Good point, Barrie. I just assumed John would prefer more foliage beneath the flower, because to my eye cropping from the left would upset the balance (and slice out a couple of yellow flowers, which I'd rather keep).

And thanks to all for the kind comments about shot #2... although I think one or two of you might be reading a little too much into it! Rachel was a close friend, but I was actually going out with somebody else at the time. That's probably enough social commentary from early 1980s Sheffield. Another pic coming shortly... but I fear it might feature some wheels.

#2 - A glance into the past


I wanted to include a portrait among the five, but in my case that mostly means grand prix drivers and/or grid girls. So... This is the result of rummaging among my pre-digital output, a shot taken in 1981 with K1000 and, I suspect, whichever 50mm prime was current at the time. I was probably using a roll of Tri-X pilfered from my dad's stock. There is a motor racing connection - it was taken amid the cocktail of woodworm-rich planks and scaffold poles that passed for a grandstand at Lodge Corner, Oulton Park. The subject is Rachel, a friend from Sheffield University. She was curious about the car-related nonsense with which I was involved - even though I was still a student, I'd already started to supply words and pictures to a couple of publications.

Plus ça change...

Thanks, all, for the feedback thus far.

@ David Storm: nowadays, I would probably take the same shot with a variety of different apertures, to experiment with DOF, but two years ago I was still discovering new buttons, functions and techniques almost every time I went out (as, indeed, I still am - partly because I refuse to read instruction manuals for anything, ever, and learn mostly by trial and error).

@ John Riley: that's a fair point about compositional adjustment, but if memory serves the head of the flower was poking over the top of a fence that I wanted to keep out of the shot, for obvious reasons. When i have time, I'll see if I can find the original image (it should be backed up somewhere). There might be scope for a small tweak.

Episode two will follow as soon as work stops getting in the way...

Deep breath... Right, here goes. I shall endeavour to be as diverse as possible over the next day or five (but can't promise that motor sport will wholly be absent)...

#1 - Where on earth?


I haven't posted this on here before, although I've uploaded something adjacent (link). It was taken in August 2012 with K-5 and Sigma 10-20. I was pleased with the vibrant colours, but like it mostly because people are surprised when they learn where it was taken. It looks very rural, yet Heathrow Airport is only a few miles to the west and the City of London is similarly close to the east. That's the beauty of the WWT centre in Barnes - a welcome tranche of countryside on the capital's fringe. The Sigma 10-20 isn't an obvious choice for wildlife reserves, but sometimes...

That is almost postcard perfect. I like the composition (more space ahead of the Spitfire than behind), the angle of the pilot's head and the propeller blur. I'm intrigued by the shutter speed, though. I usually pan older planes at 1/125 or 1/160 and rarely go beyond 1/250 for fear of freezing the prop. It's quite possible, of course, that my technique is rubbish.

On a wholly separate note, Phil has asked if I'll compile the next chapter of five photos. I'll leave a little time for folk to pass further comment on the Spitfire and will commence either later today or first thing Monday.

And no, they won't all be racing cars...

I'd like to see a fully edited colour version of shot #3, but for now still prefer the mono alternative.

I'm with David and Michael on #4: the contrast between storm cloud and sunshine is pleasing to the eye, but doesn't necessarily make for a punchy image. It might have been lifted had there been an extra splash of colour in the foreground (some poppies, perhaps), but nature isn't always as obliging as it might be.

I love this, Phil - the clashing curves and contours create an interesting whole and I think it's very nicely balanced. I'm lucky enough to have visited Tuscany on several occasions - albeit not since 1997 (the last time I covered a motor racing event at Mugello) - and stupid enough not to have taken any photos...

I would like to see a colour rendition, just out of interest, but its mono charms are ample.

I like chapter two very much - lovely texture and detail, great b&w conversion - but also agree with David's observations about the limited perspective. It's quite hard to appreciate the true sense of scale.

I know, Vic, I was there, too (albeit quite young). The Lotus Cortina was racing from late 1963, though, and I was just seeking numerical neatness.

I'm not sure about you, Barrie, but I suspect an A110 will remain out of reach. I've seen nice-looking examples for £35,000-40,000, which is well beyond my range, but others are available for about twice as much. Bizarrely, I had a Renault GTA V6 turbo as a company car in the late 1980s. It wasn't my choice, just what I was given (by a car magazine, admittedly), but even by the standards of the age, a plastic, 160mph Renault seemed a quirky choice...

All taken with K-5 IIs and DA 300mm f4, unless otherwise indicated...


1 - "Yes that looks like mine..."


2 - "...I think it fits like this."


3 - Do not adjust your screen: that is a racing Trabant {K-5, Sigma 50-150, 1/125)


4 - Old car coats track in oil slick shock


5 - 1964 in 2014


6 - Pre-race nap {K-5, Sigma 50-150)


7 - Hillman Imps being Hillman Imps


8 - I want one...