stock is getting really low now so I MUST get out and about over the next couple of weeks and get the stock back up again. Fingers crossed for the wind and rain to stay away.
I have some of my photographs featured on a new website called the Professional Photographic Gallery. Entry to the gallery is by invitation only so I was extremely pleased to be asked to contribute to the team’s project. Thanks to Trevor Hirst for the invite. My entry can be found here.
This week’s update is Buckland St Mary and the fifth page for Amiens is now online.
That’s all from me, have a good Halloween and I’ll be here again next week.
That’s all from me, have a good Halloween and I’ll be here again next week.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Thursday 23rd October - Trains
Morning All,
The canal was almost still, giving off wonderful reflections, and the trees were an abundance of colours. Unfortunately, it was the trees that were the problem. Wherever a view looked promising, the rail track was hidden by the trees. "Blast" I thought. I ended up walking miles in an attempt to find the view we were looking for. Eventually I found two possible locations. Test shots were taken and, once I arrived back home, the pictures were studied until a final decision was reached. Although I liked the first picture the trees would hide too many wagons, as you can see below. So, with site location decided upon, I had an early night in readiness of my early 7am start the next day.
Wednesday arrived and I set off once again towards Great Bedwyn. Once there I parked up and headed off down the tow-path to find my picture spot. The train had been planned to be at Bedwyn around 10:15am. By 09:30 I was ready and waiting, camera ready, my finger poised. 10:15 came and went, as did 10:30, 10:45 and 11:00. Although I didn't expect it to be on-time, I didn't expect it to be this late either. A call to the MRL office told me the bad news. It was running 2 hours late. "Blast" I thought again. By now my back had stiffened up, caused by me standing still for too long. So the next 30 minutes were taken up by me doing silly walks, in an attempt to get my spine mobile again. The minutes ticked by like hours but, eventually, the train did appear. As it passed by my spot I snapped away as quickly as I could to make sure I'd captured the moment and then, that was it. It was all over. A day and a half of planning and waiting and it was over in less than a minute. All I hoped now is that I managed to capture what my Boss had wanted. He's on holiday for the rest of this week so I won't really know for a few more days yet.
I've been on assignment this week for Mendip Rail Ltd (The people I work for). We bought some new wagons a couple of weeks ago and the powers that be decided that they would like to have a photograph of these shiny new wagons on their first trip out from the Mendips. So, as the unofficial company photographer, I was given the task.
The Boss wanted a photo that would show off the wagons and also show the corporate identity, so they could be used in publicity material.
So, a location was sought and, eventually settled upon. A place called Berkley, just outside of Frome. There were good vantage points from two bridges and a curve to the track. The result was this.
Not bad but too train-spotter-ish (No offence to Train-Spotters intended). So another location was sought and eventually we settled on the Great Bedwyn area. It was felt that the Kennet & Avon Canal, that ran along-side the track here, would add something to the picture. Next step was a location scouting mission.
So, Tuesday morning at 8am I headed off to Great Bedwyn. Once I arrived and found somewhere to park I headed straight for the canal and walked along the tow-path looking for possible sites. It was a beautiful day and the scenery looked fabulous.
The canal was almost still, giving off wonderful reflections, and the trees were an abundance of colours. Unfortunately, it was the trees that were the problem. Wherever a view looked promising, the rail track was hidden by the trees. "Blast" I thought. I ended up walking miles in an attempt to find the view we were looking for. Eventually I found two possible locations. Test shots were taken and, once I arrived back home, the pictures were studied until a final decision was reached. Although I liked the first picture the trees would hide too many wagons, as you can see below. So, with site location decided upon, I had an early night in readiness of my early 7am start the next day.
Wednesday arrived and I set off once again towards Great Bedwyn. Once there I parked up and headed off down the tow-path to find my picture spot. The train had been planned to be at Bedwyn around 10:15am. By 09:30 I was ready and waiting, camera ready, my finger poised. 10:15 came and went, as did 10:30, 10:45 and 11:00. Although I didn't expect it to be on-time, I didn't expect it to be this late either. A call to the MRL office told me the bad news. It was running 2 hours late. "Blast" I thought again. By now my back had stiffened up, caused by me standing still for too long. So the next 30 minutes were taken up by me doing silly walks, in an attempt to get my spine mobile again. The minutes ticked by like hours but, eventually, the train did appear. As it passed by my spot I snapped away as quickly as I could to make sure I'd captured the moment and then, that was it. It was all over. A day and a half of planning and waiting and it was over in less than a minute. All I hoped now is that I managed to capture what my Boss had wanted. He's on holiday for the rest of this week so I won't really know for a few more days yet.
