Todays Boating

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Yes I SUPPOSE so. Will bring something a bit solid.

Ashley

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Will have a review of the fleet and select a couple.

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

I’ll make sure to bring the waders then 😂

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Ooh, goody !

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

A bit breezy it was!

Herald went well in the strong wind, and the Stalwart and ZiS both coped easily.

Richards galleons were a bit sideways at times, however Trevors Iti racer and tug were ok.

Had a (socially distanced) “show and tell” with Trevor in the afternoon and an old print he took off the internet was discussed at length. It’s funny, but he has had the picture for years and not worked up much enthusiasm about the craft, however recent builds have suddenly highlighted certain attributes of the thing to the point where it suddenly becomes attractive.

I find this. I build something in a certain style, like an airboat and all of a sudden similar craft come into view and are given the sort of consideration hitherto ignored.

The Mintanic, having initially been just something to occupy a bit of time, suddenly assumed a life of its own and has now led onto something else very exciting.

Speaking of the Mintanic, there are a lot of swans on the pond and an idea cropped up for a good photo….

Ashley

nb. We respect the pond wildlife and no swans will be harmed by accidental or unplanned ramming just to get a good snap.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Ashley

I did post something but it may have ruined your photo idea.

Chris

Edited By Chris Fellows on 27/08/2020 12:30:59

[Richard BarnettParticipant @richardbarnett67129]

Probably not a good idea to ram raid a swan, might turn in to a re enactment of the real thing but on a tiny scale 😂

Ricky ye pirate 🏴‍☠️

[Boiler BriParticipant @boilerbri]

Sounds like a good time had by all

The weather stayed Dry for our session. 16 races in total. One race missed due to battery low voltage. Trust me to be at the front when it happened.

Bri

[Chris EParticipant @chrise]

Posted by ashley needham on 27/08/2020 10:31:58:

………………….The Mintanic, having initially been just something to occupy a bit of time, suddenly assumed a life of its own and has now led onto something else very exciting………………..

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

……which you are going to have to wait for!

And as it happens, any remarks regarding what i am doing currently will not give anyone any clues!

I have however taken delivery of two cute little (tiny, actually) geared motors to rotate the radar on the type 42 destroyer. Initially I had an MFA gearbox in there with spring belt drive to shafts/pully`s…but these did not provide a smooth motion, hence the new gearboxes.

AND a couple of the bilge pumps…..and that`s exciting.. I need to experiment to suss out their capabilities although according to spec they can pump a 4m head of water through a pipe so should be adequate for….something….

nipping to Kingston to get September issue MB, just on the off-chance there is something of interest in there!

Ashley

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Going to Smith's in Walton to see if they have the new magazine too.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Went to Kingston this afternoon….there was a queue 50 yards long at all the entrances to get into theBentall centre and hence whs….turned back and peddled to Walton where I bagged a copy!

tomorrow..not looking too bright…coat needed. Saucer and medium lander I am thinking.

Ashley

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Walked straight into Smiths in Walton this morning as no magazines in yesterday, superb read with wonderful range of boats featured !

Torpedo boat, possibly the yot and a surprise new addition.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Guys,

Bought my copy this morning, well done to the Bushey Park crew 😀 hard act to follow !!

Regards Ray

[Boiler BriParticipant @boilerbri]

I called in at Pikes in Porthmadog. No mag there 🤔

bri

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Cheers Ray. We try!

Brightening up but looks like a bit breezy, so nothing of a flying nature. Oddly enough I had hoped it might stay overcast for photographic reasons!!

Have a sooper dooper 32G high speed SD card now for the camera so I can finally get those “off the water” shots that a couple of vessels need to complete (possible) articles. I feel that a model boat article isn’t complete unless you have good on-the-water snaps, and these need the “right” weather conditions to get the good’un. The London snaps are a good example, not that you notice, but the reflection ones were in a dead calm, but then I needed a bit of breeze for sail-filling and an interesting water surface so these were taken on a different day. 

