Photo101:Mystery & Lighting Effects

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Very early this morning, whilst walking our dogs at Dookes H.Q. I was treated to the wonderful spectacle of sunrise.

I watched the golden fireball of the sun slowly rise above the horizon, casting it’s light across the frozen ground and creating a stunning light effect. It was definitely going to be a very nice day, even though at that hour the temperature was hovering around zero degrees celsius.

It struck me that we take a lot of things for granted in our modern age; we know why the sun rises and sets every day, we understand the phases of the moon, the tides of the sea and even our weather.

For the ancients, all these things were a Mystery and none more so than the Sun.

Our local star has been worshiped as a deity, feared as a demon, adored as the Earth’s Mother and even held in awe as the spirits of the ancestors, amongst many other beliefs.

It is as fundamental now to our own very existence, our past and our future as it was in those ancient times. In many ways, to most of us it still remains an untouchable enigma, a Mystery.IMG_0050

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“Turn you face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.” – Maori proverb.

Dookes

PS I couldn’t choose which shot I like most, so I posted four!

Photo101: Warmth & the Quality of Light

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Our delightful spell of early Spring weather is continuing here in lovely Cornwall. High pressure is dominating, the sky is largely clear and sunshine abounds. It is, however, still a bit cool with overnight frost and a distinct chill on the light North Easterly breeze.

The point of this rambling weather report is that today I got the quality of light, albeit a tad hazy, but not the warmth! Actually, one of the great things about Cornwall is the quality of the light; the famous Newlyn and St Ives art movements grew up in the 19th Century specifically taking advantage of the beautiful Cornish coastal light. Hmm, the coast.

On that basis, this afternoon I fired up Harley, had a gentle trundle around the byways and eventually ended up at Tintagel Haven on the North Cornwall coast just as the sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky. I wouldn’t say we hit the sweet spot of the “golden hour” as today has pretty much all been quite golden, but the light was rather nice.

I wandered around on the foreshore, grabbing shots here and there, but nothing really excited me until I wandered into the large cavern known as “Merlin’s Cave.” Lying on roughly an East – West axis the cave burrows right through Tintagel Island and is open to the sea at each end. As I walked in the tide was on the flood and beginning to surge through from the West. I grabbed a couple of shots looking into the setting sun, but wasn’t very convinced; then I turned around and got the photo I was looking for!

A Golden Spell Cast From Merlin's Cave.

A Golden Spell Cast From Merlin’s Cave.


I hope you like it.

Dookes

Photo101: Natural World & Leading Lines

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Hello everyone.

The Photo101 course continues and so does the great weather here in Cornwall, which makes taking photographs a really pleasant pastime.

I took loads of pictures today, ranging from trees to salmon in our local fishmongers, honestly I did! Unfortunately I just couldn’t seem to get exactly what I was looking for. . . until I got back home, took a walk around our land at Dookes H.Q. and found exactly what I had in mind!

I couldn’t decide on landscape or portrait format, both have their plus points and I am open to comments and opinions. So please let me know what you think, here are the photographs.

Looking up in the reeds.

Looking up in the reeds.



Reeds pointing to the sky.

Reeds pointing to the sky.


Looking forward to your comments, talk to me!

Dookes

Photo101: Big

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It’s been another wonderful day in paradise, or more correctly the byways and highways of Cornwall and South West England.

As I took in the air and let Mr Harley and Mr Davidson’s wonderful machinery do the hard work I got to think about today’s assignment. Well, I wasn’t thinking too much about it when I was riding, because letting the old mind wander is a sure-fire way of getting yourself hurt on a motorbike!

We took a trundle around Bodmin Moor before turning North West and along the Atlantic Highway for about 50 miles and hanging a sharp left near Clovelly. Then we headed to the beautiful Hartland Point on the most spectacular part of the North Devon Coast. The country lanes here become decidedly rural and after the long wet winter were in shocking condition, so bad that at times our progress was down to walking pace as we negotiated potholes, mud, loose gravel, stones and oh yes as this is early spring the farmers are out spreading manure. . . and dropping loads of it on the roads too! Joy!

Anyway, it was when we parked up at Hartland I reflected that nearly half a tonne of motorbike qualified as “Big” particularly when you are working hard to keep it the right way up on crappy roads! So here is my “Big” shot.

She's My Big Baby!

She’s My Big Baby!


Don’t look at the filthy state of that front tyre after those dirty roads; no ‘chicken strips’ here today!

Oh yes, Hartland Point is a 325 ft high rocky outcrop on the North-West tip of the Devon coast. The point marks the Western end of the Bristol Channel where it meets the Atlantic Ocean; if you like, it’s where the Atlantic begins! The Hartland Point Lighthouse was built in 1874. It’s tower is 59ft tall with the lamp being 121ft above mean sea level and today is listed as an historic structure. The light can be seen up to 25 miles away from the coast and was automated in 1984, prior to this the lighthouse was maintained by four keepers.

Heartland Point and Lighthouse.

Hartland Point and Lighthouse.


I supposed that’s all a bit “Big” as well!

“Did ya like that?”

Dookes

Photo 101: Connect

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Hi there people!

It’s been a busy day here in sunny Cornwall and what with flying around enjoying myself on one of the bikes, Baby to be precise, I nearly forgot to take some photos for today’s assignment!

Fortunately the fine weather is set to continue for the week and the light was still good enough at six thirty this evening for me to grab the shot.

