Hadrian's Wall Walk

I've left kings cross and am heading north, as leave London behind me fields of rapeseed replace the city towers. It's a blue sky and fluffy cloud morning, I know the weather won't be the same on my walk but the sight of it is boosting my moral.

Hadrian's Wall - attack plan!

Monday 18th (May 2015) is the big day... Sunday I'm travelling up to Carlisle via Newcastle. I'll be staying in Carlisle and getting a bus to the start point first thing in the morning - the start point is Bowness-on-Solway. From there I'll be following the Hadrian's Wall National Trial back down through Carlisle and out again towards Walton which is approximately where I  will spend my first night.

Hadrian's Wall Challenge 2015

So another year another challenge - however this year has a particular ring to it as I will be 50 years old in March.. Yes -  you can't beat time and there is certainly no slowing it down so you have to glide along with it enjoying its ups and riding the downs.. Which is pretty much like the challenge I have set myself here..

Enterprise - Car Hire, Are you insured?

When you hire a car - you are insured.. right? Well with Enterprise you appear not to be... How do I know -  well they are taking me to court for the cost of a car which I apparently caused. So to be clearer I must give you a bit more information....

Rocky Mountain National Park - Twin sisters Hike

The Twin Sisters hike is a moderate climb up some 800m (2,600ft) - Enter the Rocky Mountain National Park and head for Lily Lake. There is a road opposite called Serenity Lane - take that and you can park at the trail-head - please see my GPS details on Strava .

Lee Valley Velo Park - Track Cycling

Lee Valley Velo Park is open.. It opened to the public at the start of April 2014.. You can enjoy road cycling, BMX and mountain biking. However, I am going to concentrate on the track.  This 250m oval track was one of the stars of the 2012 Olympics so it's great to ride around that for a start -  let alone the thrill of track cycling anyway.. Here's how you go about it.

Albert Bridge - London

Albert Bridge - London

Originally uploaded by Ray Wise
Evening all.... Tonight I went down to Chelsea - on the South side of the River Thames (close to Battersea Park).. I accessed the river at two locations to get some shots off. This one was taken near the end of the shoot looking down river a the mighty Albert Bridge.

The Millennium Footbridge - London

The Millennium Footbridge - London

Originally uploaded by Ray Wise
A calm sunrise on the River Thames with the Millennium Bridge in the frame leading towards the shard and other famous landmarks which are also reflected in the still water.

Second Place!

I'm very pleased to say I got a second place at the Thames 21 Photographic competition this year. This was a great bit of news especially as the other entrants were all of a very high standard. My entry is called Autumnal Fantasy and here it is.

The scene was shot at Kew Bridge (you can see it in the background) about 2 years ago and is one of my favourites.. So I'm really glad it's got some recognition.

China 2012

At the start of June 2012, I travelled around China for 3 weeks. Not a lot of time in such a big country. Visits had to be picked carefully and time used wisely while I was there. So the main attractions had to be covered - this meant remaining on the Eastern side moving from city to city using various forms of transportation.

Trip to Corfe Castle in Dorset, England.

Looking up at the castle from south west..

I've often seen and admired images from Dorset but one place in the county nearly always comes up first in a search; Corfe Castle. This sleepy little English village lays on the A351 halfway between Wareham and Swanage.

The Games Maker...

So as a few of you already know I'm going to be helping out at the Olympics when it comes to town this summer. I got a volunteer role as a 'Games Maker', which means I'll be helping London to deliver the best that we can offer to the world.

Light-Stream Photography

Long exposure photography can be a bit hit and miss so to speak. However, I've been capturing lightstreams for years now and have learned a few tips along the way, so I thought I might share a few with you..

Break the Myth

I've been involved in the Meningitis Trust now for a few years and I was pleased when they got in touch asking me to get creative with their latest project. The trust actually turned 25 this year - so happy birthday to them! What better way to celebrate than to smash a glass... now, we are not talking about after a drink - no. We are talking about smashing the rash myth.. I'll let the guys from the trust explain what we mean..
It is a common misconception that a meningitis rash appears in every case of meningitis. This is not true. If someone has meningitis but not septicaemia, they will not have a rash that does not fade, but they can still be seriously unwell. Never wait for a rash!

So smashing the glass here is like smashing the myth - "Remember, the glass test is not a myth! It's just not the ONLY symptom of meningitis." Don't wait or it maybe too late.



The above photo was taken at 1/800 of a second - freezing the glass as is smashed throwing the blue liquid into the air. My idea is to make the frame STOP to make your mind STOP and think about what we are saying here. Maybe take the time to read a page on the subject to help save lives and realise the danger signs.. View the Meningitis Trust page HERE

For those of you interested I've also compiled a video of me making the picture you see above.. you only get one shot - you have to make it count and that's true about the signs and symptoms on meningitis.. STOP and act now.



I'm running the London Marathon 2012 for the Trust - you can sponsor me HERE

thanks for your time x

Moving away from HDR..

HDR or High Dynamic range is using for many different things in post processing. Usually it helps with blown out skies and improve details on textures like wood.. However, when the shot is blown up and looked at closely, blotchy pixels can be seen - especially in the sky.

Competition Winner

I recently entered a photographic competition run by The Independent Hostel Guide and Berghaus. I'm very pleased to say that they have chosen my shot as their winner! Details on IHG website... http://www.independenthostelguide.com/blog/photo_competition_winner .

