To view this and other Photos of Cornwall  photos for sale please click this link -  Cornish Photos. This link will open in a new window.

Portreath Sunset Photograph

Portreath Sunset

This sunset photograph of Portreath was captured recently on a tour of the North Cornish coast. There was little time between heavy rain showers and the setting sun to compose and take this photograph. Fortunately everything came together, allowing me to get this photograph. I really love the foreground reflections and the strong, bright colours cast by the setting sun.

Helston flora day

Flora Day Photos

This post has been a little while coming, due to work commitments. Anyway, here is a photograph from Helston’s Flora Day. This dance is the Childrens dance, one of five dances from the day.

The whole town of Helston come out to watch the dancers as they meander around the streets of this Cornish town. As well as local, many, many visitor come to the area to watch the days events unfold.

The main event of the day is the midday dance, where towns people dance in Top hat and Tails, a sight to behold.

Here are some photographs of Flora Day 2009 for you to have a look at.

Photo of Porthleven harbour

Porthleven Harbour

This photo of Porthleven harbour is my latest addition to my Cornwall photography collection.

The photograph is taken from inside the harbour at Porthleven on a low tide, looking out to sea, with the clock tower in the distance.

I reckon I will start a collection of interesting perspective photos of Cornish Harbours. I already have  a very traditional photo of  St Ives Harbour,  a very popular photograph of Porthleven harbour at at Storm time and Porthleven looking towards Breage Side. There is plenty more to capture.

Anyway back to this photograph – I used a number of different exposures to capture the high dynamic range of the image, then blended them by hand in Photoshop, I  converted to black and white and dodged and burned the image to increase the feeling of depth. What do you think??

To view this and other Sea Scape  photos for sale please click this link -  Cornish Sea Scapes. This link will open in a new window.

Mylor

Church yard at Mylor

An interesting place if a  bit eerie for some more Cornwall photography sessions. I am always hunting new locations to capture with my camera and this spot just jumped out at me.

The grave yard is full of interesting shapes, tones and textures to capture. I spent about 40 mins just walking around looking for interesting shots and I found many. It was hard to decide which views to work on. Many of the head stones were covered in lichens and the had aged beautifully, with an old patina running across the granite.

I found this view. The sun was spilling through the yew trees lighting this small patch of ground. Measuring the Exposure was tricky, with the sun in the background and a lot of the image in shade. However, metering on the mid tones and setting the camera on manual allowed me to take charge and force the camera to behave.

This photograph was taken in RAW format and underwent processing in photoshop CS4. I carried out basic levels and curve adjustments. The made a black and white version overlayed in soft light and the opacity reduced. A quick shot of un-sharp mask and the image was ready.

I have noted this location for an early morning shoot in the summer. I am hoping for a bit of early morning mist spilling from the estuary below in and around the church. The sun also needs to be low and should throw shafts of light through the mist. I think I will wait a few months for this, come on summer.

I would love to get some feedback here for this image, please comment or tweet this!! Thank you.

Boat in St Michales Mount harbour

A picture on St Michaels mount

This island is the perfect location for some Cornwall photography practice. St Michael’s mount is located about 200 yds of the shore at Marazion in Cornwall where I recently took this picture – Cornwall in pictures, marazion marsh. Reached by walking over a stone causeway when the tide is out, the mount offers some great photographic opportunities.

This picture of a boat dried out in the harbour was taken using RAW format. I have then blended two exposures together to get the detail in the cloud using layers and masks. Then a black and white soft light layer and the opacity of that reduced to around 70%. A few curves adjustments and there you have it!

Tell me your thoughtsa on this photograph – do you like it, what do you like about it or what do you not like about it…..

Marazion marsh photo

Marazion Marsh Nr Penzance

It was perfect weather to get out shooting the type of  photographs I have had in mind recently. I have been looking forward to adding some more photos here on my blog (Cornwall Photography) aka Digital-scene.

Anyway, I have had an interesting few days personally. I am working on a great project with a friend of mine, which fills me full of excitement, but on the other hand my mood has been a little sombre and this has been reflected in my work recently, just look at the title of my last entry Black and white picture of Cornwall. The other downer was an offer to do a great photo shoot in March with a friend, which sadly I cannot do!!

Back to the image. Here is a Marazion Marsh on a cool coloured winters day. I took a few photographs, but this one really stood out from the batch. I had to do a crop to increase the impact, getting the vanishing point of the tracks right on the top third of the image. The track lines then just draw your eye deep into the photograph. I posted this to Flickr and have been delighted with the way it was received, 8 Flickr awards and some other great comments on twitter. A great result and a photograph I am delighted with.

