Tuesday, 24 February 2015

London Velodrome

I visited the London Velodrome in the Olympic Park for the first time on Monday.  It has long been one of the place that I wanted to take photographs and a work colleague invited me to join him there when he was being assessed for a licence to take part in track racing.  Each rider has to go through quite rigorous training and assessment before they are let loose on the boards in anger.  This means that the riders that I shot were not competing, but it enabled me to assess where to get the best shots. I also practiced a spot of pan & blur with long shutter speeds - this seemed to be most effective on the guy with the four-spoke front wheel which gives a very pleasing effect with the long shutter speed whereas the conventional spokes just disappear!  I now need to go back when there is real competition in progress













Thursday, 19 February 2015

Horses in training - Newmarket

I spent yesterday around Newmarket with a group guided by Mark Pain and Chris Bourchier, both Sunday Times Sports Photographers.

These shots were taken on Warren Hill, Newmarket Heath, Pegasus Stables and Cadland Cottage stables.












Saturday, 14 February 2015

A day out to Wicken Fen Nature reserve with the RPS Nature Group

I went out for the the day to try my hand at Nature Photography.  As I suspected, it is not simple! some 40 RPS members and guests came for the day - the sight of the array of expensive lenses and cameras laid out on the picnic tables was a little arresting. Sadly I did not get close enough to a short-eared owl to get a shot, but I was pleased to have at least got a recognisable shot of a barn owl as well as several geese, ducks and a moorhen