This morning arrived dark dismal and wet. The dogs seem oblivious. Just as well I suppose, we went out wandered down the Tees saw some birds whilst strolling the bank. I had taken my big lens why I bother with a slow lens in near dark I don’t know. No way am I going to spend monster money on a big fast lens when I can enjoy the birds without…………you can’t………but voyeurism is never quite the same. Damned important it is when I don’t know what I’m looking at though. I rely on you educated birders to put me straight.
I went into town……….bought some lamb chops, a bit of fruit and some veg. Then the sun came out.
I do like this building………………no I didn’t just zoom in… two clock faces on the second image………I’m not a lazy Joe! If you doubt me look at the time……….clocks unlike meteorologists don’t lie.
We then entered the market made a few purchases and took a few pictures. There are people in these. Pauline at THE PADDOCK is very good at this. I ask, am unfailingly polite but get endless grief. You have to be thick skinned for this job…………or an Aussie.
This is I suspect a hybrid female Mallard………………….she seems to have found a mate.
A mixed day but a good one…………..everywhere one walks, off pavement, means a soaking. I wish it would freeze up and snow. I loved December.
We’ll see what tomorrow brings………Tonight it’s beer at £1.70p a pint and parking for £5.00p per day including electric. A grand place is Croft Working Mans Club. Be music as well!
Lamb chops, a glorious clock, market, Joseph Peace and selected colors...ha ha and ducks!
ReplyDeleteYou have had a great day , Adrian!
Anyway, I like HDR in the first image!
I wish you a sunny Sunday!
Love the clock tower and the markets.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment. I figure old ladies are sort of invisible, people don't even notice me half the time and when they do they give me that little smile I reserve for ladies even older than me. But I've almost been thrown out of a supermarket, yes, a supermarket, do I look like an industrial spy??)
Oh, and love the comment about the good Mr Peace, it does look like that, doesn't it?
£1.70 a pint, strewth. I think it was just over £1 last time I went in an ale house, for a beer. I do hear it can cost about double that darn souf.
ReplyDeleteI love the old open air markets, less overheads usually means prices suit my meanness better ;) That said a covered market beats a sanitised supermarket any day.
I love the market, the big ben and £1.70 per pint of beer, wow, I can't wait!!!!
ReplyDeleteI like your first image and the images from the market, too. The atmosphere is so wonderful. It was a great day for you and I wish you more and more of these days..... Hugs from Luzia.
ReplyDeleteThat seems very reasonable! Can I join the CWMC? Hmmm. I thought not.
ReplyDeleteLovely images as usual.
Wind, it was an enjoyable hour or so. Thank you...you have a good Sunday.
ReplyDeletePauline, The market is my second attempt. The light is a nightmare. I'm drawn to the clock tower. I must go somewhere else. It was just good to have a few hours sunshine.
John, it is a good 30% cheaper than is normal up here. I enjoy markets. There is a lot of tat for sale but also cheap meat and veg.
Bob, it's odd but a couple of pints does me. I like the price, I'm only renting it after all.
Lucy, thank you.......it is fun shopping in markets. Not so much fun taking pictures, there is not enough space. A hug from me.
Katherine, gone are the days when it was a men only club.....ladies used to be admitted on Saturday nights. Now there are no restrictions.
Pauline, probably as well Joseph Peace was a Quaker...were he a Catholic the statue would most likely be a shrine.
ReplyDeleteI really like that first shot shot Adrian; ghosting or not, and not fully perspective corrected....it still looks bloody good to me.
ReplyDeleteI used to work markets a few years ago, outside, and you can't beat them. I wouldn't have the courage these days though, for candid photography.
Not sure on the diver. My first thoughts were a Cormorant, maybe.
Bet you never thought you'd hear this: I liked the first image!
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I looked at in the clock tower was the time. Habit I suppose.
Must learn to do that colour splash stuff. But then I keep saying that about lots of things.
Keith, glad you like it the HDR. I have to be in the mood.....only got told to go forth and multiply once yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThe bird is much much smaller than a cormorant. I need more light on it.
Graham, I'm probably getting a bit more subtle. They do lift a dark day.
