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A Night Under The Milky Way by Alpha Whiskey Photography

Hoping to catch sight of a few meteors from the Perseids shower, my friend Natalia and I headed to a dark site in the south of England. Catching any of the falling meteors was always going to be luck of the draw, but I think I managed to register one on the first image. With our own eyes we saw quite a few of them streaming across the sky. We found a barn/distillery of some kind and decided it would make a decent anchor for the images. I wanted to capture the Milky Way with my fish-eye...
lens, hoping it would show the galactic arm arching across the night sky. Admittedly, it was a trifle difficult shooting at higher ISOs with the micro-four thirds sensor and required some agricultural processing to bring the galaxy out. The nearly full Moon also didn't help with the exposure and changed positions a few times trying to exclude it. But I'm showing what I managed to get below, and I happy I got something. The second image in this series was taken with a DSLR and Toking 11-16mm F/2.8.Before long the clouds started moving in and their invasion concluded our excursion. But not before I took a few shots of the cloud patterns blanketing the sky. Overall, a fun and spontaneous excursion to the middle of nowhere in the dead of night. Although, note to self: perhaps not the best idea to be up all night after spending two hours in the gym.

Haifoss To Oxarfoss by Alpha Whiskey Photography

I'm still plundering my Iceland trip from last October for more images, having seen so much in so many places. This set is from the lower centre part of the island, which I traversed on my penultimate day there, starting with the sunrise at Haifoss and ending with the sunset at Oxarfoss in the Thingvellir National Park.In between the weather wasn't particularly cooperative and thus I only spent a marginal amount of time the much-frequented haunts of Geysir and Gulfoss. Having visited them in...
the past I wasn't too bothered and will surely visit them again in the future. Bruarfoss was a revelation, hidden away and a bit of a walk to find, but the beautiful cyan rush within its flow was plenty reward. I also visited the Gjain Gorge, but the shadows were too deep and the vegetation a little dead. I imagine it looks better in the summer. En route to the gorge I found an interesting variety of terrain with equally enticing light, including a rainbow, no less.Generally a good day spent but perhaps the images demonstrate that fatigue was catching up with me by this point in the trip. And I still have my final day's images to go through. They'll be posted soon.

365 Project - June Highlights by Sandra5

June was an interesting month. The weather was nice and all sorts of things happened to me and around me. My city got a big new fountain, to name one. After May that was very busy, June was much more exciting and me and my camera spent much more time together.In June I noticed one big change in the way I make photos. While before I used to insanely take photos of everything I see, now I'm much more focused. I still make many photos, but I'm much more clear about why I want to capture a...
scene.I also discovered the magic that separates photography from other types of visual media. By looking at the thousands of photos I made during these six months, I noticed many repeating scenes. Many times I photographed the same or similar places and now I have some kind of a document that shows how they change with time. The changes I've captured would remain invisible to me if I wasn't consistently photographing. I learned (on my own example) how photographs not only capture space, but also time and the power that photography has in representing time that goes by. Working over a period of time gives photography a new dimension and depth, and I finally see how my work has moved me on a brand new way of thinking and looking at things.

365 Project - May Highlights by Sandra5

May was one busy month. Meaning, I had very little time and energy to invest in photography. However, I did manage to make that one shot every day. Those were not such a spectacular scenes. Something on the street. Or something in the house. Sunset from my window. Anything... I notice now that there are a lot of clouds, skies, suns. Stereotypical scenes but far more interesting than ground level where everything is the same day after day. This was pretty much a survivor month. Most of the...
time, I had to find something interesting on the way home or at home. Only a few times I was intentionally going for a walk in order to take pictures. Also, all those days I skipped from the beginning of the year added up, so I needed to cheat a little to collect enough pictures (some pictures are from the same day, some are from June). Looking at the collection now, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Late spring is interesting by itself, and almost every time something outside could make a decent shot without too much effort. For example, many of the pictures below were made just by taking a shot out of the window at the end of the day while the sun was setting (for the sake of having something for that day).

Royal International Air Tattoo 2017 by Alpha Whiskey Photography

I'm not altogether fussed about air shows but I hadn't shot one in a few years and it was rather fun having one's eardrums pummelled by the roar of jet engines shooting past above one's head. The show was much like the last one, and much like all of them, I'm sure, in that I had a sense of deja vu seeing many of the same aircraft performing many of the same manoeuvres as last time. It was also an opportunity to dust off the old DSLR and 70-200mm F/2.8, neither of which were getting much use...
these days. For comparison I also shot a few images with the Olympus 40-150mm F/2.8 (with the 1.4x TC attached). While the contrast detection focusing of the Olympus body struggled to keep up with fast moving aircraft, whenever it did nail the focus the results were always dead on and sharp, certainly more so than the DSLR. Kinda wish I'd shot a few more with the Olympus but there we are. A lesson for next time, and perhaps by then they will have refined the phase detection system on their bodies.All told a decent enough show and plenty to see. It's the season for air shows so if one is happening near you then get out and see it.