The last picture posted is more or less what I ended up with. More or less in that I can't post the actual photo as that belongs to Mendip Rail, but it gives you some idea.
That will have to do for now as it's getting late. Just a quick line to tell you the Somerset3d updates are of Withyditch and the 4th Amiens page is now active.
Thanks for reading. More next week.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Thursday 16th October - House 3 Photos 0
Morning all,
As you can see by the header no photographs again last weekend.
The weather was glorious, how it should have been in August, as it happens the weather in August was how we expect it to be in October. Perhaps we ought to juggle the calendar around to suit what the weather is doing.
Anyway, with the outside of the house almost done, I’m hoping to be able to get out and about soon to get some much needed stock for the 3d website. I can only hope this unseasonal weather continues for a few more weeks yet.
This week’s update is of South Petherton and the 3rd week of the feature on Amiens is now active with the pictures taking a journey back from the canals and to the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Today I shall be attending the funeral of a good friend of mine.
Nick Flamsteed was tragically killed on his way home from work two weeks ago.
I’ve known Nick since my school days. We used to hang out together when we were 12 until we both left school in 1978. Since then we’d bump into each other three or four times a year and, when we did, we’d always have a good chat for an hour or more, catching up with what we’d been up to and what plans we were making. Nick was a very sociable person. He always had time to talk and was always cheerful and positive with his life. The last time I saw him was a week before he died, at his work-place. It was a quick hello/goodbye this time as customers were waiting for him and I had to get back to work. He was a gentleman and a good friend, I shall miss him.
More next week.
As you can see by the header no photographs again last weekend.
The weather was glorious, how it should have been in August, as it happens the weather in August was how we expect it to be in October. Perhaps we ought to juggle the calendar around to suit what the weather is doing.
Anyway, with the outside of the house almost done, I’m hoping to be able to get out and about soon to get some much needed stock for the 3d website. I can only hope this unseasonal weather continues for a few more weeks yet.
This week’s update is of South Petherton and the 3rd week of the feature on Amiens is now active with the pictures taking a journey back from the canals and to the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Today I shall be attending the funeral of a good friend of mine.
Nick Flamsteed was tragically killed on his way home from work two weeks ago.
I’ve known Nick since my school days. We used to hang out together when we were 12 until we both left school in 1978. Since then we’d bump into each other three or four times a year and, when we did, we’d always have a good chat for an hour or more, catching up with what we’d been up to and what plans we were making. Nick was a very sociable person. He always had time to talk and was always cheerful and positive with his life. The last time I saw him was a week before he died, at his work-place. It was a quick hello/goodbye this time as customers were waiting for him and I had to get back to work. He was a gentleman and a good friend, I shall miss him.
More next week.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Thursday 9th October - Latest 3D news
Good day to you all,
Good news for 3d photographers was announced this week by camera makers Fuji. Sometime in the next year they intend to sell a 6 mega pixel digital camera with two lenses to enable 3d photography to be available to all. As yet there is no announcement of a launch date nor of a price. One thing is for sure though, and that is you can almost guarantee that this photographer will be doing his hardest to get hold of one as soon as they are on the shelves. You can read the Fuji press release by clicking here.
Good news for 3d photographers was announced this week by camera makers Fuji. Sometime in the next year they intend to sell a 6 mega pixel digital camera with two lenses to enable 3d photography to be available to all. As yet there is no announcement of a launch date nor of a price. One thing is for sure though, and that is you can almost guarantee that this photographer will be doing his hardest to get hold of one as soon as they are on the shelves. You can read the Fuji press release by clicking here.
This is exciting news for me. At the moment I take my 3d's by using two Canon Ixus's (or should that be Ixi?) and, though I'm more than happy with the results I get from them, I do get a little frustrated trying to capture, in 3d, things that move quickly. Things like water, birds or my step daughter. It usually takes me many attempts before I manage to get a pair of photos that match to be able to create the anaglyph. Now it's not clear to me at the moment if the Fuji with provide me with two shots of the same subject to be able to create my own anaglyphs, or if the camera does all this for you in the form of a lenticular image. I look forward to finding out.My own photography (3d or otherwise) continues to take a back seat to the house improvements. The weather here has changed for the better, which means more outside house work will be scheduled for the coming weekend. I'll have to see if I can sneak away for a couple of hours to get a couple more villages in the bag.
