been tagged

*Andrew-and-Seven — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:11:51 PDT

Thanks Vik, i think!

level 1
(x) smoked a cigarette
(x) smoked a cigar
( ) kissed a member of the same sex (((Family members only)))

level 2
(x) are / been in love
(x) dumped someone
( ) been fired
(x) been in a fist fight
so far: 5

level 3
(x) had a crush on an older person
(x) skipped class
(x) slept with a co-worker
(x) seen someone / something die
so far: 10

level 4
(x) had / have a crush on one of your deviantART friends (((I couldn't say!!)))
(x) been to Paris
(x) been to Spain
(x) been on a plane
(x) thrown up from drinking
so far: 15

level 5
(x) eaten sushi
(x) been snowboarding
(x) met someone through internet
( ) been in a mosh pit
so far: 18

level 6
( ) been in an abusive relationship
(x) taken pain killers
(x) liked/loved someone who you can't have
(x) layed on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
(x) made a snow angel
so far: 22

level 7
( ) had a tea party
(x) flown a kite
(x) built a sand castle
( ) gone mudding
(x) played dress up
so far: 25

level 8
(x) jumped into a pile of leaves
(x) gone sledding
(x) cheated while playing a game
(x) been lonely
(x) fallen asleep at work / school
so far: 30

level 10
(x) watched the sunset
( ) felt an earthquake
(x) killed a snake
so far: 32

level 11
(x) been tickled
(x) been robbed / vandalized
(x) been cheated on
(x) been misunderstood
so far: 36

level 12
( ) won a contest
( ) been suspended from school
(x) had detention
(x) been in a car / motorcycle accident
so far: 38

level 13
( ) had / have braces
(x) eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
(x) danced in the moonlight
so far : 40

level 14
(x) hated the way you look
(x) witnessed a crime
( ) pole danced
(x) questioned your heart
( ) been obsessed with post-it-notes
so far: 43

level 15
(x) squished barefoot through the mud
(x) been to the opposite side of the world
(x) swam in the ocean
(x) felt like you were dying
so far: 47

level 16
(x) cried yourself to sleep
( ) played cops and robbers
( ) recently colored with crayons / colored pencils / markers
(x) sang karaoke
( ) paid for a meal with only coins(do Burgers count?)
so far: 49

level 17
(x) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) made prank phone calls
(x) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) kissed in the rain
so far: 53

level 18
(x) written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) watched the sunset/ sunrise with someone you care/cared about
(x) blown bubbles
(x) made a bonfire on the beach or anywhere
so far: 57

level 19
(x ) crashed a party
( ) have traveled more than 5 days with a car full of people.
(x) gone rollerskating / blading
(x) had a wish come true
( ) been humped by a monkey (wtf?)
so far: 60

level 20
( ) worn pearls
(x) jumped off a bridge
(x) screamed "penis" or "vagina"
( ) swam with dolphins
so far: 62

level 21
(x) got your tongue stuck to a pole/freezer/ice cubes
( ) kicked a fish
(x) worn the opposite sex's clothes
(x) sat on a roof top and watched the stars
so far: 65

level 22
(x) screamed at the top of your lungs
( ) done / attempted a one-handed cartwheel
( ) talked on the phone for more than 6 hours
(x) recently stayed up for a while talking to someone you care about
so far: 67

level 23
(x) picked and ate an apple right off the tree
(x) climbed a tree
(x) had/been in a tree house
(x) been too scared to watch scary movies alone
so far: 71

level 24
(x) believed in ghosts
( ) have had more then 30 pairs of shoes
( ) gone streaking
( ) visited jail...
so far: 72

level 25
(x) played chicken
(x) been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
(x) been told you're hot by a complete stranger
( ) broken a bone
(x) been easily amused
so far: 76

level 26
( ) caught a fish, then ate it later
( ) made a porn video/got asked to make one
( ) caught a butterfly
(x) laughed so hard you cried
(x) cried so hard you laughed
so far: 78

level 27
(x) mooned/flashed someone
(x) had someone moon/flash you
(x) cheated on a test
(x) forgotten someone's name
( ) French braided someoneÂs hair
(x) gone skinny dipping
(x) been kicked out of your house
so far: 84

Ok Ok it's been a while Dan

*Andrew-and-Seven — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 09:03:35 PDT

Yeah I know there's not been much happening here recently - primarily because of the racing taking up most of my processing time and well, I have a life to lead !

But I'm gonna do some normal photos over the next few weeks, before the racing kicks off in a fortnight again.

Shooting 4-5000 images a weekend takes some processing and by the time our galleries go live Wed/Thur the week after, I'm about done with processing and frankly can't bear the idea of seeing the Adobe symbol fire up again!

But all is good I guess, you guys have all been busy in my absence which is as it should be.

Sorry I've not been replying to comments and thanking everyone for favourites but something has to give and those were it. So thank you all anyway, past present and future who I haven't / won't thank personally but believe me it's all appreciated by yor truly.

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Devious Journal Entry

*Andrew-and-Seven — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:17:46 PDT

Bluebells, Bikes and Green

Bring on the Spring! It appears to have arrived in the Shire and the Hobbits are loving it.

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Modelling

*Andrew-and-Seven — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:07:28 PDT

So I suppose it had to happen, I've done my first portrait session.

And very scary it was too, but fortunately my friends who sat for me were sympathetic and not too expectant! Result. The day was a low pressure day with no real agenda and I think it was a success.

Guess you lovely people will let me know as I'm starting to upload some of the results.

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Holiday a memory

*Andrew-and-Seven — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 04:41:10 PDT

Well as usual, a couple of weeks go by and holidays are but a memory.

So it's work, work and then a trip out with the camera. Got the Enigma's parents staying for the week so I've had reason to go places. So I've a file of shots from the south coast (Brighton and the white cliffs), Stowe gardens (National Trust place) and now Southwold on the Anglian coast near Lowesoft.

Today the plan was to head to a bird of prey sanctuary, the one I've shot at before [link]" for example but since "she who must be obeyed" can't drag her ass out of bed I doubt we'll be going anyway today.

I know there'll be more shots from Africa to come, a great one of Table Mountain certainly, but for now I'll stick up some more recent ones.

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

South Africa

*Andrew-and-Seven — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:25:47 PST

Right so I got back home at 10 this morning with a thousand pics

Yup, and that's really just from snapping when chances presented themselves. It is a great place and I really recommend going.

Where was I? Based in a wine town called Franschhoek (near Stellenbosch which lots have heard of) in the middle of the wine belt north east of Cape Town some 60kms away.

What was great ?

1) The mountains - brilliant jagged ranges forming beautiful and pretty fertile valleys. Clouds regularly adorned the many peaks of which table Top Mountain is the most famous.

2) The coastline. Often cut into mountains unless they loomed behind the bays such as Camps Bay and False Bay.

3) The seas - two because Cape Town lies on the Atlantic but just to the east at Cape Aguilas the Indian Ocean meets it and both pound the coast with breakers and spray that really kicks ass.

4) The weather - I had, aside from 4 grey days, blue sunny days of at least 30 degrees, yesterday was apparently 42 inland near the vineyards. Perhaps a little too bright and contrasty to be picky, but hell it was a holiday!

5) The people. Now there seems a general belief that SA is a dangerous'ish place to go. Not so for your average sensible tourist. No more threatening than wandering around the darker parts of London with a flash camera late at night. All the people from rich whites to the black farm workers werer a delight and effused happiness. No problemo.

So I'll be putting a lot of pics up I'm afraid, no point in being shy about it. hope you like'em.

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Cape Town

*Andrew-and-Seven — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 01:34:00 PST

So I'm off this afternoon to Heathrow for the the overnight to Cape Town, South Africa.

AFter much deliberation about what gear to take, esp considering the recent demise of the 10D (my first choice as it's lighter and frankly less valuable) I can't grasp the idea of going with anything lss than a full clip, so to speak.

Ahem. Packhorse anyone? LoL I bought a new proper cabin luggage sized case y'day which they don't weigh and might make the plane fly with a tilt now

There is an internet cafe in teh town I'm staying in so I'll be online periodically but I doubt there'll be any photos until I'm back on the 22nd. The laptop will prob make the journey so at least I can edit, and if there's a starbucks with free wi-fi ........