In the relatively remote spot where Dookes H.Q. is located on the edge of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, our connection to the outside world can sometimes be a bit fragile. We have no mains gas, no mains drainage and our electricity is supplied along these slender cables; a couple of times this winter they have fallen, cutting us off from the power grid.

It pays to keep an emergency generator ready!

Connect

Connect

Stay connected!

Dookes

Photo101: Solitude & The Rule of Thirds

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Today dawned bright, crisp, slightly frosty and very sunny. Just the weather for getting out on two wheels in search of today’s assignment.

As I bowled along on Harls enjoying the lovely morning it did occur to me that this was the perfect embodiment of Solitude, at least for me! The trouble is that to capture that moment in a decent photograph would be I feel nearly impossible.

Now worries though, I was heading for one of my special little spots where solitude comes easily.

This is the young River Fowey high on Bodmin Moor and not very far from it’s source. I love sitting here on the river bank just taking in the total serenity of the place. Small trout and salmon dart in the quick clear water, Dippers busily search along the pebbles and if you are blessed, the bright turquoise flash of a Kingfisher may catch your eye. You have to sit still for hours though to spot an otter, but they are here!

My place of Solitude: River Fowey on Bodmin Moor

My place of Solitude: River Fowey on Bodmin Moor

Yes you can sit in solitude, but at the same time you have to share that place with the real local inhabitants.

Dookes

PS Fowey is pronounced “Foy.”

Photo 101: Bliss, in Boots!

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One thing I’ve noticed about this great course, Photo 101, is that it certainly gets you thinking!

For example take today’s assignment, Bliss.

Over my breakfast I pondered how I could capture this in one photograph.

First off I dragged out my copy of The Oxford English Dictionary, just to make sure I was understanding the question, so to speak! O.E.D. defines the word like this:

“Bliss”- Reach a state of perfect happiness, oblivious of everything else.

Hmm. Now I must be a very lucky chap, no let’s re-phrase that, I AM a very lucky chap! You see I often reach that state of perfect happiness doing lots of different things and no, I never take that for granted.

I guess the most obvious, to most Blogonaughts is when I’m riding motorbikes, but there’s loads more to me than that! Mountains do it for me too, when I’m on the beach, walking in the country, horse riding, gardening. . . you get the drift?

So how do I show this in one photograph? Well sure I could raid the Dookes archive and maybe drag out a shot of one of my bikes in the mountains, or the country, or by the beach, but that would be cheating; this course is about taking photographs for the assignment!

I got the old brain into gear and over another cup of tea, it always helps us Brits, I got it. There is a common thread to the activities and things that take me to that state of bliss: boots!

Yes, I know it’s totally off the wall, but it’s true; I often find my greatest happiness when I’m doing things that require me to wear boots! So here it is my personal pile of bliss!

Boots of Bliss, all size 11!

Boots of Bliss, all size 11!


There’s a lot of memories, miles, happiness and bliss tied up in that pile of footwear!

“These boots were made for walking (and riding, hiking, gardening etc. . .) ”

Dookes

Photo101: Water

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When I saw today’s assignment I had a great idea, but unfortunately Mother Nature had other plans.

Last night a severe gale blew in from the Atlantic with winds gusting to over 80 miles per hour, my gentle stroll along a North Cornwall beach turned into a trial of endurance and for the first time in my life I was blown off my feet, several times!

Now please, before the “Laughter Police” are called, I wasn’t ever putting myself in danger or in need of rescue by others, I stayed well back from the sea and checked the tides before I ventured out. This also meant that I didn’t get as close to the surf as I planned for the original idea, but I got a few reasonable shots that I hope you enjoy.

As an aside, the lens got so thoroughly coated with salt in the strong north wind, that I was reduced to licking it to keep it clear, yeck!

Anyway here are the photos!
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P1050238This last shot looks so benign and peaceful, it wasn’t, I just wish it had sound so you could hear the wind howling!

I hope that these are watery enough for everyone!

All taken today on the beach at Crackington Haven in North Cornwall; 50.7445N, 4.6377W.

Catch you all soon.

Dookes

Street

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Blogging University Photo101, Day Two.

Here we go then, today’s assignment is just one word again, this time “Street.”
I hope you enjoy my interpretation.

I currently trapped at Dookes H.Q. waiting for the boiler engineer to arrive to service our central heating, so no time to pop out and find something exotic! I’ve made do with the lane outside our cottage, which this morning is lightly bathed in gentle Cornish drizzle, though the daffodils certainly lift the scene.

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As you can see, this street is quite bucolic and in a few weeks time when the trees will be covered in leaves it’s almost a green tunnel.

Catch you soon.

Dookes

Home.

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Hello everyone.
I’ve signed up to another Blogging University course, similar to the ones I did last year. This one is all about Photography, so climb on board, this ride could get interesting and I really do not know where we will be going!

Today’s assignment: Home.

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Let me explain what is going on.

There’s a Welsh rugby shirt and a small Ddraig Goch/Red Dragon (the symbol of Wales) lit by a lamp whose base is made from a piece of Aberllefenni slate from the heart of Mid Wales.

These are things that are dear to me and link me to Wales, the Land of My Fathers, where my heart is and which will be forever “home.”

Each night as I turn out the light my hand touches that piece of rock and I am in contact with home, I makes me happy and at the same time a little sad; we call it “Hiraeth” in the old language.

Catch you soon.

Dookes

“Hiraeth” is a Welsh word with no direct translation in English. It represents a longing for the homeland, but not mere homesickness, it is an expression of the bond with the old country when one is away from it…