Amateur Photographers - Be Ashamed!

Letter in the latest edition of Photo Plus magazine - Canon Edition obviously.....

"I happened to glance at your magazine and wondered just how you reached certain conclusions. You advocate the7D is the Best Sports/Wildlife D-SLR of the Year 2011. I am confused. I have been a professional motorsport photographer most of my life. The bane of my existence has been amateurs - people with full time jobs selling photographs at ridiculous prices. A few years ago I turned over £54,000, this year it was £6,000.

I was forced to buy a 7D rather than a 1D Mark IV because of the price. The 7D is not a bad camera but it does have limitations. I have been using the 1D (and 1Ds) since they came out and they are worth the extra money if you can afford them."

He then goes on to moan how the 7D doesn't give him the options and accuracy of the 1D (which he can't afford.)

Must admit I got a bit angry. ( I know - I know - I get angry most days!) I understand that lots more people now have access to serious amateur or semi-pro cameras but I seriously doubt they are the sole reason for his decline!

If the guy's turnover has dropped so much over "a few years" does it not suggest his prices are too high or his photography skills are not as good as he thinks. I have to admit I've heard some less than complimentary reports about the 7D but even so - he made the choice and if he is a professional - surely he could have researched the camera or run a trial before buying it? Now, what was that old saying about a bad workman blaming his tools....

Anyway - here's promised album of the photos I took of birds in our local park last Saturday. (And - don't tell our correspondent above but they are all available at a reasonable price!)

http://nortoner09.jalbum.net/2012%2002%2011%20Birds%20at%20Graves%20Park/

Just two more pics to show you......

The sky as I stepped out of our back door to go to work at 7 a.m. this morning

The moon - as I was about to get in the car.

The colours lasted barely a minute or two and were gone by the time I had driven to the end of the street.

OK - that's all for now folks. Might have some football to go to this weekend - I'll update you Sunday.

Cheers!

The Frozen North

And South and East and West!

Another very cold week meant another week with no football to watch, photograph or register. Doesn't stop the flood of Junior league paperwork though!

Sorry I didn't post pictures from last Saturdays walk in the local park. To be honest, I forgot. So - here's a couple.....

"Whoever told you this coat keeps out the cold is full of bull!!

St James Church, Norton

Long tailed tit in our garden (and the flecks are snow - not "noise!" )

I won't bore you with more robin pictures although as I told you, I got a couple of good ones. What? You wanna see? OK! Go on then!

Sunday afternoon was spent shovelling snow from our drive so I could get the car out on Monday morning. A good quantity of snow had fallen through Saturday afternoon and evening. On Sunday morning , this was the view from our front window...

Not much else photographically to report this week. The street where our plant is located is under repair and has been since October. New kerbs, new footpath and now resurfacing the road. I've done some pictures of the roadworks but they are boring, basically!

 See what I mean?

Belper Town's game on Tuesday was postponed - pitch still frozen (and in fact, today's game at Hucknall also fell foul of the weather) but the highlight of the week came on Thursday when I belatedly celebrated my birthday (again!) with dinner at a local Italian restaurant. I treated a couple of my work colleagues, combining my birthday "do" with a sort of "Sales Team Christmas Party!" It's good food, cooked to order, served hot and its not expensive. Result! Mamma Mia Pepe on Langsett Road, Sheffield if you wanna try it. It was flippin' cold though with another light dusting of snow as we left the restaurant.

It was still very cold on Friday morning. Here's a quick pic of the canal at the back of our plant - been frozen solid for a week or more.....

As I said - no footy again today so we've been for another walk in the park. It was cold but we called into the Rose Garden Cafe in the park for a cuppa and a sausage roll (it was VERY busy btw) before wandering down to the lakes to get some shots of birds in flight - my current obsession. I managed some good 'uns! Here's a taster....

I might make an album of these actually. I'm really pleased with them!

Right - it's getting on for 10 o'clock on Saturday evening - there's nowt on telly, but for now, that's yer lot. Might do some more tomorrow morning when The Archers is on.... If I don't forget! 

G'night

There's More To This League Registrar Lark Than I Realised!

Doesn't help that my first weekend "in charge" brought frozen pitches and the postponement of all games in the Under-10 age group. There followed floods of e-mails with rearranged dates which kept me busy updating the fixtures grid on the FA Full Time website. Then the Cup draws were announced so just about all league games scheduled for the 12th Feb have to be rearranged...... Now I realise just how much work the Duchess has been doing over the last 20 years or so!

We've been busy at work too. Orders have been coming in  steadily and the training for the new software system continues as "switch on day" (1st March) approaches.

