It's All About The Light

Breaks in the weather seem few and far between lately but they do happen. Yesterday morning the sun managed to break through the clouds and sent a beam of light along the cliffs from Ballard Head to Old Harry and beyond. The chalk cliff shone like a beacon!

All Change

The weather, work and my new gallery have all conspired to keep away from my camera lately and that is never good news. I can't complain about the last one though, I am ridiculously pleased with how the gallery has worked out and spending time there is a pleasure.
I want to keep the place fresh and want people to keep calling in so that means a regular change of the photographs that I show. We have been open for a month now and so I am busy framing a bunch of new shots as well as ordering new prints.
Among the newly printed shots will be this little lot of the Isle of Purbeck in the snow. This is not a regular occurrence and so when it does happen, everyone with a camera heads for the hills.

The Purbeck Footprints Gallery

After three evenings and busy weekend, the new Purbeck Footprints Gallery is ready for business. I will be using this space as a base for my walks as well as showing off my photographs. I also have plans for talks here too, but it is early days for that yet.
I have had an awful lot of support and help over the last week and without that, this would never have happened.
For those of you who can visit, the gallery is situated above Peverils in The Stables, 37 Commercial Road, Swanage BH19 1DF.

Anvil Point on a nicer evening

Our weather has not been the best lately and I haven't been able to get out and about as much as I'd like. The darker evenings make time with my camera more precious and less possible! These shots of the Anvil Point Lighthouse were a few days ago on a much nicer evening.

The Blow In

It wasn't just the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs that was carried on the wind this morning. Along with a multitued of Jackdaws, Pigeons and Herring Gulls, (all of which seem to enjoy the strong winds and use the air currents to perform all sorts of incredible maneuvers) a single Short Eared Owl blew past the headland. For all of its size, it looked to be struggling with the gusts. This is the first time I have seen one of these superb birds for years, when I managed to get quite close. They are day feeding Owls and they have been sited on a couple of occasions at Durlston Country Park recently, so fingers crossed I'll see them again soon.

Breakfast Meetings

The garden bird feeders have been busy lately with plenty of Sparrows, Blue and Great Tits, the usual Robins and Dunnocks as well as a Wren or two. The odd gang of young Long Tailed Tits have also been seen tubbling through trees, making plenty of noise and forcing the other birds from the peanuts even though they are so tiny. This morning as the rain poured, the garden went quiet as a Sparrowhawk watched and waited for the smaller birds to break cover.

Catching the Fog

This morning I took a lovely group of people for a wander around the many pathways that crisscross the beautiful Durlston Country Park. This walk was billed as a photography wildlife walk and even though the fog took a little while to lift there was more than enough to keep us amused.
Plenty of birds were visible right from the start with Jays, Magpies and Jackdaws making themselves heard, keeping just enough of a distance from us.
First stop for us was the meadow where the raising fog was leaving behind millions of chrystal-bright droplets of water that held on to every surface. Spending time changing position and camera settings, using the water topped seedheads and decorated spider's webs, can prove invaluable when you are learning what your camera can do for you.
Using the macro settings too can take you into a world that is often ignored.

Clouds and More Clouds

Now that the evenings have closed in and the Sun sets far too early it is difficult for me to get out and about with the camera during the week. This means that snatched photos and the odd precious sunrise is about all I can manage until the weekend.
With that in mind, I thought I would share a few mean and moody dark sky shots. When the Sun breaks through and shines on a small part of my world while all around is cloudy and dark, it creates an image that will always be a favourite.
Bring on the moody clouds...

Autumn Mornngs

At this time of year early morning mists are common and do nothing but enhance the beauty of the Isle of Purbeck. In the valley they give a sureal appearnce to the landscape and can make Corfe Castle even more impressive.

 When you reach the River Frome, the northern boundry of our land, the mists rise and blur the lines between land and water. At times like this it is difficult to leave.

Sunrise and Sunset

As the days become shorter I get less time to get out with the camera. The rising and setting of the Sun seem to be top of the list, so I thought I would pop a few of this weeks photographs on here.
I really lov the Autumn, I just can't get out and about enough.

The Rut

At this time of year our Sika are fully tooled up and ready for the rut, a time to dominate as well as to impress. The big stags certainly do impress and they cut a menacing figure as they wander around making sure everyone knows just who the boss is.

Dolphins at 3 o'clock

All views from the cliffs that form the southern edge of the Isle of Purbeck are special but when a pod of 8 -10 Dolphins are seen heading east, it becomes even more so.
I don't think that any creature we see down here delivers such a ripple of excitement through the crowds as the Dolphin and todays group were no exception.
A superb sight and one that doesn't happen too often.