Take it easy crew, guard the fort and I'll catch up later.

If you've gotta go, go with a smile

Clubs I'm a member of -

Mountain Shots

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

A new flat mate and a dead camera

*Andrew-and-Seven — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:00:52 PST

My friend, the lovely Enigma, has moved in so after 2.5 years in the selfish wilderness I am again sharing my life with a girl.

And my treasured Canon 10D has been given the Last Rites.

So yes, as discussed previously, M has moved in. It took several runs in the car and two runs in a van to get all her stuff over to mine, then a lot of heaving and sweating to carry it up the stairs or into the garage.

I've had to sacrifice my study for her, and that means my workspace really, but the pay off is a much more organised and disciplined flat. Also the extra money every month will be appreciated. Oh, and there's the not having to run over to her place (14 miles) every time we go out shooting.

So once I return from this week in Scotland (work sadly) I'll have 10 days of co-habiting to deal with which I know I'm making it sound like a chore when really it won't be, but it'll be different which at my age hehe I'm bound to shy from.

She's a star and while not faultless I must say that I can think of no-one better to share with within practical limits of course Houser (namely Ms Beckinsale hehe). The upshot is that I'll be using my laptop far more than the PC (now residing in the living room on a bookcase to be used mainly for DVD copying, erm I mean backing up) so expect some dodgy contrast on shots until I get used to the screen.

Then there's the sad sad news about my old trusty 10D. I started with it about 3 years ago, bought it 2nd hand from a friend who had barely used it because I realised that film was not the way to go anymore. All pics in my gallery up to June 07 were taken on it which you'll appreciate means it saw some service, never mind the season and a half of National level bike racing.

I gave it to my trusted shop to repair since the on/off switch was being awkward - it would switch off unless you maintained pressure on the switch - and they rang me while at Heathrow awaiting my flight up here to say it would cost Â£320 to put right since almost every board in it was hanging.

I'd love to have kept it as a souvenir - I have a Canon EOS 1n and Nikon F2 Photomic as such - but sadly they're gonna recycle what they can from it and bin the rest boohoo.

That means the Mark III is going back to Canon soon for it's free replacement mirror assembly (C say it might be causing the publicised AF problems - not that I've had any) so it's in form for the start of the BSB season for which my press accredition is being processed.

Guess I'll be looking for a cheap 20D to act as a second body at the races, a necessity when ambling around the pitlane.

Oh, and there's the fortnight in Cape Town that beckons on the 4th of Feb too for which a functioning DSLR is a must. Yes I'm off on holiday again so doubtless you'll all be hitting the 'back' arrow now in disgust/thinly veiled jealousy so I'll wrap it there I think hehe.

Laters then my lovelies.

A

Clubs I'm a member of -

Mountain Shots

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Another DD :)

*Andrew-and-Seven — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 01:26:50 PST

Shave my head and call me Kojak, but I have another DD today.

One of my shots from Xmas Day showing the mists over Derwentwater was nominated by the lovely Voracious-Vixen to whom I send profuse thanks and respec' hehe. And a print of the shot, on me, should she want it.

So that's a nice start to the Year.

Otherwise, it's been pretty good. Spent 31/12 and 1/1 on the South Coast, the results of which are the latest entries in the gallery, enjoying some 'me' time and getting propositioned by older ladies in pubs at midnight hehe.

Today is the last day off before work begins for me on Monday so I'll be loafing about again however a trip to the pharmacy is in order as The Enigma has given me her cold it seems. Lovely. And she's gonna move in? Perhaps it needs rethinking hehe.

Yesterday was my birthday so I guess the DD is a great present from the community. Birthdays (my 42nd I'm astonished to admit) are something that I'm happy to have little or no fuss made about now. I can't believe I'm this old - I always used to think 40+ was proper old because as I grew old enough to think about other people my parents were 40ish and that means I'm now as old as my parents!!!!

Argghhhh.

I heard the sayings "you're only as old as the girl you feel" etc which, if I'd taken NY Eve's offer would have added about 15yrs to me...., but for a single guy I don't get to feel many ladies never mind girls. Ahh that soft sweet smelling skin mmmmmmm.

So how old do I feel? I don't know. Sometimes very old. Sometimes less so. Guess it's about going with some dignity (so I'm not going to hang out where the kids go, nor shop at 'gents outfitters' ) and using my accumulated experiences to their best advantage.

Mind, I look around me and my life and I seem to have accumulated naff all else.

Anyway, this has sweet FA to do with photography, and you're probably thinking "stop rambling old gnarly fella, and go to the library!" so I'll wrap it there.

And I'll try not to hang around the hair dye section at the pharmacy..... promise.

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Ok so it's done

*Andrew-and-Seven — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:03:12 PST

A week after the last journal, it is!

And life returns to normal.

I was lucky enough to be lakeside on Derwentwater for Xmas morning, as the four shots in the gallery starting with this one for a spectacular display of light, cloud and terrain such as the Lake District is famous for.

Here's a link to a Google Map to show where I've taken most of the Lakeland lake shots from - it's from the run from the inlet above Lake Road south along the shore to the tip of the spur which is known as Friar's Peak.

That morning was however the only one with any kind of light - that afternoon was grey (and frankly stuffing my belly was more urgent- and Boxing Day darker and damper. Then today was raining like a Biblical flood so I left for home.

I did go into Keswick to see the traditional hunt leave the town square which was a little disappointing as there were no horses involved, just lots of dogs and far too many small children with their daddy's camera getting in my way. But there are some shots to post in a day or two.

Then it'll be New Year's eve and I'll be heading to a favourite hotel in Rye on the south coast hoping that the weather will be ok for some pics (it's near Dungeness which some of you realise is one of my fave destinations) and I'll be in the hotel bar with a fine meal, wine and a book. Then up and out for more snaps on NY day which is just dandy.

Beats sitting around the flat on my tod wishing I was someone and somewhere else.

So I hope you all had a good Xmas, that you didn't put on too much weight hehe, and that 2008 brings all you wish for and more, fellow DA'ers.

Easy now....

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Xmas

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:48:33 PST

In a week it'll all be over.

Is that a good thing ?

Sometimes I wonder. And then it's 2008 which aside from the usual half baked promises and hopes will yet again bring surprises, disappointments, wealth, poverty and hopefully some good photos. I've a lot to say about 2007, but it's not over yet so I'll leave the obituary for 10 days or so.

2008 promises to be very different from this year, I may have someone sharing the flat with me for starters. Something I'm not really sure about but company and half the rent paid for are both things that will be on the positive, but then sharing a life that I've had to myself for so long might be difficult.

And it's a girl.

Oh heck.

At least they smell nice and are tidy. Well this one does/is at least.

Mind, for my good friends Stateside, a whole new adventure awaits and without spilling too many beans, I really wish them well with it - I know it's gonna be a great thing and mate you'll cope perfectly. You are a good man, and that quality will always steer your course correctly.

I don't imagine I'll have too many new photos to share until next week when I'm off to the Lake District to see the parents, and weather permitting I'll be out shooting most of the time (shoot me if I have to stay in and watch the soap operas and XFactor).

Laters then

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Back from races

*Andrew-and-Seven — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:47:33 PDT

Back to the grindstone again. This working for a living is dull stuff isn't it?

I will get out with the camera soon I reckon, but for now I'm happy just trawling through the archives.

Don't know if I'll get to the Lake District as planned in the near future as I really have to work when it's offered as I need the pennies these days.

Galavanting around like the work-shy fop I am is only an option when I've got cash to tide me over. So work it is at the mo.

Doh!

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Back in Groove

*Andrew-and-Seven — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 02:02:46 PDT

I'm sitting in the Media Centre at Brands Hatch, in Kent listening to the race bikes fire up for the last round of the Bennetts British Superbikes championship.

So for the next 3 days, I'm doing what I like doing and can get away from normal life.

Hooray

So I'll be keeping an eye on DA of course, but it's bikes bikes and more bikes for the rest of the weekend.

Oh, and it's damp, foggy and gloomy. Great. ISO800 anyone?

LoL

Laters

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Onwards to the Future

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 01:11:19 PDT

Oh well so the Czech holiday didn't happen.

Which means lots of sitting around not working so some free time to catch up on my various jobs like my own accounts bleh!

