iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Gov.uk now shows the *Welsh* alert in the English section - and no English version of the alert. Great to see Welsh - and to see a Welsh-first approach. But we also need an English version for those who can’t speak Welsh.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Is there anything more Whitehall than: - sending out an emergency alert only in Welsh - while gov.uk says “there are no current alerts”? Sir Humphrey would be proud!

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

As the seasons are changing, I'm trying to build a new #Fujifilm JPEG #photography recipe to suit the gloomier light. On the left: #SOOC JPEG. On the right: edit in LrC. Which do you prefer?

This photo contains two separate frames. Straight-out-of-camera JPEG on the left, and an edited RAW image on the right.

The scene shows two wooden plate wall racks, one rack above the other. The top rack contains four plates peaking out, on the left.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Pen-y-fan, lurking beyond the dam retaining wall at Upper Neuadd Reservoir. #photography #LandscapePhotography #SOOC #Fujifilm #Wales #Powys #MostHatedLens

This photo shows the distinctive peak of Pen-y-fan (tallest mountain in the Brecon Beacons), peaking through a gap in a row of (I believe?) Scots Pine trees.

Just behind the trees, from left to right, runs the retaining wall of Upper Neuadd Reservoir.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Wondering what that valley looks like from the top of Pen-y-fan? Here you go 🙂 I took the previous shot where those two rows of trees meet, in the upper right quadrant of this photo. #Photography #LandscapePhotography #Fujifulm #Wales #Powys #BannauBrycheiniog #Neuadd #MostHatedLens

This is a photo taken from Pen-y-fan (highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons), looking south towards the drained (and totally not abandoned, honest!) Upper Neuadd Reservoir.

In the foreground, a stream has cut a channel that runs through the middle of the frame and into the distance towards the upper right quadrant of the image.

There, two rows of trees seemingly form two sides of a square. In front of the trees, cloaked in shadow, is the retaining wall of Upper Neuadd Reservoir. This reservoir was drained by the local water company some years ago now.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Guitar friends, look what arrived at a (very dusty!) Hermit’s Cave today. Tone King Imperial MK2 for the Synergy system. Only found one place stocking them for launch, so I’m delighted to have managed to buy one. Tweedy demos coming on the blog soon 🙂

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

My copy of Itchy Boots’ book just arrived 😍 That’s my weekend sorted.

This is a photo of a book cover.

The book is “Free Ride” by Noraly Schoenmaker, better known as the Itchy Boots channel on YouTube. ISBN 987 1 83598 273 0. Published in the UK by August Books.

The cover shows Noraly standing beside her motorcycle. Noraly is in full motorcycle leathers, and is holding her motorcycle helmet in her left hand.

Noraly and her bike are standing in a desert or salt flat landscape, with deep blue skies above.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

Spotted at the top of Pen-y-fan this evening.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Y’all should come to #Wales, where we’ve invented time travel 🙂

A photo of an electronic information board on a Transport for Wales train.

The board shows that this train will be calling at Llandaff at 12:06, Radyr at 12:11 and Taffs Well at 12:15.

There’s only one problem. As shown in the top-right corner, the current time is 12:33.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

One of the things I love about living in #Wales is that I never have to travel far to get out for a walk. This is a #Fujifilm #JPEG, with post-crop and exposure fix. Taken with a #KitLens at f/4.7. A great reminder that we don't always need fast primes to blur out the background :) #photography

Close-up of weathered wooden trail markers on a fence post in Wales. Two circular directional signs are mounted side by side on the wooden rail. The left marker reads "CYHOEDDUS" with "HYFFORDD" and features an orange arrow. The right marker reads "LLWYBR" (Welsh for "path") and also has an orange directional arrow. The signs are rustic with visible mounting screws and show signs of age. The background is blurred green grassland, suggesting a rural hiking trail or public footpath in the Welsh countryside.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

This very stark picture perfectly captures the feeling of chaos that I felt while exploring this #AncientWoodland recently. #photography #fujifilm #xh2 #KitLens #monochrome #BlackAndWhite #Wales

ALT TEXT: A black and white photograph of a forest path winding through tall trees. The trail is lined with exposed tree roots creating a textured, uneven surface. Dappled light filters through the canopy, casting shadows across the path. The surrounding woods are dense with tree trunks standing in formation along the trail's edge, creating a natural corridor through the forest. Small plants and undergrowth can be seen scattered along the forest floor.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

The Empty Canal There used to be a canal that flowed all the way from #MerthyrTydfil down to #SeaLockPond in #Cardiff. Its path took it through the most important industrial complex in the world. All gone. But the people remained. #photography #BlackAndWhite #fujifilm #XH2 #history #Wales

ALT text: A black and white photograph showing the historical site of the Glamorganshire Canal at Chapel Row in Merthyr Tydfil. In the foreground sits an old iron ore cart or tram on a stone platform, preserved as an industrial artifact. Behind it spans a small footbridge crossing what was once the canal. The background features traditional stone row houses with several parked cars visible. Rolling hills and trees can be seen in the distance. This location is the closest surviving area to the canal's original starting point of Canal Head.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

The Fallen Empire of Iron. This was once the largest ironworks in the whole world. Today, it's completely forgotten. A stark reminder that even world-leading success never lasts. #photography #landscape #BlackAndWhite #fujifilm #xh2 #Wales #MerthyrTydfil #Cyfarthfa

ALT text: A black and white photograph showing the ruins of Cyfarthfa Ironworks. The image features a large stone structure with an arched opening, surrounded by bare trees in the background. In the foreground is a sparse landscape with concrete remnants, including what appears to be a concrete post or plinth on the left and a rounded stone formation on the right. The scene has a stark, historical atmosphere capturing what remains of what was once the world's largest ironworks.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

