We are four photographers who got together during lockdown. We enjoyed chatting about photography over zoom and decided that we would love to share our experiences with other photographers out there. As friends we share a passion for taking pictures and as it happens we all photograph a diverse and varied set of subjects. Who are we? There is Martin Kelly our host, who does all the bits and pieces to get our zoom chats up on YouTube etc. Neil Dodd who is based in Switzerland and loves photographing sport especially Swiss Rugby. Ian Lewis who is fortunate to live in Cornwall and takes stunning pictures of the countryside in this beautiful part of the world. Then there is me, Damien Walmsley, who photographs the Birmingham cityscapes and the Warwickshire countryside (plus anything else).
Our Flash, Bang, Wallop Podcast is a monthly show and we cover news, gear and everything photography related including interviewing guests.
The close is a small village of houses within Norwich Cathedral walls. The area is also home to Norwich School and during the day there is an influx of tourists who visit both the Cathedral and the Close. My school friend, Tim, lives in one of the Cottages in the Close. It was a good to catch up with Tim who I had only seen once since we both left school and went our separate ways over 40 years ago. As I wished to see the Time Horizon installation at Houghton Hall, a stop over at Norwich looked a good idea.
Three TimA typical tourist shot of the Ethelbert Gate leading to the Close.So good to see the sun shinning.A picturesque view of part of the CloseAn afternoon view of the Cathedral.Night viewNearly time for the gates to closePeople still around in the warm evening.
I arrived on a glorious sunny afternoon and the Close was busy with people. In the evening the doors are shut at 10.30pm and at around 9pm the area is relatively quiet. The next day, I got up early and wandered around the close. The sun was also rising in the sky and again there were several good photographs amongst the light and the shadows. I also met Tony was sitting quietly against one of the walls with his lenses pointed up to the spire of the Cathedral. There are two nesting peregrine falcons and the City news is wrapped up with their well-being. Last year there were no chicks and this year only one has survived. The picture shows Tony taking his picture and if you look very closely you can see the young peregrine bird on the masonry. I did not have my long lens so this is a digital zoom.
Early Morning people The gates are open. A view of the cathedral through the Erpingham GateTony photographing the peregrine falcons.Into the cloisters.The sun is risingBlack and white view of the cloistersA leading line from the Labyrinth in the centre of the cloisters.Inside the Cathedral
The cloisters were impressive and I learnt that some of the Harry Potter movies were filmed in the cloisters. Also I realised that I missed several opportune views of the cloisters as I read up about Norwich Cathedral after my visit. Furthermore, I did not get the chance to explore other parts of Norwich so another visit beckons.
On a photographic note, I am finding my Fujifilm x100vi is working well now that I have set it up with a back focus button. The IBIS makes the night photography straightforward although I do have to remove the noise in Lightroom for several pictures. I have also purchased a “shimmer” for the lens and this adds an attractive effect when shooting into the sun.
Looking back into my archives and I find that I photographed Cologne back in 2019. As this is another Cathedral City, it is interesting to compare my blog postings over the years.
Art will challenge you, ask questions and generates new ideas in how you think. As you navigate through life, art allows you to stop, think and take in your surroundings. By asking questions, artwork provokes you to provide an answer to what you see before you. However, there are no right or wrong answers and you must be content with your own interpretation of what you see. Opening yourself up to the art before you, leads to increased creativity. In my photography, such opportunities lead to different inventive approaches to composing my pictures.
A cast iron sculpture with Houghton Hall in the background.Statues in the ground in sync with the datum statue inside the Hall
Antony Gormley is an artist whose work will challenge you and ask such questions. His metallic sculptures are modelled on his own human form and have been installed in several locations. The Angel of the North near Newcastle and the statues from “Another Place” on Crosby beach are probably his most recognisable installations. The statue that I encounter when visiting Birmingham is Iron:man in Victoria Square. The backwards and slightly tilted to the side cast iron figure watches over people who pass by on their way through the Square. I have photographed iron:man throughout the years. Another work that I often visit in London is “reflection” near to Euston Station. In 2015, one of his statues was placed at the locks opposite the Lengthman’s Cottage, Lowsonford, Warwickshire. This was on the occasion to celebrate 50 years of the Landmark Trust. I do enjoy his artwork so when I learned that the art installation Time Horizon was coming to Houghton Hall in Norfolk then I knew I had to visit.
