2022 Odds and Sods

By shendyNo Comments
The last set of 2022 is wrapping up a few bits and pieces that didn't fit anywhere else. Table The first two are from the very lovely Felin Fach Griffin hotel near Brecon and Hay-on-Wye, where we stayed for a couple of nights in July - the food is fantastic and the rooms are good, lovely beds.The Eat Drink Sleep chain are recommended - we've already stayed at their other two hotels in Cornwall - The Gurnard's Head near Zennor and The Old Coastuard in Mousehole. The beach huts are in Exmouth, from a trip down to see friends there (and their classical concert in Exeter Cathedral).Then 4 from a walk in Budleigh Salterton the next day - unfortunately those ominous clouds did dump rain on us. And finally, two very rare selfies - it's even more rare that I share any!Both taken with the fisheye lens - one at Sea Mills, the other under the Second Severn Crossing....
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France 2022, there and back again

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These are from the journey down to the gite and back - we always drive, and have started to spend a few days on the way. We could drive all the way to the gite in one go but there are other bits of France we want to visit and it breaks things up a bit - it's 400 miles from Caen/Ouistream to Bordeaux but it's autoroute the whole way and actually quite an easy drive. As an aside, we bought a "Bip n Go" device, which enables you to use "Telepeage" on the autoroutes, meaning we didn't need to use cards to pay the tolls - roll up to the Telepeage lane and the device will beep and the gates open. So easy, it made the journey a lot less stressful for SWMBO, who always had to manage the tolls given the tickets etc are always on the left. It cost something like €20 to buy and activate, and something...
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Bristol City Centre 2022

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Bristol Cathedral In May, Bristol Cathedral held an open evening for photographers, which was something I couldn't turn down. I've taken good photos there before, but have always been mindful of not intruding on a working cathedral - with this, it was absolutely set up for photography. I took well over 250 photos, and I'm very pleased with the results. I'm in no way religious, but I do appreciate a good cathedral. Bristol Miscellaneous These were taken on various visits into the centre of Bristol during the spring and summer while I was between jobs, while the images at the end were taken on The Downs in August at the Born Free lion sculptures....
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Bristol, Summer 2022

By shendyNo Comments
These three sets were taken in the summer of 2022 Portbury These were taken at a place I simply didn't know existed - it's the site of the WWII air defences for Royal Portbury Docks, where the remains of the gun emplacements and barracks are slowly falling apart. I was there twice during the summer as the archery club arranged air rifle shooting days there, one of them on about the hottest weekend of the year. The black and white images were taken with a strong infra-red filter on the digital camera, and there are a couple on the Ondu panoramic pinhole camera. Severn Beach Another place I keep going back to. Several here with the infra-red filter and plenty of use of the fisheye lens as well. King's Weston House I've only been to King's Weston House a few time - one of them for a speed awareness course, which was actually the only time I've been inside! Apparently you can rent the rooms, which might be...
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Severn Beach, December 2021

By shendyNo Comments
Using up a bit of holiday, I had a day off in December and went for a walk at Severn Beach. As expected, it was bleak. I made a conscious effort to shoot darker on these, with some success.I'd also bought a cheap screw-in fisheye lens adaptor and gave that its first run out. It's optically terrible - you can see the softness and colour fringing on the edge of the frame - but it was quite fun, to the extent that I've bought a proper fisheye lens. Images from that to come in the future! I also shot a couple of rolls in the Agfa box camera but they're all pretty dreadful so aren't included....
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