2016 Project 52 Challenge 3rd Quarter by Geoff F

[Geoff F]

Oh dear, isn't this year passing so quickly, third quarter starting already.

The previous quarter is here

2016 Project 52 Challenge by Geoff F - 2nd Quarter

In this project my images will show something of the area where I live including landscapes, people and events.
As an added challenge this year, each photo will include a person or an animal somewhere within the overall scene, but not necessarily obviously spotted.

I am giving this challenge the secondary title of Living with the Landscape because I am attempting to show how animals or people interact with their surroundings.

Week 28 - Scenes from the Quay. I have previously posted images from this area but the scene is continually changing as people and boats pass by, at different states of the tide. I often walk along the quay when going for an afternoon beer so I normally carry a camera, even if it is just my Fuji X20 pocket sized camera.

Tenacious going to the Fish Quay at low tide.



1/1000 F6.4 Iso 200 Fuji X20

And looking the other way.



Just around the corner, the Tenacious is unloading at the quay.

[Cantab]

Geoff, an interesting set of photos. Was the tide pretty well all the way out?

I know it's standard practice in Britain to moor small boats in areas which will be high and (more or less) dry when the tide is out but I always wonder what the risk is of incoming waves filling the boat before it has completely refloated. Presumably this doesn't happen?

[Geoff F]

That is virtually low tide, Bruce; just a little bit of flood. There is now a dredged channel to the fish quay and another public quayside/slipway.

The tide comes in relatively slowly and the area is sheltered from any larger waves, so these shallow draft boats are able to float upright well before any water would spill over the sides. However I have known a couple of occasions when a severe thunderstorm has caused such a surge of water that some craft which were well heeled over and facing directly across the surge, while containing a lot of rainwater, did fill up faster than they could float.

And, of course, a different matter for deeper draft vessels which have to be moored permanently afloat or use 'legs' bolted to their sides to keep upright when ashore.

[IzzieK]

I've been raised and lived mostly near the oceans and in front of protected water areas but never been even for once, interested in boats. Now because of photography, and your project, I find it interesting.

[Shadowman]

Oh dear, isn't this year passing so quickly, third quarter starting already.

The previous quarter is here

2016 Project 52 Challenge by Geoff F - 2nd Quarter

In this project my images will show something of the area where I live including landscapes, people and events.
As an added challenge this year, each photo will include a person or an animal somewhere within the overall scene, but not necessarily obviously spotted.

I am giving this challenge the secondary title of Living with the Landscape because I am attempting to show how animals or people interact with their surroundings.

Week 28 - Scenes from the Quay. I have previously posted images from this area but the scene is continually changing as people and boats pass by, at different states of the tide. I often walk along the quay when going for an afternoon beer so I normally carry a camera, even if it is just my Fuji X20 pocket sized camera.

Tenacious going to the Fish Quay at low tide.



1/1000 F6.4 Iso 200 Fuji X20

And looking the other way.



Just around the corner, the Tenacious is unloading at the quay.

Nice series.

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the replies.

Week 29 A bit of a long winded post this week so I will split it into sections. Another dull day yesterday so I decided to visit the town of Totnes, about 15 miles away, and order myself a new pair of shoes. Totnes is something of an odd mix. An old town, with a basic design castle, situated at the first available crossing point of the River Dart but with Victorian additions and modern constructions where traditional butchers are next to vegetarian health shops. Quite a lot of alternative lifestyle options concerning crystals etc mixed with high tech silicon business. Somewhere where New Age meets Old Age.

Totnes Bridge was a notorious traffic jam area until a new bridge was constructed a little further upstream.



1/300 F6.4 Iso 200. I took a decent camera and lens with me but the sky was looking very menacing with rain forecast, so I left that gear in my car, took a coat and popped my Fuji X20 into a pocket. In reality, the rain held off for a little while, apart from a few showers, which meant doing the best I could with that little camera in poor light where a good lens would have been a great help.

Looking the other way towards Bridgetown



1/140 F6.4 Iso 200. Most of these images are a merge of two conversions from one Raw shot.

Totnes from the bridge Which meant a bit of traffic dodging.



1/950 F7.1 Iso 200

And moving on into the town . . .

[Geoff F]

An old archway across the main street



1/600 F7.1 Iso 200

The same area from a side street



1/600 F7.1 Iso 200

Some undercover shops at the top of the main street



1/240 F6.4 Iso 200

And a little further around the corner looking back towards the castle



1/400 F6.4 Iso 200

Then back down to the quayside area . . .

[bnnrcn]

Nice series Geoff

An old archway across the main street



1/600 F7.1 Iso 200

The same area from a side street



1/600 F7.1 Iso 200

Some undercover shops at the top of the main street



1/240 F6.4 Iso 200

And a little further around the corner looking back towards the castle



1/400 F6.4 Iso 200

Then back down to the quayside area . . .

