Paul Kelly's TOP Google+ Photos for Nov 7 - Nov 21

How many casings can you see?

I've been a little under the weather the last few days with a cold so have been pretty quiet but realised I hadn't submitted anything yet for this weeks #MilitaryMonday curated by +Joe Kaiser so here's the latest.

This was taken on a shooting range (where we all had a go - was great!) but I wanted to try to capture a shot with the shell casings exiting. We were shooting in 3-round bursts so I hoped to capture on casing. Once I took a look later I realised I'd captured all three rounds from a single burst!

I must have a great trigger-finger :-)

#PlusPhotoExtract

Watching the world go by...

An unusual one for #MacroMonday by +Kerry Murphy +Jennifer Eden & +Kelli Seeger Kim
Unusual because this beast was hitching a ride on the bus on my way into work one morning! Not a care in the world about his surroundings (the bus ride was on VERY bumpy roads) so I managed to take a number of shots of it, this one with the wing pretty much touching the lens of the (P&S) camera!
It sat there for about 15 minutes when I was due to get off so I decided to "free" it & let it out. Definitely the largest dragon-fly I'm ever likely to get near!

A share for #FidoFriday curated by +Wes Lum & +mel peifer
Norman is looking forward to more snow this winter :)

This weeks submission for #MilitaryMonday by +Joe Kaiser (I wonder if it also qualifies for #ActionMonday by +Adrian Buturca?) #PlusPhotoExtract

The Phalanx CIWS Gatling Gun (also known as C-RAM) taken during a test-fire one night.

These things shoot 20mm rounds at a rate of 4500/min, this being one of 7 such guns taking out IDF (Indirect Fire - morters & rockets etc.) attacks on a British military base.

This was a one-chance shot (they only tended to be fired once after which they must be re-loaded) so I worked out a slow exposure (5 seconds) in advance knowing that the area around the muzzle would end up blown out anyway.

You can never appreciate the noise these things make unless you're near one but to give you an idea a I searched out a video of a similar test-fire on Youtube which can be viewed here: C-RAM Centurion at Balad

I don't do much portraiture (although I'd like to try more - just need to find willing subject) but this shot of my other (better?) half sticks out to me as it was probably my first portrait taken after finding some great light (i.e. I found the light then got all excited wanting to shoot a portrait in it!

It's all the better as, for some strange reason she hates having her photo taken (as does our daughter generally!) so I don't exactly have many willing victims!

I'm happy to put this one forward as my submission for #PortraitTuesday curated by +Laura Balc

I don't really specialise in any particular photography genre but if there's one subject I'd LOVE to shoot more of, it's storms!

The three shots around the truck in this album were all taken during my first attempt at photographing lightning. There was an almighty storm approaching but with virtually no rain at all so it was an ideal opportunity.

I'm not really interested in random shots of lightning "floating" in an otherwise empty sky so I specifically set myself up with some "foreground interest" i.e. the truck as there was increasing activity in this area of the sky.

I was over the moon with the results and managed to catch another couple of storms in the same area (and became known locally as getting all giddy when storms rolled in!).

I'd jump at another opportunity again should it ever arise as we get little or nothing in my home area, despite hearing that the Midlands is supposed to be the "lightning centre of the UK" is actually supposed to be around here!

Oh well, will defininitely keep an eye out anyway...

Lest we forget...

Lest we forget...