May 2010    Photographers Resource - Monthly    Edition 77

Islands, the Isle of Wight and Photographic Filters

• Editorial

• Feature - Islands of the UK

• Photographic Feature - Photographic Filters

• Photographers Diary

• May Wildlife Diary

May has arrived, daffodils are going over, dandelions are out and bluebells are starting to appear. Soon we will start to see all those who get their cameras out just for the summer months joining those of us who use them out and about throughout the year. So have you created your list of places you want to get to see and photograph this year, checked out the places you can get low cost entry to using Tesco Clubcard Deals, looked through the latest National Trust,  and English Heritage handbooks and looked through Membership Benefits of Organisations at which others you could use this year. 

Now we have a suggestion of another group of places to consider visiting with the addition of our NEW Islands Section . Some of our other islands - there are plenty to choose from. See our feature below for more details and links and what you can find, visit and explore.

Our photography feature this month takes a look at photographic filters. Filters are a useful tool that we should all get to grips with, they can add something to our photos, such as colour, style and moods as with star filters on water or more importantly they can help overcome some of the problems we encounter such as getting good sunset images, that the auto settings on our digital cameras can't control.

Other News

As we predicted Photoshop CS5 has been announced, and we will be taking a closer look at this shortly.

We have also updated and reorganised the layout of three sections, these are Heritage, Ancient Britain and the Photography , so don't forget to take a look at these.

Feature

Islands

Our main island is the 8th or 9th largest island in the world, I would say 9th or 10th, as Australia is never included in lists as its a continent, but I still feel its an island.

4.4% or 1 square mile in every 23 is not a part of the UK mainland or Northern Ireland mainland, but on one of our smaller islands.

The British Isles is made up of a large number of islands, we have the large mainland containing much of England, Wales and Scotland, and the northern part of the island of Ireland, but very many other islands as well. While the majority of the islands are not permanently inhabited, 136 are, including 97 in Scotland.

trips to, or fishermen who will take you out if you ask and are prepared to pay. Whatever the number its far more than the time I have available, so I can just select the ones of most interest. However there are many others that I, you and just about everyone else will never get to see, just waiting to be rediscovered.

We have a new large article on Islands, including looking at just how many there are. Un addition we have produced tables on the Significant Islands of the UK, broken into pages for England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland and  Dependencies such as the Isle of Man and the Channel Isles.

The largest free standing island in England is the Isle of Wight, its now a county and the political constituency with the most voters.

Isle of Wight

At one point in history for a period this was a separate kingdom, but now it's England's largest off shore island.

Technically there is no reason why there could not be a road bridge to the Isle of Wight, but people who live on the island, prefer to keep more cars out and put up with the restrictions of needing to use ferries brings, such as restricting jobs, making transport more expensive and presenting difficulties to some industries like agriculture. While one plan is to put a tramway between the island and the mainland, and this may happen, for now its a case of a 10 minute trip on the hovercraft or longer on a ferry. Once on the island there is a lot to see and do, scenery in just about every direction and 67 miles of coastline. We have an article on the Isle of Wight, a list of the Isle of Wight's Top Attractions  and location guides for many of these.

There a number of festivals and special events on the island and of special inertest to photographers is  Cowes Week, where over 1000 yachts take part in the longest running annual regatta having begun back in 1826 with just 7 yachts. Today it usually takes place around August time and attracts thousands of visitors and is a boost for the local economy.

There is also the annual Round the Island Race which takes place in June. The start and finish line is at Cowes and due to the tide conditions in 2010 the 909 entrants will start off at 5am, so there should be so good sunrise images to capture.

This month from the 8th to 23rd is the annual Walking Festival. In total over the period there are 261 walks covering distances from 1 mile to 72 miles as well as themed walks for all ages including speed-dating and geocaching.

If you decide to visit the island then there are a number of different boat crossings, take a look at Isle of Wight All in One ticket to find out more about their Tourist Pass and Discount Card.

Other Islands

We have location guides and articles on some of the other islands with more being added from time to time.  Take a look at the Significant Islands of the UK lists for England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland and  Dependencies   to see which is now available.

At the opposite end of the scale from the Isle of Wight is the small island of Sully Island, off the coast of South Wales between Barry and Penarth in Glamorgan, that is also added this month. This This is a small island which can only be reached by a causeway which is only visible for 3 hours each side of low tide.

