A Tribute to a Hero Lee Rigby Just out for a walk after an early stack Not looking for trouble not watching my back Mothers with prams holding hands with their kids Not paying attention to the car as it skids Caught completely off guard not expecting what comes One man with a knife another with guns. No chance of defence no chance to fight back Looking for help as the cowards attack An angel arrives as the light turns to grey A woman attempts to steer attackers away My last thought of ‘Thank You’ never strays from my brain As my body shuts down and I feel no more pain. I look to my left and I look to my right Thousands of squaddies are all that’s in sight Uniforms are crisp and their faces are clean No sign of anger or hate to be seen As if by command they salute all as one The RSM smiles, says ‘Welcome home son’.
Category: Peters Blog
Killane Jurby
Now that’s a bit close to the edge! Spotted this whilst having a walk up the beach below “Ballateare” at Killane on the Jurby Coast Road near to RAF Jurby Head.
Ballaugh Old Church (St Mary’s De Ballaugh)
The old Church of Ballaugh occupies an elevated position close to a sheltered creek of the sea, and at the junction of coast and landward tracks-a site which must have been important in prehistoric times. A hundred yards east of the churchyard at one period stood a tumulus at a spot still marked by the swell of the ground, and there are two holy wells not far away. As in the case of the other Manx parish churches, old St Mary’s contains in its walls materials from previous works, and is probably an epitome in stone of all the sacred buildings and monuments which have occupied the church enclosure since Neolithic man came to the Island. The church was enlarged by Bishop Wilson and Dr. Walker in 1717, a date commemorated on the weathercock which surmounts the characteristic and attractive bell turret of the period. Upon a petition from the parishioners a gallery was added in the second half of the 18th century. The approach was by an external double staircase over the main entrance. After the building of the new church in 1833 old St. Mary’s became ruinous but received a new lease of life in 1849, when the building was shortened and the gallery and stairs removed.. This was during the Rectorate of Thomas Howard, the memory of whose mild and benignant personality still lingers with old people in the parish. In 1877 the church was once again rescued from decay by Rector Kermode, and has ever since been kept in a good state of repair. Click on any of the below images for a larger view. Another lovely ancient feature to this beautiful church is the font (and a more modern day lid) which is of unknown antiquity. It is made of red sandstone block built into a window seat. It is decorated with a cross, once painted in blue and red, and a beautiful inscription in Gaelic Manx reads: “Ta un Chiarn, un Credjue, un Vashtey, Un Jee as Ayr jeh ooilley” Which simply translates in Gaelic Manx to: “There is one Lord, one Faith, one…
My £3 Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Stamp
I am very pleased that my photograph of a Fire Appliance in front of Peel Castle has made a £3 first day cover (Miniature Set) Manx Stamp which will be issued towards the end of the month. Famous and royalties spring to mind.
A Lovely Sunday Walk
Well what a sunny fantastic Sunday here on the Isle of Man so we took Ted up to Maughold and walked from the front door of Maughold Church to the beach at the foot of ‘Gob ny Port Mooar’! Firstly we were confronted by about 50 sheep being rounded up and being moved from one field to another, Ted was not happy and very quiet seeing all these white 4 legged things running up the footpath that he was walking on! The walk was wonderful and sometimes a little scary on the headland down to the beach due to the steepness and slippery conditions. Ted and Nick loved it and we spent a pleasurable hour or so on the beach and the headlands. What a fantastic way to spend our Sunday afternoon and we were back home around two or so hours later.
Black Guillemots
I think these are Black Guillemots and they were lined up on the wall of Peel Harbour this morning. There were a number of photographers taking pictures of them so I thought I would join in! Click image for a larger view.