Life's a funny old game, full of things being given and taken away from you. Hard to know what to make of it really.

This weekend, rather than flying off to a beautiful country I found myself at Donington Park in the Midlands covering the penultimate British Superbike Round. It was windy, cold and very dark, while Donington must be about the worst circuit on the calender for photography as most of the track requires a 500mm to bring the action anywhere near frame size.

What was of more importance was witnessing a truly amazing spectacle of a totally blind guy riding a lap of the circuit !!! Yeah, on a motorbike. Check out Billy Baxter's amazing World Record attempt here, not 'cause I took the shots but for the sheer pluck of the man.

I mean, imagine not even knowing when the bike is pointing straight - you've no reference, no bearings. And there's me feeling a little sad because I'm not on holiday and the Enigma may be gone from my life. Well it put my emotional problems in perspective I can tell you.

Then I was looking through last year's diary while doing my accounts and found a note I wrote on a platform in London's Victoria station one morning after watching a blind guy and his helper battle through the madness of a train platform during rush hour.

"8.10am - Saw a blind man and his guide on the platform again this morning, walking in their own little space. By design and necessity they are entirely alone in it. Yet they seem very happy. They smile. He's blind.

Everyone else sees. No one else smiles. They see less than him.

I want to take this picture. "

Sadly I didn't have my camera and the train pulled out shortly after. But it made me think.

Which is good I guess.

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Nowt new, sorry

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:15:01 PDT

Just fed up with looking at the Glasgow entry.

Life's ticking along at the mo, I'm not adding photo's to my HDU as quickly as I have been so there's time to catch up on some unfinished processing. Some shots from Dublin, Ireland have just gone up and I dare say some from the States will be next.

I've a trip to the Czech Republic (again) to come soon so there'll be fresh stuff along by the end of the month, and unless the weather changes I'm sure I'll be on the coast come Sunday.

My little holiday may mean missing all, certainly some of the Donington (the penultimate) round of the BSB championship which is a pity, but there's so much to do and so little time.

Oh and there was talk of shooting Dragsters again over the next 4 weeks but press accredition doesn't seem to have happened, and I'm not keen on the Â£15+ entrance fee which will see much the same shots as before. So who knows what will happen there.

Of little interest to you is the news that my Triumph 675 is rapidly approaching roadworthyness after being off the road for a year, it's costing a fortune (silly me didn't involve the insurance co's as it looked only minimal damage ahem). Once my baby is back on her wheels, well I may not be out with the camera as much.

So make the most of these hehe

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Glasgow

*Andrew-and-Seven — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 05:46:19 PDT

It's the last of my 4 days stint in bonnie-Scotland and I'll be glad to get home tbh

Not that I dislike Scotland, the reverse in fact, but it means a return to what passes as normality.

As I get older I like change less and less.

And I'll be editing on my pc instead of a laptop which is much better - laptop screens are too contrasty for my liking.

Mind, it hasn't rained on me once which is a change from previous trips.

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

No more Gremlins

*Andrew-and-Seven — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 02:12:07 PDT

So all appears well again in the Land of the Deviant again, so fair play to all the techies and boffins.

I'm just back from another weekend at the races, this time in the north east of England near Louth at Cadwell Park which is a beautiful hilly circuit often described as the Nurburgring of England (which won't mean much to you non-motorsport fans sorry).

My legs ache from the trudging up and down steep hills carry gear - mind can't complain since I carried a fellow tog's Canon 400mm f2.8 IS lens + MarkII body combo. Jesus H it weighed an absolute ton. Handholding? Unless you are a certain Californian governor I'd suggest not.

So today it's sorting through yesterday's haul of about 1000 shots and then combining the best with those from Sun and Saturday's action. Expect a few on here of bikes completely airborne, and I'm talking 2-3ft between ground and wheels.

Then I've still got hundreds from America to go through, and several from a day in Brighton that I'm keen to process. My friend has processed hers and they look awesome.

Ok guys'n gals. Coffee has brewed so it's time to get on. See ya on other side.

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Gremlins

*Andrew-and-Seven — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 08:31:54 PDT

Ok so why can't I reply to any messages? "A problem occurred please wait a short time?"

Eh?

For the love of God sort it out, boffins.

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Tribute

*Andrew-and-Seven — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:44:40 PDT

Thanks to all of you who favourited my Tribute shot. I deliberately removed the commenting facility as I didn't think it needed commenting on to be honest.

I hope that the race circuits can learn from this and recent accidents and invest the money to make these places safer. The sport is moving on yet the circuits aren't. Air cushions appear to be the answer, but they cost. And there's the problem.

So thanks again, and I'm starting to process shots from Stateside so expect the trickle to begin anytime.

Clubs I'm a member of -

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

HOLIDAY !!!!

*Andrew-and-Seven — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 05:32:05 PDT

Hi all! I'm writing this journal from Portland, Maine in the good ol' US of A, can you believe ??

It's day 2 of my stay with Houser and so far, well it's been an adventure.

The trip from Heathrow via connecting flight in Paris was ok except for them forgetting to put my suitcase on the Paris flight, so I'm sans laptop, clothes and toiletries. Thank goodness America is the retail centre of the Universe or I'd be a tad anti-social by now.

My laptop is in the suitcase (damn the 'one bag only in the cabin' nonsense) in preference to trusting the MarkIII and lenses to the handlers, so I'm not in a position to start uploading quite yet, although if Fedex get their fingers out I should have the case by lunchtime today.

So far I've bought a small tripod, albeit a defective one it seems, and we've shot a ball game, sunset inc long exposure ND work, and were up at 5.30 this morning (it's now 8.30) shooting the sunrise and morning mist over some marsh lands. A traditional (Andrew's words not mine) breakfast of Dunkin Donuts and coffee has perked me up, temporarily I suspect, and this afternoon we will likely head off for a spot of canoeing. Hope I don't have to test the MarkIII's waterproofing hehe.

I'd also like to say thanks to the many many people who've fav'd my Eiffel Tower DD whom I haven't been able to reply to individually as I've been real busy preparing for this holiday. THANKS ALL OF YOU !!!

There, that should do it

Ok DAers run along now and keep shooting, writing, drawing etc.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Daily Deviation

*Andrew-and-Seven — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:15:16 PDT

Well shave my head and call me Kojak. I've been featured in today's Daily Deviations [link] which is somewhat of a surprise.

Many many many thanks to Sveltine for the nomination and cweeks for the backup. And to BittersweetGrenadine for the note to tell me!

It's my shot of the Eiffel Tower, not the illuminated one that almost got me thrown off, but the B&W of the tower from under a bridge. Not my favourite, but it shows what I know eh?

Perhaps it's time to start the print shop thingy that DA keep suggesting.

Anyway thanks again all concerned, and of course to my many friends and contacts past (where are you now?) and present for your encouragement and time spent looking at my shots.

Off to the races tomorrow, so expect more bike shots next week and a full report of the Mark III being used for it's intended purpose. Rumour has it that the autofocus is inferior to the Mark II when used on moving subjects. So needless to say I'm keen to see how it works on the bikes.

Laters taters.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Back to Normal at Last

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 30 May 2007 10:31:25 PDT

Yay ! I'm a pretty free man at for the next month or so, so you can expect a resumption of image uploading from recent trips, new trips and of course the bike racing.

Sorry again for the absence, and I will attempt to catch up with everyone but hey, normal life goes on and is ultimately more important than this shameless self promotion.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Isle of Wight

*Andrew-and-Seven — Mon, 14 May 2007 05:18:32 PDT

Well that was a wash out

Yup, arrived Sat night, awoke to rain on Sun morning. It lashed it down with Biblical enthusiasm all morning so we decided to head home a day early. There really isn't much to do there on a rainy Sunday.

So the only pics I took are from the ferry going over there and a few long exposures during downpours on the Sunday.

Hehe guess you can't win them all. Mind you, of all the photo trips I've been on this was the first that was called off. Pity it had to be the one that meant 2 nights in a hotel.

I'll return tho as it is a sweet place - lots of variety on a small island means loads of picture opportunities.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Update

*Andrew-and-Seven — Tue, 08 May 2007 11:02:54 PDT

Hey hey I'm nearly back to normal!!