Many of the statues were placed in the adjacent parkland.Under the trees
Fortunately I have an old school friend who lives in Norwich and I availed myself on his hospitality as a base to visiting Norfolk. Photographing Norwich is in a separate blog and shows the picturesque area around the Cathedral. Either day or night the place has much to see and photograph.
Statue with shadow
Arriving at Houghton Hall, I found that there was a queue to enter the property. In my nativity, I had wrongly assumed that not many people would be there. As I waited around 20 mins to enter the carpark I now knew how popular this exhibit was. Several of the statues were visible around the entrance and this only served to increase my anticipation about the visit. The car park attendant told me that I had brought the weather with me and advised that I went to see the walled garden first before embarking on the rest of the sights. This was good advice as the flower displays and the setting of the walled gardens was thrilling to behold. There were two of Antony Gormley’s statues in the walled garden set on pedestals overlooking everyone.
Statue on a pedestal The walled garden.Bench with a sculptureThe walled gardenThree ladies in red hats.
There are several areas of Houghton Hall to access and you are guided initially from the walled garden through the Stables to the Hall. It is here that you start to encounter more of the cast iron figures many of whom are set into the ground. Their presence is at first interesting and then as you encounter more of the cast iron figures, you begin to ask more questions about how the statues are set up. Some are facing the Hall, whilst others have their back to the buildings. Why are some figures buried to the neck whilst others are more exposed. This last question is answered by the lay of the land as each figure is at the same level with the datum statue. Within the house there is one solitary figure which is buried to the hips. This statue is the datum which is used to create a single horizontal plane across the landscape. I found this difficult to comprehend as I took so many pictures of the statues and tried to understand the horizontal level across all 100 sculptures. On my wanderings around the grounds, one person stopped me and asked why are the figures facing different ways. He was perplexed by this feature of the installation. I also noticed that people were fascinated with the details of the body and pictures of either the appendages or the buttocks were very popular with the visitors. I took several pictures of the front and behind of the statues to work out what was the fascination. See if you can guess why.
Deconstructed sculpture
I walked many steps and took in as many of the sculptures that I could find. Photographing them was fun as I attempted to capture them in their surroundings and bring the natural environment where they are placed into play. Interactions with people was high on my list of photographs to take. This was a form of street photography where you could juxtaposition people with the surroundings. The beautiful surroundings brought out the best in the installation and I enjoyed the contrasts between the carefully manicured lawns of the estate to the woodlands where the sculptures were in a natural woodland setting.
Head above groundCentral to the horizonBlack and whiteIn the woodsLooking down at the datum point statue.Details and markings from visiting birds.The Hall and Gardens covers 300 acres.JuxtapositionTaking a break
There were many other installations present and I particularly liked the Waterflame by Jeppe Hein in the walled garden and the Axis of the World by Claudio Parmiggiani. However there were countless others that are set into pleasing surroundings around the Hall and Gardens.
water flameFlaming waterViewing the Axis of the World
Soon I became saturated with what I had seen and the urge to take any more photographs disappeared. There was a long drive home but I was pleased that I had seen the “Time Horizon” and looked forward to processing all my photographs. I hope you like my selection.
I was fortunate to visit Brighton as part of a conference. My hotel was on the seafront and in between sessions, I was able to head out with my camera and take pictures. The promenade is great for pictures, as with care and respect, it is possible to get some interesting street photos. The Lanes is also a good place for street photography. They are narrow and patches of light are everywhere. Once again people are accepting of what seems to be tourists taking pictures. However one person did show their displeasure at my camera being pointed in their direction whilst another passerby complimented me on my Fujifilm. As I mentioned earlier, take care and try not to harass people. Here are a few pictures taken on the streets suing my stay in Brighton. I did not hear any sounds such as a Brian May Queen guitar solo whilst I was photographing!
