CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

One of the plus points of the Fujifilm X-Series is it compact and lightweight design.  I have been accused recently by a reader of this blog for going against the ethos of the X-Series by having so much equipment, four camera bodies, nine lenses and all the accessories that support my camera system for my work.  Yes this is a lot of equipment and all in it weighs just under 12kg full loaded.   However the name is compact SYSTEM camera and the system means I adapt the camera and lenses for the job in hand.  If I am tackling sport I will pack three bodies and the long zooms, plus the 1.4x converter.  For travel I don't need to pack as much and that is where the X-Series comes up trumps. Now I was taking a personal trip to Venice with my wife Julie to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary but I wasn't going to pass up the chance to indulge in a spot of photography on our first ever visit to such a beautiful place.  My wife is very patient with me wit...

Our last day in Shanghai was spent on an excursion to the ancient water town of Zhujiajiao and then onto the Seven Treasures town.   One of the highlights of the tour was a boat ride down the waterways and this gave me the opportunity to see some of the sights from the water.   I will be doing a longer blog on this trip later in the week but the trip was perfect to capture some images of the water boat men plying their trade in a city that traces its history over 1000 years. All images were taken on the Fujifilm X-T1 and either the XF16-55mm f2.8 or XF50-140mm f2.8.  The images were then converted to mono using Silver Efex Pro2 software. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE By clicking on the adverts you are helping support this blog - thank you. ------------------------------------...

Foxton Locks are ten canal locks consisting of two "staircases" each of five locks, located on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal about 3 miles west of the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough and are named after the nearby village of Foxton. They form the northern terminus of a 20-mile summit level that passes Husbands Bosworth, Crick and ends with the Watford flight Staircase locks are used where a canal needs to climb a steep hill, and consist of a group of locks where each lock opens directly into the next, that is, where the bottom gates of one lock form the top gates of the next. Foxton Locks are the largest flight of such staircase locks on the English canal system. The Grade II listed locks are a popular tourist attraction and the county council has created a country park at the top. At the bottom, where the junction with the arm to Market Harborough is located, there are two public houses, a shop, trip boat and other facilities. ...

This shot was taken at Denton Wharf near Grantham and is one of the old bridges that spans the Grantham Canal.   In 2006 members of the Grantham Canal Society put in a concrete slipway to launch boats into the restored part of the canal as well as picnic tables and fencing to enable visitors to stop and take in the views. Many of the old road bridges along the 33 mile stretch of the Grantham Canal were replaced by low modern structures when the canal fell in disuse but the one at Denton is a foot bridge.  It has been maintained and is is in good condition.  The Grantham Canal Society aims to restore the entire stretch from Grantham to Nottingham to full working order and the low bridges will have to be restored so boats can pass under them. For more information on the Grantham Canal Society visit www.granthamcanal.org ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROP...