Monthly Archives: September 2010

The best day of my life

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It is just over 3 years since Sarah and I got married. It was the best day of my life, ok joint best now with the day Caitlin arrived! Anyway we had some fantastic photos taken by Bailey Cooper Photography and they are mainly languishing in an album that only comes out once in a while … so here they are for all to see. 

If you are getting married, or need photos of pretty much any kind taking, and want the best photographer out there then it is well worth getting in touch with Paul @ Bailey Cooper Photography not only are the photos top notch the whole process from planning through to final prints and albums was so easy with the help of Paul and Kate. 

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HDR Photography

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I got interested in HDR a few months ago after seeing some of the awesome photos at http://www.stuckincustoms.com/ and thinking that I would like to be able to do that! 

The idea is that a photo can never truly capture everything that you would see with your eyes. This is because your eyes continually adjust to differing light levels allowing you to see the whole picture. Unfortunately with a camera you choose your settings and take the shot meaning that you often loose detail either in the dark parts of the picture, the light parts of the picture or both. HDR is a method of taking and combining multiple pictures at different exposures to try and capture the image like your eyes would. 

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The Italian Grand Prix @ Monza

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My Dad, my camera and I went to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza this year. After a lovely week chilling with the family at Lake Maggiore we moved to Milan and Monza for the Grand Prix.

Monza is one of the old tracks and you can still see the remnants of the old banked oval around the new track. The circuit is in a big park in the centre of Monza which is only probably a 30 minute drive from Milan on any other weekend! The weekend of the grand prix is a whole other story. There are no big open spaces to use as a car park so the organisers at monza have an ingenious solution to the parking issues … they close a dual carriageway and park you in the outside lane, nose into the central reservation! You then get a bus to the circuit and walk the last bit of the way (To our seats was about 7km!). 

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Rehab & Goals

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So I've been out of it for quite a while and am veeeerrrryyy unfit, but I am now fully functional(ish) and need to get my fitness sorted so that I can enjoy doing the things I enjoy doing. I often struggle with the motivation to get out and do 'training' which in the long run has a negative effect on my ability to really enjoy the 'fun stuff'. I think we'd all rather be hooning down some sweet single track or dropping some sweet grade 4 than riding down a road or paddling on the Ouse, but the less fun things make the fun things more fun.

Anyway someone said the other day that it is much easier to get out and do the boring stuff if you have something to aim, so I suppose I need to set myself some goals. Problem is I don't know what to set. I'm going to do the Great North Run in 2011, but that is a long way off and won't push me to get out and do stuff. I'd quite like to do the Devizes to Westminster next year, but again it's a long way off. I need some short term goals to get me going and a long term plan of some kind. 

Here is what I have at the moment:

  • 23rd August 2010: All Clear Given
  • 2nd September 2010: Today
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  • Easter 2011: Devizes to Westminster
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  • September 2011: Great North Run

So something has to go in the gaps … any handy hints and tips from those of you who are good at training / motivation let me know!