With these two images I added a simple lens flare, and added some glow to the engine drives. They're not bad, but they're not as dynamic as I had envisaged. This technique would work if I could get out into the countryside and get some decent images of the Milky Way, but there isn't enough in the sky for my liking as they are.

With this in mind I decided to scour the web for tutorials on making spacescapes, including starfields and nebulae. I have seen some stunning spacescapes on sites such as Deviantart, and thought that they would make a much more dramatic backdrop for the Enterprise. After staying up until 3.30am (did I get a shock when I realised the time!) looking at various tutorials for this and that I went to bed with plans of experimenting the next day.

The next day I had a play about and tried out a few tutorials. I was getting frustrated as it seems that most of the starfield tutorials are aimed at much smaller pieces, whereas I wanted to keep the 18MP size that I get direct from my camera, in order to give me a decent printable size. After a while of experimenting with variations on tutorials (and even creating some brand new brushes specifically for creating different stars) I came up with a starfield that I was relatively happy with as a base for my spacescape. I then set about experimenting with different brushes, with different settings (altering the scatter, angle, spacing etc.) and combining the results with some Gaussian blurring and sharpening to create some nice nebulae effects. These nebulae were added as different layers, and then the blending options were altered to give different appearances, as well as using various tools such as gradient maps.

Once I had a scape I was happy with I then added the Enterprise and did a bit of blending to try and make it appear a little more integral to the scene, rather than just slapped on top of it.

This is my first ever spacescape and I must say I'm quite pleased with the outcome. I will be having a bit more of a play with this style of graphic art, trying to incorporate more complex subjects such as planets and moons.

On a better note I have had one of my self portrait images published in IMB. Follow the link and head to page 133. There are some nice images in this issue.
http://www.imbikemag.com/issue16/ 

FOR SALE
Prolimit Maverick Steamer 6/5 wetsuit Size Eur48 UK S (fits me beautifully and I'm a normal UK M)
Prolimit C3 Boots Size EUR42 UK 8
Prolimit Chill Vest Hooded EUR48 UK S
Prolimit Q-Glove X Stretch

Wetsuit and boots have been worn ONCE. All other items have NEVER been worn.

RRP approx £450
Looking for £250 

FOR SALE
Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
In immaculate condition. Has had a filter attached from new, which will be included in the sale.
Comes with protective carry case, front and rear lens caps and lens hood. I do not have the original box, but I don't see that as a negative.
RRP is £1940, although they are around £1250 new at the moment.
Looking for £900.

Click here to see the Canon website page for this lens.
http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/EF_Lenses/Telephoto_Zoom/EF_100-400mm_f4.5-5.6L_IS_USM/ 

In the evening we went to Christchurch Harbour to catch the sunset, although we got there a bit late and only managed a few shots before the sun sunk below the horizon. I tried a few different things for this sunset and came away with this image.

The day after I went down to Watchmoor Wood in Verwood. There is a skills area in Watchmoor Wood, which includes some North Shore sections and a pump track. The lighting was good and I ended up with some shots that I am very pleased with. I shall definitely be revisiting this location for some different shots. 

To see all of the images from the two days riding please go to the shoots' album.

Next up was a shoot for my sister of my niece. Little Lilly was actually very cooperative and we ended up with some lovely images of her, which look even better printed out and framed (I will not post the images here as my sister does not wish to have images of her daugh

So that's what I've been up to over the Christmas period. I hope you all had a good Christmas and that 2012 brings you all that you hope for.

I have a slackline photo shoot planned for tonight, and I'm hoping that should yield some good images, I will keep you posted.

Last but not least, I have finished putting together a slide show of my favourite Sport shots from 2011.
Head over to the Video page to view it. If you want to see it in HD (which I wholeheartedly recommend) then click the link below the video to go to my Vimeo account where you can watch the show in HD.

Until next time.......

I have also just accepted a commission for Friday 9th December to photograph a pair of whippets. I am very much looking forward to this shoot and just hope I can do these magnificent dogs justice. Images should be up shortly after the shoot.

The location that I chose to shoot at looked quite good when I first got there, so whilst I set up my gear I took the opportunity to get a couple of shots at full resolution (the images shot for RandR are shot lower than full).

This evening I drove down to Mudeford Quay and spent an hour or so down there with Danni. Played a bit on the longboard, and also took the opportunity to shoot the fantastic sunset we had this evening.

Well I finally got the chance to try out my Prolimit wetsuit, and it works lovely. British winter (although still not really that cold) and I was in the water for about an hour and didn't feel cold in the slightest.
No really good shots to speak of. We went late, hoping for some nice late light, and got cloud instead. That's the way these things go I guess. We'll hopefully be back out a week on Sunday for a reshoot, fingers crossed for some nice early side lighting.

Here's a quick edit Matt Hardy put together from the shoreline.
To see more of Matt's work visit his website.