Pale body on the beach.At the pierWhich way now?Brighton CafeBrighton rescueBeach funFun on the beach is overUnderneath the 360Watch out for the cyclistsEntrance to Car Park has classical music on loudspeaker.Sights on the streetsWelcome to the LanesWindow shopping in the LanesWalkingEatingOpen window restaurantLate night gourmet foodRise and Shine
Enjoy this blog? Then you might like to see Edinburgh Street Photography.
With the long summer nights upon us, the IgersbirminghamUK team came up with the idea for a photowalk that started at St Paul’s Square and finished at St Philip’s Cathedral. Along the way we could photograph interesting views of Birmingham. The walk went down Ludgate Hill, over the Pedestrian Bridge towards Church Street finally arriving at St Philip’s Square affectionately known by locals as Pigeon Park. The call went out a week before on social media and on the evening a group of photographers assembled outside St Paul’s Church. A list of some interesting places and buildings had already been circulated on our social media channels. Many of these suggestions were taken up by our band of photographers. I usually have my iPhone and my Fujifilm x100vi on any city walk. I just find these two cameras so useful to tell the story of the streets as they are easy to carry and use. They also take good pictures.
Canal CyclistCycle reflectionUnderneathPhotographersSelfiePeaky BlindersSt Paul’s ChurchTowpathon the bridgeThe big wheel
. The walk started with lovely warm sunshine and St Paul’s Square looked good in the evening light. As we moved down Ludgate Hill towards the Birmingham Canal, the sky clouded over but it did not stop us taking pictures of our favourite Brummie locations.
Steps on the canal
The canal passes underneath the BT tower. There is graffiti and concrete posts yet the canal locks blend in well with the surroundings. Further along, the pedestrian bridge is always a favourite photography location. The light was dimming so it was possible to practice a few long exposures of the traffic passing underneath.
Towards the tunnelTowards Snow Hill.
. As we approached St Philip’s Square along Church Street, we could see the recently installed Big Wheel lit up against the late evening light. Then came the rain. Just as we reached the square, the heavens opened and we got very wet. Some of us were fortunate as we had brough a water proof coat or umbrella. Others were less lucky. We first thought that this was going to be a miserable end to a good evening of photography. After the initial heavy downpour, we saw that the rain had created reflections on the surrounding pavements. The Big Wheel was lit up in different colours, and the resulting images with the reflections gave a range of interesting effects. Also people were walking past with umbrellas casting their shadows in the puddles. The picture opportunities were unending. After a while no one minded the rain or the fact that they were soaked through.
Part of the ramp from the bridge. Not the best part of Brum.
Those of us that were left behind after braving the rain finished our walk at the Wolf pub on Constitution hill. During our well deserved refreshments, the IgersbirminghamUK team planned our next adventure.
This are my own pictures from the @IgersbirminghamUK walk. If you want to see the pictures of all the other talented photographers that took part then follow the link #igbUK_meet_sq2park
The walk back from the Wolf pub to Snow Hill station was short but interesting and here is a set of five pictures showing how the light and reflections after the rain can create a wonderful range of colours.
Looking across the street at Old Snow HillWarm lights on Water StreetUnder the archLights and reflections on Lionel StreetPuddles at Snow Hill Station
If you have got down to here then there are other IgersbirminghamUK meetings to read about on my blog. Enjoy reading about our activities. The team at IgersbirminghamUK look forward to seeing you at one of their future meetings.
The appearances of poppies near to where I live is becoming unpredictable. Typically, poppies flower around the beginning of June. However, poppy fields are more difficult to find as farmers are changing their farming practices to be more competitive. The once large poppy fields around Worcestershire are undergoing a slow transformation into Heathland under the supervision of the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. This makes finding the location of a flowering poppy field challenging, but with the help of friends and careful monitoring of social media, a few fields were reported near to Kinver Edge in South Staffordshire. The next challenge was the weather and to find a time when there would be a good sunrise or sunset. I prefer sunrises in the countryside especially for poppies. The light is clearer and cool but the biggest advantage is the lack of other photographers and people. If a field is popular then spectators and photographers will flock to the area. Morning is preferable.