Photography on Islands

Coastal photography requires some extra planning, for example being aware of tides, the article Time planning for coastal photography looks at this, we also have to think about Coastal Water and sand proofing, the choice of lenses and making the most of filters is of importance. The article Coastal Lenses, and the information below covers these two technical areas.  The article How to Photograph Sea Water may also be helpful.

Articles Photographing Pictorial Landscapes and Landscape Photography,   together with What you can photograph/see on Coastal Paths, Photographing sunsets - Technical Tip. How to get the full effect, and Photographing Sunsets   - a more detailed explanation, may also provide some additional insight. When we  get into June we may want to select islands to photograph puffins, so Where to Photograph Puffins may be helpful as well as the article on Puffins.   If seals are of interest you may like to see Where to Photograph Seals and Grey Seals as well as Common or Harbour Seals for more. Without going onto an island you can take similar photographs of

Worms Head on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales

the coast from coastal paths, so take a look at Coastal Paths and Heritage Coasts (Overview). We also have coverage of some coastal paths in the following:-

Coastal Paths and Heritage Coasts (Overview)

List of Long Distance Coastal Paths

List of National Trust Coastal Walks

List of Heritage Coasts (32)

List of National Trails (includes 3 LD Coastal Paths)

Bournemouth Coast Path - Swanage-Lymington

Dorset Coast Path – Lyme Regis-Sandbanks

Isle of Wight Coastal Path – circular covering the whole island

Solent Way – Lymington-Emsowrth (Hampshire/Sussex border)

South West Coastal Path – Minehead–Poole Harbour

the Topic Index - Beaches, Bays and Coastal  may provide more.

Before you set out also consider how you could go about Controlling costs, and if you are over 60 or disabled what use you could make of a FREE Bus Pass,   although generally the costs can be quite reasonable. If travelling to islands check out all the fare options and look to see how you an cut the costs.

Photographic Filters

There are a number of filters that we can make use of for coastal photography.

Polarizer - improves clouds and makes the sky bluer. Used in harbours and the like allows us to improve reflections in water, and used to look through rock pools, we can get a clear view making the water surface disappear and give clearer views. With some scenes we may also be able to see further cutting down haze.

Star filter - used to get small stars to appear where the light catches an item, such as highlight stops on waves or water. Can also be used for night shots turning lights into stars.

Neutral Density graduated filters - works like a set of sun glasses on the sky, allowing the sky to be reduced in brightness compared to the land or sea. This means that skies don't get blown and lost.

Coloured graduated filters - fitting into the same holder as the graduated filters, these can give a variety of effects, for example you can have a blue filter used the opposite way up to a ND grad, so as to give the sea a more blue colour, or a coral coloured filter to add some colour to cliffs and sand. You can also get either special multi coloured filters or sets of coloured filters that can make a very colourful sunset, all you need is a setting sun. In addition to the standard holders you can get special holders that connect together allowing some filters to be at angles to others.

Black and white photography filters - many digital cameras now have a digital filter for black and white photography. If not or additionally you can use either a screw on square filter that fits into the same holders and the ND grads. These filters have the effect of changing the tone, they lighten the same colour and darken the opposite. 

See Filters for Coastal Photography for more information.

Other articles on filters that you may find of interest are:-

Filter basics

Filters - What you need - this article, looking at what you put on your shopping list.

Filters for digital photography - generalised introduction to filters.

Protection filters - filters on lenses to keep the lenses clean.

Neutral Density and Graduated

Filters-ND graduated filters   - the most essential filters, looking at hard, soft, reverse, strengths and how to decide what to use, setting exposure and more.

Graduated filters    - coloured graduated filters allowing images to be improved.

ND filters  - used to allow longer exposures, having a range of uses.

Polarizers

Polarisers -  the most commonly used of all special filters beyond the protection filters.

Special Effects

Effect filters   - special effects like stars, soft effects , netting and more.

Sunset Filters

Accessories and Holders

Filter holders - the sizes, types and arrangements, which one is best for your lenses.

Stepping rings  - allowing a holder, adaptor or other filters to be used across a range of lens sizes.

Other methods with similar results

Double and multiple exposure  -  used with filters or with card to give similar effects to using some filters.

Filters - Other solutions - other ways to get similar effects, without using filters, and differences.

The June diary has been added to the 'Next Month' button and 'This Month' has been updated to have May.

