Day #121

Title: In Days Gone By...
Location: Boots, Chelmsford
Camera: Canon Ixus 850IS compact
Notes: Sometimes my fridge used to contain more film than food, especially if I was about to go on holiday. Well, I'm off to Sardinia for a week starting tomorrow, and so was in town this afternoon getting a few last minute bits and pieces when I saw this in Boots. It was the sum total of their film stocks - about a foot of shelving. I also remember the days when they used to have a whole aisle dedicated to 35mm film stock. How times change. These days, all I need to do is make sure all the batteries are charged and stuff as many memory cards as I can into the camera bag. Which reminds me, I need to go and finish packing! Posting to the blog might be a bit sporadic over the next week - I'm not sure how good the internet access is going to be. But rest assured, I'll still be taking a picture every day (probably quite a few more!) and will post the backlog when I get home.

Day #120

Title: Here's Looking At You
Location: Russell Park, Bexleyheath
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: Another trip out today, this time for a client meeting in Bexleyheath. It poured with rain for most of the way, but I arrived about half an hour early and took a look round a local park to kill some time. By then the rain had stopped, thankfully. This was part of the playground equipment I found in the kiddies' swings area. It was completely deserted, and looked a little forlorn after the deluge.

Day #119

Title: Wot, No Ducks?
Location: Finchingfield
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: I had to go to a client meeting in Haverhill this morning, and as I was in plenty of time, I managed to stop off in pictureque (aka "Chocolate Box") Finchingfield for a few minutes on my way - while the sun was out. Glad I did; by the time I returned in the early afternoon, high cloud had moved in and it all looked rather less pleasing. Anyway, this week's theme is Absence, so I present you with the village pond without any ducks. Or perhaps the busy road without any cars (and no, I didn't Photoshop them out!). As an aside, I realised that I've been freelance for a year and a day today - being able to get out and about in the sun is certainly one advantage over sitting in a cramped office in London. There are, of course, pros and cons, but on the whole I've enjoyed the change in lifestyle a great deal, if not the drop in income. But I'm working on that...

Day #118

Title: Leap Into Action
Location: Ricoh Arena, Coventry
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 75-300mm EF f/4-5.6 IS USM
Notes: Great Heineken Cup semi final today, a really nailbiting game. Munster won by a mere two points (18-16), but Saracens kept attacking right up to the final whistle. This was early in the first half - Munster Captain Paul O'Connell reaches for a restart kick but just misses - while Saracen Hugh Vyvyan does a little dance down below.

Day #117

Title: The Four Seasons
Location: At home
Camera: Canon Ixus 850IS compact
Notes: Spent five hours tidying the front and back gardens today. It had needed doing for ages, but whenever I had the time, it was too wet to get on the job - living on clay means you have to have a good few days for things to dry out or the garden ends up looking like the Somme. So this is the back garden, sans weeds, with the grass cut nicely. Each corner of the garden is supposed to represent a season - starting at top LHS and working clockwise; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Day #116

Title: Sliced & Diced
Location: Minories, Tower Hill
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: Finally made it up to London this afternoon, thankfully no travel woes on the way this time. I was visiting a photographic shop and gallery in Hammersmith which a friend is thinking of buying. We had a great walk back from Hammersmith to Putney Bridge via the South Bank Thames Path. I took a few pictures on the way, but the weather wasn't up to much. By the time I got back to Tower Hill to change from the District Line, the Circle was completely screwed up, so I decided to walk back to Liverpool Street. This was a shot of the building on the corner of Minories and Goodman's Yard which has a huge, curved profile and copper-tinted windows. The reflection of the building opposite was sliced and diced by the flat panes of glass.

Day #115

Title: Pushing Up The Daisies
Location: Ingatestone
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: For the second time in a week, I tried to get a train up to London today, only to get to the station to find everything up the creek thanks to a fatality at Romford. Last Thursday it was a jumper somewhere else, but still the same effect! What is it about Thursdays? Anyway, I drove home via some nice back lanes and saw this scene as I stopped at a post box to post some important letters.The sky's not great as it was raining at the time, but I liked the Daisies and Dandelions running riot on the greensward, with the blossom trees in the background.

Day #114

Title: Enigma VII
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: Two enigmas in a week? Yep. This might be a little harder than the last. You decide.

Day #113

Title: Put On The Spot
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: Another Household Object for you - probably not difficult to fathom out what it is! I liked the patterns in the reflector.

