Ever had the feeling that you've lost your photographic mojo? Arguably, some would say that I never had it in the first place, but this week I feel as though I've left it somewhere and can't remember where! Partly I blame the weather and consequently lack of light, sometimes it's just not possible to be in the slightest bit satisfied with your own work. More of that in a moment..
On Tuesday the R1200GSA needed it first service, torrential rain followed me all the way to Bristols outskirts. The bike is running like a dream I must say and the build quality so much better than my old Yamahas. The only light I did see was coming from a Speed Camera as I overtook some erratic driver on the motorway ( I will appeal if I get a ticket!). After they'd finished tinkering at the garage I decided to head into the city for a coffee and some Street Photography. I failed as miserably as the weather. A woman sat on a bench, a bloke walking through a water feature and another on his phone hardly constitutes Street Photography in my opinion - here's the examples of how not to do it and I've titled them accordingly -
Oh well, never mind, perhaps Wednesday would be better; predictably it was grey and dull again, not me though (ok, a little bit grey!), keep positive was the thought, I'll ride down to Portland Bill on the Dorset Coast where there's a lighthouse. Two hours later I arrived, very few people around apart from two guys with tripods and scopes, I have no idea what they were doing, they changed positions constantly, looked at waves, then nodded approvingly to one another?! I also found what remains of the British Army; six soldiers, two clapped out old Land Rovers and a couple of guns...watch out the rest of the world...don't mess with us! Oh, and don't take any photos of us either (they really didn't like that!). I put the photos here purely out of interest, this blog isn't necessarily going to contain great images (which is just as well considering) -
In fact there's been a lighthouse at Portland since 1716, the latest was built in 1906 and stands 135 ft (41 metres) tall. It was closed to visitors so I couldn't go inside, instead a stroll along to a point where I though I may get a photograph. The place I chose was near the end of an outcrop. The waves weren't that lively, but when one caught the underneath making the sound and feel of thunder, sea water crashed up and i stared down at that dark cold water. Let's just say I wasn't expecting it and "I knew the colour of fear and it was brown!". That phrase was told to me by an ex U.S. fighter pilot recounting his experiences of a dogfight involving a MiG-21, hardly comparable I know! Anyway, heres a couple of photographs of the Lighthouse, still no light -
Time to head home. I really did enjoy that trip and it didn't matter about the poor light, if you're ever that way it's well worth a visit. I suspect that in the Summer or during sunsets/sunrises you might struggle to find a place amongst all the other photographers though. A couple of hours to ride back, with thoughts of regaining my mojo, it needs to be found because to start with I have a Wedding to shoot on Saturday! I started thinking about landscapes and the trail of the lonesome tree as the the countryside blurred past. Suddenly as I looked over the fields I caught a fleeting glimpse of what It was I was searching for. It takes time to stop, remove helmet, gloves and get the camera out. The sun was trying to break through the late evening sky and it sent a beam directly onto a lone tree. Ok, I missed that precise moment so you'll have to use a little imagination -
Tree Light
Perhaps it was there all along, I just needed to search for the light a little harder. Without it photography can be dull!
Thanks for visiting and as always I welcome any comments.
All images were taken with a Leica M and Noctilux 50mm Lens (I should have put the 35mm on for the lighthouse, I'm just lazy!)