I would love to hear your views on this capture – just use the comment feature up by the title of this post.

As a side note – Over the next few days I am looking forward to bringing you another quick photography tip and show you a photo I found which blows my socks off!!!

Falmouth Docks a black and white picture

Pictures of Cornwall

Due to sickness my child portraiture session was cancelled today. However I decided I am going to get off my butt and bring you more Pictures of Cornwall, bringing you my version of Cornwall photography.

The day was superb for photographing outdoors. There was wonderful light, great cloud formations, rainbows, distant showers and squalls. The added bonus was the wind was light, so I didn’t have to panic when it came to taking long exposures (camera shake due to the wind being my fear). The last light I had like this was here Porthleven Harbour

I headed into Falmouth and went to the docks area, armed with camera and lens. From this raised location I could see over a lot of Falmouth. The low light was catching so many objects and because it was not harsh light it was adding depth to everything it landed upon.

The light was a photographers dream – holes in the cloud were letting light through like a giant spotlight, highlighting certain parts of the frame. The difference in strength between the skyline and landscape was almost nil, allowing for an easier exposure of the whole scene. So it was just a waiting game, waiting for the areas in the scene to be bathed in light as I wanted them. I took about 5 photos from this location and this was the pick of the bunch for me.

I have considered the railing in the fore ground. It was taken knowing that it was captured. I have thought about re-visiting the location and framing without it. BUT! The more I look at this picture, the more RIGHT it feels to be there. It adds context to the photograph, giving it location and a sense of realism.

Let me know what you think of this picture of Cornwall by commenting on this photograph. Also any area you think I should visit and capture – come on give me a few challenges.

Porthleven Harbour

Porthleven Harbour wall caught waving

Photography is something that just works at times. The environment provides you with a perfect canvas and all you need to do is be there!

This capture was taken in Early January, around the time of the snow. A great swell was hitting the coast and I had spent most of the day walking the coast line between Gunwalloe, Dollar Cove and Poldhu, enjoying the fresh air and views under a clear sky.

Time came to collect the children from school, yet we decided to quickly check Porthleven. The sun as you can see was low in the sky and as the sir cooled, clouds were just starting to form. On getting to the entrance of the harbour I could see a nice wave over the reef, being enjoyed by a group of body boarders. However, looking directly in front of me this lovely scene started to unfold. For once, tide, cloud, wave and light came together allowing me to take this shot.

I guess the “ART” in this shot is just placing myself in the right place at the right time. Coincidence? maybe, yet I have learnt one valuable lesson when it comes to photography, whether landscape or portrait work. You need to learn about locations, visit places and remember what they might have to offer if the conditions are right. It’s a bit like fishing or surfing. If you know your marks and spots and take time to consider what you need for that location to work, you can sit and wait for everything to come together, then grasp the opportunity.

Once you have had a good session at a spot you then wait to improve on it. These conditions are nice, but I know how I will improve on it next time. It’s just a matter of waiting for the factors to come back into line and for that little extra to be present, making a good shot into a great photograph. This photograph called Porthleven storm was taken at almost the same location, yet portrays a very different mood. It is also my best selling photograph to date. But again I followed the same principle and took my self to the right location for the conditions.

Wheal Trewavas Mine

Black and white photo

This Cornish photograph is of Wheal Trewavas Mine which is an old copper mine working of the southern tip of the Godolphin lode.

The are can be reached by walking to Rinsey and following the cliff path towards Porthleven. Far reaching views can be enjoyed from the cliff top towards the Lizard and Porthcurnow, including St Michaels mount and penzance.

This is an area that I want to re-attend soon and get some more interesting angles. There are lots of approaches to the engine houses, and I am after getting some more interesting aspects of this historical Cornish site. I think a combination of long exposure with some interesting cloud and sea conditions will provide a very special photo.

I would love you to share any photographs you have of other Mining sites – The other site I have featured here is Wheal Francis

Flora Day dancers in motion

Helston Flora Day Dancers

Helston flora day was again another great success this year. The dancers and spectators enjoyed some great weather. The dancers looked fantastic in all their finery, dressed for the traditional occasion.

The flora dance follows route around the town of Helston, accompanied by the Helston town band playing the tune of the Furry Dance.

The whole town and hundreds more supporters were there to watch all the dancers from 7pm onwards. The atmosphere in the town was superb!!!

Anyway here are some more images to share with you. The faces of some of the dancers have be obscured for obvious reasons.

Please share any flora day photographs you might have.