An Evening In London by Alpha Whiskey Photography

Had a great evening last night meeting up with my good friend and fellow photographer Parrish for some photography in London. Familiar places and images, for sure, but Parrish was kind enough to let me use his Fuji XT-10 for the majority of these shots so that I might try a different system. We chased the light and the lights, finding the sunset over St Paul's before crossing the Millennium Bridge to capture the city's colours from the other side. Not the most original shots but the low...
tide allowed us to descend onto the exposed river bank. Always something new to try and find on every shoot, it was another enjoyable evening with Parrish and I thank him for his generosity and company. The majority of these images were taken with the Fuji XT-10 and the Fuji 16-50mm F/3.5-5.6. The final three images were taken with the E-M5 and Samyang 7.5mm F/3.5 fisheye, and the last image demonstrates the difference in size between two Samyang lenses, one for DSLR and one for M4/3.Hopefully these images demonstrate that whatever system one uses images are made by creative composition and the good light.

Classic Cars In The Park by Alpha Whiskey Photography

Not quite the selection offered by Cuba, but another car show this year and not as good as last year's. My compositions and framing here are not up to what I think are my usual standard, in part because I became bored before long and decided to move on. As before, in lieu of the herding masses gathered around, I tried my best to isolate the vehicles or focused on their individual characteristics and details. All shot with the Olympus 12-40mm F/2.8 and a few with the Samyang 7.5mm F/3.5 Fisheye.

Icelandic Horses by Alpha Whiskey Photography

A small tribute to Iceland's most familiar natives, alas I didn't get to spend much time with them. These were mostly shot while en route to somewhere and I would obviously have preferred better light. But these playful horses are still beautiful, humble, graceful and curious. As soon as they saw me they would typically approach me to investigate further. And they are, of course, overlooked by Iceland's majestic landscape.These were all shot with the Olympus 40-150mm F/2.8.

A Tribute To London by Alpha Whiskey Photography

The last few weeks and months have seen one of the greatest cities on Earth suffer cruel ordeals that have tested its limits. The capital of one the world's most special nations, it has not been alone in this hardship. Other great cities, other places, have been tested too. But I live in London. It's the place I call home. And like a swallow to Capistrano it's the place to which I always return.There are no political musings under Alpha Whiskey's banner. This blog is about photography and...
its potential. The extent of my politics is to love life and encourage others to do the same. I figure everything good can fit under that umbrella.So how can Alpha Whiskey pay tribute to this extraordinary rainbow city that boasts citizens from every nation on Earth? With my images, I hope. I have photographed the city's magnificent landmarks many times and never failed to marvel at her stunning splendour. Below is only a tiny, random snapshot of past work.Unless I'm giving someone the Alpha Whiskey tour I usually walk alone in the city. People may push me, swear at me and call me names. They may whisper jokes about this funny looking brown guy with a camera in his clutches. And it's all perfectly all right. Because the people are also incredibly charitable, compassionate and take pride in their city. They work hard and struggle to make ends meet and strive desperately to stay relevant. They need to matter. I walk past them and return a smile. They do matter. Because they make up the city I call home.A home that you are more than welcome to visit. Whether your poison is history or gastronomy, parks or pageantry, theatre or museums, this city has it all. Don't be dissuaded by the news or the internet; don't capitulate to the fear, to the mess, to the doubt, to the stress. Every special place will be tested from time to time but its ability to triumph in the face of any and all adversity is precisely what makes it so special. Believe that when you visit London you will be standing in one of the most beautiful places on your planet, vibrant with colour, culture and faith. It will not fail to enthral and dazzle you for as long as you have gifted it with your presence. So wherever on Earth you hail from make London one of your destinations. It would be the best tribute that one could make. And that would be awfully nice of you.

In Havana by Alpha Whiskey Photography

As I alluded to in my first post about Cuba Havana is a city of fascinating contrasts. Elaborate architecture on magnificent buildings hide the grimy, if colourful, barrios behind them. The roads, teeming with classic American cars, twist and turn off the main streets into a warren of alleys, lined by a laconic populace watching the world drift by. Stringent socialism seems to ensure that while outcomes are equal, opportunities are not. And yet the wonderful Cuban people are always ready to...
smile, chat and offer their talents to passing tourists. Prado Street, the spine of the city, comes to a head at El Capitolio, the grand building (built by America) in which the government may reside after renovations are complete. The central promenade invites one to amble along, watching dedicated merchants in the archways on either side enjoying respite from the crushing heat. The Old Town is the more interesting part of the city, offering endless avenues to explore, each with its own mix of colour and commerce. From the Cathedral to the Girl On The Cock, each detour brings new surprises. Statues of pioneers and conquerors pop up in random places, reminders of the country and city's rich history. The enormous mural on Mercaderes Street is a prelude to the Ambo Mundo Hotel on the corner that hosted Ernest Hemingway. The city is understandably a magnet for artisans and photographers, inspiring creative fervour with its fusion of bright hues, bustling energy and upbeat music, none so loud as from within the Buena Vista Social Club. Regaled with Latin melodies over a succession of pinà coladas it is the perfect after-dinner entertainment. The entire city has Unesco status, which happily prevents the sale of its attractive aesthetic to a glut of coffee shop and fast food joints. Thus visiting Havana is somewhat akin to a step back in time. While the people may ache for more prosperity over their food rations they at least inhabit a city unmolested by corporate sprawl and with most of its historical charm still intact. One can only hope that welcoming tourists like this one will eventually supplement the people's rationed outcomes with more unfettered opportunities. I hope you enjoy these scenes from around the city. All shot with Olympus.

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