James Whitesmith's photostream  

The library in Strahov Monastery, Prague, is an incredibly ornate structure with masses of aged tomes on rickety old shelves. The hall pictured here was unfortunately closed to visitors due to a damp problem. This was slightly annoying as I was unable to compose the shot as I would have liked (there was no way to cheekily nip in as security was very active) but on the plus side nobody else was able to impede this shot from the entrance.

I've just returned from a short city break in Prague, one of the most beautiful and unspoiled cities in Europe. This night time image was shot from the 'city' side of the River Vltava, showing the upper details of St. Vitus Cathedral within the sprawling castle grounds.

This is definitely better viewed large.

Yesterdays snowfall provided a great contrast to the tightly packed, vertical tree trunks in Spring Wood, a local beauty spot.

I spent a good while trying to compose so as to give the best depth through the trees, and think I was quite successful although maybe the dominant tree in the foreground is a little too central.

My wife and I went for a walk in the falling snow today, and for the first time in the 4 or so years I've owned a WR camera (and more recently lens as well) I actually made good use of the weatherproofing to shoot in adverse conditions.

I'm all for sharpness in portraits (I know that's not everybody's cup of tea but I'm a fan) and the DA* 55mm delivers in spades; definitely my favourite lens.

The promising weather forecast convinced me to visit Almscliffe Crag this morning. Unfortunately the sky was virtually cloud free but it was good to get out. The rock formation is probably a little too prominent in the frame but it was rocks, fields or featureless sky and I think the worn, weathered texture of the crag is quite interesting.