Work has eased off and the BSB racing schedule is doing likewise - two more in May and then nothing until mid-July for this snapper

So very shortly I'll be uploading regularly, and responding to comments as before. I appreciate your patience, and trust only a few of you have wandered off disillusioned with my absence.

It appears that I might be taking a short break to the Isle of Wight for two nights this weekend so it'll be back to landscapes and the 300mm will be left at home !! Seems only yesterday that I bought it but I reckon it's been used on upwards of 5000 shots since mid March

Not much to report on the Mark III except that Canon seem to be delaying release for software reasons, but I can't wait to get the call.

Ok, well there you go. So not long until the shots are rolling, but I've put one from the weekend online so at least you petrol heads will be happy

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

NOTE My bike racing shots are here [link] so check'em out if you like that sort of thing.

Apologies again

*Andrew-and-Seven — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:36:34 PDT

I owe all of you who've commented or faved my shots of recent because I've not said thanks to you!

Regretably my time is really stretched at the moment, and sitting with DA just isn't a luxury I can afford for now.

I still appreciate you putting in the time and effort to make the comments and check out my work, and I will respond eventually - maybe next week sometime.

Now I've two courses to write, bent motorbike bits to take 70miles north on Thursday then it's off to Le Mans on Friday early doors for 4 days to watch the 24hr bike racing.

My Grandma always said "Idle hands are the Devil's playground."

I wish hehe.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

BSB Round 1 Gallery links

*Andrew-and-Seven — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:57:33 PDT

Hooray ! At long last the British Superbike Championship started at Brands Hatch, Kent and what a relief and total blast it was.

Links to Galleries done to date. Sorry there are so many shots, really they need culling out - the Editor loves race shots so gets a bit carried away.......

I gave them straight off the camera, so any post processing/lack of isn't down to me.....

[link]

[link]

Enjoy - there'll be another for the race day on Monday. At least one I'd say

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Bank holiday weekend at the Races

*Andrew-and-Seven — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 13:50:34 PDT

Hooray ! At long last the British Superbike Championship started at Brands Hatch, Kent and what a relief and total blast it was.

3 nights sleeping in the car, 3 days spent from 9-5 tramping around a dusty circuit shooting madmen riding powerful motorbikes WAY too fast.

Given my recent "distractions" it has been so good to just have to concentrate (trying not to say "focus" hehe) on the light, the angle, the lens choice etc, then how much to drink that evening. Brilliant! But tiring, oh yes I'm done in now - it'll be off to bed shortly.

The weather was hot hot, 20+ yesterday and today so shorts and t-shirts were the order of the day and considering that this weekend last year in the Midlands (Donington) saw 4 degrees and hail this was a real blessing. Mind, it wasn't ideal for shooting the bikes because it gave really hard shadows and lots of contrast - then there's the white bikes, the black bikes, multicolours and trying to shoot with the sun always at your back.

In terms of uploading some onto here for you bike fans well I dunno - I'm not really allowed to use the images for a decent time frame (can't remember) so there'll be non up soon - but I will put a link to the gallery when it's sorted in a day or two.

Fortunately the site owner, Jay, has volunteered to do the processing and selection tonight so after dumping my cards onto his Mac, I'll be processing my 1700 (!) shots at a more leisurely pace hehe. And that's 1700 shots after on camera reviewing and deleting.

My partner in crime (Silver2495) has just bought a Canon 1D Mark II to replace his ill-tempered 30D and I had a play with an 8fps pro-toy. And it rocked which really wetted my appetite for the Mark III. And for those that remember, my 300mm really kicked ass. I can't believe how good the shots were, and how many good v bad ones it took. The 70-200 doesn't deliver as many crisp ones - and Silver's 120-300 f2.8 (which I was really keen on comparing it too) was by his admission after trying mine, not producing as good a hit/miss ratio for him.

So I'm real pleased with my recent investment, and am looking forward to a good look through the results tomorrow night

Laters then

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Recent Stuff

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 02:05:23 PDT

Ah here we in April now, the first quarter of 2007 has passed us by and is never to be repeated.

For some of us it's a blessing, but no matter - the rest of our lives is just a second away so I raise a glass (mug of herbal tea actually) to that fact.

The Lakeland trip is now history and has been superceeded by a day trip to Wales on Sunday with Houser after my plans to go bike riding fell through because the garage still hasn't finished servicing my bike.

In Wales we went to a ruined abbey and Chepstow Castle then spend time by the Seven snapping the bridges. We finished up in Bristol shooting the Clifton Suspension bridge and the harbour area of that great city. We left the flat at 9am and I dropped him off at 10pm having covered some 340miles. Phew.

My weekends are now occupied by the BSB racing although this first weekend may give me Sunday off since they don't race on Easter Sunday normally.

It's also been a busy time on the emotional front. You may notice a degree of emotional content on the recent submissions which is due to a complex 3 month relationship between 3 people and involved a 4th member more recently that reached breaking point during the Lakes Trip and has finally been resolved.

So there'll finally be peace in my head and heart, tho sadly not as a result of finally securing the hand of a girl whom for the last 9 months I have loved more than life itself. That reward has eluded me unfortunately and dammit I'm trying to take it like a man hehe but lord it sucks bigtime.

Anyway, what's done is done and I've got loads of good friends both old and very new for which I am thankful and proud. You DA people mean a great deal to me and have provided an outlet, an inspiration and a welcome distraction over the last few months.

For these things I am eternally grateful.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Lake District

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 02:13:45 PDT

Ok sorry for the lack of activity for the last 5 days but I've been away with friends to Keswick in Cumbria.

And it was an interesting experience to say the least with barely a dull minute. But lots and lots of shots to work through, which should start trickling online today.

I even used the 300mm once or twice !

Check out my mate Houser's shots - he takes a better photo and his processing is simply sublime.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

New lens in DA (sic) house !!!!

*Andrew-and-Seven — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:57:19 PDT

Oh yeah baby

Motorsports here we come......

I've finally plucked up the courage to invest in a Sigma 300mm f2.8 EX tele lens.

My thanks to The Doc4 for enthusing about and producing such fine shots with his lens, and of course my friends Houser and Damon for encouraging me not to be a tight arse, that when you discover you've more shares than you thought it needs spending. Fortunately the Northerner in me hunted down a second hand one so I saved £500 over new major result me thinks.

Next stop is the 1D Mark IIIn but that's a whole other zone.

And special thanks to the Enigma for coming with me and laughing mightly at my post-spending nausea. That's what friends are for it seems

I am tempted to tastefully photograph it but that would be unnecessarily decadent I think. And I'm crap at that sort of thing.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Euro Trip part2 Tues 24th May05

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 09:06:36 PDT

Decided to continue these as Journals if that's ok with you lot. It's a diary from a European solo motorbike trip I did in May2005, and I've never read the diary so thought I'd serialise it here.

(Part one is [link])

Now half way to Split - I'm sitting in a new service station on the new motorway that is (presumably) gonna run down the Croatian coast. Guess it'll carry loads of tourists which isn't something to look forward to, but for now it's empty.

1st part of the trip down was on the original coast road from Rijike which was simply awesome - easily the best bike road I've ever ridden on. The first part of the day was quite busy with getting out of the town, loads of Austrians and Germans in this neck of the woods (not a surprise considering the geography) and a few lunatic Croates. Only one police speed trap and several small beautiful fishing villages which needed photographing, but overall it was a real blast - almost sensory overload with the views, roads and too-slow BMWs. There was some occasional road works but generally they were easy to spot so the old girl was cranked way over and I swear I touched the panniers down. There were loads of campsites posted from the road but the ones I saw only seemed to be fields with little facilities. The B&Bs seem very cheap so I think that'll be the way to go.

I've loads of currency as I didn't really think about the exchange rate properly and had no real idea how expensive/cheap the place would be. Suppose it'll get spent or changed to whatever is needed next. It's odd that only Montenegro uses Euro whereas Croatia and Albania (sitting either side of M) use their own currencies. Petrol here at the services is 7.28K per litre - I filled up on the coast road and it came to about 100K (£8) so it's pretty cheap (be about £11 to fill up at home). The bike has a bloody small fuel tank (like all sports bikes it takes about 15litres in the real world) so it's a constant niggle "is that the last station I've just passed...." but it's always nice to get out of the saddle after a couple of hours. But the motorway section has seen 100miles go past in one hour and 10mins, so it's an early stop.

