Catching The Rain » Photoblog

Streamcombe Farm, gourmet B&B, 370 megapixel panorama

James — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:18:07 +0000

We went down to visit our friends Karen & Ian over the Bank Holiday weekend. As we went to leave it was glorious weather imaginable and it was a wrench to get away, but I had to quickly pop up the hill and shoot an experimental panorama, which I’ve stitched and uploaded using Microsoft tools for the first time.

If you don’t have Microsoft Silverlight you’ll have to install it, but it’s easy (just click on the button) and I think it’s worth it!

You can see the full version here, or better still click on the full-screen button to the right of the [-] & [+]

For the technically minded, this was stitched together from 3 rows of 18 portrait format images shot handheld (no tripod) at 70mm 1/320th f8 ISO200 on a Nikon D300. Stitching was done using Microsoft Image Composite Editor and uploaded, hosted and embedded (including highlights feature) on Microsoft Photosynth.

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Cheery cherries at Kew

James — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 09:32:29 +0000

A test of the Android Wordpress application and postings from my mobile. Neat!

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A Day At The (Horniman) Museum

James — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 22:04:42 +0000

I was recently prompted to pay a long overdue visit to the Horniman Museum, round in Forest Hill, south east London. So last Sunday morning Oliver and I set off for the day.

Wow, it had changed incredibly since my last visit, back in the days when I was working on plant uses in the Centre for Economic Botany at Kew (my first job at Kew). With brand new galleries, a new aquarium, and the temporary travelling exhibition Myths and Monsters (from the Natural History Museum team) it proved to be a great day out.

Myths and Monsters

Even the old natural history galleries, where one is rather fittingly invited to ’step back in time’, provided some engaging displays; for examples skeletons of apes and early man, together with moulds of brain sizes, give a stark reminder of how we have evolved. Somehow these rather erudite displays seem suitably complemented by the over-stuffed walrus
which takes pride of place in the middle of the gallery.

At the Horniman the theme of culture is a constant one, and we found ourselves watching videos of brass shields being made in Benin, looking at mummies from Egypt, and gazing at the most amazing displays packed full of musical instruments of all shapes and sizes (with a nice little side room where you can try some out, though not the expensive guitars, much to Oliver’s disappointment!).

I shouldn’t forget the gardens. It was hardly the best time of the year to visit a garden, nor was the weather on our side, but it’s good to see that they have just got nearly a million pounds of Lottery money to carry out an extensive refurbishment, including rebuilding the bandstand (from where you get amazing views looking north over central London).

He’d hate me for saying this, but whether it was the stepping back in time, the change in surroundings, or simply a rare chance for us to spend one-on-one time together, Oliver was transformed from ‘12 year old going on 18′ into the studious scholar, to the point where half the time he was telling me what things were!

Just goes to show the power of museums of all shapes and sizes, and you don’t get much wider a range of exhibit than the Horniman – well worth a visit, with a wide appeal to everyone.

Check out their website and their Facebook page

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Saving the best til last

James — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:05:52 +0000

After the phototrek had finished, I was just about to head off but noticed as the light was fading the clouds had lifted. I’m sure there’s Chinese proverb along the lines of the old saying ‘good things come to those who wait’….

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Phototrek in the New Forest

James — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:03:32 +0000

Way back last summer the kids bought me a voucher for my 40th birthday to go on a phototrek in the New Forest. After a failed first attempt thanks to storms back in November, I finally made it down there.

The treks are organised by local photographers Ian Badley and Barry Whitcher, under the banner of www.photonewforest.com/.

Turned out to be a great day, and although we didn’t get much sunshine the weather stayed kind to us. Would recommend these New Forest phototreks to anyone, beginner or expert.

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A winter’s walk along the canal

James — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:51:13 +0000

I had to go to Screwfix to get some DIY bits, and the most direct route is along the tow-path of the Grand Union Canal. Needless to say I took the camera, and it took me a little longer than expected.

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