Day #112

Title: Enigma VI
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: In keeping with this week's 366 theme, Household Objects, this is another Enigma for you. It's not really too difficult to figure out.

Day #111

Title: In The Pink
Location: Vicarage Road, Watford
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 100-400mm EF f/4-5.6 L IS USM
Notes: Saracens were supporting Breast Cancer Care this weekend, and wore special pink shirts for their match against London Wasps. Unfortunately, after an atrocious first half, Sarries' faces matched their strip - they went in at the break 12-35 down. Harsh words must have been spoken in the dressing room at half time - they did pull their socks up for the second half. But it was still Wasps who were in the pink once the final whistle blew - a resounding 29-40 victory for them. And after that display, Munster must be quaking in their boots [cue sounds of ironic laughter] at the prospect of playing The Men In Pink (back to Black now) in next weekend's Heineken Cup Semi Final. I only hope the change in fortunes is as temporary as the change in kit.

Day #110

Title: Pictures At An Exhibition
Location: Parish Rooms, Ingatestone
Camera: Canon Ixus 850IS compact
Notes: It was Ingatestone CC's Annual Exhibition today, and we displayed about 90 prints for visitors to see. This is one corner of the mono section, showing three of my four black and white efforts (all of the top row except the second from the right).

Day #109

Title: Colour Clash
Location: At the supermarket
Camera: Canon Ixus 850IS compact
Notes: Not much time today, and less inspiration. The weather was cold and grey. By late afternoon, I could put it off no longer and venutred out to do the shopping - touble was, I left it 'til after the kids were out of school, so the supermarket was bedlam. That'll teach me. This was a quick grab shot of a colourful bunch of flowers in the shop. Although I liked them, they were frightfully expensive, and not my colour scheme. At least a photo is free!

Day #108

Title: Priory Place
Location: Chelmsford
Camera: Canon Ixus 850IS compact
Notes: I was due in London for a luncthime meeting and evening social today. It was a nice morning, so I walked the 2 miles to the station, only to find the trains were all up the creek with no resolution due for hours. So I postponed the meeting, bought some lunch in town and caught the bus home again! This was taken on my way into Chelmsford - it's a polished steel sculpture outside the new County Court building on the corner of New London Road and Parkway.

Day #107

Title: Spring Reflections
Location: Ingatestone Hall
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: My local club run monthly photoshoots midweek during the Spring and Summer months. This is the first I've been able to get to this year, at the local manor house, Ingatestone Hall. It's a beautiful Tudor building in well kept grounds, the family seat of Lord Petre. In July, they have an evening of Summer Jazz on the lawn. Twent-five of us descended to make some pictures this morning. I managed to sneak this one when the sun was out and there were no other photographers in the frame!Post Options

Day #106

Title: Fields Of Gold
Location: Brook Farm, Galleywood
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: Had a quick drive around south of Galleywood and north of West Hanningfield at lunchtime, when the sun was out for a while. Some Oilseed Rape crops must have been planted early as they are already flowering round there. I know some people aren't too keen on this crop, but it does provide a splash of colour in the landscape for us photographers!

Day #105

Title: Hedgerow Sunset
Location: Stock Road
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: Sunshine and heavy showers all day, but I was busy at home for most of the time. The sun hadn't quite set as I headed out for an evening meeting, so I was able to get a quick shot as it dipped below the hedgerow on my way to Stock.

Day #104

Title: Rainbow Pews
Location: East Bergholt Church
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: The weather was sunny and blue when I woke up, so I spent a pleasant Sunday morning pottering round Flatford Mill, a place I hadn't visited in 15 years or more. When the crowds got too busy, I decided to head to East Bergholt to photograph the Bell Cage at the Church. But the clouds were rolling in, so I went inside for a quick look around after the service had finished. It was still overcast, apart from about 20 seconds as I looked at one of the side aisles, when wonderful rainbow light came through the stained glass windows at the top of the main nave and illuminated the pew ends and flagstones. It was so fleeting, I managed only three shots before the light was gone for good.

Day #103

Title: Tranquil Moorings
Location: Dedham
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: After a day out in Suffolk with my parents, we were cutting across country from the A12 on the way home and passed through picturesque Dedham, just as the early evening sun was hitting the boats moored on the river. A group of teenagers were playing Pooh Sticks on the bridge as I took this - proving that some, at least, aren't so sophisticated that they can't enjoy simple pleasures every now and then!

