Allans 365 for Feb 1 2011 to 31st Jan 2012.

[allanm]

So, armed with a new Leica X1, I decided to start a 365 for 2011, starting on my Birthday, 1st Feb. They will all be taken with the Leica and its fixed 35mm equivalent lens, so expect lots of landscape / wide angle shots for a while till I get the hang of the camera. ( I did try and post this on the 1st, but the post disappeared, apparently awaiting approval! So, it didnt start when it was supposed to......
Anyway, these are my first 3 shots, taken daily since the 1st and there is a link to my 365 on my Flickr account at the end.

#1. Apparently it is customary for new Leica owners to take a shot of themselves with their camera. So, who am I to go against tradition..... Problem was, I couldnt take any shots during the day so this was at night with a 9 watt energy saving bulb brightening everything. ISO 1600...

#2. Miserable day, but went to Margate to look at the Turner Centre under construction. This was the harbour arm opposite. Not very exciting but the best I could manage between the drizzle and rain showers!

#3. Went to Jessops in Canterbury today to take back an Eye-Fi card. I am sure its great, but not for me and how I work, so I got a refund. This was the road parallel to the one where Jessops is, looking down to the Cathedral. Shame about the work screens at the bottom though...


HERE is a link to my 365 on Flickr, where the full size images are, but I will try to post daily, computer access permitting. Apart from #1, these are all good viewed at original size. Click on photos to view full size ( 2 and 3)

Allan

 

[MWHCVT]

Well I think that you are off to a great start, of the first three I really like the second one, but I also like the 3rd as I like the idea of the shop on the left doing photo's

Will add you on flickr to ensure that I follow your 365 and good luck with it.

Edit just seen from your flickr your a Coventrian

Matt
MWHCVT

 

[allanm]

Thanks for your comments Matt. If you click on 2 and 3 you get the full size images. #3 was a bit tricky trying to get detail in both the shadow and very sunny cathedral at the end. As I said, still learning with the camera.
And, yes, Coventry born and bred, when it was still part of Warwickshire, then we all moved down here in late '99

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #4.
Bit of a miserable and very windy day, seemed to spend a lot of time indoors but got out for couple of hours in the Village of Sarre before it started getting dark again.
For some reason I took this at f2.8, 1/2000 and iso 250! I think i messed the settings up a bit, so its not as sharp as I would have liked.
So, this is a very famous pub in the area, patronised over the years by the likes of Charles Dickens and more recently Edward Heath! Last time I went in there was a couple of years ago when the Manager was a retired Birmingham City Police Officer, nice to chat over old times as I worked in Solihull when I lived up there. Its had a couple of changes of management since then, I must go in one day and see if it has changed much. Food used to be excellent.



Again, click on the image for the original.

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #5.
Its been a bit of an inside day today. Spent most of it fixing the *****y useless Leisure Cookmaster cooker, just 2 months out of its warranty! These used to be good solid cookers, now they are made in Eastern Europe and it shows!
So, todays was an indoor shot of Flo, our 3 year old Labrador, "rescued" from The Dogs Trust just before Christmas.
She is as soft as she looks!

Iso was 1250, f2.8 at 1/30

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #6. Time for Lunch.
Blowing a gale outside so decided to stay in and do a bit of painting. Then it was lunch time...........

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #7 and the first week over.
I was at work today and came across these snowdrops. Sure sign that Spring is on its way, if only the wind and rain would stop!

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #8
Trains Planes and Automobiles was a great film. This is my version, Planes Tractors and Bikes. Who says the Leica X1 is no good at taking action shots? How much more action can you take!

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #9 and I went to the beach....
Looking at the "end of the pier" at Herne Bay, Kent. This came detached from the main pier during a storm in 1978.
The original Herne Bay Pier was one of the earliest piers built and the longest, being 1,101 metres. It was built as part of the route for Continental passengers between London and Dover. Because of the length of the pier ( due to the shallow water), passengers and their baggage were transported between the shore and pier end by a sail powered trolleyway built in 1833!

i/6 @ ƒ8 iso 100 converted to B&W high contrast and a bit of other fiddling in Aperture.
I liked it!

