Cowside

This is really a candid sheep portrait!

First, many thanks for all the support for the last couple of images from Market Square, especially my first street portrait yesterday. I'm clearly not the only one who feels a little uncomfortable asking random people if I can take their picture. I'm sure I will look back on this journal entry next year and wonder who this person was who found that such a big deal. I may not recognise myself. Indeed, I'm finding it hard to recognise myself on a day-to-day basis at the moment!

It has occurred to me that new subscribers possibly think of me as first and foremost a street photographer - which is really rather funny. I've posted this shot today, a trademark image if ever there was one, to remind people that this is where I'm still most at home, in the landscape, far away from people, with just a lone sheep for company. The truth is though that I simply love taking photographs. I don't want to be pigeon-holed in any way at all.

It was brilliantly sunny when I left Ilkley on the bike late morning and also sunny when I arrived back in the afternoon. In between, riding out to Arncliffe and over to Malham and back via Winterburn and Embsay, I spent the best part of those 54 miles under cloud! Mind you, I think this shot is probably better for the brooding skies so I'm not going to complain. I'm not exactly flowing on the bike at the moment but I've got some good miles in today.

My usual companion on the bike, the trusty Panasonic Lumix TZ20 has had to be sent away for a sensor clean. I couldn't be without a compact so I did my research and invested in the Sony RX-100, mainly because of its potential for street photography. The images I've so far pulled off this little marvel of technology have been of astonishing quality. I think we're going to become very good friends!