This weeks update is of Southstoke and the second Amiens page is now active. Southstoke is a lovely place to visit and, though I didn't try it for myself, the local pub, The Packhorse Inn, looked very welcoming. Unfortunately, when I'm out doing the 3d stuff time is of the most importance. So stopping for a meal at the local is not something I do. I ought to be much further ahead in stock for the 3d site that I can really take in everything about the village and enjoy some of the hospitality on offer. Alas, the amount of wet weather we have had this year means I am rapidly running out of new villages to update the website with. In fact, it's been so wet, I wouldn't have been at all surprised had I seen a bearded bloke rounding up 2 of every animal, heading towards a big boat on a hill. So it would really help me if you'd all pray for good dry weather over the next couple of months, just to give me a chance to boost the 3d stock.
Frank Matthys has produced two more 3d books to add to the Bruges in 3d book I've been championing over the last few weeks. He has one of Ypres in France and of Leuven in Belgium. Click here to find out more and don't forget to mention Somerset3d if you should decide to purchase one of his books. The interview with Frank is still on the cards, I'm just waiting for him to have some free time to be able to answer my questions.
Right, that's it from me. I don't want to be too late to bed tonight.
Have a good weekend and I see you all next week.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Thursday 2nd October - House 2 Photos 0
Hello once again and welcome to October,
As you can see from this weeks title the house won from photography once again.
The weather was glorious again and many hours were spent hacking and sawing away at overgrown hedges and holding on to a pneumatic drill as it hammered it's way through age old concrete to leave me a pile of rubble to clear up. An old wooden picnic chair was also sacrificed to the house improvement Gods in the form of a burning ritual (some photos below) in hope that what we have been doing during the last few weeks will not have been in vain.
All this home-work has left me rather bereft of new photographs to put on to the photography website and I'm also running short of Somerset villages for the 3d site. I can only hope that one weekend in October will be dry and clear enough for me to go off around the county and be able to add some more villages to the 3d stock. More prayers are needed I feel.
October 2008 makes it 3 years since the Somerset3d website was launched. As I mentioned on the main site statistics prove that anaglyphs are popular, and 3d is becoming more popular as the years go by. If 3d is good enough for U2 and Hannah Montana, then it's good enough for me.
This weeks update is of Carlingcott and the first of 6 weeks on the French city of Amiens. The first set of pictures are around the Saint Leu area of the city but following weeks are mainly of the magnificent Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens, or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens. The architecture is magnificent and I could have spent the whole day photographing the enormous amount of statues and sculptures that are on show in this fantastic cathedral. However, my wife (quite rightly) had other ideas and so a walk around the old part of the city was taken, after we'd enjoyed a meal at one of the local restaurants along the canal. A splendid day out indeed. We shall return I feel.
Due to the constraints of time there are no new pictures added to the photography site this month. Hopefully next month will see a major update and you'll all be clamouring to purchase copies of all my photographs. Well a man can dream can't he?
Anyway, I'm off to bed.
Have a good one, more next week.
As you can see from this weeks title the house won from photography once again.
The weather was glorious again and many hours were spent hacking and sawing away at overgrown hedges and holding on to a pneumatic drill as it hammered it's way through age old concrete to leave me a pile of rubble to clear up. An old wooden picnic chair was also sacrificed to the house improvement Gods in the form of a burning ritual (some photos below) in hope that what we have been doing during the last few weeks will not have been in vain.
All this home-work has left me rather bereft of new photographs to put on to the photography website and I'm also running short of Somerset villages for the 3d site. I can only hope that one weekend in October will be dry and clear enough for me to go off around the county and be able to add some more villages to the 3d stock. More prayers are needed I feel.
October 2008 makes it 3 years since the Somerset3d website was launched. As I mentioned on the main site statistics prove that anaglyphs are popular, and 3d is becoming more popular as the years go by. If 3d is good enough for U2 and Hannah Montana, then it's good enough for me.
This weeks update is of Carlingcott and the first of 6 weeks on the French city of Amiens. The first set of pictures are around the Saint Leu area of the city but following weeks are mainly of the magnificent Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens, or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens. The architecture is magnificent and I could have spent the whole day photographing the enormous amount of statues and sculptures that are on show in this fantastic cathedral. However, my wife (quite rightly) had other ideas and so a walk around the old part of the city was taken, after we'd enjoyed a meal at one of the local restaurants along the canal. A splendid day out indeed. We shall return I feel.
Due to the constraints of time there are no new pictures added to the photography site this month. Hopefully next month will see a major update and you'll all be clamouring to purchase copies of all my photographs. Well a man can dream can't he?
Anyway, I'm off to bed.
Have a good one, more next week.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Thursday 25th September - Antiques Roadshow
Hellooo again,
We had a super weekend last weekend. Bright blue skies and warm sun, it really took me back to the days when we used to have four seasons in one year, and one of them being warm and sunny.