There was a mist over the fields before sunrise.The beautiful colours of a poppy fieldThe white and red mix of wildflowers
Setting the alarm clock for 3am, I made the 45min drive to Kinver in South Staffordshire. There was some delightful early morning mist and I quickly stopped in a nearby village for some pictures of the misty landscapes. Arriving at the field, I met Simon Lea, an old friend, who takes some beautiful woodland and landscape pictures. We quickly caught up on news and then looked to our photography as the sun was ready to make an appearance. The field was south facing with a gentle slope towards where we were standing. The land is near to Kinver Edge and so there is an undulating landscape. I had been advised to take my 400mm zoom lens and I am glad that I did. The owner of the field had fenced the surrounding perimeter with barbed wire and did not wish any trespassers on their land.
The view of the poppy field landscape
The field was nearing its peak and the poppies were set back and interspersed with a mix of white feverfew and purple vetch. Just before sunrise, the light was cool and the poppies took on a dreamy feel in the mist. I took several pictures at this time. Once the sun had risen the light became intense.
Poppies in the sunlightThe heat glare of the sun burns off the mist
Most of my pictures were taken with my Canon 5D MKIV with a circular polariser. I also had my x100vi with me which I used for a sunrise picture and hoped for the best. The picture taken with the Fujifilm was good and is the front cover of the blog. As the sun became brighter, I walked, with my tripod and camera, further up the road where there were several pictures still to be taken. There was one of three poppies against the barbed fence that provided symbolism of previous wars. The sun catching the petals of the many poppies provided some further pictures.
Poppies behind a barbed wire fence.An abundance of poppies
Then it was time to go. The mist in the distance was still lingering and I found a place near to Kinver to take more landscape pictures. My Waze satnav took me back over a sleepy backwater of the canals along Windsor Holloway. Then it was back through Churchill onto the main roads and home for breakfast at 7.30am. On such summer mornings, one is left with the feeling that you have experienced two days. The first a magical sunrise and then a day where I return to my normal life.
A view of the Staffordshire canal Mist over the Staffordshire countryside
I have included a link to last year’s field in Bewdley which sadly is not there this year.
On the Regent’s Canal, sitting outside having lunch at the Ragged museum and life is good. The sun is shining and sitting back watching people rowing on the Regent’s canal. This spot in Stepney is a favourite place of mine for photographs. On the bridge with its spikey railings, one has a wonderful view of Canary Wharf. The juxtaposition of old versus new is quite dramatic. Before sitting down for lunch with Peter who was accompanying me on this recent photographic walk, I took a picture down towards Canary Wharf and posted it on BBC Weather watchers. The picture was featured on the lunchtime news and by then I knew then it was going to be a good day.
On BBC London Lunchtime NewsUnder the bridgeBoats alongside the canalOver and under the bridge
Limehouse Basin is always active and with the DLR trains passing overhead and the buses and traffic nearby. the place is buzzing. We walked around the basin taking pictures of the sights. At one point as Peter was talking, I managed to get his attention and we looked down towards the lock gates. There was a heron patiently waiting for their catch of the day. The spot has water rushing in from the basin and this was the place to fish. Herons are beautiful creatures but lethal predators and several fish were caught whilst we were watching the bird. The Limehouse basin has everything you wish for in photography. There are reflections, symmetry and colours around the canal basin and we lingered in the area for a time.
Boats and trains in Limehouse BasinReflections… and more selectionsA heron just waiting for the moment.
The basin links with the Thames and the path through the town houses leads to the Canary Wharf estate. The tide was out and the river bank was accessible so I went down to the water’s edge and then looked back. There was a great view of the tall skyscrapers reaching for the sky overlooking the Thames. These high rise buildings reminded me of New Age sentinels that are keeping watch on everyone.
The skyscrapers of Canary WharfPeople living amongst the giants.Canary Wharf stationRed in-between the carriages.
