Summer Projects

My filter bag permanently lives in my van! They're indispensable for landscapes!

Play with them!!!!

Should make for an interesting subject, often alien like in formation.

Good to hear it's not just me who doesn't get full use out of filters, I love NDs and long exposures but rare it comes to fruition.

I'm not very good at landscape so I must make use of our time in North Cornwall this year.

Spad, you might try Carding Mill Valley (NT) just outside Church Stretton, Shropshire. Readily accessible 24/7 with stacks of wide open parking in a stunningly picturesque setting BUT for you, it's a certified 'dark sky' venue! It also has a phenomenal geological profile if you're into that as well. Good pubs, accomodation and eateries in the town too.

I will try some street this summer, even if i haven't pressed the shutter in months.
It will be local for me also, Id love a holiday but circumstances prevail.
Best of luck to all
Re Flan

Re. weighting tripods...i've used round 'free weights' ...used to do a lot of weight training...bench presses and stuff when younger...sold most of the stuff years ago but kept a few smaller weights...1kg/2kg...might even have a 5kg as well. With an old tie or belt pushed through the hole in the middle these hang well from tripods and the different weights allow for different scenarios...inside/outside...on foot or have a car...still or windy...quite cheap to pick up at car boots as well.

It's surprising how much more stable a Manfrotto 055 becomes with even a 1kg weight hung about 15-20" underneath.

It's almost obligatory for a forum member to be "getting on a bit". Most younger folk use Facegram, XTok or similar and are happy to be influenced by influencers, advertisers and worse, even if they think they can resist the 'fluences. But once you reach "getting on a bit", you find yourself wanting the civilised discussion of a forum. That's my theory, anyway. And I worked it out without any 'fluence whatsoever.

Steve

Well put Steve.

Yes Steve, I think you have put it most succinctly.
If I was young and new how to use those emoji thingummy-bobs i would put some thumbs ups here. (thumb ups? Thumbs up? Who cares!)
Maybe that should be my project for Summer. Or not!

Since 2018 Segovia has had an on/off festival of hot air balloons. Covid put the kybosh on it for a couple of years, one year it just didn't take place for unknown reasons, then on the day you never know when the wind will be too strong (it doesn't take much) or if there'll be only a few balloons. It also tends to coincide with my family holiday, which is often limited to certain dates for several reasons. Anyway, I think I've managed to shoot some of it a grand total of three times and two of them were limited to the first day only, which is a Friday and attended by fewer people and balloons because it's not the weekend yet.

This year it's on the weekend just before I go on holiday so I should be able to make it at least for the Friday and Saturday. It's an ordeal getting up at 6am-ish but once you get there and see the host of balloons in the typically gorgeous Segovia early morning light it can become a wonderful photographic experience. I will likely stick to my usual plan of getting to the lift-off area and staying until most or all are in the air then jump in the car, drive to the hill on the other side of the city to see them all over the cathedral and Alcázar.

Fingers crossed there'll be light wind and lots and lots of balloons.

Here's one of my favourite shots from a past event, even if I did blow out the highlights on the foremost white balloon.



Gijon by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

Very nice.
I would love to have a similar opportunity, might have to have look around near here.
Please post photos if you are successful

I've just put a set of new batteries in my ME-Super and it's working again! So it'll be traveling with me to Italy for a week in the Dolomites loaded with Kodak Portra 160.

You just reminded me Mike. I have a roll of Portra in the fridge. I shall put it into one of my oldie-foldies!

Remember that many airports now have newer, more powerful x-ray scanners for hand luggage and they will completely destroy film with just one pass through them. To my mind this is an improvement because airport security staff can no longer fob people off with "no, it has to go through, it won't do it any harm" - they have to hand-inspect as the new machines will destroy film. So far I've only experienced this once (at Edinburgh) and the staff didn't complain at all. I did, however, forget to pick up the film again at the other end of security and had to run back for it once we were already through to the gate area.

Thanks for the suggestions. A small package containing 4.5Kg of lead arrived by post today. "Be careful, it's heavier than it looks" said the young lady postie as she handed it over. "That's what I was hoping", I replied. And left her to wonder what on earth she had just delivered...

Steve

Some years ago I added a hook to the bottom of my tripod's central column for hanging stuff on but I recently discovered these: LINK

No need to carry any extra weight with you, you just fill it up with rocks or something when you arrive where you're shooting.