Unfortunately a photography trip lost out to a house and garden maintenance weekend. So instead of pointing my lenses at interesting places I was pushing my paintbrush up and down window frames and sorting out an overcrowded garden. My wife did her bit too whilst the little one contented herself with riding up and down the lane and making friends with another same named girl up the lane. Although I missed out on the photographs the house and garden definitely benefited from the work put in.
Frank Matthys, he of the Bruges in 3d book, has made contact and explained that the time he is spending in completing another two 3d books prior to their planned launch has prevented him answering my questions. He has reassured me that the questions will be answered as soon as his work schedule cools down.
As I mentioned last week I was in Wells last Thursday taking 3d photos of the Antiques Roadshow that was being filmed. These pictures will not be appearing on the 3d site, Wells not being a town or village, so you'll have to wait for the 3d book to come ot to see the results. However, I have posted below a small sample of 2d versions for you to peruse. The programme should be aired sometime in January 2009. I'll advise you nearer the time.
This weeks update is of the lovely village of Combe Hay and the last page of the new Bruges pictures have been made active.
Finally, I would like to leave you with some advice given to the British public back in 1939. With another war looming and economic oppression ahead, the Ministry of Information decided a morale boosting message needed to be put out to ensure the British stiff upper lip was kept, er, stiff. Their message was to...
...'Keep calm and carry on'.
Fantastic stuff. Just as apt today I think. This website thinks so too.
Till next week. (Photos below).
We had a super weekend last weekend. Bright blue skies and warm sun, it really took me back to the days when we used to have four seasons in one year, and one of them being warm and sunny.
Unfortunately a photography trip lost out to a house and garden maintenance weekend. So instead of pointing my lenses at interesting places I was pushing my paintbrush up and down window frames and sorting out an overcrowded garden. My wife did her bit too whilst the little one contented herself with riding up and down the lane and making friends with another same named girl up the lane. Although I missed out on the photographs the house and garden definitely benefited from the work put in.
Frank Matthys, he of the Bruges in 3d book, has made contact and explained that the time he is spending in completing another two 3d books prior to their planned launch has prevented him answering my questions. He has reassured me that the questions will be answered as soon as his work schedule cools down.
As I mentioned last week I was in Wells last Thursday taking 3d photos of the Antiques Roadshow that was being filmed. These pictures will not be appearing on the 3d site, Wells not being a town or village, so you'll have to wait for the 3d book to come ot to see the results. However, I have posted below a small sample of 2d versions for you to peruse. The programme should be aired sometime in January 2009. I'll advise you nearer the time.
This weeks update is of the lovely village of Combe Hay and the last page of the new Bruges pictures have been made active.
Finally, I would like to leave you with some advice given to the British public back in 1939. With another war looming and economic oppression ahead, the Ministry of Information decided a morale boosting message needed to be put out to ensure the British stiff upper lip was kept, er, stiff. Their message was to...
...'Keep calm and carry on'.
Fantastic stuff. Just as apt today I think. This website thinks so too.
Till next week. (Photos below).
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Thursday 18th September - Man-Flu
This weeks blog is a great task for me as I am in the strong clutches of Man-Flu.
It's often hard to convince the female of the species just how severe this strain of the flu virus actually is! I'm often reminded of the struggle M.E. sufferers had in convincing practitioners and work colleagues that their ailment is real and not imagined. Man-Flu renders the victim helpless and unable to help themselves, constant attention is required to ensure they are kept well hydrated. An ancient mixture of hops, barley, a special yeast and water is the preferred remedy. The attack can last days, sometimes weeks, and only a true man will endeavour to ignore the distressing symptoms, and force their limbs to operate as near as normal to be able to attend work to ensure their families don't starve.
Well, before the 'Devils Disease' got hold of me we had a good weekend attending to the garden, giving it a much needed clean up and make-over. I also found time to visit a couple of villages to add to the 3d stock. Expect photos of Dundon and Butleigh to be coming your way soon.
Providing I am well enough I shall be in England's smallest city of Wells today (Thursday) where the BBC's Antique Roadshow is making an appearance. I shall be taking a couple of hours out of work to capture some 3d's of the event. These pictures will not be featured on the 3d website, instead they will be kept until I'm ready to produce a book on the city, sometime soon I hope. Talking of books, the photographer of the Bruges in 3d book, Frank Matthys, has yet to get back to me after I posted a set of questions to him. I was hoping to be able to round off the Bruges updates with his book review. We'll have to see what happens.
This weeks update is of the pretty village of Priston and the penultimate page of the new Bruges 3ds are also available to view. One of the pictures included is not one you'd expect to find in a Bruges portfolio. I came across this science-fiction shop in one of the many back streets of the city and came face to face with one of my favourite characters, the T100 from the first Terminator film. A fantastic creation and a wonderful piece of engineering I think. There are some more pictures of Bruges below for your perusal.