Unfortunately the surface of the water always looks a muddy brown colour (wonder why?) unless the sky is blue and the sun is out to get a bit of colour going on.

Ashley

 

Edited By ashley needham on 30/08/2020 08:45:11

[Chris EParticipant @chrise]

Ashley

Some of us do notice.

It used to be said that 110 cameras destroyed photography but mobile phones are often a whole new level. Badly composed shots, bad lighting, distant objects rather than feature models, backlight creating dark silhouettes etc.

Have you tried stacking for build shots? It can make a big difference.

Edited By Chris E on 30/08/2020 09:22:17

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I think people are just as capable of composing poor and badly lit shots whether they are using cameras or mobile phones. It's just that everybody is now taking photos willy nilly on a point, shoot and hope for the best basis when previously they might not have owned a camera or carried one about with them all the time.

Some of the latest phones are capable of taking amazing shots with their tiny lenses. It's the person pressing the button that counts, you need an eye for a picture. However a proper camera is much easier to use than a mobile phone with touch screen controls held several inches away from the eye.

The following two shots were taken with my mobile in Crete last year on the way back from a Taverna, I didn't take my DSLR to dinner but did have the phone with me!

Colin

[Chris EParticipant @chrise]

Agreed both that the camera that you have with you is always better than the one that you left at home and that that the weak link if often the operator – and there are now lots of operators.

Two nicely composed photos.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

As usual it's horses for courses. I use the DSLR for on water shots but I find the compact is best for build shots. Just grab it to take a couple of shots and with its wide angle lens usually everything that needs to be is in focus. And if it gets a bit dusty with saw dust I don't worry.

My wife and son take some decent shots on their phones.

Chris

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I have become a bit lazy in that generally I have just been using the compact for all my pictures, however at 20mp the definition is more than adequate. Several projects still need “at speed” pictures…which basically means I need to get them when they are off the water and hence the new camera with 4K burst facility. I thought the 4K Monica was a Panasonic thing, but it appears that 4K is actually a pukka shooting mode, consisting of essentially low speed video but high definition frames. 30fps and 8Mp in my case…. 8Mp is sufficient for good action shots.

As it costs nowt, I usually take LOADs of snaps on-the-water and some of them will be good. It’s not only simply a matter of getting the boat at the right angle, or going fast enough, there is the small matter of the background!

It can be tricky sometimes to get a shot with no ducks/coots/swans/Egyptian ducks/Canada geese or indeed people walking around the pond in the picture. Pictures taken with camera almost on the water, a good shot that I like to use for dramatic effect are especially vulnerable to this.

Then there is the issue for part of the year with that small floating duckweed. Not a problem operating the boats with a bit about, but it ruins pictures.

nice shots by the way Colin. It is a testament to your phone that they are not wobbly considering you were coming back from the taverna…..

Ashley

nb unfortunately my weds morning band is restarting so I will not be able to boat weds morning , however…all the other mornings are free!!

[Chris EParticipant @chrise]

Posted by ashley needham on 01/09/2020 08:42:13:

…………………. I usually take LOADs of snaps on-the-water and some of them will be good………………..

Ashley

When I was first interested in photography a serious amateur explained to me one of the differences between an casual photographer and a professional was that the amateur took a photo and expected every one to be good whilst a professional took 100 and found the best amongst them. Digital cameras have made multiple shots available to everyone.

Having said that our wedding photographer (pre digital) didn't work on this basis & took a set number of pictures in the set of groups. Great except that my new wife had her eyes shut in one of them.

Edited By Chris E on 01/09/2020 16:51:53

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Yes, haven't done much photography lately, but when I have a day out I'm happy if I get 2 or 3 good shots. Not helped with one of my interests being birds.

Ashley, you will have to wait until the swans at Bushey do this for your Mintanic shot!

Chris

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

If only they would oblige!

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Yes, I had to wait sometime before all three were heads down at the same time.

Chris

[Author]

Posts