Here's a view of the winning shot...

Thames 21 Photo Competition 2011

It was nice to be selected as a finalist for this years Thames 21 photo competition again - sadly I did not win but I did not expect to and seeing the other entries I was not surprised - very high standard and some great original shots... Here's me with my image.

Climbing

Being scared of heights and also getting the odd spell of vertigo - climbing is not the first thing you might have thought I'd be trying out.. But that's exactly why I wanted to.
The last time I was climbing was up a tree as a kid and back then the height factor wasn't an issue. The fact is, I do a lot of walking up mountains and a bit of scrambling so I wanted to know about climbing and the ropes to become more confident.

Landscape photography for novices

"living life on the edge"

Landscape photography is a thing that at any one time in our lives, most of us will attempt. Whether its a job or just a memory for the holiday snap collection. If you are serious about it like myself, you will already know it's not as easy as it looks: early starts, patient planning and bad weather are just a few of the important things that go into the making of a good landscape shot.

Marathon des Sables: NUTRITION

Photo (C) Mark Gillett

I'm covering nutrition and drink here as both combine to give an important diet while in the desert. The MdS rules state you must have at least 2000 calories per day (7) which obviously totals 14,000 calories.. you can get stopped at any time during the race or at camp and spot checked - this means you ALWAYS have to have the minimum requirements for each day..

Having said this i'm going to cover fluids first.. you are given aprox 10-11 litres of water per day at various stages - this water is used for everything including washing, cleaning, soaking, hydrating foods, cooling and of course drinking. Because you sweat a lot you are actually given 120 salt tablets to take - thats about 18 a day and they are just swallowed whole - you can't taste the salt.. I also took with me my trusted Enduralites Powder as it is fairly taste free and mixes with water easy - I mixed one (tiny) scoop with 500ml of water at all check points.. on hot days (40+) I also took plenty of salt tabs and never suffered with cramp.

Nutrition in one tiny scoop (about a quarter of a teaspoon)

Sodium (as Sodium Chloride)	40 mg.
Chloride(as Sodium Chloride)	60 mg.
Calcium (Chelate)	50 mg
Magnesium (Chelate)	25 mg
Potassium (Chelate)	25 mg
Vitamin B-6 (Pyrodoxine HCL)	6.7 mg
Manganese (Chelate)	1.6 mg
L-Tyrosine	17 mg
Glycine	50 mg

I decided not to take any flavoured drinks as in testing i found the taste to get on my nerves after a while.. However, someone gave me one energy drink while out there and if going again I would take one for each day - but no more. A lot of people complain and wished they had not bought as many...

FOOD:
I went out to get my 2000 calories with just 2 products a day..

1) Expedition Breakfast - 2 portion (a whopping 1,300 calories)

carbohydrates	153 g
protein	30 g
fat	72 g

2) Pasta Bolognese - 2 portion (1,000 calories)
carbohydrates 150 g
protein 38 g
fat 25 g


One in the AM and one at night.. easy.. Ok so the breakfast was ok all week but as the week went on I couldn't eat the whole thing and was forced to cut it in half and lose the spare.. My stomach had obviously shrunk - however the food still tasted ok - even though I was having the same thing everyday! The pasta was perfect all week - I only lost one packet - the 7th day as when we got to the finish it was not needed.
To make either of these you just add boiling water and leave for about 6 minutes..


Snacks were important on the go also.. I took the following:

Trek Peanut & Oat energy bars (7) one for each day - each bar is 68g

Per 100g: Energy 1472kJ/352kcal, Protein 16g, Carbohydrate 49g, Fat 11g
M&M's Peanut flavour - 250 Cl per packet - and NO they didn't melt. even with temps over 50C
SIS Go Gel - Tropical flavour (4)
Cl 100 ; Carb 22g Protein 1g Sodium 10mg
ZipFit ZV7c energy gels (3)
Calories 200 , Carbs 51g per sachet!!
Super trail mix (3) 125g per packet
per 100g:
Energy 447 Cl, Protein 9g, Carbohydrate 41g, Fat 30g
all the above products went down very well apart from the ZipFit gels - they were too sticky and sweet.. very tough to digest on a hot day! I had to drink a lot of water with them - great for carbs but just too thick and sweet i'm afraid - however, that's just my opinion. Trail mix and M&M's complimented each other very well and I would change anything only have SIS gels only and maybe 2 per day or at least half as many more.

After the race I'd have two recovery products...

Peporami (7)
126 Cl Fat 11g Carbs 0.6g Protein 6.1g Sodium 40mg




Muscle & Size gainer by Precision - 1.5 scoops mixed with 350ml water
aprox 400 Cl, 65g Carb, 30g Protein



I wrapped the Precision powder in individual bags - 7 of them. Both these products were brilliant!.. The Peperami was especially good - eating when you have a dry mouth is not east but this is quite fatty and therefore easy to digest.. might think of taking more in similar circumstances..
In all my nutrition was very good - i'd change a couple of things - maybe take single portion breakfasts only OR mix my own and take that... leave out the ZipFit gels and I'm good to go.. Nutrition was never a problem for me - I believe it's a basic need to just stick to the rules of balance and the body adjusts as you go on... Salt and Water and imperative to having a good run - even more so in this climate - test your products first - know your body and stick to these rules like clockwork.

http://raywise.co.uk/