[Geoff F]

The river is still tidal at this point so many years ago there would have been a lot of supplies coming and going by boat. I can remember a few small ships landing timber to a builders merchant in the early 1970's



1/120 F7.1 Iso 200. Becoming hazy with more persistent showers.

I intended to clone out that leaf in the top right corner.

Looking the other way



1/90 F6.4 Iso 200

Vire Island lies between that narrow creek and the main river area



1/140 F6.4 Iso 200

Golden Vanity. An old boat visiting the town seen against some of the modern high tech buildings.



1/1000 F6.4 Iso 200. A brief spell of brightness.

The Ferry from Dartmouth. During the summer this boat runs trips up the river. The passengers travel on by coach



1/400 F6.4 Iso 200

And at that point I decided it would be wise to head back to my vehicle. For once I got something correct, arriving just minutes before heavy rain started.

[Cantab]

Geoff, an interesting and enjoyable set of photos (posts #6 and 7). There are no cars on the streets! Did you deliberately avoid them in the photos or do cars avoid this area of the town?

You must be able to do the two raw conversions/merge on auto pilot as it seems to be a regular feature of many of your images. Itncertainly worked well in thebsecond of the bridge photos. Despite the bright sky you were able to have the underside of the archways visible.

I noted that most of the photos were taken at a relatively high shutter speed and at 200 rather than 100 ISO. Was this to help avoid any camera shake?

[Cantab]

Geoff, in post #9 I was intrigued by the fact that the boats are all moored in the middle of the river. Is this because the river's tidal and the deeper area is in the middle or so that there's a dual carriageway for boats going up and downstream?

[Geoff F]

I did quite a bit of vehicle dodging for the street scenes, Bruce. There is a bypass around the main street but a few delivery vehicles and shoppers were driving around, although I shot these around 10 am which is a bit early for Totnes on a Monday.

With most of these scenes I was struggling to keep the shutter speed high enough to avoid any subject movement from the people and to have sufficient depth of focus. With that camera F11 is maximum so around F6 to 7 usually gives a reasonable depth of focus.

There are many advantages to mooring boats in the middle of the creek. Besides preventing any chaffing against the quayside or the risk of boats being trapped as the tide rises, it is a great security scheme because contrary to what some of them appear to think, thieves can't walk on water.

I've just realised there is another scene which I haven't included; so here it is now.

Deadheading the roses



1/240 F5.6 Iso 200

[Dave Humphries]

Interesting and well shot series Geoff,

I hadn't noticed that about the boats until Bruce said, so I'll be interested in the answer too.

The ferry shot looks just a little too bright for me - but I'm being picky to even mention it.

Cheers, Dave

PS I linked to this new thread from P52 Index.

[IzzieK]

Thank you for taking us with you on your journey through town. Did you get to order your shoes? Do you have to go back there for it or do they deliver? Just curious..

[Geoff F]

They can post the shoes, Izzie, but I will collect them in a few weeks time; probably on a wet day when I'm not doing much else.

Handmade shoes do work out a bit more expensive but they are very comfortable and hard wearing; plus, like many people, I have slightly different sized feet so they make the shoes individually to fit me. Which feels better than having one feeling slack while the other is pinching a little. You also have a complete choice of colours etc.

[IzzieK]

Yes. I understand about handmade shoes. Not because I want expensive but I am one who grew up having mine made because I am flat-footed. I have not bought a commercial pair of shoes ever since I can remember.It take somewhere between 8-10 weeks to have one made around here. Thanks for the info.

They can post the shoes, Izzie, but I will collect them in a few weeks time; probably on a wet day when I'm not doing much else.

Handmade shoes do work out a bit more expensive but they are very comfortable and hard wearing; plus, like many people, I have slightly different sized feet so they make the shoes individually to fit me. Which feels better than having one feeling slack while the other is pinching a little. You also have a complete choice of colours etc.

[bnnrcn]

A nice set Geoff

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the comments.

Week 30 - Plant Survey. Just for a change I took my old 7D Mk I and the Canon 24-105 lens but I've never been keen on that lens. Dull day and I wanted to retain a bit of focus depth so my shutter speed dropped dangerously low; there is a bit of noise from Iso 400, which would probably have been too much if I had gone up to Iso 800.



1/125 F11 Iso 400



1/160 F11 Iso 400

This is a bit of a crop. I liked the enthusiasm of this one person but some of the others were facing the wrong way and I had a bit of subject movement.



1/80 F11 Iso 400

[IzzieK]

What is the purpose of the "plant survey", Geoff?

[Shadowman]

Nice series.