Light of Lanzarote - Evan Roberts Photography

Lanzarote…Stormy skies

lightoflanzarote — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:45:42 +0000

Just wanted to share a photo from a couple of weeks ago. A very windy evening but worth getting down to Arrecife for a few shots of this amazing stormy sky. Just the type of sky that makes for a photo with lots of impact. Managed to capture a bit of motion in the water as well which works nicely with the scene. In the distance are the carnival rides that had been up for a couple of weeks but are not there now. There was amazing light this morning shining through some big dark grey clouds however I was on my way to work so impossible to do anything about it.

I tried a few more portrait style photos, low down near the bottom step which showed more of the sky, but I like the landscape format as well. On my Flickr photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/8249721@N05/ you can see one with some water spraying up in the foreground. Taken with the Canon 500D & Sigma 10-20mm (plus Hitech ND 0.9).

From the archives……Luna Park Melbourne

lightoflanzarote — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:15:04 +0000

This is a photo from the archives taken in 2010 out the front of the amusement park “Luna Park” in Melbourne.

You can see the wooden rails of the Scenic railway or Big Dipper??? Can´t quite remember. Actually it has to be the scenic railway because it said the Big Dipper was demolished in 1989 (according to Wikipedia). When I was younger we only went on the scenic railway which may have been scenic but not when it was going downhill (although as a child everything goes much faster). Obviously these rides are pretty tame when compared to today´s roller coasters. On Tv a few weeks ago they showed the Ferrari ride at the Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi which reaches 240 km/h!!! Slightly faster than the Scenic railway. However the Scenic railway is apparently the longest running rollercoaster (time wise) operating since 1912. That means 100 years this year! Amazing.

Lanzarote…..another seascape.

lightoflanzarote — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:41:21 +0000

Here we have another seascape from last weekend. As I mentioned in my previous post, it was a place I hadn´t been to before to photograph but I will be sure to go again. I was lucky because the light was very good that night and I managed to stay around and wait for it. As the sunsets around 6.30 ish you don´t have to be waiting around too long unlike the summer months when it can be after 9.00pm. I actually prefer this time of year as the skies are far more dramatic and I´m alwyas on the lookout for clouds!

Anyway here´s another one from last weekend to share.

Canon 500D & Sigma 10-20mm. Hitech ND Grad 0.9

Please do not use image without permission.

A new location…..

lightoflanzarote — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:35:24 +0000

Thought that I would try out a new location last weekend and I was glad that I did as I was able to get a few interesting seascapes at sunset. Normally there has been a lot of black volcanic rock around the coastlines I go to so this time there was some bright green sea grass/weed which made for a nice foreground. Also as the sun was setting, the light was really good so combined with some big clouds I was getting some pleasing photos. I´m sure to go back again and try to take some more photos around the area. The best thing is that it´s only a 10 minute drive away. Here´s one photo from the evening.

Canon 500D & Sigma 10-20mm HiTeach ND Grad 0.9

All the fun of the fair…….

lightoflanzarote — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:26:09 +0000

The other day whilst driving to work I noticed a ferris wheel along the front of Arrecife so I managed to go down and have a look a couple of evenings ago. I waited until there were some nice clouds in the sky (it had been quite dusty the few days before that) as I thought that they would make a good backdrop behind the ferris wheel. Not sure how long it and the other rides are going to be there for but maybe I will pay it another visit. Anyway, here are a couple of photos.

Photos taken with the Sigma DP1s

The “Pirate ship” ride just started to move so I waited until it was further into the frame and “click”. Thought that it made a better composition.

Poor Light……Shoot close-ups

lightoflanzarote — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:33:39 +0000

Well the ordinary light and hazy skies continue so it was not worth going too far today so I went to a place about 10-15 minutes away to do a few close-up flower photos. As there was no harsh sunlight it was a good opportunity to take some photos and I came away with about 20 or so. This one was the last one I took and I like the fact that there is such a narrow focus on the hibiscus stamen backed by the strong red of the flower itself. Not a bad effort for a handheld shot and for once the wind around here was non-existent for most of the time.

Hopefully the weather will pick up soon but we´ll have to wait and see.

Jardin de Cactus……Lanzarote Part 2

lightoflanzarote — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:23:36 +0000

Here´s another photo, taken on the same day as my previous post. As I mentioned there were many flowers in bloom and this one had an intense orange colour that was very eye-catching. Depending on the weather situation tomorrow I may just pay a visit to the cactus garden and see what I may find. Anyway, here is the photo.

These flowers were quite small so I had to really hold my breath whilst focusing. The good thing about cacti is that they are very sturdy so even if it is windy, it is a lot easier to take a photo of the flowers than on other plants.

Jardin de Cactus………Lanzarote

lightoflanzarote — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:06:13 +0000

One great place for photographs in Lanzarote is of course El Jardin de cactus or Cactus Garden. Hopefully I will be able to get back there soon as the weather is perfect (not too bright and sunny) at the moment to spend an hour there. Every time I have gone there are usually some flowers out and with Lanzarote not being the greenest of places, the months of January to April are the time to be photographing out in the wild/hillsides/country etc and also in the Jardin de cactus. This is a photo from last April??? I think and it has reminded me to get back for a few photos.

There is actually an amazing amount of detail in some of the cactus flowers and the day I went to take these photos there were many different colours and varities in bloom.

Golden Sands…….Lanzarote Part 2

lightoflanzarote — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:23:51 +0000

I just remembered I had another “Golden sands” type photo that I took last week although the light was fading a bit fast at the time. I kept the sun out of the frame to reduce the sun being to bright in the picture but you can still notice it is there. The following night the sky was absolutely amazing but of course I didn´t realise until it was too late to get anywhere worth taking a photo. This was taken in Puerto del Carmen, a popular beachfront area in Lanzarote however there were not mnay people on the beach at this time. As I set up my mini-tripod ( I may do a little review on it sometime), rugged up with a hooded top/jacket and beanie I noticed one tourist walking down to the water with their towel going for a swim!!!!! Now that´s pretty keen. Maybe they just wanted to catch the last golden rays of sunlight just like me but in a different way:)

Golden sands……….Lanzarote

lightoflanzarote — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:15:27 +0000

It´s always good to go to different places to take new photos but of course you return to some that are familiar to you or in this case relatively closeby. What is really nice to see but sometimes hard to capture is that golden light upon the sand but this time I was able to get close. The sun was setting (of course) and as it got lower there was a golden glow on the sand. It´s not easy to get the sky blown out with its brightness but a filter can help balance things out a bit. You only get a few minutes so this was an attempt to capture that golden glow. It may not be the most picturesque place around the island or my favourite place but it´s handy to home and worth a short drive.

It´s always good to have clouds in the sky as they add more detail to the image and create a better impact than a clear, lifeless sky. Also when the light is right there are amazing colours and patterns in the sky that can be drawn out with the use of ND Grad Filters.