Almost Rembrandt-esque. Very atmospheric.

All super pretty 😀

I'd go for the first. I think I prefer to see less of their faces, more of the surrounding street scene. Makes a nice contrast of a still moment in the manic city.

The portraits really draw the viewer into the scene. I wonder how the sponsors felt about their likenesses.
The exterior shots are super too, especially the last, with its isolation from background.

It's nice to see some of your birds for a change. Sea and sky... wonderful shots.

Pretty there, for sure. I like the second.

I think I will go for the first one. The girls coat is a bit too bright, and distracts.

Yes, Colmar is a little gem. It is a place were we have broken our journey, when we have driven up to the UK by car a coule of times. We stocked up on a lot of paté and other goodies in the wonderful food market, near the canal.

I recognise the places in this set. Our hotel last time, was next to the imposing train station in the first shot.

Lots and lots of snow on your side of the Alps. Our Apennines have just got a dusting.

My tripod lives in the boot of my car, which solves forgetfulness.

The tower in Bologna has been leaning at a crazy angle for centuries. At one point in the past they shortened it. Lots of old buildings in the Po valley lean badly.

The Cube is a good photographic subject, it needs a lick of paint though.

Good solution!
I will take a tripod to Mühlbach and leave it here.
I was hoping to maybe get some sort of astro photography shots, maybe with the mountains in the background. It's fairly dark here if you drive away from the village.

I like this. Looks like it was taken on a pin hole camera or the first ever Nokia though.

M43 On A Miserable Day

Since last weekend's epic snowy bad weather, it's been back business as usual up here in the North West of England, which translates to incessant rain and (yesterday at least) gale force wind.

Fortunately, the Met Orifice predicted a few hour gap in the rain yesterday afternoon, so I took advantage of this break and headed out to explore a location I'd spotted on the map a couple of weeks ago known as The Fairy Glen, which sits in the valley below Parbold Hill.

Given last weekend's forecast for "clear skies and light wind" manifested in reality as "snowy blizzard, danger of death", I was taking no chances with my camera and decided to dust off the trusty old E-M1 MKII, which I don't think I've used for at least the last year. Happily it's still working well, although the battery was flat as a pancake and I only had time to squirt a 30% charge into it, before setting out.

The Fairy Glen is quite an interesting location, basically a narrow, long and winding river running through woodland, which, with the heavy downpours of the last few days had gone beyond full spate and into flood mode, perhaps making it a bit more dramatic than it would normally appear. It certainly did nothing for the path, which had completely given up and conceded to being consumed by the river in places.

I was walking with a friend, so these pictures felt a bit rushed as I took them, still, this gives me an incentive to return with one of my better cameras and see if a more considered approach helps as I think it might. As usual, mist would have been a big help, but also as usual there was none to be had.

All pictures taken hand held with the Olympus E-M1 MKII and 12-100 f/4.0 lens + a B+W screw on CPL. Processed from individual raw files in Capture One Pro 23.

1. So, How Do You Like Your Tea?

It's interesting to compare the colour of this water to what I'll probably see if I venture up onto the moors later this afternoon (another break in the rain has been promised). Sure, that'll be stained brown with the Peat, but it'll be nice and clear, while this, this is something else.

2. Where We're Going, We Don't Need Paths...

We didn't get very far before our way was impeded by the river getting ideas above its station and attempting a land grab from the path. After last week's mishap, I initially tried to work my way around the treacherous muddy edges of the brook, before realising that the milky colour of the water was hiding that it was actually only a couple of inches deep and pretty easy to walk in.

3. Top Of The Mighty Waterfall

Mighty is a relative term in this context.

4. A Watery Flame

The same stretch of river as seen in the previous shot, but stood on the bridge that crosses it.

5. Tree Tunnel

6. A Creepy Tree

As everything here was shot at base ISO on a really dull day through a CPL, all exposures were quite long, which is a bit of a nuisance when there's even the slightest of breeze, let alone the blustery with ambition weather we were experiencing on this day. However, the moving branches here lend a slightly ethereal ghostly look, which I kind of like.

### 7. The Work of Beavers With Chainsaws?

8. The Council Meeting

Council of trees that is.

9. Bridge Over Muddied Water

10. Cascades

Eventually we reached a point where trespassing would have been the only way forward and turned back, following a different path alongside the river, which revealed this cascade that we completely missed following the river downstream. I could have done with a slightly wider lens here, but I did appreciate the E-M1 MKII's ability to produce acceptably sharp long exposures hand held without any bracing or additional support.

Great shot, looks like some staged act!
Only issue I see in this is its central placement, I'd framed bit up and right to make it more balanced.

First shots have quite blue cast, though it's natural in those late hours of day in shadows I'd adjust it bit.
These icicles look dangerous, I have habit in conditions where they form to look up when walking in city streets, we have quite many poorly insulated houses which create these dangerous icicles and if you happen to be in wrong place at wrong time then consequences could be bad.

I for one like second shot, this red coat makes that shot for me, like something from sin city...