Right, I'm off to find another box of tissues. More next week.
It's often hard to convince the female of the species just how severe this strain of the flu virus actually is! I'm often reminded of the struggle M.E. sufferers had in convincing practitioners and work colleagues that their ailment is real and not imagined. Man-Flu renders the victim helpless and unable to help themselves, constant attention is required to ensure they are kept well hydrated. An ancient mixture of hops, barley, a special yeast and water is the preferred remedy. The attack can last days, sometimes weeks, and only a true man will endeavour to ignore the distressing symptoms, and force their limbs to operate as near as normal to be able to attend work to ensure their families don't starve.
Well, before the 'Devils Disease' got hold of me we had a good weekend attending to the garden, giving it a much needed clean up and make-over. I also found time to visit a couple of villages to add to the 3d stock. Expect photos of Dundon and Butleigh to be coming your way soon.
Providing I am well enough I shall be in England's smallest city of Wells today (Thursday) where the BBC's Antique Roadshow is making an appearance. I shall be taking a couple of hours out of work to capture some 3d's of the event. These pictures will not be featured on the 3d website, instead they will be kept until I'm ready to produce a book on the city, sometime soon I hope. Talking of books, the photographer of the Bruges in 3d book, Frank Matthys, has yet to get back to me after I posted a set of questions to him. I was hoping to be able to round off the Bruges updates with his book review. We'll have to see what happens.
This weeks update is of the pretty village of Priston and the penultimate page of the new Bruges 3ds are also available to view. One of the pictures included is not one you'd expect to find in a Bruges portfolio. I came across this science-fiction shop in one of the many back streets of the city and came face to face with one of my favourite characters, the T100 from the first Terminator film. A fantastic creation and a wonderful piece of engineering I think. There are some more pictures of Bruges below for your perusal.
Right, I'm off to find another box of tissues. More next week.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Thursday 11th September - Holwell & Bruges
Hello to all,
Once again the skies are full of grey and damp and people here are getting rather fed up with it. Not only do we not get a summer but now we appear to be going straight from a dull spring right in to winter. The nights are getting darker much earlier now. It's a good job I'm an optimist.
Anyway, first of all I have some more news on the Bruges in 3d book I talked about last week. The photographer, Frank Matthys, has been in touch and has agreed to do a short feature for me to help promote the book. I've already sent my questions off and I'm hoping to have all the answers and some sample pictures back in time for next weeks blog. In the meantime you can purchase the book for €24 plus p&p but, at the moment, the ordering page on his website is only in Dutch. Has has informed me that the page will eventually be translated to English, French and German so, unless you speak Dutch, you may want to wait. His website can be found here and the order page is here. Please mention Somerset3d when you place your order.
Another website I'd like to draw your attention to is a blog by a fellow Sheptonian Stu Capon. I came about his blog via his entry in Flickr. I think his photos are excellent and really show off my home town with some fantastic images. I like his humour too so I'd like to help raise his profile a little. His blog can be found by clicking here and his Flickr entry here.
This weeks update is of the hamlet of Holwell. Many people drive through the place without realising they've gone through anything at all. This is because all that can be seen from the road are the entrances to one of the many quarries and the upper half of the Bear Inn. If you want to see where I've photographed then you are going to have to get out of the car and do a little walking. The second page of the new Bruges photographs is also featured.
Well that's all from me, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some fine weather this weekend in anticipation of visiting a boot fair.
Have a good one.
Once again the skies are full of grey and damp and people here are getting rather fed up with it. Not only do we not get a summer but now we appear to be going straight from a dull spring right in to winter. The nights are getting darker much earlier now. It's a good job I'm an optimist.
Anyway, first of all I have some more news on the Bruges in 3d book I talked about last week. The photographer, Frank Matthys, has been in touch and has agreed to do a short feature for me to help promote the book. I've already sent my questions off and I'm hoping to have all the answers and some sample pictures back in time for next weeks blog. In the meantime you can purchase the book for €24 plus p&p but, at the moment, the ordering page on his website is only in Dutch. Has has informed me that the page will eventually be translated to English, French and German so, unless you speak Dutch, you may want to wait. His website can be found here and the order page is here. Please mention Somerset3d when you place your order.
Another website I'd like to draw your attention to is a blog by a fellow Sheptonian Stu Capon. I came about his blog via his entry in Flickr. I think his photos are excellent and really show off my home town with some fantastic images. I like his humour too so I'd like to help raise his profile a little. His blog can be found by clicking here and his Flickr entry here.
