BABOOSHKA AND THE CORMORANT

I adore the cormorants that hang around the harbour, but for the life of me can I take a photo of them I am happy with? These birds are my nemesis! I have more chance of catching a darting swallow with the wrong speed setting on than catching the difinitive cormorant shot I desire. I seem to be in the minority though. Other people really get a kick out of it. After all the buying public know best. I am merely the lunatic running around Ramsey or Rhumsaa if you want the Norse, the Manx version of the town name chasing the shot in my head they may not actually exist. I like it as an action shot, but it's not my favourite bird shot. It is however, the one that outsells the others.

The reason for this photo today is to illustrate photography, in the main, is in the eye of the beholder, not the photographer. I often get asked to critique work and was asked by a fellow blogger if I would like to pitch in with a post he was publishing concerning photography tips. I did, but I also said that I would transfer people over to his blog and his post, as he has written a really great article about it all, succinctly and very user friendly. He's also a really fantastic photographer with a very down to earth honest approach to the business of photography and life of a photographer. For all of you out there who would like to advance your skills, learn a little more, or just purely enjoy an outstanding body of work, hop over to 365 BRETT TRAFFORD
You will learn more about photography here than most places I have been on the net and will want to pay frequent visits as I do. It's always great to appreciate anothers work without the responsibility of having created the images. Can't empahsise enough how worthwhile for the budding photographer at whatever level the hop over to his blog is. The particular post you are looking for is entitled "Eating Raoul"

Today I'd be interested to know, to you print the images you take as photographs, or are they for pc use?

RAMSEY SWIMMING BATHS

We have a perfectly good swimming baths already, just off St paul's Square where my last two post have been from, so why they are building this one is anyone's guess. We asked for a cinema. Perhaps it was a typo, or the the wording got lost in (the Manx) translation, but instead of the cinema, we don't have and need, we get a new swimming baths, we don't need. Town Planners, who obviously don't reside here, must surely be responsible. The image amused me as to the left you can see a mock up billboard of the shiny new building when finished, basking under a brilliant blue sky and solitary cloud, which I tried to emulate. Enlarge to see.

Today I'm going to mention fellow bloggers who for varied reasons known to me deserve a namecheck. It's something I'm going to do more of as I do feel the blogging community has astonished me with your interest in this tiny island. It's a way of saying thanks and perhaps sharing blogs you may not previously have come across.

Congratulations must go to a fellow photgrapher 365 BRETT TRAFFORD who has reached the finals of the best of blogs in the hobby section. I'm not at all surprised and thrilled for Brett, who is a superb photographer and writes a very eclectic mix of posts. I've already voted and drumming up support for him. If you can, have a wander round his blog. It's really worth it.

For pandering to my whims by starting the blog in the first place BIRMINGHAM UK . It's special to me beacuse it's the place I was born and raised long before I came to the Isle of Man. Engalnd's second city never looked so good, and the text to go with it has been well researched. I have learnt a lot of my old home town from this blog. Well worth spending some time there.

Finally today a blog that is very close to my heart BARKER BITES BACK! . I know how much effort this guy puts into his work, often into the early hours, and weekends, working to very stringent deadlines. The work of a cartoonist is far more time consuming and isolating than that of a photographer, especially when his work has to represent such respectable organisations such as the BBC. Really worth popping over to this blog and leaving your thoughts. Why so important to me? He's my partner that's why and he's been so supportive of my decison to quit banking for photography that a public thanks was deserved.

The tourists are arriving so I will try and snap some. Determined to get some people in my blog