Next it's off to Split - be there in 2hrs I reckon, maybe less, and I'll check out the ferries across to the islands, although the o/s map said that the ferry from further south - near the Bosnian border - is a car ferry so I'll prob go for that. The idea of sitting on a boat watching the coast road would be too big a shame.

Will have to bring the gang (my bike mates) down here. Can't believe it's only Tuesday after a Friday morning start! I'm so far away already ! <> I wonder which of the guys would go for it? Jay and Jason would, Mal would (as ever) be game. Would Ian come? I wonder. (he's now in Canada) Not sure camping is his thing, but I'd not really camped until 3 years ago. It would be the best fortnight of their lives I reckon.

Croatia seems real nice, although I can't really get that excited about a 'place' as I'm passing though so many. I get more enthused about what it offers - in Croatia's case it's a lot. Aside from being cheap it has great weather (now 25 and partly cloudy so great biking weather) but windy as hell. I mean Seriously Windy ! It's a bit scary on a heavily loaded bike and when you throw twisty roads and wandering slow German riders into the mix, it takes some concentration and effort. Anyway, back to the point. The place doesn't have stunning scenery, is very brown and quite under developed, but has a distinct character of its own and I love it. Dubrovnic is supposed to be beautiful and I will definitely spend some time there - apparently there's a campsite in or near the city which'll be ideal and streets paved with white marble so I'll likely spend a day wandering about there. More like I'll be putting off going to Montenegro hehe. Do I risk it? (from part 1 you may remember my insurance co had missed it off my documentation). Will they check at the border? Shit can't believe I'm so disorganised that I didn't sort it earlier and check it when it arrived (2 days before I left).

The Germans and Austrians seem to love their big tourers and v.fast semi-tourers, I've only seen a couple of R1s and Ducatis. One in France on day1 which was loaded with huge tank and tail packs. Ha! Serious pain I reckon. Anyway ol'7 (my ZX7R) is superb. Can't fault her at all - a little uncomfy perhaps but nowhere near as bad as people make out. Thanks to Nick Saunders for riding around the World in 19days on a litre sports bike and giving me confidence in this old girl. Today would have been pants on a Pan European or similar bus. I've made it but with more fun so what's the point of a £9000 tour...

The weekend past

*Andrew-and-Seven — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 02:42:52 PDT

Well it's been pretty fraught, and is as yet unresolved really.

Fortunately I don't think it's been as bad for me as for others, I dunno really, but yesterday I was able to get the bike out and spend the day concentrating on keeping it between the kerbs, rather than predicting the unpredicable (ie women).

Thanks to my special friend Tania for motivating me to come out and play yesterday - you always get in touch at the right times, and to Shauna for just being there at the end of a phone when I need it.

So my day out riding was a great tonic - it's important (I'd forgotten) to remove yourself from your normal or regular life once in a while, and I think the faster I ride the further behind I can leave my problems. That's what bikes do for me. It's a freedom thing, freedom from normal life.

I will post the next installment of my travel diary this week which documents a trip taken for the same reasons as yesterday's far less glamorous one.

Now I've got to write an Excel course for tomorrow, sadly a little late in the day to start but I've not really been able to get into the zone of late. So the pressure's on dammit.

Anyway, have a good week all and see you on the otherside eh?

EDIT - and 4000 pageviews passed at 16.02 GMT hooray!! Thanks everyone for giving this mere amateur snapper more confidence than he really deserves. I'm humbled and so glad to be a part of this community. Soon enough I will try and give something back.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Woohoo

*Andrew-and-Seven — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 08:38:31 PST

Ok so I'm having a real crap 24hrs. Found out / had confirmed some really unpleasant suspicions about someone I thought and knew last night so no sleep and a head full of arguments today.

And then acted a bit like a kid and ran off at the mouth without engaging brain. You'd think I'd be old enough to think first, and perhaps to give people the benefit of the doubt. But no.

There is however some hope on the horizon. 1st of all my good friend Houser who is keeping my head above water like some sort of David Blaine dude, and secondly I've just been told that I've got an 'access all areas' season pass (like hen's teeth) for the British Superbike Championship on behalf of [link] so it's time to start thinking about some serious gear upgrading.

Oh more bad news, the car exhaust and engine work is likely to be over £1000 so I'm thinking 20D rather than 1D MarkIIn etc.....

But hey, onwards and upwards regardless of pace.

Hopefully I'll emerge from this weekend a better and stronger person.

Right now I'll settle for just emerging.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Ok new one time

*Andrew-and-Seven — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:31:19 PST

Sick of looking at the previous entry so here's the deal.

For the first time in I don't know how long I haven't been out photographing on a Sunday. I had a day in watching the rain falling and wondering why I'm such an ass after having silly digs at my friend when she comes to me for peace and support.

Hmmm so not much new to share with you guys, but the previous weekend at Kew and Eagle Heights is providing plenty to work on for now. Check out my mate Houser's shots from that weekend too on [link] - he's top dollar and is proving a great inspiration.

The weekend wasn't entirely devoid of photography since I went and helped another friend pick up her new motorbike and took loads of fun pics of her with it. Very nice it is too, and it reminds me that my 'new' one is now a year old. Where has this year gone? Well I know why the last 8 months has flown by but that's not for sharing.

This week has graced me (thus far) with 3 days off work so I hope to get out with the camera on my own (or mebbe with Tobi-1-Kenobi [link] he's likewise loafing). Or fix said new bike up if the weather doesn't look too promising. Besides which the car needs a new exhaust which is gonna be expensive - it's a V6 and both pipes are blowing near the engine. Major work apparently. This is in addition to the service, new tyres, oil leak, reluctant central locking. So it's gonna put me in a right mood come Friday hehe. And to think I was aiming at a 1D MarkII or possibly MarkIII in the near future. Money has a way of spending itself right?

So that's better, something for ya to read. Now go sort some pics out, you lazy-asses. LoL LoL

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Relationships

*Andrew-and-Seven — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 14:41:52 PST

How come they are so difficult?

Beats me.

And this is without a girlfriend.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Relationships

*Andrew-and-Seven — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 14:41:49 PST

How come they are so difficult?

Beats me.

And this is without a girlfriend.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Valentine's Day

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:58:29 PST

Ok it's here, another day where partnered blokes feel guilty, girlfriends get annoyed with them and feel under appreciated. Singles like me just get depressed. And everybody gets hacked off with the nasty commercialism of it all.

But hey, thats enough whining eh? So what have I been up to since Norfolk?

Well I went to Bournemouth on Thursday night for work and got back Friday night. Then it was up for a day wandering (aimlessly) around London with Houser ([link]) during which time we took few photos and covered a lot of miles. The company was good but the views dull, grey wet and generally uninspiring. Battersea power station is a magnificent building but it's impossible to get close to it - I may have a decent shot and I'll check'em this afternoon.

I've also been on the receiving end of hassle from various work contacts chasing me for work I'm doing for free for them, work I reckon they should be doing anyway, so that cheeses me off and makes me wonder why I'm bothering. Hopefully that's done now unless I've set a precedent

Sunday was spent playing Airsoft which is like paintballing (ie you shoot people) but with BB pellet guns. BBs are very similar to frozen peas. And the guns used are true replicas of the real things and the enthusiasts had proper tooled up assault rifles with scopes, laser dots and torchs. Even grenade launchers, shotguns and silenced pistols. I tell ya, we (the novices with hired popguns) got truly creamed - I'm black and blue to this day. Check the pics out here [link] man it was truly scary but fun all the same.

Then it's been work as usual, today tho I have off so should get some more pics online in between domestic chores and a spot of work.

Have a nice day y'all

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Norfolk

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:45:15 PST

Been away for an overnight in Eastern England, Norwich to be honest and here ([link]) to be precise.

I left on Tuesday afternoon and drove in bright sunshine for 3 hours to get there. On the way I drove alongside a pretty vicious looking snowshower but couldn't really find anyway attractive enough to stop the car until I arrived in a little village that had clearly borne the brunt of the attack.

Trees had snow blasted against one side of their trunks and cars were pretty well covered. Yet this only lasted for about 400 yards then it was as if nothing had happened ! Strange it was. like stepping through the magic wardrobe of a certain CS Lewis.