The private owners of Canary Wharf have put much effort in promoting artwork around the site. This is much better than having to look upwards as there is an awful lot of skyscrapers. Whilst some of the architecture did look interesting, there is an overwhelming feeling that the steel and glass is very repetitious. One of the high points was the “captivated by colour” tunnel designed by Camille Walala which proved to be a great place to take pictures of people. I stood centrally and lifted by camera up to get some good views of the tunnel. A group of lads came through and had a great time acting up for the camera.
Colourful circlesTime waits for no-oneA story in the tunnel
Walking through the estate there were several reflections of the buildings in the water that provided good pictures. I did look up at the occasional skyscraper did catch my attention as seen by my pictures. Our final destination was a favourite pub of mine, the Gun. The pub is on the banks of the Thames overlooking the O2 arena. There is a lot of history attached to this Grade II building not least that Horatio Nelson secretly met his lover Lady Emma Hamilton when he was in London. We sat down in the outside Gin area and compared notes on our pictures. The view over the O2 arena has changed since I last visited with ugly blocks of flats suddenly appearing and obscuring the view. A long day walking and taking photographs and yet another chapter to my London Times. Finally a picture of Alfie and Bill who were sitting next to us and asked us for a picture of the two of them. Whilst I had a train to catch, Peter stayed on for the golden hour which is always good with the light catching the glass and water.
MotorbikingWater and skyscraper reflectionsThe oppressive nature of all the building taking place in Canary Wharf.Legs and reflectionsThe Gun The O2 back in 2012The view from the Gin Garden of the Gun in 2024Alfie and Bill taken at the Gun.Under the flight path
Hope you enjoyed this blog and there are more “London Times” Blog entries and you can start with the one below.
Leamington Spa has streets of white tall elegant buildings. All are fine examples of Regency architecture. Away from the Regency style avenues, buildings in the old town have become canvases for stunning street art several courtesy of the Brink Leamington Mural festival. The train station is a good starting point for exploring the streets of Leamington being close to the old town and the Grand Union canal. On the corner of Crown Terrace and the High Street, a mural advertising the Brink contemporary arts community is displayed. The cartoon character, Gru supervillain turned secret agent, greets you as your first introduction to the artwork that follows. Street art is always fun to photograph but ensuring the artist is always credited can be a challenge. Therefore if I have missed anyone out, I apologise and refer you onto the Brink Contemporary Arts links including a map of the art work and their Instagram page.
Future Synth by Void OneRoyal Leamington Spa by MIG 29Phone Home
The street mural next to the rail arches on Clement street is an attention grabber and at the other end near the canal is the Leamington Spa mural. We identified the Micro Pug, a small pub next to the canal, as a good place to visit and started a circular walk back to the pub. Part of our route would take in the Lady of Shrubland Street. This mural reflects the Victorian architecture of nearby Shrubland Street Primary School and was created by Tim Robottam. I have used filters for the colours and a Flickr friend to pose for the picture. The old part of Leamington has streets with character and this mural enhances the look of the area . Near to the mural stands the Green Man pub where the Lenny Henry TV series “Three Little Birds” was filmed.
The lady of Shrubland StreetCaptivating mural.Muscles of LeamArt and directionsFlowers on the canalUnder the London Line
The circular route back to pub took in the murals around the disused factory area which may be approached via Eagle Recreational Park. The murals line up alongside the Grand Union Canal and the path leads to steps and a footbridge taking you over the canal. As you go up the steps a glance to left reveals the stunning art by the artist N4t4. The canal was busy and a narrowboat passing by the graffiti strewn factory was an added bonus. We headed back to the Micro Pug for a drink and to plan the later part of the day.
Canal Boat passing by.Figure and face.
We took a general walk through the Regency half of the town. Jephson gardens was looking good in the sun with people enjoying the fine weather. The usual “honey spot” pictures of Jephson Gardens, the Parade and Clarendon Square were taken before finally it was time to go home.
