Sometimes I wish I lived in the southern hemisphere. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not an overwhelming desire. I don’t lay awake at nights fantasising about water swirling the opposite way down the plughole or anything. But there has been a little antipodean niggle in the back of my brain ever since I can remember.
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Of course my brother isn’t doing much to help. He’s recently immigrated to Australia and his blog is full of wonderful views of Sydney and Rainbow Lorikeets. The bloody swine.
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My urge to live down under was particularly to the fore on Thursday evening. Christmas is celebrated in the summer in Australia, you see. Which means that if your friend receives a swanky new camera as a present, and you agree to go out with him and play with it, you will be out taking photos in the warm soothing Ozzie summer evening. I, however, live in England. Which means that when my friend gets a new camera and we go out to play with it we do so in the freezing cold with rain being driven horizontally into our foreheads.
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On Thursday evening Paul, Oli, and myself spent an enjoyable hour messing around with various knobs and buttons on our cameras amd taking photos of the M62 motorway in the dark. We then spent an even more enjoyable hour in the pub trying to massage life back into our frozen extremities. Despite the wind and the rain and the fact our only source of light was Paul’s toy Dr Who sonic screwdriver (*cough* geek *cough*) I had a really great time. It was the first time I’ve been out photographing with anyone other than Kerry, and it was rather refreshing not to have to wrestle for the sole camera all the time.
Despite him being a regular commenter on the blog and our social circles have overlapped for the past ten years or so I’ve not spent all that much time with Oli before. To be fair, the fact he lives in Scotland and only comes back to Yorkshire for Christmas and such like probably hasn’t helped matters. Anyway, he’s a jolly pleasant chap and i look forward to walking 78 miles together in July.
Most of the shots I got on our photo expedition were pretty box standard and clichéd, but I did get a couple of good ones by wiggling my camera about a bit. I really fancy having a go at light painting next.
I’m glad you mentioned the wiggling of the camera because I was sat here thinking “My they are really pissed on the M62 tonight” about the top photo.
Jane’s last blog post..Plumpciousness
Wow, the M62 looks pretty cool here. I almost miss the damn thing!
You could always come and visit!
Sam’s last blog post..Ah the Nook
Sam - Tempting, but somehow taking Amy and Evan on a 26 hour plane journey does not appeal to me all that much.
If you decide to stay there we’ll make our way over at some point.
My mum’s house has several photographs and paintings of the local area. I’m determined to work out where they’re shot/painted from, and it’s my intention to photograph the same scene in a much better manner.
I suspect this will take a few hours, and will involve photographing Castle Hill from various locations and angles. Quite possibly with a number of different lenses (I estimate 2).
You and our newly photographic mutual friend are welcome to join me, although the recent crappy weather hasn’t been particularly condusive to either photography or going-out-and-about-taking-photographs.
Thanks for the comments Dan - you’re not such a bad fellow yourself.
But I bet I get to keep chickens before you do. First to hatch an egg wins! (wins an egg).
They make a Dr Who sonic screwdriver toy!!!!
Is it only over there? I have to go find out!!!!!!!
(lovely wiggly pictures).
I don’t know… There’s something very wrong about seeing Santa in bermuda shorts.
Hey, I just saw an interesting thing on a documentary. They showed a guy on the equator, about twenty feet north of it, actually, and he showed how the water drained out in a clockwise swirl. Then, he walked to about twenty feet south of the equator and showed the water draining counter-clockwise. Last, he took his bowl to the exact equator and showed that the water drained straight out with no swirl. All of this in a very small area. I had no idea the changeover was so sudden and distinct.
Wasn’t that fascinating?
Read this comment again if you have trouble sleeping at night.
I will say one thing and then my knowledge of cameras is exhausted…
Photo Stitching software is what you need if you are going to take pictures of the M62 - Serif Panorama is cheap enough to provide hours of guiltless fun and the kids will only have to go hungry for one, or maybe two days.
Having said that, if you insist on taking the magnificent panorama’s of the moorland above Hudds in the dark then you could achieve the same effect by simply not taking the lens cap off and sellotaping several subsequent photos together.
Gary’s last blog post..Women and the demon vacuum cleaner
I really need a good camera..at the moment I’m only clicking away with my 2 megapix cameraphone.
Oh and the weather is crap over here too…
Arjan’s last blog post..Merry christmas & a happy new year!!!
I need a new camera, so if you think this is a good one, I’ll look into it. One of my dear friends lives in Australia, btw, and loves the summery Christmas weather. I can’t imagine it myself, but then again, the weather in New York is becoming increasingly like the weather in England. We get less snow every year.
Nina’s last blog post..Sin of the week, 12/30/07
Oli – sounds good, although the grey miserable skies aren’t that conducive to landscape photography.
CamiKaos – They do indeed make sonic screwdriver toys, Paul has two of them. *cough* geek *cough*
Phil – Was that Klong way down with Ewan McGregor . I saw that episode and was rather impressed.
Gary – I might have a go at that, cheers.
Arjan & Nina – currently we use a Canon EOS 350D and we like it very much. I imagine any digital SLR will get about the same results.
Dan’s last blog post..A night out with the lads
You are making me nostalgic. Not that I take good photos, I dont drink beer and dont like the weather, but there is something very appealing about a UK Christmas.
Southern hemisphere? Wot, no Great Bear? No Cassiopeia, Pegasus and Andromeda? Perseus?
Not that I’ve been able to see the stars through the incessant bloody rain…
Penny Morris’s last blog post..Epigender
hmm they do have a good offer on the 400d overhere..will consider it :)
Arjan’s last blog post..Merry christmas & a happy new year!!!
Ooo pretty! (Is it okay if I steal your CommentLuv plugin?) Oh, yes, the reason I’m here. Just wanted to say Happy New Year. I hope 2008 brings everything you and yours hopes for in the coming year. Thank you for being fantastic!
Bec’s last blog post..Drug of choice?
Ed - Not having known any other, I’m rather fed up with them myself. I would rather like a bit of snow for once.
Penny - Surely there must be stars over there? Kylie for one, and …err… oh.
Arjan - It’s a damn fine camera, although you’ll soon be hankering after expensive lenses too.
Bec - Steal away, I stole it myself.
Hey Dan - is it 2008 there yet? Hope you have a great New Year’s Eve!
And I hope you have a tolerable New Year’s morning too ;-)
Jeff’s last blog post..I’d rather have my teeth cleaned
To me, this is what photography is all about. Van Gogh would be proud of the shot. I love the way a camera can work on a canvas and not just impersonate the world.
Yeah, awesome photographs. Another trick, take a candle and slowly move it around as you take shots just above the flame. Very cool effect!