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #10 ( I keep wanting to say "in the Big Brother House" but I wont)
Anyway, it rained all day today and I was outside so didnt take the camera.
I did however buy a Ernst Leintz VIDOM viewfinder for the camera a couple of days ago. I also ordered a Russian ( Kiev) universal turret finder. I will see which one I like the best then sell the other one.
Heres the Vidom.

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #11. Taken at RAF Manston History Museum, XZ106, this Jaguar Fighter GR,3A from 41(F) Squadron, RAF Coltishall,
is on display in the outer area. It is a superb bit of RAF History



Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #12.

In memory of Betty, our ex battery rescue hen who died just before Christmas....

Allan

 

[posiview]

Day #4.



Allan

Like this, the contrast between the white walls and the red lettering is great.

Cheers.

 

[allanm]

Thanks, its a nice pub too!

So, Day #13. Mrs Allanm's birthday today and of course it rained all day again!
Didn't take the camera out today so another late evening indoor shot! Missed focus a bit, but so what......

I need to get out more!

Allan

 

[allanm]

So, I got out more, this is Day 14. Went for a walkabout in the small community of Shuart nearby. Heres a shot of one of the ponds used for angling.

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #15. I was working in Margate today, decided to stop outside these houses on the sea front for a bite to eat at lunchtime.
They are one of the nicest terraces of town houses in the area, spoilt by another house over the road with a tip for a front garden and an old sofa hanging over the front wall!



Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #16. Driving home and was looking at this cloud formation. Quite a while to go before sunset but it was clouding over and I thought this would be a good shot. I liked the sunlit edges to the clouds and the rays below.


Allan

 

[Jujitsu1]

Well done on taking the 365 challenge. I'm doing the same and finding it tricky and hard to keep to the themes I'm setting myself

 

[allanm]

Its been a bit difficult with the bad weather here too, and lack of time during daylight. My only theme is the camera with a fixed lens of 35mm.
Roll on Spring!
Allan

 

[posiview]

Its been a bit difficult with the bad weather here too, and lack of time during daylight. My only theme is the camera with a fixed lens of 35mm.
Roll on Spring!
Allan

I hear you!

My theme (mad as it sounds) is 365 Costa Coffee photographs!

Time and light are my enemies at the moment.

Cheers.

 

[allanm]

I hear you!

My theme (mad as it sounds) is 365 Costa Coffee photographs!

Time and light are my enemies at the moment.

Cheers.

That's a bit of a tall order but I like what you have already posted, I will be very interested to see how you get on with it. I assume you'll be including the sandwiches and pastries?
Good luck
Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #17. Sunny, but very cold today, so I took a trip back up to Manston Airport and took a picture of this poor old lady of the skies. She's been slowly decaying at the end of the runway for years now, still in her Southern Winds livery. Theres a contrail at the top of the picture showing where she used to be!




Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #18. Went to the Spitfire and Hurricane Museum at Manston. I needed some photos of a Spitfire for a model I am making to make sure I get the colour scheme right.
Theres some brilliant stuff there.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVI (LF) - Type 361 Serial TB 752

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #19. Cup of coffee anyone?

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #20 and my Brothers Birthday too. Another wet miserable day so we played with the dogs and taught Cagney a new trick. He's an old dog but picked it up very quickly.
If nothing else, I learned you can teach an old dog a new trick......

Allan

 

[allanm]

Three weeks and still going, lets hope the weather gets a little better, its difficult going out everyday in the rain, mist and heavy cloud trying to find something interesting. So I didnt bother and took this!
Day #21's picture......


Can you spot the bug?

Allan

 

[allanm]

Another monochrome shot for day #22. I thought it added a bit of atmosphere.

Its a pill box overlooking St Nicholas at Wade in Kent

[

Allan

 

[allanm]

Almost missed todays, Day #23. A picture of my Lumix G2. I liked the blue light reflected in the lens



Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #24. Took a walk along Pegwell bay into the Nature Reserve and came across a herd of Highland Cattle. They are free to roam around the area and you can walk right up to them, if you like!

This was as close as I was going to get...

Day # 25. Bit of a play in the mud today. I work in a rural community and get to drive to all the farms, and around the farms, and in the fields........

Day # 26. Another day almost missed because of the awful weather, grabbed a quick shot of the piano whilst going upstairs to bed. The labels on the keys were for my Niece who is learning to play. I dont think they will come off now...........

Just the standard size shot, i didnt think it was exciting enough to go full size!