No football since my last post. (22nd January - almost a fortnight ago - I know, I know, I've already been chastised for the "posting gap!"). Belper had no fixture on January 28th and were due to play Loughborough today at home. Two nights of deep frosts and the threat of snow (which, incidentally, arrived here at about 2 o'clock.) put paid to that!

I've hardly taken any pictures over the last couple of weeks. Saturday 28th Jan, we went back to Ford, near Eckington with the intention of taking a walk down the riverside track beyond the small dam. That was aborted because after about 250 yards, the path steadily turned into a quaqmire so we turned around and went back to the car. Not before we saw another robin though. Not the same bird I'd managed to shoot on our last visit (we saw him later, by the car park and I got some even better pics than the previous ones - read on!).

Anyway - back to Robin No. 1 - he was flitting from one side of the path to the other and on one occasion, made a brief landing less than a yard from where we were standing. Not sure if he was trying to encourage us to feed him or if he wasn't happy we were there and was trying to drive us away. Whatever the reason for his behaviour, I got some good shots of him in the sunshine.

Then - back to the car park and I put the big 500mm telephoto on because a buzzard was circling high above. Sneaked a shot or two of that but then saw Robin No. 2 on the posts by the pond. I think this shot is perhaps better than that of Robin No.1. What do you reckon?

Not wanting to go back home on such a lovely day, we decided to see if anything was happening at Carburton Lakes near Clumber Park. Apart from some half decent shots of a buzzard, there wasn't a lot but we spent a pleasant hour or so wandering up and down the road by the lake side.

Our son's visit went to plan and it was great to see him. I attended my first "Rosehill Press Sheffield & District Junior Sunday League" (you wanna see the size of the badge!!) meeting last Wednesday. Interesting. The league runs competitions for Under-7s to Under-16s and currently has over 11,000 registered players! Now I know why the registrars have so much to do!!

This morning - well, given the postponed game at Belper and the promise of heavy snow by 6pm tonight we decided to wrap up warm and go for a walk in the winter sunshine. The Garden Centre at the end of Dyche Lane was the original target (a walk of about 2 miles in total) but we were around 300 yards from home and decided that since the wind was directly in our faces and it felt like it was removing the skin from our faces, we diverted and went on a more sheltered route "around the block" and up to the local park where we walked through the "Rare Breeds" farm and and back to the house. Took the cameras and guess what - got some pictures of a Robin!

This afternoon has been spent sorting out Junior League paperwork (expecting another  flood of "postponed game" e-mails) and having a haircut before listening to commentary on Watford v Barnsley on Radio Sheffield (with updates from Hillsborough where Sheffield Wednesday were playing Yeovil (isn't undersoil heating brilliant?)

Right - that'll do for today I think. I'll post some of todays photos tomorrow morning after an editing session and my weekly listen to the Archers Omnibus on Radio 4 but for now - thats yer lot! (And it's still snowing here!)

Birthday Treat(s)!!

Had a great day on Saturday - my 62nd birthday. (And I repeat for Tim Harrisons benefit - 62 not 82!!)

Belper Town were at home to Newcastle Town and The Duchess and I decided that, as part of the celebration, we would sponsor the match ball. It's the third season in a row that we've sponsored the ball and so we have our third memento:

As Club Secretary David Laughlin was escorting us to the Boardroom for  pre-match coffee, we were introduced to Team manager Peter Duffield who wished me a "Happy Birthday" and suggested I should be receiving gifts on my birthday! I suggested 3 points would be the perfect present and he promised to see what he could do.

Boy! Did he deliver! Belper Town 3 - 1 Newcastle Town was the final score but it wasn't just the score, it was the nature of the overall performance which was the bonus. Belper had a "shaky" spell of about 20 minutes but stuck to the task and played some nice football.

I didn't take the cameras (I'm allowed a day off on my birthday aren't I?) but the ever reliable Mr Harrison published the following "bumper bundle!"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timharrisonphotography/sets/72157628978212101/

Coffee and a "finger buffet" in the boardroom at half time was excellent and having treated some of the regular fans/mates to a complimentary drink after the game, we headed to  George's Fish & Chip Cafe in Belper before driving back up to Sheffield.

Oh - and by the way -, The Duchess won the Goalden Goal prize of £25! That's the second game in a row that she has won it but "off stage" cries of "Fix!" were ignored!!

