Raves & Rants . . from Penzance

The open air 'solar heated' Jubilee Pool is the jewel in the crown of Penzance promenade.  Originally built to fulfill the town's need to clear some slums and help make Penzance a bona fide seaside resort, it recently opened its doors for the 2010 season.  As the largest Lido in the country, it is marked out by the sweeping white lines of its design, and the serried ranks of changing cubicles along the terraces above the waterline. This year being the 75th anniversary of the first opening ceremony in 1935, it was celebrated with Art75, where local schoolchildren and artists turned over 90 cubicles into mini art galleries, each one with something new for the viewer to experience. With painting, animation, sculptures or film and archive installations as well as live music to choose from, there was a lot to please the crowds.  The stand out part of the show was the Synchronised swimming display from St Austell Synch...

Just been processing some pictures from recent shoots,  in this one enjoying the abstract patterns of light on the sand floor.  Then I noticed two things - the shoal of fish/sand eels she is poining at, and that someone is daring to go in the sea, without a wetsuit?  Does this mean that summer is finally here?  Nine days before 'Midsummer'. Return to Ocean-Image.com

I like a cup of tea.  I like a cup of tea and a good read.  A good read with a cup of tea and a decent biscuit for preference, since you ask.  And since the latest edition of PitPilot magazine hit the doormat just before elevenses, planning for my immediate future became rather a pleasant task. Kettle boiled, teabag slightly stewed, add the perfect amount of milk and I'm set. The article about artist / surfer/ shaper  Jonty Henshall  provided the good read, with Alex Wade's words capturing the essence of the man himself.  But what really took the biscuit was the quality of the printing of the right hand side photo in the spread below . . . . . . . I must say,  it was exceptionally well printed, I would say Mint. And crisply presented. Mint. Crisp.  Coincidentally one of my favourite biscuits.  Nice. Return to Ocean-Image.com

Surfers in crystal clear water It was a bit of a long shot really, to get a photo of a meandering basking shark at sea level from an aircraft 500ft up, doing 100 miles an hour.  So it needed a long lens, duly poked through the opened plane window, a steadying hand against the wind rush, and a firm grip on the camera body to make sure it didn't plummet onto one of the surfers below.   Turns out it's actually quite difficult to shoot a slow moving object from a fast moving one, but with the aid of some very skillful manouevering from the pilot, there were a few shots in the bag at the end of the flight.   I'll put the results up here, and on Ocean-Image.com  after certain publications have publicated over the next couple of days.  But in the meantime, I can share the one above, showing the clarity of the water down here, as some lucky longboarders share a crystal clean wave on a white sand beach. Return to Ocean-Image.com

  This weekend saw Penzance promenade buzzing to the sounds of crowds of people, helicopters and high octane motors as the inaugural P1 Superstock Powerboat Grand Prix got underway.  The two classes of 150 or 300 horsepower boats buzzed the prom at speeds up to 100mph while thousands of spectators lined the seafront in the glorious weather.  This photog went for a spin in one of the boats last week, trying to shoot the driver and navigator from the back seat, nearly losing all my gear, as well as myself,  over the back whilst airborne after hitting some cross chop from another boat. This game is not for the faint hearted. Great sea conditions, sunny weather and a bit of chop for aerial action made for some exciting racing, the two classes eventually won by Premiere Cru in the 150 HP, and Heights of Abraham in the 300HP classes. Top marks to local organisers Cornwall's Coolest and the  Zero Lounge for...

.....why we live here. Sat, as usual, at the computer screen the other day, cursing the lack of surf and an urgent assignment of bulk photo editing requiring attention, the briefest glimpse of blue outside inspired me to immediately re-prioritise and head out the cliffs with the camera.  A short walk, clear skies and fresh air, and this viewpoint quickly put a different slant on the day. Surely one of the best views in the country ? Return to Ocean-Image.com

Spotted on the side of a chapel in St Ives. Return to Ocean-Image.com