Allan

 

[allanm]

So, Day #27 and the weather seems to be improving. Took Flo down to the beach, first time she had ever seen the sea and she loved it, but not the taste!

Back to work today, Day 28. it was really cold and miserable. Heres a bleak Epple Bay. There are a couple of bait diggers down on the rocks. They seem to spend all day when the tide is out digging for worms, never see anybody fishing though!



Allan

 

[allanm]

Another monochrome shot for Day #29. I seemed to get loads of good shots today, but this was one of the ones I liked best. These are some of the organ pipes in a church in one of the Villages I visit a lot. Its quite a few years old and had its first clean a couple of years ago. I heard it while they were putting it back together and it sounded incredible. The bass notes make your eyes vibrate!

Allan

 

[posiview]

Hi, Alan, a big for you photographs so far!

Just a few quick comments from me:

Day 13: super colours and contrast. Lower angle and use the left and right rose to frame the yellow one at the rear with a low f number?

Day 14: again great colour in the sky and water. Really like lines from where the reeds (?) meet the water and nice dof. The RH grass is a bit distracting.

Day 15: I'd like to have seen a potrait shot of the red house, or a close up of the interesting looking fence.

Day 17: nicely filled frame..possible lead in line to the right?

Day 20: dogs and white leather, you're a brave man closer crop may improve, but good catch.

Day 21: b&w suits this one. Really drawn to the wisteria and like the composition. Spotted the bug (caterpillar?)

Day 24: you really should have got closer to that one..

Day 27: I see real potential there, standing on the beach near the bottom left leading into the sea; you weren't blessed with a nice sky...:shake:

Day 29: like it, nice and abstract. Bit over exposed?

Cheers and keep up the great work...

 

[allanm]

Hi Andy, thanks for the feedback, Its all good experience and nice to have another person looking at them critically. As for day 24 . He was starting to take an interest and gradually moving forward. As it was, I was leaning forward with my arms at full stretch and my colleague ( I was actually working!) was gradually backing towards a stile in the fence behind!

Your right about the organ pipes. I converted to high contrast B+W whereas I should have shot in B+W and tidied up later. Still, its all about the learning.

Anyway, love what you are doing with Costa. Bit of a coffee freak myself, but have a stupidly expensive machine at home so I dont have to go out and buy a magazine with every coffee! Actually, I reckon your way is cheaper!
Allan

Just discovered, I had the camera set to 3mp instead of the usual 12.2mp, that may have a bearing on the resolution!

 

[allanm]

So, spring is almost here, daffs are out, my willow tree has all its leaves growing nicely and all the shrubs are flowering. Why is it still so cold?

Anyway, heres a Daffodil to make you think its getting warmer....

Day #30

Allan

 

[allanm]

The last three days images.
Day 31, hazy sunshine looking towards Sarre Windmill

Day 32, a Sperm Whale had washed up dead on the beach at Pegwell Bay. Apparently this was a youngster and only about 15m long.

Day 33, Saturday lunchtime, about half past 12.....

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day 34, Sunday.
Almost missed this one while waiting for a clear sky and keeping an eye on a bid on eBay!
Anyway, shot again with my Leica X1 sitting on a tripod. 15sec at ƒ2.8 ISO 800.

View of the night sky including the constellation of Orion, probably my favourite constellation to view through a telescope.



Allan

 

[posiview]

Hi, Allan, always sad to see such a magnificent creature come to such an untimely death.

Nice capture of Orion, I Googled it to make sure you weren't pulling a flanker....you weren't...

Cheers.

btw did you win you eBay bid?

 

[allanm]

Hi, Allan, always sad to see such a magnificent creature come to such an untimely death.

Nice capture of Orion, I Googled it to make sure you weren't pulling a flanker....you weren't...

Cheers.

btw did you win you eBay bid?

It was one of those things with the whale. Sad to see it there knowing how it was going to be disposed of, but a great chance to see what was a once magnificent animal.

Won the bid too but not the 18-200, went for a well used 80-200 ƒ2.8 thanks.

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #35, a frosty morning...

Allan

 

[allanm]

Day #36.
I couldnt resist this one, they just looked so mean and I think they wanted to race me away from the lights!
Converted to B&W and shot with my X1 in stealth mode. Not sure they knew they had just been papped!

Allan