This weeks update is of the hamlet of Holwell. Many people drive through the place without realising they've gone through anything at all. This is because all that can be seen from the road are the entrances to one of the many quarries and the upper half of the Bear Inn. If you want to see where I've photographed then you are going to have to get out of the car and do a little walking. The second page of the new Bruges photographs is also featured.
Well that's all from me, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some fine weather this weekend in anticipation of visiting a boot fair.
Have a good one.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Thursday 4th September - Bruges in 3d
Hello and welcome to September,
Well I'm back from my holidays and have spent most of the week catching up with the paperwork. I'm just about getting there.
I stated last week that I would let you in on a real find my wife made whilst looking around Bruges. When she handed the item to me, gift wrapped, she said that I'd be both, disappointed and pleased. This puzzled me but once I opened the package I knew what she meant. She had found and bought for me a book of 3d photos of Bruges. I was very pleased, stunned even. I've been looking to do my own book of Bruges for some time, hence why she said I'd be disappointed, but the fact that someone had beaten me to it was not a problem, as the pictures are fantastic, and there are several that I would not have been able to achieve, pictures from the air. Since my return I have contacted the photographer, Frank Matthys, to ask some questions and for a link I could paste so visitors to this site could buy the book online, as well as permission to show some of the images on this website as a taster. Alas I have yet to have a reply. So I can only provide you with this link to his website. It's not clear to me if the book can be purchased via the website but I can offer you the ISBN number if you are interested in obtaining a copy via your local bookstore. It is 978-90-8113871-0. If you can get hold of a copy I'm sure you will be as delighted as I am with mine. If any of you find it for sale online then please let me know and I'll put a link on this website for all.
So, this weeks update on the 3d site is of Dunkerton in Somerset and of some of the new 3d's I took whilst in Bruges. The Bruges page has been revamped to enable faster loading and better navigation. The new pictures start at page 5 and more pages will be added over the coming weeks.
More next week, happy book hunting. (Pictures below of Bruges).
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Thursday 28th - France
Bonjour and hello,
I'm still in France so another early blog.
Since the last posting I've been to Le Touquet, Bruges and Amiens.
Le Touquet (if I've spelt it right) is a very pleasant seaside resort on the French west coast. It's very tidy with lots of things for the children to do. The perfect place for people in northern France to take their families. Indeed, it felt like they all did exactly that on the day we visited. It took an age to get from the end of the motorway to the resort itself. Although once there, it didn't appear that busy. Anyway, as it wasn't a 3d day we'll have to head back there again to record it for the website.
In Bruges we had a good stroll around and enjoyed the ambience. My wife came up with a real find, more of which I'll share with you next week, as I want to do a little research before I tell you more. If you're a 3d fan it will be worth the wait, promise.
Amiens was a very enjoyable day. The cathedral is the biggest gothic example in the country and was well worth the visit. The old part of the city was equally as interesting. Needless to say I took a fair number of photographs/3d's and they will be coming your way in the non too distant future.
The weather has been rather hit & miss since we've been here, but hey, there's nothing we can do about it so we've enjoyed ourselves regardless. In fact we've been rather lucky on our days out and we have escaped the worst.
We are heading home on Friday so normal service will be resumed as of next week.
My other photography website will be updated next week too, so make sure to pop by for a visit to check out the new additions.
I hope you have all been good whilst I've been away.
Please forgive any spelling mistakes. A French keyboard does not a good typist make!
That's all for now, more next week.
I'm still in France so another early blog.
Since the last posting I've been to Le Touquet, Bruges and Amiens.
Le Touquet (if I've spelt it right) is a very pleasant seaside resort on the French west coast. It's very tidy with lots of things for the children to do. The perfect place for people in northern France to take their families. Indeed, it felt like they all did exactly that on the day we visited. It took an age to get from the end of the motorway to the resort itself. Although once there, it didn't appear that busy. Anyway, as it wasn't a 3d day we'll have to head back there again to record it for the website.
In Bruges we had a good stroll around and enjoyed the ambience. My wife came up with a real find, more of which I'll share with you next week, as I want to do a little research before I tell you more. If you're a 3d fan it will be worth the wait, promise.
Amiens was a very enjoyable day. The cathedral is the biggest gothic example in the country and was well worth the visit. The old part of the city was equally as interesting. Needless to say I took a fair number of photographs/3d's and they will be coming your way in the non too distant future.
The weather has been rather hit & miss since we've been here, but hey, there's nothing we can do about it so we've enjoyed ourselves regardless. In fact we've been rather lucky on our days out and we have escaped the worst.
We are heading home on Friday so normal service will be resumed as of next week.
