Snowfall at first light is an uplifting sight. The cold weather is welcome and the snow creates idyllic winter scenes. The long range weather forecast was predicting snow and the BBC weather watchers were getting very excited. On the night when the snow fell, pictures were flooding my social media feed as people ventured out to see the first flakes. I did not get drawn into going out as for me too cold! I would wait for the first light of the morning.
The classic view of Knowle High Street in the Snow
Walking through the park and already there were several snowmen. My goal was to get to the village highstreet and take what is for me the classic view up towards the shops. I used both iPhone and my Canon cameras to take the picture. The iPhone picture was uploaded immediately to the BBC weather watchers page.
Looks a touch cold for Bikinis.
My next goal was the red pillar box and telephone box. The bright red contrasts well with the white snow and I spent several minutes photographing them. I went onto take pictures of Knowle Parish Church which dates to 1400 and always looks wonderful when snow has fallen. The Grand Union canal passes by Knowle and the large flight of locks was built to negotiate the hill. Knowle is an old English word for hill. The landscape around the locks was enhanced by the beginning of a sunset. The colours were short lived and when present lifted the landscape.
Knowle Church and the Guild House in the Snow.Knowle Village sign with the church and Guild house in the background.Knowle locks in the snowSnowman in Knowle Park
The cold weather was now taking its toll and I headed home for a hot cup of coffee. On the way back I found out from friends that my picture of Knowle High Street had been shown by Matt on Breakfast TV. This news made my trip worthwhile.
My snowfall picture of Knowle on BBC Breakfast time.
Photography inspiration can be hard to find, especially when it feels like you have already photographed everything around you. Many photographers reach a point where creativity feels stalled, making it difficult to see familiar places with fresh eyes.
Wondering what to photograph? Stuck with subject matter? Feel like you’ve photographed everything before and need some new inspiration? We’ve all been there, and trying to lift the gloom on our creative inspiration is never easy.
This looking up picture deep in the wood has been converted to black and white and then inverted.
Revisiting Familiar Places
My own personal solution is to revisit one of my favourite places and try to do something a little different, even if that means standing in the same spots or walking along familiar paths.
I have taken photographs before in this spot mainly in colour. A change to black and white is something different for me.
A Walk Through Hay Wood
This time, my choice was to visit a woodland, as the natural chaos of tree shapes always brings fresh insights and new perspectives. My go-to place is Hay Wood, near Solihull. Managed by Forestry England UK, Hay Wood is large enough to make you feel removed from civilisation, yet not so isolated that traces of human presence disappear entirely.
A close up view of the leaves on a beech tree.The fallen tree branches add an interesting disruption to the woodland scene.The different layers of the wood from the floor to the trees.
Woodland Photography as a Creative Tool
Here is a photo essay from my recent walk through the woods. In the captions, I include details of what I was trying to achieve or what caught my eye. Some images focus on the shapes of trees, while others highlight moments where human influence intrudes upon the natural beauty of the wood.
An environmental station stands out amongst the surrounding natural elementsA fallen tree makes an interesting ‘woodland den’ created by humans.Whilst an interesting human interaction, this wooden picnic table looks underused.Too much human intervention detracts and interferes with nature.
Feeling inspired after seeing this photographic essay? My advice is to go out and revisit your favourite photographic haunts and try something different as I have attempted to do here.
Here are more blog entries on Hay Wood for you to enjoy. The first happened during a sunrise three years ago and then there are more woodland visits to read about.
Elmdon Manor Walled Garden is hidden away behind Solihull Moors Football Club and is accessed via Damson Parkway. The roads are busy with large transporters and trucks carrying cars and supplies to and from Jaguar Land Rover Solihull. The lane to the gardens is signposted for Elmdon Park and St Nicholas’ Church, Elmdon. It is an easy turn to miss.
The wall is becoming overgrown.Passing through the entrance.
Elmdon House was once a large stately home that fell into disrepair after the second world war and was eventually demolished in 1956. The walled garden was part of the estate, supplying produce to the house. Today, it is managed by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. The original walls of the kitchen garden still stand, although they are in a poor state of repair. Clearly marked paths guide you through the site, and the highlights include the old orchard within the ruined walls, the adjacent woodland, and a meadow that opens up within the trees close to the Moors football ground. The pond, often covered with algae in summer, is usually much clearer during the winter months.