May is the start of Spring and is the first month of the year where the entries in our diary start to increase as the number of activities, events and celebrations start to take place. With the longer days and hopefully warmer ones there is more for us to get out and about and either take part in or photograph. One event that is NOT taking place this year is the Annual Cheese Rolling event in Gloucestershire, which normally takes place on the Spring Bank Holiday Monday at the end of the month. This year they have had to cancel it mainly on health and safety grounds as it has become so popular, at the 2009 event over 15,000 people turned up and the roads and location of the event just couldn't hold the numbers. However we have been assured that they are working hard to get it back on for 2011. We have visited this event in the past and if you want to see it take a look at Cheese Rolling - Gloucestershire. If you want to see cheese rolling then there are other events including the World Stilton Cheese Rolling championships in Cambridgeshire on Monday, and Randwick Wap in Gloucestershire on the 8th.

We have two bank holidays in May, one at the beginning and one at the end. This first weekend has a number of events taking place including:-

One of the top equestrian events of the year the Badminton Horse Trails in Gloucestershire. A 4 day event with the Cross Country element on Sunday and the final show jumping event on Monday. A Sweeps Festival in Rochester Kent, the International Beach Kite Festival in Weymouth, Jousting at Blenheim Palace, an American Civil War re-enactment at Rockingham Castle, Leicestershire, Lawn Mower Racing in Hampshire and the Urchfont Scarecrow Festival near Devizes in Wiltshire.

The 8th and 9th of May is National Mills Weekend where around 300 wind and water mills open their doors to members of the public. Many of the mills run special events and activities and for a lot of them it's the only time they open their doors. Of course you can photograph them from the outside at any time, and we have a full Windmill Section detailing all windmills in the UK and a special list of All windmills with sails.   The Royal Windsor Horse show and Royal Tattoo takes place from the 12th to 16th with over 200 jumping, driving and showing classes. At the end of May is the start of the Isle of Man TT races, and the Cotswold Festival of Steam on the Honeybourne Line of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (GWSR) near Cheltenham.

Maud Foster Windmill Boston, Lincs

The final bank holiday weekend also has so much going on including the Southend Air Festival in Essex, Napoleonic Wars at Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire, the Festival of Fools at Munster Castle in Cumbria and the Woolsack Races in the streets of Tetbury in Gloucestershire.

With so much going on this month, it is difficult to choose what to do first, so planning will be the key.

May being the start of spring is when all wildlife and flora and fauna start to spring to life in abundance. New babies in the countryside will include Rabbits, fox cubs, and some young birds. Swifts, Martins and the Swallows will start to re-appear as they make their way back from the winter feeding grounds, look out for them setting up nests in roofs, and barns. A walk around your local pond and the many lakes in the country you may come across dragonflies hovering over the water or resting on nearby vegetation. You have to be quick to get them they are fast and don't sit for long. Mayfiles will also be coming up from the riverbed and once hatched will be hovering above the water also.

A Dragonfly

You have probably noticed our trees are now coming back to life, those that flower first have been doing so and apple and cherry blossom with their pink and white flowers have burst onto the scene, many of the cherry blossoms petals when falling leaving carpets of pink underneath and strong red leaves on the trees. The road outside my house has them interspersed down both sides and it is so colourful. Many of our Hawthorn hedges will also be in full bloom. Other trees are now starting to look bright and healthy in their variations of green splendour. I don't know about you but I didn't realise how many shades of green there are and a photographers eye definitely brings this to notice.

Our woodlands will start to come to life, but as the sheltered areas wait for the sun to rise in the sky a bit more before there leaves fully grow and it is here you will find carpets of bluebells at your feet. We have a list of Places to Photograph Bluebells, and an article Where to photograph Bluebells, which takes a look at how to photograph them and even some of the mythology surrounding them. Also take a look at our Woodlands and Forests  section to see location guides on some of the woods in the UK that you may find them. Even if you don't find the bluebells, woodlands a home to many wildlife and flora and fauna and are a nice place to just a take a walk.

Towards the end of this month many parks will also start to turn on their water fountains/features adding an extra dimension to the colour, tranquil setting, and opportunities of the public park.

Islands

Isle of Wight, Hampshire

Sully Island, Glamorgan

Isle of Wight - Further Information

Isle of Wight All in One ticket (Tourist Pass & Discount Card) - Updated

Significant Islands in the British Isles

Isle of Wight Top Attractions 

Amazon World Zoo Park, Isle of Wight

Alum Bay, Isle of Wight

Brading Roman Villa Isle of Wight

Island Line, Isle of Wight  

Isle of Wight Steam Railway   

Isle of Wight Coastal Path

Bardsey Island, North Wales