Period Petrol Pump
In the village of Braithwaite lies a group of properties owned and run by Holiday Property Bond (HPB). This restored petrol pump lies in the heart of these propertries, and anyone who has visited or toured though the village will recognise it immediately. Braithwaite itself is in the heart of the Lake District, being only a few miles from Keswick and Derwentwater to the south, and close to Bassenthwaite Lake National Nature Reserve to the north. You may have already looked at the Monochrome page, where I have added the Sepia version of The Orient Express train and carriage, which is used as a restaurant and is located just opposite Bassenthwaite water. Also, I have added pictures of Buttermere on another page. Buttermere is just a short drive from Braithwaite, and has a very relaxing walk around it's perimeter.
You will notice that this picture is several years old, having been taken with my first Olympus camera, the E-PL5. Although the range of Olympus cameras is fitted with an excellent Stabilising system, which allows for good hand-held shots, I used a High resolution technique for this picture, which required the use of a sturdy tripod. My original thought was to enlarge this image to a high resolution standard, and have it printed on canvas to hang on my stairwell at home. Sadly, I still haven't got around to this yet, but it is still on my To-Do List!
The pump is one of the original styles which were used before the advent of electric powered pumps. Note the crank handles which were used to deliver the fuel. Obviously, this doesn't work any more, but is still a nice reminder of an era from our history. Sometimes these bigone eras are pleasant to mull over as we walk through the scenic countryside around Cumbria.
Olympus E-PL5 ~ f5.4 ~ 1/30th ~ ISO500 ~ 38mm
Buttermere Lake
Yet another beautiful landscape picture from the shores of Buttermere in Cumbria. This image was crying out to be taken, with the camera nearly on the ground, looking up to the heathered face of the mountain, and the stream & waterfall running down the valley, which stand out against the backdrop. With such a large Field Of Focus from the shoreline to the horizon, it was important to use f11, but also, the sky was so bright that the shutter speed was taken down to only 1/20th second to get the right exposure.
Olympus PEN PL-5 ~ f11 - 1/20th - ISO200 - 17mm ~ +0.3Exp
Braithwaite Sunset
Just opposite the HPB reception building stands the village primary school, which was an old chapel & is still a Church Of England School and nursery, ensuring younger children are brought up understanding the importance of religion. The silhouettes of the Bell Tower, Weather Vein & Cross stand out against the stunning sky. This picture was also captured with my PEN E-PL5, which is still an exceptional camera after all the years it has been in use. Many of the camera settings are standard, being f5.1, ISO-200 & 1/60th second exposure time. One of the many things I love about Olympus Cameras is that the colours seen here are the colours which were captured. Very little Post Editing is required.
Olympus PEN PL-5 ~ f5.1 ~ 1/60th ~ ISO200 ~ 34mm
Woodland Bear
On one of my walks through the winding roads around Braithwaite, there are many fields, with many types of Flora & Fauna. Sheep and Pheasants became so frequent that they bagan to look normal. However, I came across this wooden carved and painted statue of a bear, which just stood out in all the greenery. Apart from a little Cropping & Velvia, this is how the Bear looked amonst the brush-land.
Notice the fairly long exposure of 1/6th second, which made up for the ISO64. I used Spot Metering for this to get the colours and exposure correct in the shade of the woodland.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 mkiii ~ f4.5 ~ 1/6th ~ ISO64 ~ 23mm ~ Spot Metering
Jasper's Coffee Shop
In the heart of the village of Braithwaite lies a lovely little coffee shop known as Jasper's. They sell, amongst other things, Coffee, Tea, Snacks & Meals. A lot of their products are home made & delicious. They are in a prime location to catch the locals, visitors & many passing walkers on their way up the mountains, or grabbing a treat on their way back. The staff are lovely and very friendly, making this one of the hubs of the village. The heathered mountains in the background give this a perfect frame. I admit that I had to edit this image quite a lot because of the bright sky & overcast foreground, but I still managed to get the slight sunset in the sky.
Olympus PEN PL-5 ~ f4.6~ 1/60th ~ ISO250 ~ 27mm
The Alhambra Cinema, Keswick
On the sloped streets in Keswick stands a beautiful red brick building which houses the town's Cinema. It is slightly tucked away from the main part of the town, but is well worth a visit. As a brick layer, I have always appreciated the beauty in bricks & their patterns & features. This building boasts some amazing architectural features, which are to be admired.
There's nothing unusual about the camera settings, but I did lift the ISO slightly to enhance some of the dark areas.
Olympus E-PL5 ~ f3.5 ~ 1/60th ~ ISO320 ~ 14mm