Day #102

Title: The Old Ship
Location: Heybridge Basin
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: On my way to stay with my parents near Colchester, I decided to take the back route and stopped off at Heybridge Basin for some late afternoon shots. It had rained heavily earlier in the day, but by 4:30pm the sun was out, there were fluffy white clouds, and a breeze so bracing it could blow you into the Canal! The Old Ship is the pub right at the end of the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation (which runs between Chelmsford and Maldon), where it meets the Blackwater Estuary. The lock gates are rarely open, but do provide an easy way for pedestrians to cross from one side to the other.

Day #101

Title: Polo Holes
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: I was messing about with white things today, and managed to find some Polo Holes. Very rare, you're lucky to see them.

Day #100

Title: Made It To A Century
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: No, not my Dad, who's birthday it is today! But those of us sticking to our 366 journey have come this far today. Quite an achievement. I deliberately haven't looked at the 366 Flickr group today as yet, as I didn't want to see anyone else's idea for the anniversary until I had taken my own. It's also a bit of a departure from my normal style. Having taken a photo of a greeting card I found in town this morning, I decided to have a little fiddle with Photoshop to liven it up a bit. Anway, here's to the next 100.

Day #99

Title: Fishing Bear
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: Having a look at grey today. This is a lovely Hematite sculpted bear from Canada. He has caught a fish in his mouth and is ready to eat. I love the shine and weight of Hematite, and tried to convey this in the picture.

Day #98

Title: Trigger Happy Birthday
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 300D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: I realised earlier that my EOS 30D is 366 days old today. I've really enjoyed using it over the past 12 months. And as I was exploring black today, I decided one of my subjects should be the EOS itself. This meant getting out my old 300D, which has been sitting in the cupboard as a spare (I did dig it out for a week or so when I was having the 30D's sensor cleaned last year). I was amazed at how different the 300D now feels, since I haven't used it in agner for so long. I had trouble remembering where some of the controls were!

Day #97

Title: Stopped In Their Tracks
Location: Vicarage Road, Watford
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 100-400mm EF f/4-5.6 L IS USM
Notes: I had originally planned to carry on with my colour series for today, but in the end, I decided that it had to be a rugby shot. Three weeks ago, Ryan Jones led Wales to a Grand Slam in the Six Nations. A fortnight ago, he led many of the same players in the Osprey's decisive 30-3 defeat of Saracens at the Millennium Stadium in the EDF Semi-Finals. Today was payback time. The Welsh side visited Sarries' home turf in Watford with a sellout crowd of 18,214 watching the Heineken Cup Quarter Final. The home side were the underdogs and everyone expected the Ospreys to stroll into the Semis without much trouble. Wrong! Sarries put in an epic performance and beat the Ospreys 19-10, with the crowd yelling support from the rafters. A cracking game. Here you can see Ryan Jones being stopped in his tracks by Saracen Nick Lloyd. So obliging of him to be holding the ball the right way up for the Heineken Cup logo!

Day #96

Title: Glorious Gluttonous Galaxy
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: The 366 group has a new theme for this week, the Seven Deadly Sins. And since I was photographing brown things today, I present you with G for Glorious Gluttonous Galaxy. Let's face it, one chunk is never enough, is it?

Day #95

Title: Pink Fizz
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: Continuing the single-colour theme, today's colour was pink. This is a glass of fizzy Russchian Tonic which has a pale pink hue.

Day #94

Title: Exploring Violet
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: Today sees the end of the 7 rainbow colours, with this image of Violet. However, I've had a lot of fun exploring single colours and I think I might have a go at a few others which aren't in the "rainbow", like pink, brown, black and white. Watch this space...

Day #93

Title: Exploring Indigo
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: Exhausting day today - finished off my presentation in time for this afternoon's meeting, which seemed to go very well, thankfully. After getting home and catching up with some jobs, I had a bite to eat and got on with my exploration of Indigo. This week's 366 official theme is The letter J, so here is some of my Jewellery, sitting on my Jacket.

Day #92

Title: Exploring Blue
Location: At home
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 50mm EF f/1.8 + 12mm extension tube
Notes: I've been really busy preparing a presentation for a meeting tomorrow, but managed to find the time to have more fun with everyday objects. This is the top from a water bottle with a sports cap. Add a desk lamp and you get some great patterns and shadows.