I was keen to get there in time to get around the Norfolk broads - a series of estuarys and canals to the east of Norwich so didn't hang about in the snow for long. Once checked in to the delightful country hotel the company had seen fit to pay for (bless them) I roared off (car exhaust is blowing) to the Broads.

I headed for Burgh Castle to the south east of Norwich and due south of Great Yarmouth as it appeared to offer views from a castle, across the estuary to a windmill on the other side, all looking west into the sunset - since the sky was pretty clear I thought "Sunset Club get a load of this !" hehe

The castle was an old Roman fort, so basically a very old wall and little else, but the view over the estuary was worth it. I was so cold tho, the car reckoned it was -1 when I got in, and the fingerless gloves really didn't suffice. I've never been so uncomfortable with the cold before.

But it was worth it I think. There should be some shots of the setting behind a windmill any minute now.

And there's snow forecast for tomorrow, I'll be out in it having cancelled appointments. So I wonder if I can get a newspaper shot hehe. Fame at last.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

New Flat

*Andrew-and-Seven — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 06:46:02 PST

Well for someone close to me anyway

Yup at long last The Enigma has sorted and moved into her new flat at the weekend. It was has been a struggle for all concerned over the last few months while she mentally came to terms with leaving her old life and starting a new one. So well done girl, I'm very proud of this big thing you've done and if I've helped that makes me glow with warmth and satisfaction.

Someone special has also come into her life now and so it is full speed ahead for her now after wallowing about at the bottom of life's curve she's on the up. Which is nice to see. Is that it's like if you have a kid? I wonder sometimes LoL

As a result of this I've not been out taking many pics recently, well shots that would grace this place at least. I did spend Saturday shooting an indoor bike show which was a boring hot and uninspiring event so non of those would considered 'good' by anyone's standards. No hotties in lycra either which to us frustrated 40 somethings was a big blow.

I've loads of shots still from the weeks past to sort out, inc one more of the beautiful little dogfish seen on a recent shot so I hope you enjoy them and thanks as ever for all of your support in my photographic journey

It means a lot to me.

Clubs I'm a member of -

and hoping to join

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Today.....

*Andrew-and-Seven — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 14:58:38 PST

I've been back to Brighton, it was supposed to be the New Forest but a last minute change of plan (guess that'll be the girl then) saw us heading south to the coast.

Again Enigma and I were joined by our new photo-buddy (well he's new to me) Houser, who has a kick ass site on Flickr [link] and is over from Maine, USA for a few months or perhaps permenantly if he likes it.

We went south to the coast last week (Dungeness and the castles) so I was less than enthusiastic but hey, with good company (a cheerful Enigma for a change); a 10-20mm and a dramatic sky it was bound to be good.

I was a little miserable after having some bad news on the romance front on Friday, but hell I'm almost used to it however this hit as a surprise and left me feeling a little low. So a lot of the day was spent wandering on my own listening to tunes and snapping as the mood took, I find standing on the edge of my country puts problems into perspective and besides, Houser is still a novelty for E (a "Wow a real American - doesn't he talk funny" ) and so she hung about with him most the day hehe. Perhaps it was my grumpy face? Dunno.

Ok I'm rambling but it was a top day even though the clouds came and blotted the sun from 3 onwards so we retired to a pub before leaving for home. Houser has some ND (neutral density) filters which I know about but have only seen ones that knock a couple of stops off the exposure - his knocked 64 stops off!!!! Yes, that's correct. So they were shooting at 2pm on a sunny day at f22 and 30sec exposures. These filters are black to the degree that you can't see anything through the viewfinder but can produce some great shots with massive motion blur and odd colours. He and E use Nikons and apparently they don't work so well on Canon's he said. I don't believe a word and think he didn't want to admit my shots would be better hehe.

So they are on the shopping list for sure, right next to an IR filter. Oh and the 300 2.8 and EOS 1D MarkIIn ahem.

Oh well, one can but dream.

Clubs I'm a member of -

and hoping to join

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Congratulations

*Andrew-and-Seven — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 02:01:38 PST

My good friend and fellow bike-race photographer Damon has popped The Question (note capitals).

And luckily for him the answer was yes, although not without the knee-trembling delay I gather hehe.

So join me in wishing him all the best for the future and sincere condolences for the inevitable cutting of the camera budget

He's Silver2495 [link] so either post up here or send him a message, he's new on DA and will appreciate the contacts

You are all stars of the highest calibre.

Clubs I'm a member of -

and hoping to join

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

new PC

*Andrew-and-Seven — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 04:28:20 PST

Hey hey hey it's online at last.

Well it's been a tricky conversion, I guess it's always gonna be, but finally got a new link from Kaspersky for the virus software download so could plug in the new pc.

And it's massive cool. Real quick and it's nice to have an uncluttered HDU again. Promise to be more organised and ruthless about software loading/removal.

This Sunday saw me and a very tired Enigma head to Suffolk to shoot windmills and castles which was good fun despite the cloudy grey weather, in fact I quite like the brooding skies on some of the shots - the windmill shot just posted for instance. More will come once CS2 and DxO are reloaded.

Next weekend coming I might head down to the New Forest with another girl friend who fancies being my lens-bitch for the day (well who am I to disappoint) and on Sunday I'm gonna be at a bike show near Birmingham for a change on official duty snapping stuff there. Likely be dull but that's the price of a press pass to the bike racing.

Oh, and I've finished the Covenant Chronicles II so just starting on the last.... hehe

Clubs I'm a member of -

and hoping to join

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Hello All

*Andrew-and-Seven — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 03:36:08 PST

Happy New Year and apologise for being quiet.

My cable modem blew up a week ago and NTL have only just got a new one to me - literally the guy has just left.

So I'm back with 67messages and 200 deviations to get through.

Sorry if anyone thought I was being rude/moody etc.

More anon then.

Clubs I'm a member of -

and hoping to join

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Goodbye Xmas

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 12:46:36 PST

Hello indigestion, nausea, wind and expanded waistlines.

With much groaning of "why do I eat so much" still echoing around the caverns of my mind I'm now back home from the Lake District. Only a 7.5 hour car journey that would normally be about 4 hrs. Grump.

So was your Xmas good, mine was tops even if not everybody was there who I hoped would be, but still it was really nice and a big thank you to Ma + Pa who excelled themselves again.

Now it's photo time, as everyone must be sooooo bored with the recent shots, so I took some in the Lakes, although the weather was so foggy and grey there might be nowt of interest on the card. I'll see soon.

Otherwise I'll trawl my new Maxtor 320gig USB HDU and see what's kicking. I have this new toy not as a present, although I was derided for not saying I wanted one, but because I took the PC to my mate for an upgrade to the RAM and basically it started playing silly buggers and not booting up. And again when I got it home, and again tonight. Seems everytime I pull the plug out, it hates starting again. Hmmm since it is my work machine too and my life is on it, I reckoned some backup was necessary, hence the Maxtor. So far so good and it's nice to be able to dump memory cards without worrying about the PC's HD filling up.

My mate's building me a new PC, pretty much at cost, so I'll be running a 4200 AMD dual core, 2gig DDR2 Ram sweetie very soon with any luck, I just hope the old girl can last until then.

So my New Year could go very well, or very badly depending on the PC situation

and so to New Years Eve. What plans does anyone have? I'm going to be heading down to the Thames for the festivities, not to partake, but to photograph them. I may have a small supply of liquor - purely medicinal for the cold - and I may have my Enigma in tow, but I'll not be 'stepping out' this year. Oh no.

If anyone else is going to be down on the Thames, let me know and I'll watch out for ya !

Clubs I'm a member of -

and hoping to join

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Devious Journal Entry

*Andrew-and-Seven — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 11:18:25 PST

Ok well Xmas is just around the corner.

So here's a big Happy Xmas to you all

If xmas isn't for you, well I hope you stay well and find whatever you are looking for in the New Year.

It's the season for being merry, and for giving to others. So no matter how big / small that gift, make it and mean it.

A smile is a good place to start for those of you a little slow on the uptake LoL

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Missing

*Andrew-and-Seven — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 15:40:22 PST

My photo-buddy deserted me!!

Nightmare ! She scooted off to Devon to spend the weekend with some bloke she'd met off the internet, taking pictures apparently.

