Morecambe Dome

This is The Dome on the prom at Morecambe. It is run by the Lancaster City Council and if you get on the website you can see the sort of events that take place there.

I saw Melanie there last year. She was a big star from the 60s. I thought she was great and I really enjoyed that evening, but The Dome was only half full. What a shame!

This photo was taken a few days ago when the weather was a bit better than it was yesterday. I was there yesterday as this venue held the count for the very first Morecambe Parish Council. You can read my thoughts on the politicsfornovices blog, but I didn't take a photo then because it was breezy and cool. It was the sort of weather where you keep moving and it doesn't make great photos even if you do stop. The best weather is no breeze. You don't want camera shake. You want it warm enough so that you can take your time, and a little sunshine to light your subject and cumulonimbus to enhance your sky.

Happy snapping

Outdoor options are better

If you look back a few days you will see some photos of Arnside. They were taken last Sunday. We had a lovely weekend and there were quite a few people at Arnside, mostly in the pub but some were on the sand in the estuary.

I am sure that anonymity remains with this photo. Even if you knew the person you would not recognise them from the photo. They were dots almost on the horizon in the full photo. Wouldn't it be much better if you knew them or if it were you. Even better if you could recognise yourself and your dog.

This is what I try to do with brides and grooms. Take their photo from a distance but have a background that is relevant to the wedding. I have a wedding on Sunday and the forecast is not so good. I do hope I can get outdoor photos but we may have indoor group photos. I have my fingers crossed for good weather. You can get great indoor photos but it is much better to have an outdoor option.

Happy snapping

Frontierland Morecambe

This photo is Fronterland in Morecambe. I used to live in East Lancashire and Frontierland is one of the places we went to for our days out. It was a mini Blackpool Pleasure Beach and was owned by the same family. It closed in 2000 and most of the site lay derlict for many years.

This is the main entrance on the prom. The main site is now taken up by Morrisons and recently other large shops opened. It took some time but now there are calls for this frontage to be improved.

As for the photograph, it is worth photographing because next year it may not be there, and also it is good to remember how Morecambe has changed. Like most family snaps, it records memories even you can't now walk through the main entrance.

Happy snapping

Morecambe's Egyptian Connections

This building is on the prom in central Morecambe. Till Christmas 2008 it was a Woolworth's shop but has been closed since then. I took the photograph today (3rd June) partly because it was a nice evening and I went for a cycle ride, and partly because I wanted to show you the art deco design of the building. The most noticeable art deco building in Morecambe is, of course, the Midland Hotel, but there are many others.

The photo on the right is a close-up to point out a possible Egyptian connection with art deco. This is not my original thought but I heard it from Peter Wade who conducts walking tours of Morecambe. I can recommend them. Can you see the triangles which are possibly pyramids. Peter also mentioned glamourous names of hotels. There is one called 'Luxor' that is near Regent Park. Like most of the small hotels, it closed many years ago.

Are there any more Egyptian connections in Morecambe?

Happy snapping

Kent Viaduct

This is the Kent viaduct as seen from Arnside. If you want to walk across the Bay then you can start from Arnside and you finish at Kents Bank. I did this walk a couple of years ago with Cedric Robinson, the Queen's Guide. As I remember it, the walk took two or three hours as we were shown the safe route across the Bay and in particular the river channels. When we arrived at the railway station we found out that trains were not stopping at Kents Bank and we had to walk a little further to Grange-over-Sands.

It took a couple of minutes to get back to Arnside by train and so we crossed the Kent viaduct. It is 522 yards long and has 50 piers and it saves you a couple of hours walking, although looking at this photo, have some of the children technically almost completed the cross-bay walk? Probably not, and I bet you can't get back that way anyway after completing the walk. I am glad that I did it but I would not do it again. The scenery barely changes in those two or three hours, and the main view of wildlife is on the coasts.

If you want to get a view of the whole viaduct then you have to look along it or use a wide-angled lens. You can't see them on this photo but I have other photos where you can see chains hanging from the piers. I have been told that this is to help people who have been caught by the bore. I actually met someone who had been taken by the bore. She showed me newspaper cuttings of the ordeal. My thoughts are that the real problem would be if you are carried towards the sea rather than upstream into the river but what do I know. I also think that if you have been carried by the bore then you wouldn't be able to stop yourself by grabbing a chain.

The other common fact associated with Arnside bore (or probably any other bore) is that it moves faster than a horse can gallop. Maybe I should have waited for that bore - see yesterday's blog.

Happy snapping

Arnside Pier

This is the pier at Arnside. There is quite a history to it and you can read the plaque if you ever visit. It's main purpose now is to allow people to sit on benches and take in the view.

I thought that the second photo was better cropped to this shape. There was nothing much below this photo and above it the sky was quite plain. One thing I did on the computer was to remove the flagpost as it did nothing for the picture. I am sure that you will not be able to see where I removed it, but you can check where it was by looking at the shadow, and I also left the lowest part in situ. I think everyone in the photo remains anonymous and I don't have the Google Earth problem of invading privacy (see previous blogs).

It was a lovely day and I did have an ice-cream but probably the best thing you can do here is watch the bore. I heard the siren which is the warning for the bore but I think it still takes 30 minutes for the bore to be seen. I didn't stop because for a really high bore I have been told you need water coming into the bay from the rivers and also the better bores are in Spring and Autumn.

Add a comment if you know more about bores.

Happy snapping

The honest colour

As promised, here is a photo of the curtain that has been manipulated on the computer. The first thing I have done is crop it. I took it to black and white and then added a little red and a little yellow, which is usually known as sepia.

It would be better to take the photo at night because then the curtain lights would be at their best. However by changing brightness and contrast you can also increase the effect of the lights.

These are simple techniques on a computer but they can really transform photos. As for honesty, have you seen the way that any decor is affected by disco lights? They take on the colour of the light. What is the honest colour of the curtain? Well it depends on the honest light.

Happy snapping