Enjoying the water fountainsMind your HeadBridge over the River LeamThe architecture of the Royal PriorsBusy roads in Leamington SpaPhone boxesThe beauty of Clarendon Square
I have completed another chapter in my photographic blogs which feature Leamington Spa. My last blog picks up many of the other murals that are present in the town. Finally why the moniker Silicon Spa? The town has exploded in the digital world and is a hub for computer game developers and other computer software programs. The streets maybe lined with code but the artistic community is keeping up by painting the walls with colours.
Finally the “we” and “my Flickr Friend” is JohnBrum69 who kindly guided me around the streets of Leamington.
So I have been to Iceland but did not see the Aurora Borealis as it was too cloudy. I did fly from Portland, Oregon to Reykjavík and saw the lights somewhere over the Northern Territories and Greenland. My next Aurora Borealis experience was a recreated one in Birmingham City Centre. This event was really cool even though it was man made.
Rays of light from above (iPhone)
The chances of seeing a full blown Northern Lights show anywhere outside of Iceland or Norway were going to be low. Friday 10th May and the Aurora watch said chances were high but I was out for dinner and I was thinking of an early Saturday start to photograph the end of the bluebells season.
Beam me up Scotty (iPhone)
When we got back home, I went out in the garden and looked North as the BBC news channel instructions stated. Sandy said I had North wrong and I should look more to my right. I stayed out past 11.30pm and took a few pictures. At first nothing seemed to be showing, possibly there was a faint green glow. My camera showed some streaks on the right. I reorientated myself to the North East view and took a picture. At first I thought the camera was having a problem. There were lines on the picture. I took some more and as you will see there were some amazing rays showing up. I looked with the naked eye and there was a white glistening cloud passing over the house. The camera was recording pictures of an intense part of the electromagnetic storm that was passing overhead.
Taken looking west away from the house. (iPhone)
The storm moved over the house from the East to the West. I continuously took pictures with my iPhone and occasionally used my Canon D5mkIV. The patterns were changing and at times the scene over the house looked like rays being emitted from a heavenly body.
Burst of light from the sky (iPhone)
When I posted the pictures around midnight, I found the Socials were going mad. Many of my photographic friends were posting pictures of the Aurora and I was entering a massive chatroom as everyone exchanged their views on photographs that had been taken.
Green for Oxygen molecules, red for Nitrogen. (iPhone)
Reflections. I never thought that I would see the Northern Lights from my back garden and that it would be so spectacular. I was so pleased to have the chance to see it and photograph the light show. I never made it to the Bluebells fields the next day!
Intense red colours (Canon 5Dmkiv)
Technicalities. All iPhone pictures were taken on a tripod which gave lots of detail. Settings for the Canon were f/2.8, s15 secs and initially ISO1600. The light was so intense that I dropped the ISO to 400 on subsequent photographs. The colours from both cameras were different with the Canon picking up a richer red colour to the lights.
If you want to see my Northern lights from a plane, I have a link.
Woodland photography is one of my interests as there are several woods near to me that I love wandering around taking photographs with my camera. The skills that are involved with taking such pictures, I have learnt by trial and error. However, my technique is rather low key and much of what I do is point the camera and take pictures that look appealing. The opportunity to learn woodland photography skills arose after a chance meeting at the Photography Show with Miffyohara. Miffy is a classically trained photographer who has a great love of woodland photography. We talked about a photography walk and the place Miffy chose to start my woodland photography journey was Hagley Park next to the Clent Hills.
The outlines of these branches make a pleasing geometric shape.A window created by the tree branches.Two walkers passing through the woods.I included the path which is partially covered with blossom so as to lead to the light.
The park has 350 acres of Worcestershire countryside to explore with an abundance of woodland. When I arrived, I realised that a tripod was essential. Never go anywhere without your tripod. This was my first lesson of the day. Fortunately the light was good and the sun was breaking through the clouds. During our visit, the sun was diffused by cloud cover although occasionally there were long periods of sunshine. Therefore we waited for these patches of light to illuminate the woodland. Similar to wildlife photography, a calm, non-hurried approach is required. This is so difficult for me as I do tend to rush around. For the first 30 minutes, we observed and photographed one tree. We slowly walked around the tree, looking at how the sun fell on the branches and leaves. I learnt about “windows” created by tree branches that open your photographs in a similar way to framing. This aspect of woodland photography is appealing to me as I enjoy taking a picture within a picture. I found the opportunity to place people into the scene although I acknowledge this is not what woodland photography is about! The bluebells were in full bloom and offered splashes of blue throughout the day. Another learning point was the avoidance of man-made structures in the photograph and therefore paths which allow a leading line were not considered but I did occasionally break the rules. Therefore I used the branches and arrangement of the trees to lead the eye.