Fruit on the trees.Fences overgrown.Colours on the treesApples galore
. The area is a haven for wildlife and also offers many photographic opportunities. I usually visit once or twice a year with my camera and always come away with a set of images. I begin in the walled garden, where in late summer the trees of the old orchard are heavy with fruit. This year the area is very dry. The woodland adjoining the garden is ancient, filled with trees that form striking patterns. Fallen trunks lean against others, creating natural corridors of light. The atmosphere is shaped not only by nature but also by human presence: the sounds of warehouse workers drift through the trees, and the noise from Solihull Moors’ training pitches carries across the reserve.
Twisted overgrown trees.The woodland trees.Apple trees in the old orchid
The sudden appearance of a meadow within the woodland brings an unexpected openness and is a peaceful spot to pause and reflect. My photographs capture the abundance of fruit, the tangle of overgrown vegetation, and the play of light within the woodland. They also record the contrast between nature and modern development, as the reserve sits cheek by jowl with metallic warehouses and floodlights. Such an oasis is a delight to visit with the bonus of being close to home.
The meadow in the sun.Berries are ripened in the meadow area.Football lights between the trees.
Someone mentioned they would like to see the pictures of Elmdon Manor in the wintertime. I do not have pictures yet but I do have a blog entry showing Solihull woodland in the snow.
Like many people, I stayed indoors during Storm Darrargh. During the night the wind was intense and our local social media was full of posts about trees coming down. In the Midlands, we received a battering but this was nowhere near as severe as that experienced by those living on the west coast of the UK.
A tree blocks a footpath.
Sunday morning and I was up early for a walk with the dog. Knowle park has many old trees around the periphery and these had taken the brunt of the storm. I counted well into double figures the number of trees and large branches that had been thrown around not only across the park but also over some of the main roads. Solihull council had been very busy during the night and had already tidied up some of the worst damage that had affected the main roads.
A large tree uprooted in the park
These are just a few of the pictures I captured during my morning walk. After the storm, there was a beautiful sunrise which contrasted against the damage that had taken place the night before.
Sunrise after Storm Darragh.
Fortunately, there were only trees that had fallen. However, as you can see, one person’s car was not so fortunate.
A fallen tree has been cut up revealing damage to a parked car.
Knowle park has some amazing weather during the seasons and the following blog shows an August morning in 2020 after thunderstorms.
Discovering new places for a photography story requires good research. Many times, I have heard other photographers say they’ve exhausted their immediate area for pictures. I would reply that I have barely scratched the surface. So, as I was looking around on Google Maps, Majors Green Aqueduct caught my interest. I had two hours free while Monty, our dog, was being groomed. Yes, our dog is well looked after. I planned to park on Aqueduct Road and explore the structure before walking up to the Drawbridge Inn. Doubling back along the canal would allow me to take pictures of the aqueduct from above. Google Maps tags other people’s pictures to points of interest, so you can check the favoured points of view.
The Majors Green viaduct.
Parking my car near the aqueduct, I quickly gained an appreciation for the scale of the engineering that went into its construction. Many bricks had been used to allow the canal to cross over both the road and the River Cole. The River Cole passes through Birmingham and Coleshill before joining the River Blythe. At the bridge, the river passes underneath, and there are remnants of a walkway. I quickly discovered that the traffic around here moves quickly, and there are no pavements for pedestrians. You cannot access the canal from the bridge, so I carefully took pictures and then set off for the Drawbridge over the canal.
Red car over the Drawbridge Can you read the noticeboard?
The Shirley Drawbridge sits over the northern section of the Stratford Canal. The bridge is always down to let cars pass over, and it will only open with a waterways key. There is a famous public house, the Drawbridge Inn, next to the canal, and the road is a bottleneck for cars as it is a popular shortcut through Majors Green to Shirley. Upon reaching the canal, I turned north and very soon encountered a heron fishing for its dinner. The heron was on the opposite bank, but fortunately, I had my 100-400mm lens with me, and I was able to get some great close-up pictures.
It is rude to stare.Can’t you see I am fishing.Yes I am!
The aqueduct at canal level is covered with colourful graffiti, and there is a steep drop over the bridge. I’ve taken a documentary course, the Stirchley Observation Project, which has tuned me into alternative approaches to photography. I see interesting pictures that others may miss. As you’ll see, there are flamingo statues, abandoned chairs, and remnants of some form of canal gateway. I now appreciate the small things in everyday life, which often have a story attached to them. My time to turn back was approaching, but not before I discovered an abandoned canal boat and a Woodland Trust area.
Looking over the aqueduct.Is that a heron or a flamingo?Slow down, take a seat and watch the world go round.A bus passing along the High Street over the canal.Under the bridge.
I returned the way I had come, and again there were new views to be photographed. The canals are always full of surprises, with wildlife and historical artefacts thrown into the mix. Both dereliction and new projects go hand in hand. All this adds up to a photographic adventure for the camera enthusiast.