Digital Photography Basics – 10 Ways To Boost Your Digital Images Even If You’re A Beginner
Are you starting out in digital photography? If you are, then here are a list of pointers pertaining to digital photography basics. These pointers will give your digital images a massive kick start in terms of quality and it doesn’t matter what camera you have. You can take good photographs with any digital SLR camera. So here’s my advice: 1. Don’t be concerned with the number of megapixels of your camera. The number of pixels determines how big you’ll be able to print your photographs. Yes it’s true that the more pixels you have, the more refined detail your images will have but at this stage you want to start shooting as many photographs as you possibly can. You’ll learn so much through every photograph. 2. Set your camera’s ISO speed to the lowest possible setting. This will give a smooth transition to your photographs and make them less grainy than at higher ISO settings. 3. When you are shooting portraits, use large apertures that are wide open. This means that the f-number should be as small as possible. The smaller the f-number, the larger the aperture. Why is it a good idea to use large apertures when photographing human subjects? Large apertures blur out the background and bring the subject into sharp focus bringing the viewer’s attention right where you want it. 4. Pay attention to the background – try to eliminate clutter that doesn’t need to be there. In digital photography, a lot can be done to remove unwanted clutter using software like Adobe Photoshop but there is no harm in doing a little preparation. Perhaps you’ll want your subject to stand in front of a bright plain wall, or colourful patterned curtains. Make your background work with your subject. 5. If you are hand-holding your camera, try not to use a shutter speed slower than 1/60. For example, don’t hand-hold the camera at 1/30. Nice photographs are sharp and in-focus. If you need to use a shutter speed slower than 1/60, use a tripod to ensure sharpness. 6. Use slow shutter speeds to imply motion. Take your…
Ted and a little bit of info about the Border Terrier – March 2012
It’s hard to go wrong with a breed that was the favorite of James Herriot. Developed in northern England, the Border Terrier was used to hunt foxes that preyed on farmers’ livestock. It became a favorite hunt terrier, working with packs of Border Foxhounds. Hunt masters are credited with standardizing breed type and getting this hardy, working terrier recognized as a purebred by England’s Kennel Club. A sturdy, natural-looking terrier, males weigh about 14 pounds, females slightly less. The breed’s hallmarks are the head and expression, which resemble that of the otter. The coat is short, dense and harsh in shades of red, grizzle and tan, blue and tan, or wheaten, and may be kept neat by raking weekly with a stripping knife. While the Border adapts well to either city or country, it needs vigorous daily exercise to stay fit and content. Terriers like to push behavior boundaries, so present firm, consistent rules. This breed enjoys children and is, like most terriers, an excellent watchdog. The images was captured on my Fuji X10 camera resized and cropped in Adobe Photoshop CS5 Click on any of the images for a larger view of Ted, both images were captured in late March 2012.
My New Interest in HDR Photography
Well I have to be honest and say that I never thought that I would say that I like HDR Photography, in fact quite the opposite, I never liked it and thought it was a bit of a cheat! How wrong I was and my turning point was seeing many of my forum members starting to use this HDR imaging, it was at this point that I realised I could either carry on not agreeing with it or make some changes and at least try it out! So what is HDR Imaging, well HDR stands for High Definition Range In simple layman terms it is the ability to take a series of different exposures of the same scene and combining them in post processing so basically all the image is properly exposed. And it is as simple as that, well apart from the post imaging Photoshop adjusting etc. Here are a couple of examples of my HDR imaging, click on them to see a larger image and feel free to write a comment if you wish 🙂
Solway Harvester 12 Years On….
Seven crewmen lost their lives on 11th January 2000 when their vessel – the scallop dredger Solway Harvester – sank off the East coast of the Isle of Man. On board were Skipper Andrew Mills (known as Craig), 29, his brother Robin Mills, 33, their cousin David Mills, 17, Martin Milligan, 26, John Murphy, 22, David Lyons, 18, and Wesley Jolly, 17. The men were all from the Isle of Whithorn area of Dumfries and Galloway. Through my work I remember that day so well and the subsequent involvement that my work had in the recovery of the vessel and the men on the night they were brought back onto Victoria Pier. I must say though that my respect and credit goes to Police Inspector Dudley Butt who conducted the whole inquiry from start to finish and was regularly producing press releases along with supporting family members during this terrible period. I took this image today (11th January 2012) twelve years to the day that this stricken vessel was lost. The image was captured on my Fuji X10 camera, resized and cropped in Adobe Photoshop CS5. Click on the image for a larger view!
Another great Fuji X10 Review
Fujifilm X10 Retro Camera Review
I really fancy this camera for many reasons and StevehuffPhoto.com has virtually made my mind up to get this lovely retro model 🙂