Walls at Elsham

Anachronism

This dinosaur is sitting in a garden in a village near here. I'm not sure why. Unfortunately there is a huge hedge right behind it which makes getting a good shot more or less impossible, so this won't be getting entered.

Storm

Ever since I started this PAD thing I have been carrying my camera everywhere I go and then wondering why I bothered. This was the first time I have ever had occasion to actually get it out of the boot and use it and I'm glad I did because it got me a new PB and 9th place. All the cars on the right had their headlights on which is where the illumination of the wave comes from.

Top is the challenge entry, 4th is the original. It was taken with the 18-55 kit lens. I am having trouble figuring this lens out. Sometimes it performs horribly, really awful, but I was amazed at how much detail I could get from a tight crop here.

The shot was handheld at 0.8 seconds with the camera resting on a litter bin and me laid on top of the camera to hold it still with rapid fire or whatever it's called going.

The weather was as bad as, or even worse than, it looks. High wind and the sleet was coming in horizontally from behind me. My jacket blew up over my head and the sleet hit my back and ran down the back of my trousers. People going by in cars wound their windows down and shouted 'Hey fat boy, put your arse away'.

It's good to suffer for your art.

Sheeplings

Not sure how I ended up with two posts for yesterday, something to do with the clocks going forward I guess. These are mummy sheeps and sheeplings from Elsham.

Note for readers for whom English is a second language - in English baby sheeps are called sheeplings, sheeplets or puppies. I hope this helps.

The Art History Brush

Great fun this.

Sheep

It was lambing weekend at Elsham. These are the pregnant ewes waiting to lamb. The light in the sheds was odd, so I tried an HDR version (top) which I think is moderately successful. The one at the bottom is an animation but only if you click on it and open it. It's not the most sophisticated animation you ever saw but it amused me. This is because I am easily amused. Sad really.

Blue and Yellow Macaws

This PAD thing must be doing my photography some good. It makes me use my camera more and makes my editing much better and quicker. The macaw scored 5.9 in the end which was a good result.

Elsham Hall

Elsham Hall. As country houses go, not one of the greatest. It looks a bit like a big post war prefab.

Spinning

I was looking for something for the spinning challenge. This was the best I got. I like it but a less dpc friendly picture I have seldom seen so it won't be going in.

Train Set

Not the best picture in the world but I'm running out. I went out at the weekend and shot a camera full but some of them were quite good and I ended up entering three challenges. Currently I have a 5.8 in Colour Portrait, a 6.5 in Multiple Light Sources and a 6.9 threatening a 7 in Langdon's Birthday. For me this is bordering on the miraculous. I don't think they'll ribbon but I might get one or even two top ten finishes.

Goat

Ouch

Braver than me, that's for sure. The horse did actually roll clean over her, I missed that bit, and then she walked away. The first aiders said only bruises.

House Sparrows (passer domesticus)

The good old spadger. Hard to believe but now on the RSPB's red list as a highly endangered species. Bet you can't eat two.

Mynah

I missed a trick here, and with the tortoise below. Because it was indoors and the light was iffy and I was shooting through a mesh I put a fast lens on and opened it up as far as possible. This bird is a great talker, with an ear damaging range of sound effects as well, police sirens, phones, car doors slamming but what was most extraordinary was the range of facial expressions it has. Unfortunately it arches its neck and half turns whenever it makes these bizarre faces and I just didn't have the dof to get a good shot, so I think I'll go back this week and try again.

Tortoise

Remarkably dirty eaters, tortoises. They rush their food. This one bolted a whole lettuce leaf in a month and a half.

Meerkats

Everybody's favourite animal. We get a lot of them round here. They're a bloody nuisance. Surprising amount of meat on them though.