My other photography website will be updated next week too, so make sure to pop by for a visit to check out the new additions.
I hope you have all been good whilst I've been away.
Please forgive any spelling mistakes. A French keyboard does not a good typist make!
That's all for now, more next week.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Thursday 21st August – Journey to Work 2
Hello to you all,
Continuing on from the blog a couple of weeks ago, one thing that I have been made much more aware of is the varied wildlife that surrounds me.
There is rarely a day where I don’t see a buzzard flying by, or a squirrel scampering off to the nearest tree. In the fields next to our house rabbits are a constant sight, as indeed are deer and foxes. I’ve spent many an evening trying to get as close as possible to photograph the animals as they show themselves at dusk. Unfortunately the lenses I have at my disposal do not enable me to get close enough for decent photographs to be taken.
Last week, when cycling to work, I had a special treat.
From my house I have to go up a lane before coming to a junction that joins on to the old main road to Frome (Called Brottens road). After turning into the road and travelling about 20 metres I was aware of a large bird sitting on the fence to the right, just ahead of me. As I got closer I could see that it was an Owl of some sort. I expected it to fly away but it just sat on the fence and carefully watched me as I peddled past. It was a good sized spe
cimen. At a guess I would say he was about 60cm height at least, maybe bigger. I passed within about 2 metres of it and found it fascinating to be able to see one so close without it being in captivity. Once I got to work I spoke to my boss, who is a keen bird watcher, and after giving him a description he was able to tell me that it would have been a young Tawny Owl. Apparently it’s quite a normal thing for them to sit on fences. An older Owl would have flown off. The picture shown is not one of mine but was found in Flickr and belongs to a set by Joanpix.
My knowledge of wildlife is rather limited but seeing these wonderful creatures on a regular basis really encourages me to want to know more.
My biggest problem is that I have too many other interests and so find it difficult to spend as much time as I’d wish on learning something new.
This week's update is the village of Hemington.
I'm on location in France at the moment, hence the early updqte, so next week's blog will have news on where I've been and what photographs you have to look forward to viewing to on my return.
Thanks for reading, more coming your way next week.
Continuing on from the blog a couple of weeks ago, one thing that I have been made much more aware of is the varied wildlife that surrounds me.
There is rarely a day where I don’t see a buzzard flying by, or a squirrel scampering off to the nearest tree. In the fields next to our house rabbits are a constant sight, as indeed are deer and foxes. I’ve spent many an evening trying to get as close as possible to photograph the animals as they show themselves at dusk. Unfortunately the lenses I have at my disposal do not enable me to get close enough for decent photographs to be taken.
Last week, when cycling to work, I had a special treat.
From my house I have to go up a lane before coming to a junction that joins on to the old main road to Frome (Called Brottens road). After turning into the road and travelling about 20 metres I was aware of a large bird sitting on the fence to the right, just ahead of me. As I got closer I could see that it was an Owl of some sort. I expected it to fly away but it just sat on the fence and carefully watched me as I peddled past. It was a good sized spe
cimen. At a guess I would say he was about 60cm height at least, maybe bigger. I passed within about 2 metres of it and found it fascinating to be able to see one so close without it being in captivity. Once I got to work I spoke to my boss, who is a keen bird watcher, and after giving him a description he was able to tell me that it would have been a young Tawny Owl. Apparently it’s quite a normal thing for them to sit on fences. An older Owl would have flown off. The picture shown is not one of mine but was found in Flickr and belongs to a set by Joanpix.My knowledge of wildlife is rather limited but seeing these wonderful creatures on a regular basis really encourages me to want to know more.
My biggest problem is that I have too many other interests and so find it difficult to spend as much time as I’d wish on learning something new.
This week's update is the village of Hemington.
I'm on location in France at the moment, hence the early updqte, so next week's blog will have news on where I've been and what photographs you have to look forward to viewing to on my return.
Thanks for reading, more coming your way next week.
Thursday 14th August - Combe Hay
Good morning,
Last weekend was a bit of a mixed bag weather-wise, but I managed to get out and about on Sunday to capture some more Somerset villages for the 3d site.
The initial plan was to visit Peasdown St John and then to explore the area around the town. Peasdown is a place mostly filled with housing estates, so it was a bit of a challenge to find subjects that I felt would be interesting to the viewer. So challenging in fact that I'm going to have to go back for another search to ensure I have enough pictures to post.
After Peasdown I then ventured off to a nearby village called Carlingcott, then on to Withyditch, followed by Dunkerton, Combe Hay, Southstoke and, finally, Priston.
All the locations had their individual appeal and, in each case, I had never been to any of them before.