Colour popping as a technique is easy. load an image into the editor. press CTRL J then CTRL,SHIFT U. take the eraser and pick a medium soft brush and just rub out the bits of the B/W image you don't want. There are more controllable ways of doing it. If you make a mistake hit CTRL Z. It's a good idea to boost contrast in the B/W layer use the dodge and burn tools set at around 5%. Again it brightens a dull image.
I like the first one, never been inside the market for years... nice stall & character studies, come to think of it, it's been that long that I almost forgot where the monochrome shot was taken. The theme of it amuses me as there is deep meaning to the scene.
ReplyDeleteJay, enlighten me. I like to be deep and meaningful. Be blowed if I know what I've done though.
ReplyDeleteAs an introduction, I hope no one from Darlington googles the words Darlington and Adrian !! although in my defence, I know a few people that originated from here.
ReplyDeleteYou made number 8 a grey and dull scene which effectively it is in more ways than one but is brightened up by the characters who would probably be warm and friendly. It looks as though the two people in red are going to chat to each other (very much a northern thing) and the background disappears into insignificance for a second reason. The buildings in this section of the street are also insignificant and dull to what seems like two stereotypical shoppers.
Lastly, Darlington may seem attractive to the passing traveller from the train window in the shape of the distant market hall tower although it is unfortunate that the railway station is a cold, windy and unforgiving place.... a free heat and read in the bookshop is what I did. Although I would probably visit the tourist information shop (to gain a scrap of inspirational information), I get the feeling that this is largely a forgotten shop to the masses here with the people probably only needing to enter to find out whats on at the Civic theatre. As that building is so close, why would they use it anyway. It is of course, the escape route out of northern towns to the countryside used mostly in my experience by visiting tourists .. ideal in Newcastle and Durham. It strikes me that Darlington gets a lot more shoppers than tourists and they are content with that little world anyway.
Well... You did ask !!
The first picture may be a bit odd - but I like it a lot.
ReplyDeleteThe fruit and flower stall is special too. So much warmth in it - and so much to see.
Lucy
Your first image wowed me right away.. the colours and perspective give it a painting-like quality. I love its mood.
ReplyDeleteYour market photos really give a feel for the activity of the place.
Fun photos all around. Thank you for sharing them, and for your visit to my blog.
Jay, I asked and thanks........the whole of the North East can at times be very depressing. I'm spending most weekends here now and am getting used to it. The people really make it......I'm not going to wax on all romantic. There are several out and out thugs and ignoramuses but no more than anywhere else. Croft WMC ............they ought to film it for a reality show. Saturday lunch time there were three gentlemen in there seventies arguing for a good twenty minutes over whether a Papermate pen was a biro, it ended up with the pen in bits and one of them wearing two pairs of specs to check if there was mention of Biro on the refill. No there wasn't, so it definitely wasn't a biro. Reassembled the pen refused to work, they had lost the spring. The owner was apoplectic these pens is a fortune....his mate turned round and said a good job you found it at the bus stop. The third said that's why Biros are better they don't have springs. I was choking on my bear...so they all turned on me. What are you laughing at? You three daft old buggers I replied. The pen finder said I'm not old I'm seventy three his two companions immediately rounded on him you are seventy two....I'm seventy three next month....Well you are seventy two then.......No I'm not I'm in my seventy third year. This debate lasted another ten minutes...............Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteHailing from Sheffield they can't place my accent.....They have no doubts at all that I'm a Southern Jessie.
Lucy, good to see you back..........it is a bit odd but nothing like as odd as HDR can be in my subtle hands. Markets are the very devil so little room and awful mixed light fun to shoot though and I love the vibrancy.
ReplyDeleteHilary, it's shot three exposures two stops apart. In my case five One stop apart and processed in Photomatix.....if you want to play they will give a free copy of the software. All images will have watermarks on so one has to pay for the software to get rid of them. There is another way but I think software writers ought to be paid for good product.
Hi, I'm late to the party but thought I'd tell you I really like the photos with people. I love the feel of a market, fresh things and people there getting them in any weather. Don't know why.
ReplyDeleteJoLynne, it's how shopping should be. Forty years ago there would have been a dozen butchers, and more grocers......these are the last..sad!
ReplyDelete