A tree of interest that tells a story.A view of Hagley castle framed by a tree.The imposing Hagley castle.
Hagley Park has a circular route that takes in several follies that were placed by previous owners to add a pleasing spectacle to the eye. The structures follow classical architectural designs as may be seen in my photographs. The current ideas of the park keepers are to reduce the prominence of these follies and allow the woodland views to take centre stage. The first folly we came across was Hagley castle which is designed to resemble a small ruined medieval castle. The castle is an imposing structure over this part of the park and whilst it was fenced off, it was still possible to view the architecture. Leaving the castle, the path dipped steeply down towards the stream that passed through the south of the park. On our way there were several interesting trees worthy of photographing. We climbed back up and then came upon Milton’s seat which gave beautiful views of Hagley Hall and the surrounding Worcestershire countryside. This was a place where one could linger and let time pass you by. The light was good and it was possible to view the hills in the distance.
A tree with personality.Fungi patterns on a dead tree.More patterns created by the fungi.Milton’s seat with a view that takes in Hagley Hall and the mountains in the distance.The woman in the red jacket had to be photographed.
Our next point of interest was the Palladian bridge which is very photogenic. You are spoilt with the different compositions that arise from the bridge and the surrounding woodland. The bridge is at the head of the lake and set in a valley of trees. There are reflections in the lake and the lay of the land offers both high and lower-level interpretations of the scene. I settled for an eye level view taking in the reflection and the setting of the bridge along the lake. Processing the picture in black and white provides balance and allows blending between the man-made structure and the woods. The bridge is at the start of three lakes which lead upwards to the classically styled Rotunda. On the way past the lakes, there is a memorial to the English poet William Shenstone in the form of an urn. Again I was drawn into photographing the urn and the Rotunda amidst the woodland trees. There were also other interesting trees to take in and photograph.
The Palladian Bridge in Black and WhiteThe view over the lake.Shenstone’s UrnA window onto the Rotunda.The Rotunda blending into the surroundings.
On returning to the café, we discussed our photographs and then discussed how to process the pictures. Whilst proficient at Lightroom, I do need to revisit Photoshop and use the layers function to bring out features in my photographs. Once again this is all part of the learning process.
Details from a fallen tree.
Woodland photography is a genre to visit. I learnt how to look at woodland scenes, and carefully pick out areas of interest. The need to slow down and take in your surroundings allows you to seek out new photographic scenes that you would miss if you just walked through the park. By slowing down, you are also able to look at how the light falls on the woodland. Looking for windows and diagonals in the branches of the trees helps your woodland photography stand out. This walk was during the day and the woodland would naturally light up during the golden hours. I will look for future opportunities to pursue this genre of photography especially at the start and end of the day.
Tree texturesRushes
At the start, we talked to Alex one of the Park Rangers who gave us insight into the care of the park. Alex also agreed to be part of my 100 strangers project that is nearing completion. Here is a picture of Alex leaning against one of the Park Ranger trucks.
Alex a park ranger at Hagley Park.
A final thank you to Miffyohara who was an excellent teacher and guided me through the skills required for woodland photography. In our discussions, subjects ranged from composition of woodland scene to a debate on giving titles to our pictures. The sharpening of my observational skills was one outcome of the day. The final word goes to Hagley Park which is a must visit location and will appeal to everyone not just photographers.
An iPhone picture of an interesting tree and thank you to Miffyohara for showing me the beauty of trees.
If you wish to see more of my previous woodland photography then I have added a link below. I will revisit Hay Wood with a different eye to my compositions.
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