ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Tuesday 25 January 2011

MIXED FORTUNES (25/01/11)

I’m not sure what sort of a job I’ve done on the Priory. I couldn’t  tune in or settle to my satisfaction. I have seen a pair of Shell Duck this morning………no pictures but we’ll have a go later. There was also the flash over the river of what I’m hoping was a Kingfisher………….I will probably ignore that little blighter…….I still subscribe some value to what remains of my sanity. Trying to photograph a Kingfisher could well tip the balance to my detriment.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA         What smart dogs……………..They should be, I could have had a hair transplant for the cost of two dog trims. Molly looks less than happy with hers.

_1251040_1_2_3_4_tonemapped_edited-1     A wander round the Priory what bit of the Priory this is I’m not sure. It’s the big bit.

_1251065_6_7_8_9_tonemapped_edited-1   This I found interesting…………..Beautiful columns incorporated into a later  wall………….They must have had the equivalent of double glazing salesmen in medieval times….. I can reduce your heating bills by half………..sign up now and I’ll leave you to get on with your Vespers……………….This is a closer view.

 OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA       The crypt is still superb if a bit dark…………..Crypts are. They are underground!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA      Superb vaulting…………..I am not happy …….Fill flash with a GN 36 flash gun………..I did use a food bag full of micro fibre to diffuse it. There must have been a gap to the left of the bag…….Ho Hum! Or perhaps I’m just a cheap skate and should invest in proper diffusers.

_1251055_6_7_8_9_tonemapped_edited-1      This one is exposure blended……………….Should have soft processed this.  I love these buildings and have reservations when it comes to tampering with the masons art. They knew what they were doing…..I wish I could say the same.

_1251045_6_7_8_9_tonemapped_edited-1It’s as if they were going to build a steeple or tower there are the remains of two of these massive columns. When they were first constructed they would have been smooth. The small square holes were scaffold anchorages and would have been filled after construction finished. Endless opportunity for macro photography here as the stone is porous and weathers into superb texture. Tell that to the masons at Durham Cathedral just upstream. They would love you for it.

_1251035_6_7_8_9_tonemapped_edited-1

_1251030_1_2_3_4_tonemapped_edited-1                                           A couple of framed shots to finish……………….What!……………I have got taste………….bad taste!……..I also gave all my lenses and filters a good polish last night. Took my tripod and did my bestest.

All the very best with whatever you are up to………….Off to find the Kingfisher!

 

14 comments:

  1. I like all the pictures,the dogs are very cute.Like the last two views,taken through the arches and the columns in the wall are interesting,also a bit of a puzzle,looks like the wall has been put over the columns at some point,a bit like blocking in an old fireplace.
    Good luck snapping the Kingfisher.!!

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  2. Lovely set of images from the priory Adrian.
    I especially like the second one.
    And the dogs look very smart too.

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  3. The more pictures we take the more critical of our own work we become.
    I like these images Adrian.They look pretty good to me.

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  4. Of course the happy couple look cute and, well, in Molly's case, as you said, not very happy. But I'm sure it's just a look and that she's ecstatic really.

    The third and fourth photos fascinate me - as does the idea of medieval double glazing! Seriously, though (just kidding) it does make you wonder. Presumably an internal wall or cloister became an external wall. Peut-être oui, peut-être non.

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  5. Lovely shots Adrian of a bygone age. I have never heard of a WD coating before....vasaline yes... but I much prefer the less messy way of breathing on the lens. The dogs are a pair of cuties....for how long will they stay in that condition?

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  6. Molly is obviously thinking, fancy having to have a hair cut in the Winter.

    Interesting building remains Adrian. I wonder if the buried column was the result of having to strengthen the walls as they increased their height.

    Hope you Kingfisher gives you a photo opportunity.

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  7. A perfect spot for a photographer, I'd say, and blue sky as well. Enjoyed looking at these so much, as well as your 'prior' post ;) Fascinating discoveries hidden beneath stone, amazing arches...and views through them. Thanks ~

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  8. I love those hidden columns! Maybe the original construction turned out too weak or something? Anyway a lovely set of photos of this place. When we were travelling in Britain back in the 70s old ruins was my favourite kind of tourist attraction even though the digital camera was not invented yet...

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  9. Laura, thank you.

    Carolyn. What remains of this place is about half of what was here. Farmers and builders treated these places as a free builders merchants. I suspect they built higher and needed the strength. Perhaps swapped a wooden roof for a stone one.

    Keith, I love these places but find them hard to photograph sympathetically.

    Trevor, thanks.......I did my best but still feel I could have done better.

    Graham, the dogs are happy. These buildings were developed over decades. I just found the pillar fascinating. there are several of them in this stretch of wall.

    Trevor, I too blow on lenses but thought a bit of WD round the edge would be more controllable. Wrong again. The dogs are okay but stop clean for a few days only.

    John, there must be a reason the columns are well finished so originally were open. There must be experts out there who know.

    Glo, it was a lovely morning. These buildings are wonderful.

    Monica, thank you, yesterday was a case of an old ruin enjoying an old ruin.

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  10. Little posers, they must be going out for the whole day. And, the architecture of those building are fantastic.

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  11. Bob, they go out on demand...........spoilt to death! The architecture is brilliant. What have we forgotten in nine hundred years?

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  12. "Are we allowed out now Dad" !!
    That's an interesting pillar. Theres a lot of potential here that you have captured. Just watched a BBC2 i player programme of someone climbing Britain's buildings. He was at Durham Cathedral and he talked about the holes in the wall for scaffolding and the wrong type of stone that they used to build it.
    Always good to see some framing shots. I tried doing this with Easby Abbey at Richmond (similar looking building) on one of my early blogs but not a great deal of potential ...or so I thought at the time.

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  13. Jay, The frame shots are exposure blended. Usually they have to be. I can spend ages wandering around ruins. I was lucky with the weather. The stone used here could well be the same as Durham's. There is plenty in the river walls so I suspect they didn't look too far.

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