At Combe Hay you will find a Cotswolds stone marker at the entrance to the village. Many will be surprised to find such a marker in Somerset as, to most people, the Cotswolds are in Gloucestershire. Well, that's partly true. The Cotswolds lie mainly within Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire but also extend into four more counties, in the form of Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire and good old Somerset(shire). Not many people know that.
Last weekend was a bit of a mixed bag weather-wise, but I managed to get out and about on Sunday to capture some more Somerset villages for the 3d site.
The initial plan was to visit Peasdown St John and then to explore the area around the town. Peasdown is a place mostly filled with housing estates, so it was a bit of a challenge to find subjects that I felt would be interesting to the viewer. So challenging in fact that I'm going to have to go back for another search to ensure I have enough pictures to post.
After Peasdown I then ventured off to a nearby village called Carlingcott, then on to Withyditch, followed by Dunkerton, Combe Hay, Southstoke and, finally, Priston.
All the locations had their individual appeal and, in each case, I had never been to any of them before.
At Combe Hay you will find a Cotswolds stone marker at the entrance to the village. Many will be surprised to find such a marker in Somerset as, to most people, the Cotswolds are in Gloucestershire. Well, that's partly true. The Cotswolds lie mainly within Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire but also extend into four more counties, in the form of Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire and good old Somerset(shire). Not many people know that. 
The photo-shoot at Combe Hay was in two parts as I was rudely interrupted mid-way through by a violent storm. I had to take refuge in a nearby pub and console myself with a cheese sandwich and a glass of fizzy carbonated pop (No product placement here!).The second half of the shoot ended with me witnessing the many attempts 3 stables girls took to convince their nervous horse that it was ok to get into the trailer (Photos below).
The 3d's will be coming your way soon. This week's update is of Chard.
More from me next week, have a good one.
More from me next week, have a good one.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Thursday 7th August - Journey to work
Hello and welcome to August.
As predicted last week there were no trips out due to the weather, so I've included in this weeks blog some photographs I took a month or so ago.
As many of you will know I walk or cycle to work most days, and during my journey I see plenty of the countryside around me. A while ago I thought it would be a good idea, and interesting, to record my journey to work photographically.
I actually found the project a lot more interesting than I first thought I would. I always thought that, living in the countryside already, I was well aware of my surroundings and already appreciated how lucky I was. However, by making an effort to record an event with photographs, I found I really took a lot more notice of what was around me and, as a consequence, appreciated so much more, not just how lucky I was, but how brilliant it was that I had all this right on my doorstep.
Indeed, the experience has prompted me to take the project further. My next plan is to video my journey so I can create a sort of travelogue that covers the 4 and a bit miles of Somerset that I see most days of the week. When I'll actually do this has not been determined as yet. There are some plans to be made, kit to be invented/purchased and time to be found before I can put the idea into practise.
In the meantime I hope you enjoy some of the pictures of my journey below. If you click on them they will open up to 1024 x 768 wallpaper size.
So, what is your trip to work like? How about recording your journey. Are you really aware of what's around you? Is this the beginnings of another website?!
This week's update on the 3d site is of Nempnett Thrubwell and Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. I have also uploaded some new photographs onto my other photography website so please take time to visit and drop me a line to tell me what you think.
That's all for now, more next week (Don't forget the pictures below).
As predicted last week there were no trips out due to the weather, so I've included in this weeks blog some photographs I took a month or so ago.
As many of you will know I walk or cycle to work most days, and during my journey I see plenty of the countryside around me. A while ago I thought it would be a good idea, and interesting, to record my journey to work photographically.
I actually found the project a lot more interesting than I first thought I would. I always thought that, living in the countryside already, I was well aware of my surroundings and already appreciated how lucky I was. However, by making an effort to record an event with photographs, I found I really took a lot more notice of what was around me and, as a consequence, appreciated so much more, not just how lucky I was, but how brilliant it was that I had all this right on my doorstep.
Indeed, the experience has prompted me to take the project further. My next plan is to video my journey so I can create a sort of travelogue that covers the 4 and a bit miles of Somerset that I see most days of the week. When I'll actually do this has not been determined as yet. There are some plans to be made, kit to be invented/purchased and time to be found before I can put the idea into practise.
In the meantime I hope you enjoy some of the pictures of my journey below. If you click on them they will open up to 1024 x 768 wallpaper size.
So, what is your trip to work like? How about recording your journey. Are you really aware of what's around you? Is this the beginnings of another website?!
This week's update on the 3d site is of Nempnett Thrubwell and Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. I have also uploaded some new photographs onto my other photography website so please take time to visit and drop me a line to tell me what you think.
That's all for now, more next week (Don't forget the pictures below).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)