It's been a bit of an "eating week" actually. On Thursday and Friday, we had visitors to the plant at work and we fed them when they arrived at lunchtime, then dinner on Thursday evening. On Friday we had lunch at the Bowshaw (but only a sandwich - not the Carvery!) before our guests departed by train from the Midland Station. Then on Friday evening, The Duchess and I dined out at TGI Friday as my "official" birthday dinner." With all this eating out, I'll never manage to get some weight off!!

Monday and Tuesday was spent in training for our new computer system which it is hoped will be going "live" at the end of January. There's another day next week - we've spent the odd hour or two playing with the test system to familiarise ourelves - and then it's basically "New Systems Go!"

The week has certainly flown but another notable event occurred this week. We got our annual Mortgage Statement. It's a lovely feeling to know the mortgage has one year and 5 months to run and the balance is now down to a very manageable level. Nice to know we could pay it off as a lump sum if we really wanted to! 

There is also an important significance in the 62nd birthday landmark. Almost all of our long service employees at work (like me) are in a Final Salary pension scheme which has a stipulation that says if retirement is taken before the age of 62, the pension will be reduced by around 4% for every "pre-62" year. However, when the grand old age of 62 is reached, there is no loss of benefit. All that is forfeited could be a little bit of added pension due to any potential pay rises between 62 and 65. It's a nice feeling to know that if I really wanted to, I could retire within a month!

Anyway - the cameras have had very little use this week and with Belper Town having no game next Saturday, it might be a while before I have any pictures to post. Our son is coming over on Wednesday for business meetings with clients on Thursday and Friday, then a day with his best mate on Saturday before flying back home on Sunday. Which reminds me - I do have a pic to show you.....

He has to get back because they are buying another apartment in Rotterdam. There is work to be done on it but this is the view from the balcony  -

"Jealous" doesn't begin to describe it!!

;-)  See Y'All!

Best of Sunday

Pictures from our afternoon at Redmires.

Have to say I'm quite pleased with these, especially the three shot sequence of the two black-headed gulls apparently "shadowing" each other. Actually, there was a slice of bread on the grass by the edge of the dam. The gulls were interested but none had the courage to land and get at it because it was just too close to the people watching from the nearby fence!

Lovely afternoon. Really enjoyed it.

My Weekend....

As already advised, Saturday we went to Ford for a wander by the small fishing pond. Twas nice!

The half frozen pond (Note - nobody fishing!!)

 "Lunch by the Lake!"

"Wish that flippin' blackbird would clear off. I'm hungry!"

 "If I get behind this branch, that bloke with the camera can't see me."

And this afternoon, we nipped up to what has become one of our favourite spots - Redmires Dam, on the outskirts of Sheffield. I've never seen the top dam so full. We had bit of a wander and although it was very cold, it was really relaxing.

I took the cameras of course and got some nice shots of seagulls in flight. Those are the next editing job. We also saw a couple of water voles and a grouse (besides me!) but I couldn't get a really good shot of him as he was a bit too far away. Anyway, I'll show you the landscape, birds and voles when I get a minute!

I did forget to mention that in the last week, I have offered my services as Registrar for the Sheffield & District Junior Sunday League, Under-10 section. The previous Registrar resigned and I volunteered (with some encouragement from the Duchess - but don't worry, the arm she twisted up my back is almost healed now!)

It was something of a baptism of fire! Two nights of heavy frost resulted in a flood of e-mails from the various teams telling me that games were postponed. All have to be updated on the Junior League website and although that's no major task, it got to the point where I was only very reluctantly checking e-mails in case another pile had arrived! Actually, I'm very fortunate in that The Duchess has been involved with the Junior League for years (and years) and so I have the very best teacher.

Next week will be very busy. Monday and Tuesday I'll be in training sessions on the new sales order processing and invoicing system we're introducing at work. Two days a week for the next three weeks actually. Thursday and Friday, we have visitors from India at the plant and I will be hosting, chauffering and (hopefully) selling them summat!

Next Saturday is my 62nd birthday. The Duchess and I are also sponsoring the match ball at the Belper home game v Newcastle Town and the best birthday present would be three points please! Incidentally, did you know that January 21st was also Benny Hill's birthday? Many people believe there's a certain serendipity in that fact!

So - time to post might be limited but we'll see. For now.

See Yer!

I Spoke Too Soon!

Belper's game was postponed due to a frozen pitch so we went to Wards Garden Centre at Coal Aston for a cuppa and a bun then drove down to Ford, near Eckington and I took a few pics of the frozen pond - and a couple of birds of course.

I'll post the best tomorrow maybe.

Oh - and by the way - before any smart Alec thinks of it - the pictures posted earlier today truly are of my respective grandfathers - they are not actually pictures of me when I was younger! (OK Tim?!)