Category: photography

Leeds sunsets

It was three years ago that I started a new job in central Leeds. This was my view.

view over West Leeds

It’s brilliant being that high up over the city. Leeds really has some fantastic architecture (along with some fairly hideous modern stuff. And some fairly brutalist 60s tower blocks).

The best bit about being up that high? You get to see sunsets like this.

Leeds sunset

I took that one not long after I’d started, and I had it on as my computer desktop background for ages. One of my colleagues saw it one day and remarked “you don’t get sunsets like that in this country!”

I pointed out of the window. I’m not entirely sure they believed me.

A succession of spectacular sunsets followed over the years and occasionally I had my camera with me to capture them.

Leeds sunset

Just to prove it’s not all about the camera, I took this one with my little £40 Canon point & shoot. It made it into Flickr’s Explore, which I’m still enormously proud of.

sunset

There’s something about that skyline which I just love.

sunset

It’s not all sunsets though. Sometimes you get some pretty crepuscular rays. This one made Flickr’s explore too. Looks like it’s not just me that likes that skyline.

town hall

And recently we’ve moved to a new building. The window behind me points in the opposite direction, over towards the south east.

I’ll just have to make do with sunrise photos.

sunrise

It’s a hard life. 🙂

The great outdoors

BEDN day 28 and we’re talking about The Great Outdoors.

Ah, there’s nothing quite like it. Whether you’re out for a ramble, camping, or just out on the bike, it’s brilliant to be outdoors.

We live in Yorkshire, on the edge of Wakefield. So it doesn’t take long before you’re out in the countryside. One of my favourite bike routes takes about ten minutes then I’m into the countryside, onto the little roads where it’s nice and quiet, rolling along past fields and hedgerows. And you get views like this

Sunlit tree

We’re also lucky enough to have some friends with a house up in Cumbria, and never pass up a chance to go and visit. This is the view from their front door

Harter Fell

and looking back across the valley towards their house. You can see why we never turn down a chance to get up there. There are a couple of lovely cycle routes around there too.

Sprintgill Cumbria

It’s not all about the countryside though. There’s nothing more that the clan enjoy than a trip to the seaside – holidays are usually chosen depending on the how many beaches we can get to!

This was one of our favourites from our holiday in Cornwall this year. Porthtowan beach, near Newquay. Brilliant for some bodyboarding.

porthtowan beach

And, closer to home, there’s nothing quite like being able to sit outside on a lovely warm summer evening, chatting with friends over a nice glass of something.

lights

Or pottering around down the allotment. I think I need to work on my carrots!

IMAG1356

Where’s your favourite Great Outdoors? Are you a beach person? Or do you prefer the countryside? Where’s your favourite place to get away from it all?

Selfie

Apparently Selfie is Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year

I’m no stranger to the selfie, though I do try and get a little more creative from time to time. I started a project 365 ages ago where you take a self-portrait every day for a year. I got a fair way in, then got bored of my own face!

🙂

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How about you? Are you a selfie-taker?

Sign o’ the times

speed camera sign

Often, whilst out driving, the kids will ask questions. Oh, so many questions. Recently, they asked what that sign meant.

“Oh, that’s the sign for a speed camera”

It struck me that it’s a really odd sign. It depicts a old large-format film camera with bellows attached – a bit like a Brownie and to a person of a certain age, it’s immediately apparent that it’s a camera. To the kids? No idea. They’ll learn it as part of their driving test, of course, but it’s still weirdly anachronistic.

What makes it even stranger is Britain’s first speed camera was switched on in 1992.

Not that long ago surely that the sign needed to depict a vintage camera?

Have you noticed any other weird signs? Do you know why the speed camera sign features such an old camera?

[edit]
Some others…

The sign for a level crossing without a gate or barrier features a steam train. Now, much as I adore steam trains (quite a lot, really), when was the last time you saw one?
level crossing

Slippery road. This one has always troubled me. The tyre marks crossing over just aren’t possible!
slippery road sign

And finally (as they say on the news), I discovered this. No explosives. Good advice generally, I’d have thought. Do we really need a sign for it?
no explosives

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