Stop
I have several posts on the Stratford-upon-Avon canal and I have included a link to the Kingswood junction which is further south.
Black and white landscapes appear to be one of my specialities. I do not necessarily look for them but they seem to find me. I was very pleased to receive an honourable mention in the MonoVisions 2024 international photographic competition. This was a picture taken in Wychwood Wood which is local to me and surprisingly not a place that I have visited until recently. The tree trunks in the picture remind me of two people dancing. Whilst the trees are not able to shout, they can twist and turn. Full details of the competition and the honourable mention are on the web site. I was successful in the Monovisions landscape category in 2001 and 2003.
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.
A forecast of fog followed by a sunny day, sent me down to Hay Wood for a morning of photographs. I took my tripod and my Canon D5. Setting up the camera (Canon 5D) for the pictures I took 5 pictures of the scene by bracketing with 5 pictures at -2 EV, -1EV, 0 +1 EV and +2 EV. The five pictures were blended in Photoshop to give a HDR output. Comments on the pictures posted on social media were that the scenes took on a “painterly” look. This is the successful look that I was hoping to achieve.
Hay wood and the light lights up the pathRays of light filter through into the wood.A line up of trees in Hay WoodShooting at the sun and looking for a reflection from water in the field.
The restrictions will be lifted on the 19th July but we are not coming to the end of the pandemic. We are entering a new age of living with the virus. The discussion about mask wearing continues, the sun is shining and society needs to open up. Is this a good time? Vaccinations are high and therefore the government is confident (if this is the right word) that the restrictions can be lifted. For my photography journey. I wanted to catch life during the final days of the restrictions. I was in Solihull to collect my glasses in Touchwood. I was armed only with my iPhone. The following black and white pictures give a brief insight into the mask wearing and restrictions that will soon be a thing of the past. Let’s just hope so!
An elderly couple wearing masks in TouchwoodJust outside Touchwood a younger couple share a kiss – no masksMasks on or off?Keep apart but the writing is starting to fadeSegregated corridors in TouchwoodOnly one urinal in useWhen you are buying your cards and giftsStill selling flowersThe most popular shop in town is the Covid oneHave we done our part, have we done the right thing?
With this Lockdown, I am planning more varied walks. Openmap is a clever tool as you can draw a radius on the map . I am exploring what I can within 5 to 6 miles of where I live. This is a distance that I can manage walking. The weather has been cold and damp for most of the week and I planned an early morning walk into Solihull. Having my camera with me, the aim was to capture the centre of Solihull and then compare this to the previous Lockdowns.
Post box on Widney Manner Road
My planned route took me via Widney Manor Rd into the town centre. At the back of Touchwood shopping centre, I took a picture of the derelict building that used to be Rosie’s nightclub. A delivery driver passing by wanted to know why I would be taking a picture of it. Interesting conversation on why I was taking pictures of buildings in Solihull.
Rosie’s nightclub has seen better days
I moved through the main shopping streets Into Mell Square. Here I found that there were many people just sitting around. Some were chatting over cups of coffee, whilst others were just sat around starring into space. Surely the present lockdown guidelines are not to linger and to treat the time you leave your house as exercise. The place looked drab and people were listless. The Angel murals lightened my mood although there was no one around to photograph by the mural. I will come back to take one when life is normalised.
A lone person is welcomed backPeople sitting around in Mell SquareAnother lone person reflected in the waterMasks are worn all the timePeople sitting around drinking coffeeShops offer sales with no customersSolihull High Street is virtually empty
I moved into Tudor Grange park where it was much brighter as the sun started to break through the clouds. I took several pictures here including one of the duck pond. The reflections of light made it look very attractive and the picture I took made the Midlands today weather bulletin. The change of mood was palpable and there were more people moving around.
Walking into Tudor Grange ParkHappy walkers in the parkBBC Weather Watchers with Shafali OzaSkateboard Park, Tudor Grange Park
Feeling more cheerful, I made my way back home through the Monkspath housing estate and then onto footpath over the M42. During this lockdown, I am being more adventurous with my walks and seeing more of the countryside. It was an experience seeing the town centre and how people were coping with the lockdown. With my camera, I hoped that I documented a day of Lockdown what I saw in Solihull was not pretty and was depressing. However the parks and the countryside part of the walk cheered me up.
A couple of friends I met at the end of the walk
Photographic tip.Documenting the lockdown is not easy. You can get drawn into what is happening around you. I took the pictures carefully and tried to ensure that people were not identifiable. I did also want to convey the difficulties that people find trying to keep to the lockdown.
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