Practicals Aren't On Today (behind it all)

I can't believe my friend Pete and I turned up to practicals yesterday.  We should have checked the notice board and then we would have realised they'd changed our practical dates.  Thanks university of Cumbria.  So with us both getting up early to be there we decided not to waste the day and head out to play with our cameras.  Lets say a new lens and some filters have now been added to my wishlist and I will be living off vegetarian chilli and cereal for the forseeable future.

These first set of images were taken with my Canon 7D and Pete's 16-35mm l-series wide angled lens. I love the distorted effect it gives.

Old times (behind it all)

I had a bit of a surprise in that I bumped into an old friend the other day, and it got me thinking about all those people I knew in first year.  I have some old photos of some of these guys kayaking, so thought I thought why not dedicate a post to these super guys!

George on Aira Beck

Lessons Learnt

We were blessed with another lovely day in the Lakes and I took it upon myself to get out and photograph anything and everything! I'm trying to work my head around my new Canon 7D and learn how to move around with it quickly. However, after the day I had, If I'd have moved at a slower pace things wouldn't have gone half as bad.

Lesson no.1: In terms of photos, I need to learn to take time with composing shots and as mentioned before learn my way around the camera. There were so many spur of the moment opportunities, that I simply could not keep up with. I missed out due to not knowing which buttons to press and which switches to flick.

Lesson no.2: In terms of footwear, it's pretty much essential to go out with a pair of shoes that have good grip if you have no idea where you may end up! Even if they are trail shoes, they are by far superior to skate shoes. I ended up falling over 4 times in total onto soggy wet grass. Let's say it wasn't my brightest moment.

Lesson no.3: Always ensure bags/equipment are securely placed on the ground and aren't likely to end up falling in streams or off cliffs. My bag was subject to such abuse and my phone ended up drowning with no way of escape.

Other than a number of lessons presenting themselves to me, I had a fantastic day. The sun was shining and spring is well and truly on it's way. I was almost tempted to go for a dip in the stream but was then reminded it's melt water. It's days like these where I am truly happy to be able to document the Lakes.

Behind it all post 2

With the amount of work I've had on lately, it's been near impossible to justify taking my camera in to uni or wherever I am because of the amount of books I have in my bag. I do try though.

An opportunity presented itself yesterday and in my ill state I took it. Fresh air is definitely the way forwards when you have a cold!

Thanks to Jon who let me drive his freelander and dragged me out on this miserable yet awesome day!

Where am I at?

Well, shortly after returning to uni after the Christmas period, I decided it'd be a sweet idea to make a bit of a creative project to help me learn the ins and outs of my new camera. It's called behind it all and the idea is to capture everything and anything that isn't the main focus of my final year at uni. So far so good :).

Enjoy

Dad's are always right

This is a start to a piece of writing that I'm currently working on. It's going to focus on more of a descriptive side of writing that I'm currently exploring. Enjoy

The walk started from the small hamlet of Elterwater, in the Langdales. Heading up the small valley, Langdale Beck to the right of us. Slate mines everywhere, huge chunks of the stuff. We decide to cut across the valley, narrow channels full to the brim with water attempting to reduce the amount of it standing in the flooded fields. A steep sided hill presents itself,my dad refusing the fact that I'm right. We end up walking a further 2 miles than what we're supposed to. All I think os is missing the pub. I see Elterwater below. It's beckoning, but still my dad refuses to trust my navigational skills. Had we travelled the way I wanted to go, We would've seen some awesome watter falls. But no! Dad's are always right

Autumn light and water

Below is a short piece describing a first time in a play boat for myself. Hope it makes you smile.

Autumn light and water.

The colours are changing. A brown orange glow eminates from the hills. The crispness of the day draws us in. The tourists are out in full force. A combination to please and upset any student about to partake in a little adventure.

Bill and I speed along the narrow Lake District Lanes, hoping we can bag ourselves a cheeky, free parking space. Our prayers are answered and quickly I reverse into a space outside the Skelwith Bridge hotel. Chelsea tractors roar past, devastated that two students have the last free space. They have more money than sense.

We unload the boats anxious to get onto the water. Changing was difficult as always but well worth the fun we’d be having in the next few minutes. Dodging car wing mirrors with our boats, the excitement grows. Signs pointing towards Skelwith force lead us on, and we see it. The perfect little wave. A narrowing in the rock and this spot is ours. We scramble down the steep embankment to put on. I worry, my boat looks awfully small and unforgiving but this is precisely why I bought it.

Exactly what I thought. Tippy, very responsive. I was uncertain of it at first but as the afternoon progressed and two swims later, I was powering into the wave, unafraid of the uncertainty.

What was interesting about this particular place was the amount of people watching. Intrigued by the sight of our Kayaks. Intrigued by this magical place. Nature. The flora and fauna. It wouldn’t have surprised me if fairies had come out to play. The water was crisply cool, that first winter bite taking it’s toll on your fingers.

Nevertheless, we continued to play, paddling hard into the flow, dipping my nose in, throwing my weight forwards and quickly back. The rush this gave you, although a simple technique to master, was amazing. The weight of the water pushing my bow felt good. It felt controlled. Balanced.

My arms begin to feel heavy. I know it’s time to get off the water but Bill is having so much fun. It would be hard to pull him away. It was hard to pull myself away. We clamber up the steep slippy embankment with our craft on our shoulders. An old man waits at the top. His inquisitive nature makes me smile and I wait to answer his question.

“What are these then?” His eyes glancing from mine to Bills brightly coloured boats.

“Kayaks!” I reply, “They’re shorter to help us play in waves”.

I’m pretty certain this makes no sense to him but we head off. Plodding in wet gear. We change on the roadside with southern tourists giving us the evil glance. Autumn is my favourite.