Hmph so I took my second fiddle and cleared off to my friends in the South Downs on Saturday for an overnight that promised beautiful scenery, possibilities of a sunrise of some splendor, fine home cooking and great company. And it delivered (again) - did I mention the fine local pub too? Oh well there you go.

Not a beach or fishing boat in sight, and the sunrise was worth getting up at 6am for, and standing around in sub-zero temperatures in a country park is amazing, listening to the animals waking inc some deer rutting.

I have been spoiled having my Enigma with me on photo trips, and doing this on my own was not as much fun, never mind the worrying about her. Company is always nice when a common interest can be shared. The young these days, no idea of safety or sense :-p

Guess I'll be getting used to it if she's gonna be in Devon a lot in the future, otherwise I may not forgive her for not inviting me too. I suppose 3's a crowd sometimes eh?

Shots of the (my) weekend will dribble online tomorrow as I'm off while the electicians finally sort out the exterior lights.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

NEW LENS

*Andrew-and-Seven — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 22:45:34 PST

Yup, my new Sigma 10-20 EX was collected from the Post Office on Saturday and yesterday I headed into London to give it work out.

Sadly, the weather was not playing and it was one of those flat grey days that turn me off. Also my friend was having a lot of emotional "ex" related problems so we were a little distracted from the job at hand.

But the lens is a cracker, beautifully made like all the EX series (my third this one) and although I've not examined the half-assed results too thoroughly there aren't any obvious flaws. The difference from 17mm through to 10mm is astounding and does really scary things. Like include your feet if you point it down a wee bit!

Also a big hand to the shop I bought it though [link] who are very competitive on price and despite admitting to not having a Nikon fit in stock on Monday for The Enigma they still managed to get both to me on Friday. Top banana. And Ebayers - thats two lenses packaged in a big padded box to/from the UK all for a tenner hoho.

So, perhaps some shots will be up tonight. Stay tuned deviants. Work beckons now

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Top quote from Dirty Harry

*Andrew-and-Seven — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:10:14 PST

A favourite film of mine, and packed with class.

Mayor : "Callahan, I don't want anymore trouble like we had last year in the Philmore District, understand? That's my policy."

Callahan : "Yeah well when an adult male is chasing a female with an intent to commit rape, I shoot the bastard, that's my policy."

Mayor : "Intent? How did you establish that?"

Callahan : "When a naked man is chasing a women through an alley with a butcher's knife and a hard-on, I figure he isn't out collecting for the Red Cross."

Mayor : "He's got a point...."

hehe

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

New Link + Update

*Andrew-and-Seven — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 04:04:45 PST

Ok to resolve my latest problems with a certain image that has been removed I have uploaded a small gallery onto my own website so you can peruse these photos there.

The link will remain in my footer - check it out and hope you enjoy.

Otherwise, went to see James Bond last night, and I can say it kicks ass. Our hero has been redefined and it is a vast improvement. My friend reckons he pouts a little too much but hey, since when is that a crime hehe?

Tomorrow another photo trip beckons but to where I don't know but for now, it's leaf clearing from the drive and bike washing. Chores chores chores.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Link to my secret gallery from Paris here [link]

Paris by Night

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 10:58:15 PST

GONE !!!

Well it seems I've broken copyright rule featuring the Eiffel Tower at night, quelle surprise, and so it's been deleted.

Sorry to those of you who had faved it, hope you got a good look at it.

I'll host it elsewhere and post up the link soon.

I'm absolutely staggered that someone (not DA admin, they're just covering their backs) has the audacity to say no-one can show in public any night-time shot of Paris with the ET in it, even in the distance.

LoL LoL THEY'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE

And sorry DA, didn't mean to get anyone here into bother.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Devious Journal Entry

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:01:18 PST

ok I've left the Paris shots for now, thanks to those who helped guide me on that, ta!

So I've got some shots to still sort from last weekend at the coast, a moon/night shot went up last night but isn't showing yet (gah!) - seems this new uploader is two steps forward and one back.

But it's still better than before.

Then it'll be back to Paris, and by jove I've still got some crackers (imho LoL) from Spain to show y'all so there could be a deluge heading your way soon.

Just need time ....... same old same old I guess.

Enigma and I were talking while beach strolling on Sunday that it isn't really that feasible to travel far at the moment as there are so few hours of daylight left once we arrive at a location - the sun's away down bty 4 o'clock these days and she doesn't do early mornings.

So the result is that we agreed about shooting more of London than we do currently - a mass of opportunities lies 40mins from my doorstep and I take so few shots of them.

NO MORE I tell you hehe.

Ok work beckons, for once it's not raining so the 7r is gonna get thrashed around the M25 to Basildon ! Drivers beware.......

Clubs I'm a member of -

A week on.....

*Andrew-and-Seven — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 14:41:32 PST

and I'm still going through the Paris shots.

So I've got a problem. See part of me thinks that flooding my gallery with say 10 or 15 shots from Paris would be a wrong move. Surely I should only load 4/5 - the best - and then move on, give you lot something different. But then I think, why? Who really cares? Isn't a good photo something that should be judged on it's merits rather than compared to it's neighbours?

Hmmm so help me out.

What to do? Wanna see more Paris shots (inc some more of the ET so beware....) ?

Off to the south coast again tomorrow. Perhaps Hyde / Folkstone and taking in Bodium Castle on the way back if the sunset is looking promising.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Paris - the result

*Andrew-and-Seven — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 11:55:11 PST

Blimey what a weekend ! I'm still wrecked.

Ok ok, where to start? The beginning I guess (natch).

9.15 Eurostar from Waterloo meant an arrival at 1am local time at the Gare du Nord, and I'd forgotten just how confusing the Paris Metro/RER train network is. All colours and numbers and by god a staggering amount of lines. Made me very appreciative of London's tube network and clear maps.

Spent the afternoon walking around the Eiffel Tower - we were staying just downstream from the tower - near the bridge with the original Statue of Liberty on it. The weather was great, some beautiful clouds and afternoon sun. As the sun set (a poor sunset tho) we headed south from the tower to the Montparnasse Tower which is the biggest skyscraper and has a viewing platform on the roof. It is a stunning view, esp at night. Approx 9kms walked.

Sunday we marched back to the tower and the Trocadero on the north bank under a gray threatening sky which didn't really inspire any pics of note. But we headed to the Arc D'Triomphe and the sky cleared all of a sudden bathing us in strong (but harsh) sunlight. But I'll take that over flat grey anyday . From there it was Parc de Morceau with it's beautiful autumn colours, then the Place St-Augustin and north east to the cemetry at MontMartre via a snap of the Moulin Rouge. After a wander around there we went to Sacre Coeur which is the white church sitting on the highest point in the city. And the sunset looked like it was gonna be a beauty.

Regretably, there is no decent view from there (unbelievable but there you go) so we missed the sunset, although I didn't miss out on a massively grumpy face from Enigma at making her walk up the hill only to miss the point. I kinda hoped the ground would open up....... oh well there's always tomorrow's sunset I said.

So we went off down (on train) to Notre Dame on the Seine for night shots, then returned to the Arc D'Triomphe for night shots of car lights etc. So after walking some 13kms that day we then attempted to find a restaurant (remember that the A DT is at the head of the Champs Elysees) but an off-season Sunday night was asking too much so we had to settle, in a bad mood with each other, for an overpriced and overpompous Lebanese meal (tasty tho). We looked a right plight with tripods bags coats jeans hehe and it was a real posh place.

So we were quite tired when we collapsed back in the hotel room. Funny thing we have as friends that neither of us has to make a special effort for the other (as you might/should in a relationship) so sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It was her birthday the following day and I wanted to make it a bit special, but the evening had been a bit of a shambles. Grumpy boy.

Last day, yesterday and it was grey. We finally left the room without our previous enthusiasm and walked towards the tower (you will not believe how many shots of the Eiffel Tower I have) and decided to go up it and have coffee there - well it's her birthday. As we stepped onto the second floor it started raining and blowing a gale. Well cold and wet we went to the top. Yup, even wetter, more windy and colder.