Here are two #SOOC #JPEG photos taken moments apart on my #Fujifilm #X-H2. One was shot with #AdaptedGlass, and one was shot with a budget manual focus lens. Have a guess: which one was taken with the budget lens? And tell me which one you prefer, and why. #photography

The photo shows an industrial facility, perhaps an oil refinery or chemical plant, viewed from a distance. Multiple tall smokestacks and processing towers rise from a complex of industrial buildings and equipment. The tallest column appears to be a distillation tower. The facility is situated in a cleared area with some trees in the foreground and background. The scene is captured during daylight with a clear sky that has a slight haze or atmospheric effect. The industrial complex is surrounded by a rural or suburban landscape with hills visible in the background.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Had a few problems shooting my my #AdaptedLens #CanonFD 50mm lens yesterday, so I’ve picked up a cheap 50mm for #Fujifilm today. Going to take both lenses out and see whether the lens, camera or my manual focus technique is the problem!

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

New arrival, and so far I think it’s the best Honey Bee Overdrive pedal that I’ve ever tried. Will it be the tweed-tone pedal that finally dethrones my beloved Sweet Honey Overdrive? It’s certainly in with a shout. #guitars #pedals

Photo of my guitar pedalboard. There are three pedals shown: the Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrive, the One Control Honey Bee 4K Mini Custom, and the Ceriatone Centura.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

Here's a great example of what I mean. The colours on this #fujifilm #sooc #photography JPEG are perfect for this kind of shot. I cannot reproduce this look in LrC. Just can't get the blues to match. I wouldn't have this image if I hadn't started shooting JPEG.

The masts of unseen sailing yachts ripple on the marina waters.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

I've been shooting #sooc for my #fujifilm #photography for the last couple of weeks. Thought it would be interesting to compare a #jpeg with an edited RAW file. Not meant to be a fair comparison, or apples-to-apples. More that I'm interested in seeing if I want to change my JPEG settings.

Street art, showing the twin towers of Penarth Pier inside a (cartoon?) eye. The eye's pupil is yellow (for sky) and blue (for the Bristol Channel), surrounded by a black iris. The eye is painted on a vivid purple backdrop.

This photo is straight-out-of-camera, from a Fujifilm #XH2.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

One of my biggest regrets as a photographer is that I never photographers inside the Coal Exchange. Many years ago, previous owners did invite me, but alas I never saw their message at the time.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

One of the reasons I love living in #Wales is that I’m never far from the mountains (to escape airsick lowlanders) and Kristi is never far from the sea (to keep her gills wet). #photography #fujifilm #sooc #AdaptedGlass #CanonFD #jpeg #penarth #cardiff

A moody photo looking down on Penarth Pier stretching out into the Bristol Channel.

The pier is mostly in silhouette, as is the coastline stretching off into the distance behind it.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Another #SOOC #JPEG from yesterday’s #photography. I really like the look that I’m getting from this vintage #CanonFD 50mm f/1.8 lens on my #fujifilm #xh2.

An interplay of zig-zag shadows cast onto yellow steps.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

I’m trying something different today. Let me know what you think 🙂 #photography #fujifilm #xh2 #sooc #jpeg #canonfd #50mm #wales #stfagans

A photograph of a life preserver ring, up close.

We catch a glimpse of the wooden post that it is mounted to, along with a rope that is hanging from the post too.

Beyond, out of focus, there are speckled highlights of sunlight reflecting off of a body of water.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

Almost 10 years of work to produce this. Another week or two of polishing, and I'll finally be ready to actually release it 🙂

A mosaic of coloured tiles on a web page, roughly organised through the hues of your typical colour wheel.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

Playing about with lighting my guitar pedals: old vs new approach. I think the new lighting really adds a distinctive look to my #photography. WDYT?

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

Look what just landed on my pedalboard for Christmas 😍 It's so good, I accidentally left my coffee to go cold 😱 Merry Christmas everyone!

The Dane mk2 guitar pedal, from Thorpy FX. A brushed black gunmetal top, with purple accent sides and five white control knobs.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

After 5 years, I’ve decided to revamp the wall that clients see when I’m on calls, and when I do remote tech talks. Should look really nice once my nice lights and nice camera are back in the room 🙂 (This is just from the crappy iPhone selfie camera)

Selfie shot of Stuart Herbert against a vertical wooden slat wall.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

This is my own edit of the same photo. Which do you prefer?

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

We have some wonderful #PublicArt here in #Wales, if you know where to look for it! SOOC JPEG on the #Fujifilm #XH2 with the #BrightinStar 35mm lens. #photography #bees #sculpture #Cwmcarn #ForestDrive

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

#MyFlickr2024 stats have just dropped. In 2024, my #Flickr account had just 84 views for the whole year 😱 There was a time when I reliably got 1,000 views *a day*, every day. (That was in the pre-Yahoo! days.) #photography

Screenshot showing "84 views received" on Flickr in 2024.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

For some reason that I'll never understand, this photo of (what I think is) an abandoned house on the Isle of Lewis is my most popular Flickr landscape photo taken in Scotland. It has nearly 5 times as many views as my Machrie Moor shot, and ranks #4 out of all my photos over on Flickr.

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Stuart Herbert @stuherbert.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

This photo celebrated its 20th birthday earlier this year. I've been back to Machrie Moor since (with far more capable camera gear), but never come close to capturing Arran quite like this. #Photography #StandingStones #landscape #scotland #nikon

A photo of standing stones on Machrie Moor, Isle of Arran, with the peak of Goatfell Mountain in the distance. Goatfell is largely in shadow, thanks to an angry cloud obscuring an otherwise deep blue sky.

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