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 6 September 2011

I MISSED THE TRAIN (06/09/11)

I was awake half the night listening to driving rain and wind. The dogs, being sensible,  wouldn’t get up so I had a bowl of porridge and at eight o’clock there appeared to be, what sailors term, a weather window. I kicked the idle mutts out of bed and we wandered down to Dalby Forest. A slip slidey walk. It looks a grand place but down came the rain………..just to improve my temper it was accompanied by hail. We beat a hasty retreat to the van. A measured hasty retreat……..It’s a short but steep climb…….why do I make life difficult by hoovering Marlboro. It does say on the packet they aren’t good for one. They weren’t today. I got wet and cold.

I had a second breakfast to celebrate our safe but damp return. Then at eleven out popped the sun so I harnessed the dogs and we set off for some wonderful images.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA   This is Cross Dale. It’s near vertical, I could have done with wearing crampons, treacherously slippery it was. Our destination is Newton Dale which provides a relatively level track for The North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA      I missed the train…………..they run every half hour but casting an eye up wind things did not look pleasant. I may be slow but big black clouds were, after my experience earlier, a portent of rain or worse. I retreated. I find that steam trains are best snapped working hard, as this one is, pulling it’s load towards Whitby. Coming the other way and coasting towards Pickering they don’t belch steam and smoke. A tad of a non-event they are running down hill.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA      Back home and dry. The Fox and Rabbit in all it’s glory and still in Sunshine!

The other day I processed an image of a Rose stem. I was, as usual, in a rush. Whilst waiting for my jacket and trousers to dry I had another go at it.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Here it is………I quite like it.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA This is the original image. Whatever you may think. They are different!

The forecast is better for tomorrow so out with a long lens, a pocket full of bits for the dogs, a sandwich, a flask of coffee, a poncho and a map. Hopefully a pleasant hour or so in the forest. I won’t forget the compass. All trees look the same to me.

All the very best.

21 comments:

  1. Lovley shots as yours always are, Adrian. I'm wondering if you're getting that black background of the thorny stem by post-processing or by tweaking the setting during the shot?

    Also of the many towns I travel through on my way to visit Frank.. Pickering and Whitby are among them.

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  2. Pleasant day, lol. Your pictures are brilliant, especially the Fox and Rabbit, and the rose.

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  3. Adrian, maybe it's time to give up on the smokes and then you might be able to dodge the raindrops....lol.

    Great images,the Fox and Rabbit looks very inviting....better luck with the train tomorrow!...[;o)

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  4. Hilary, I select the stem, then use levels. to get the background. It gets more complicated and I can do a 'Seeing To'. The background could be anything that takes your fancy. Easy if it's black or White.
    Just hop on the steam train!!

    Bob, the weather is 'Orrid! the Rose is play time.

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  5. Ah ok, thanks Adrian. I don't mess with Photoshop too much. I like trying to get that black background by playing with my setting while snapping. It's all fun though.

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  6. Nice job with the rose stem! Reminds me I still have a lot to learn in that department... But hey, winter will be along soon enough.

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  7. Hi Adrian..Your dogs are smarter than you ...if you hadn't booted the poor pups out of bed to go out you wouldn't have got caught in the in the hail
    ...if you want to have a smoke just step outside and leave the poor babies be!! lol
    I never smoked (anything) but I do understand people who who can't kick the habit!!

    I loved the train shot's so picturesque..
    I wish we had that kind of transportation here!!

    I like both the thorn images, although I guess it is all in what your desiring it to be !
    I just don't like getting caught in the darn things!!

    Tommorows plan looks good ...hope it works out for you !!
    Grace

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  8. Brilliant first scenic view - sums up the local area nicely.
    Great work on the rose stem - still trying to work out how you got the jet black background.

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  9. 'Home' looks good to me Adrian ;-)

    Good bit of work on the rose stem.

    Just looked through your earlier posts, and that horse is a star!

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  10. A nice read Adrian and lovely to see steam on a railway line...
    The pub looks very inviting!

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  11. Amazing photos. I was especially impressed by the photos of the train. I could feel the movement.

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  12. Your images are wonderful(love your latest rose stem) ...
    You're a delight to read!

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  13. I like your new rose pic. Very dramatic, more fitting for rose thorns than the softer background. Also love the train shots, brings back memories of running to catch the old puffing billies in my youth.

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  14. An uplifting set of pics today - not a raindrop i sight. Very impressed with the final result for the rose.

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  15. stunning work on the rose! I love the look of The Fox and The Rabbit, looks cozy. haven't seen steam engines in a very, very long time.
    question: meaning of "hoovering Marlboros"? Marlboros are cigarettes in USA. having watched BBC America shows I think hoovering means vacuuming. so your phrase means...? (please pardon my ignorance.)

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  16. Hilary, your flower images inspired this. S it must be your fault. You have fun.

    Monica, Next rainy day I'll do a Seeing To. It won't work perfectly on Paintshop but near enough and John at Midmarsh Jottings can no doubt help.

    Grace, most living creatures are smarter than me!
    We seem to have these steam railways springing up all over. I love them.
    the thorn is just an image and occupational therapy.
    As I write this it looks a good start to the day.

    John. Thanks. It is quite time intensive. I selected the stem with the quick selection brush. Then touched the selection up with the Polygonal tool. Then selected inverse and used levels to drop the background to near black. I found a near black and painted it black. Next I used this bit to clone out the background. When I got near the stem I selected areas to clone first with the Polygonal Lasso Tool. This stops the clone spraying where it shouldn't. I use a separate layer for most tasks. It took about an hour but now I've got the work flow sorted I can half that.

    Keith, the pub is a bit smart for me but is dog friendly.
    The horse is a star......It's brilliant.

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  17. Andrew, the pub is okay......a bit of a Roadhouse. Pity I missed the train but even when I got into the valley bottom a hedge obscured the track.

    Olga, thanks, the train turned out better than I hoped.

    Laura, thanks, I love playing in Photoshop. Some work......some don't. I just keep trying.

    Pauline, for polluting things steam trains improve landscapes for me. I enjoyed giving the Rose a good seeing to.

    Graham, the devil looks after his own....It was the only sunny hour and a half of the day.

    Norma, thanks.
    No need to apologise......the words mean the same here. Hoovers suck and so do I. Marlboro are cigarettes here. My poison of choice.

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  18. I agree with you, these photos are wonderful, the scenery is incredible, so much beauty around us isn't it?!
    The rose stem: well to be honest i like both, it's amazing what results you can achieve with photoshop, different effects such as this one, different perspectives and colours etc... I love to play with photoshop when i have a bit of time on hand.
    A good day to you Adrian!

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  19. Dee Bee, It is a beautiful place. I'm very lucky. I deserve the occasional soaking.
    All my pictures have five minutes of Photoshop Elements. Almost always a contrast boost and a sharpen. Sometimes much more. I feel i'm getting value. I enjoy wandering with a camera. Then it's fun playing on the computer.

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  20. Great colours considering the weather. If it's any consolation, I was also awake most of monday night in a second floor roof room high on the outskirts of Whitby.

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  21. Jay, it was a little wild. These were taken during a two hour sunny spell.

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