Once on terre firma it started raining seriously so we abandoned plans of the Louvre and simply headed to the nearest Brasserie where we stayed until time to return for the bags and head for the train. Our mood darkened on the cramped tube and the hanging around the station when really we both needed to sleep. On the train home we didn't even have the energy to drink the bottle of champagne I took with us! How lame eh?

So too much walking, too much drinking and late nights. Some decent pictures tho, but the weather on Monday was a disappointment.

It's a beautiful place still, my heart really does live there I think and I'm even gonna start French lessons next year.

Pics to come soon, tonight hopefully.

Clubs I'm a member of -

Paris Beckons

*Andrew-and-Seven — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 03:17:50 PST

Yup, on Saturday morning me and Enigma will be heading off to the fantastic French capital for a long weekend. In a twin room I hasten to add

I love Paris soooo much. I must have been 6 times at least and can't get enough of the atmosphere, the feel, the look and the smell. The beautiful architecture and layout of the city simply makes me giddy.

It'll be the first time I'll be there with the single intent of taking pictures, usually I have a girlfriend in tow but this time just two friends sharing a passion of photography. So it's gonna be so much better, no "I'm bored when are we going to the shops / how many pictures of the Eiffel Tower do you need?/ what's wrong with the light now? / you are NOT taking that tripod into the restaurant I hope! " etc etc

Relief!

So until then it's just work, doh!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clubs I'm a member of -

'bout time

*Andrew-and-Seven — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 09:53:27 PST

I updated this.....

So what's been going on since the last 'gripping' episode of my life?

Hmm not a huge amount. Had a great shoot at the local fireworks display as you can see in the gallery, I love fireworks and they are pretty easy to shoot. The results always look like it's harder than it is. A sturdy tripod and a bit of planning is all it takes really. Oh and gloves, a torch and spare batteries are other essentials.

I got up the next morning to shoot the dawn as I expected the fields to be covered in mist (they were on the way home from the fireworks) but sadly that wasn't the case. But I shot 50 RAW files and there are some of promise. Then it was off to West London to pick up some mates and Warwick Castle (my idea) was the destination. It's a great looking place with the river Avon running in front but sadly the light wasn't great (flat and grey) so we were a little disappointed. They did have loads of tame peacocks around the place and a nice Pizza Express outside (ahem) so it wasn't a complete loss. We returned for the sunset with frankly low expectations but, well you've seen the pics I hope - it was staggering. Quite how nature managed that was a mystery but the clouds broiled and rolled about while the sun lit them various shades of fire. We started on the ramparts (a closed bit but hey, it's our secret right?) and then moved to the river for reflection shots.

So a big weekend, lots of pics that I've only scratched the surface of and there are still two shoots from a month or two ago that I haven't even started on. I'm hoping that I'll catch up soon but seem to taking pics faster than I can process them. Doh! Even to the extent that I missed my last train from London the other night after a date while taking cameraphone pics of the station.

I've just upgraded to CS2 from Elements 3 and have attempted 2 HDR images but they aren't doing it for me yet, but I'm so inspired by Tfavretto [link] that I'm determined to master that amazing feature of CS2. That's aside from learning where everything is now and what the new bits do. Must order a book from Amazon this next week.

Been out on the bike today down to Arundel Castle with some girl riders who are quite new to the riding lark and there were loads of shots I saw, but couldn't keep stopping. Must go back soon before the leaves fall - it's through the South Downs which is rapidly becoming something of a passion with me.

Sunday will be another shoot - Enigma is in two minds at present so I may be on my tod but perhaps retracing today's journey will be on.

Stay tuned.

Oh, and I've applied to part of the Sunset club and they want this to be shown, so y'all take a look eh?

Another week

*Andrew-and-Seven — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 15:53:30 PST

Yup another one almost done.

South Downs were great, well the Sunday was. Saturday was pants - big grey flat sky and little light. Oh well, can't win'em all. Sunday was glorious and if it hadn't been for a wolly head I'd have caught the sunrise. As it was I just caught the tail of it which was amazing enough. Some pics are going up now with more to follow soon. The pics from the weekend took some coaxing off the card - I've been having reader/card problems for a while with a sluggish download and flashing lights on the reader - I had to resort to a recovery program (freeware called PC Inspector ) which saved the day.

My best mate Ian and his partner Rachel have gone to Canada to live today, which is a great shame for me but good for them. I'm looking forward to getting out to British Columbia on a regular basis which I know holds great photographic potential.

And I've had to work all week, yes 5 days !! And the same next week too. I know it's rich to moan about it but I'm self-employed for Pete's sake! Hmph.

Hehe

Anyway, a quick upload and off to bed.

This weekend 28th/29th

*Andrew-and-Seven — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 00:34:33 PDT

I'm gonna make a quick apology for being quiet for a few days as work and various non-photographic issues have distracted me from DA.

This weekend I'm off to the South Downs to see some friends and roam the countryside so I'll be offline until tomorrow night too.

Have a good one y'all and get clicking/drawing/painting/ etc

The week's started already

*Andrew-and-Seven — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 13:55:51 PDT

Had a good weekend and did most of the things I'd planned, except go to the beach - not exactly end-of-the-World time as I've still got sand in my shoes from the last visit.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year gallery was, as usual, breathtaking and I doff my tattered cap to these people who spend years in some of the most hostile environments known to man (except those from Middlesborough ahem) to take pictures. Amazing.

I was lucky enough to have turned down Amy Lee for long enough to hear that there was a seminar with one of the winners so off I toddled. It was great to hear first hand the story behind the shot (Urban and Garden winner - a bear outside a window) from the Kamchatka Forest Warden Igor Shpilenok click to see.

So after that exhibition I dusted off the 2x convertor and headed off to Richmond Park in SW London where the wild Red Deer are ambling around with the raging horn(s). There was barely enough light to see by never mind take 400mm pictures so most were shot at 800ASA and are a tad soft and grainy as a result, but I hope you like'em and they make a change from sea and lake shots eh?

So stop moaning

New Weekend

*Andrew-and-Seven — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 12:33:28 PDT

Ah it's Friday again. hoorah! A strange week - starting real slow and ending real fast.

Had to conduct a training course yesterday and today on new software that is total pants and doesn't work. Nothing new there, those of you in the software world (or Microsoft users) might well say, but when you only realise these things 2 days before kick-off, and the company don't send you a copy of the manual that you are to train from, it makes a fraught couple of days.

Fortunately for me, the course material never showed up so we had to use the old software which is fine. Pity they'd each paid £400 for the course hehe. So they weren't happy, but at least I didn't look a fool. (quiet at the back).

To cap it off I got soaked both days going to the training centre. The only time it rained both days was between 7 and 9 am, and it rained big style. So the bike isn't clean anymore, she's a dirty girl now.

This weekend, after washing her, I might try and get out somewhere with the camera. I'd like to visit some exhibitions in London too, one on twilight photography and the other is the Wildlife Photographer of the Year gallery. Always fantastic, so esp if (when) it rains you know where to find me.

Next weekend for sure I'll be snapping inland, but yet again I'm thinking of a trip to the beach. Southwold is meant to be fantastic so although it's a long way I might saddle up and roar over there Sunday.

We'll see.

Have a good one all you Deviants

deviantART: by:Andrew-and-Seven

currently.....

been tagged

Ok Ok it's been a while Dan

Devious Journal Entry

Modelling

Holiday a memory

South Africa

Cape Town

A new flat mate and a dead camera

Another DD :)

Ok so it's done

Xmas

Back from races

Back in Groove

Onwards to the Future

Nowt new, sorry

Glasgow

No more Gremlins

Gremlins

Tribute

HOLIDAY !!!!

Daily Deviation

Back to Normal at Last

Isle of Wight

Update

Apologies again

BSB Round 1 Gallery links

Bank holiday weekend at the Races

Recent Stuff

Lake District

New lens in DA (sic) house !!!!

Euro Trip part2 Tues 24th May05

The weekend past

Woohoo

Ok new one time

Relationships

Relationships

Valentine's Day

Norfolk

New Flat

Today.....

Congratulations

new PC

Hello All

Goodbye Xmas

Devious Journal Entry

Missing

NEW LENS

Top quote from Dirty Harry

New Link + Update

Paris by Night

Devious Journal Entry

A week on.....

Paris - the result

Paris Beckons

'bout time

Another week

This weekend 28th/29th

The week's started already

New Weekend