Aurora Borealis!

How amazing it would be to have managed a photograph of the Merry Dancers.
I hadn't realised they were happening until I read this - http://www.orcadian.co.uk/2011/08/merry-dancers-light-up-august-skies/

(Image by John Vetterlein)

So, I packed up my camera gear, filled up my flask and went up to Wideford Hill to set up my camera in the hope that I would see the Northern Lights.
I was so excited when I saw the first flash of green dancing out from behind some cloud. I was told that it would be really slow to begin with and then build up so I didn't hit the shutter release straight away.

Unfortunately, the lights only danced for about 4 seconds and then disappeared. Sigh!! I lay out for several hours watching the Perseids shoot by and waiting for another show but the lights never re-appeared.

I tried a few more nights at different spots but, apart from a green coloured sky one night, there was nothing. Oh well, 4 seconds is better than none.

West End Festival (and bloody photographers!)

I went to the West End Festival in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow, on Sunday. The weather was great so the park was mobbed with people, animals and.... photographers.

I don't know if this has always been the case at these types of events and I've just never noticed before or if it's the advance in photo-technology that makes everyone suddenly want (be able) to be a photographer. They were everywhere!! Most annoyingly, they were always in my frame!!!

Every shot I tried to take, there was a photographer in sight. Worst of all, if I tried to take a shot of something without people in it, a PHOTOGRAPHER would jump in my way. One guy even looked at me, saw I was trying to take a shot, but just stayed there, staring at me. How rude!!

It did occur to me that perhaps I was in a lot of photographs but I do try to stay inconspicuous. I would prefer to have a sneaky, little Leica to snap away at scenes without anyone's knowledge. Or a medium format, TLR camera where I can hold it at my waist to take shots. Scenarios where the audience are caught unaware are always better for capturing true emotion and genuine activity, in my opinion.
I know some people would object to this approach as it does seem a little 'peeping tom'-ish but I would try not to be imposing.

In hindsight, I should have simply taken all the photos that I was going to take, with the photographers in them. It would have made a pretty nifty little project - something I might toy with for future events (starting next Sunday at the Mele in Glasgow??).

There was a female who was taking photographs of the bmxers at the ramps whilst the Beatles tribute band were on. She wasn't so obtrusive like the others. She even saw me taking a photo and smiled.
As I watched her give her card to the best biker of the crowd I realised that my problem, perhaps, isn't so much with all those invasive photographers but with competition.

Ha!

Here are some shots I took of the day on my dslr (Sony A100) - [still to come].
I also used my 35mm camera (Centon), with colour film, for part of a project I am doing with my cousin - all will be revealed in a future blog....

Digital Images

I seem to be less inclined to take my digital camera out with me these days. I imagine it must be that I'm loving being in the darkroom so much. However, I do still love the fact that I can see my images immediately after I have taken them with the Digital camera.

Here are some images that I have taken on my Sony Alpha 100 DSLR.