october sky (Explore #1)
When you came in the air went out
And all those shadows there filled up with doubt
I don't know who you think you are
But before the night is through
I wanna do bad things with you
I wanna do real bad things with you
Jace Everett Bad Things
Photography and music are inextricably linked. Many of us will listen to our favourite artists as we edit our images and for those of you who follow my stream regularly you will know that I often like to time my long exposures using music as a guide. And so what better way to mark my return to photography after a 3 month sabbatical with a broken leg than 1 minute and 56 seconds of this soulful country ballad, closing the shutter just at the start of the guitar riff as the grasses glowed in the dying sun and the clouds scudded overhead.
Note to self: when singing along under your breath always be mindful of the lyrics, particularly on a largely deserted shoreline with a stranger next to you. And make sure you get the words right- ending your exposure with a triumphant “I wanna do bad things to you” means people tend to be reluctant to swap Flickr details afterwards.
Technical: Nikon D810, Nikkor 16-35 f/4 at 28mm and f/11. 116 seconds, ISO 64. 10 stop ND filter with 0.9 hard grad. This of course is the iconic lone birch on the northern shore of Buttermere. I've shot here many times but never in such remarkable weather conditions. The high level wind had funnelled down the slopes and was disturbing the water and reflections at the far end of the lake toward the famous pines. But in the area around the tree, it was deathly calm. I fully expected to see movement in both the tree branches and grasses with an exposure time of 116 seconds but they were eerily still.
Thank you to my sherpa for helping with my gear. And thank you all for looking.