IR Poppies

the weather is still fantastically clear so great with my IR camera.

Ifield Church

Had a 15 mile bike ride around the local roads today. Stopped of at Ifield church.

Tuesday Walk

Beer run tonight and a trip over the hill to make it interesting.

Day 2. First full day on Symi.

As always on the first day of a holiday we were up and out relatively early. The weather was beautiful, with a hot sun and a slight breeze.

This year V wanted to do more walking than last year, so we started by walking up through the lanes and steps that make up the 'streets' of Horio.

One of the targets for the trip was a walk up to the Castro with its church on the top. As no maps exist of Horio and all it's maze of paths, we were lucky to find arrows painted on the walls indicating the route to the Castro. We followed these and sooner than we expected we came out to the church on the top of the Castro.

We wandered around and were treated by a magnificent view of the harbour, made all the more special by the cruise ship, Club Med 2, lying off Nimborio.

After some time resting and taking pictures we set off back down to the meet up with the tour rep. As we came down we got a great view down the Pedi valley towards the sea.

After the meet up we went back to our apartment and packed the bag for the walk down to the beach at Pedi. As you come down to the pier you have the choice of turning left and right. Go left and after 100 yds there are about 6 sun brollies and some loungers these are free to use. If you go right the loungers and brollies are charged for.

After a swim and a lounge we walked back up to the apartment.

We had a rest and in the evening we walked down the Kalistrata to look for somewhere to eat.

It was a shot like this that I ran into the main problem regarding the compromise I had made with my choice of camera. With my 'big' camera I could increase the ISO gain and with its faster lenses I could have shot had held much longer than I did. But I knew this was the compromise I had made.

Holiday Preperations

To badly misquote the Chinese philosopher Laozi.

'Even a journey of a thousand miles begins with deciding what camera to take'

We are off to the Greek island of Symi for two weeks, to the same apartments we stayed in last summer. Then I took my Nikon D700 and five primes and as I was away for only a week no computer. I borrowed some extra memory cards so I was fine.

This year I am planning on taking this set of gear.

Very light! 

On the left is a Nikon D40x with a 18-55mm zoom the other camera is a D70 converted to shoot IR images. The other lens is a 55-200mm VR. 

I will also have my laptop so don't need a large number of cards. 

I loose some capabilities with this set up. The lenses are slow f3.5- f5.6 and the D40x is only usable up to 800iso at a push, also I won't have my fisheye lens. 

But I will gain in other areas. My primes top out at a focal length of 105mm but the telephoto zoom will give me 300mm(e) angle of view. It also has VR so easier to handhold.

The big saving is that it light. The D40x and 2 lenses weigh no more than the D700 and a lens. 

Both cameras have an the same size sensor so I have the same angle of view for both cameras. 

Also like last year I won't have a tripod, as all mine are too heavy and not designed for travel. but I am taking this.

A Manfrotto super clamp and a articulated arm I bought off the internet a couple of years ago. The clamp will attach to a rail or bar, and with the articulated arm I can position the camera easily. I tried attaching a ball head but that setup is very limited on how much levelling I can achieve. That said the arm is slightly less rigid but the lack of righty is outweighed by the extra articulation. This setup would not work well with a D700 due to all the extra weight. 

Also I am taking a different bag this year. Last year I had my Bellingham camera bag that I bought in 1984. This year I am taking a 2001 vintage Lowe Pro stealth reporter. Its better for the laptop and carries more when we get there.

Hafodunos

A quick few days up in Scotland with some very poor weather, so no pictures but after an overnight in North Wales we went to the open green day at Hafodunos house. near Llangernyw.

V's family used to farm in this area and the house owners were the landlords.

The house has gone downhill since its heyday with a fire that gutted it about 12 years ago.

The gardens are being worked on but the hose is still roofless

Alloway Old Kirk

Some Infra Red images from Tam O'Shanters Church At Alloway, Ayrshire.

Infra Red

Years ago I had a Nikon D70 converted to be sensitive to Infra Red light. I bought a conversion kit from  Lifepixel and had Myles Whitehead, who is the camera technician who looks after my cameras, do the conversion.

The camera has not had the focus system adjusted to correct the point of focus for IR light, but with careful technique that is not a problem.

The results are very different to a colour camera and I go through spells of using the camera mixed in with long gaps when it sits in my camera case.

Over the last week I got the camera out and started to enjoy using it again.

Sissinghurst.

The gardens at Sissinghurst are always worth a trip. At this time of year they are not at their best as far as flower blooms are concerned.

The tower is well worth the climb to the top as the view is spectacular.