decay – Simon Hendy Photography

Today was the first trip out with the full new camera kit - yesterday I traded in the D200 and lenses and picked up a Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 lens to go with the 24-70 f/2.8. I headed down to Cumberland Basin in Bristol and took some pretty industrial stuff - photos that turned out really nicely in black and white. I started off around the Floating Harbour/Avon locks, then headed along the Portway where there are a couple of old jetties that are decaying rather nicely. Finally, just by Bridge Valley Road, there are a couple of old bits of rail tunnel that have been blocked up. There are quite a lot here, but I took 300 shots today and I like what I've got. I'm not sure if it's the D600 or the high-spec lensesthat's made the difference (probably both) but these shots are really crisp and sharp. Liking the new kit....

Having waded through the 1600+ photos that I took in Venice, I've finally come up with a moderate selection to post on here. This was our 4th trip to Venice, each of them for a week, but I never tire of the place - it's absolutely wonderful. We did pack an awful lot into the first few days - probably too much - and were pretty knackered by the middle of the week. The 60+ steps up to the apartment (overlooking Campo Santa Maria Formosa) didn't help, especially as they got steeper nearer the top. I think the most I did was 5 times in one day. The first lot of photos are just some general views. One thing I love to photograph in Venice is the decay, although the tourist people would probably hate me for it. I think that the rusting ironwork, the rotting wood and the decaying plasterwork add to Venice, showing that it's a real place, not some sanitised...