The dull and gloomy weather over Christmas has led to several fog-drenched mornings, which have lingered throughout the day. For photographers, such conditions are ideal for adding atmosphere to compositions. I set off towards Baddesley Clinton, where the presence of the canal network generally guarantees fog. I drove to Hay Wood but stopped by the entrance to Baddesley Clinton on the way to take a picture of the tree-lined entrance. Another good spot is the public footpath on Netherwood Lane. Here, the line-up of trees with a hedge is the perfect location for a sunset picture in the summer. In the winter, the branches add different shapes to the landscape. The fog provided an eerie landscape.
Windows in the fog. (Footpath off Netherwood Lane, near to Baddesley Clinton.)Entrance to Baddesley Clinton with dog walker.
Hay Wood has featured in my blog over the years. There are several places in the woods that I like to visit. In spring, there is one area with a carpet of bluebells, and I wondered how it would look in the fog. I brought my tripod with me, and most of the pictures were taken using a long exposure setting, especially in the woods where the light was poor. There was some colour from the remaining leaves. The last few pictures show the oranges and greens of the wood.
Dancing Branches in the foggy landscape.Trees standing in the fog.Colours of winter in Hay WoodOrange and green colours in the woodland.
I am pleased that the pictures worked out because I got a flat tyre on the way back and had to wait two hours for the recovery man to arrive. However, I was soon back home editing the pictures. You will see that I varied my black-and-white treatments, either adding a high-key effect or using lots of contrast.
The Escape route, Hay Wood.
These are my settings for each of the pictures, tripod used where stated:-
The Escape Route f/11, 0.4s, ISO 100 – Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 70-200mm – Tripod Windows in the fog. f/11, 0.3s, ISO 100 Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 70-200mm – Tripod Entrance to Baddesley Clinton F/5.6, 1/125, ISO 320 – Fujifilm x100vi Dancing branches. f/11, 1s, ISO 100 Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, EF 24-70mm – Tripod Trees standing in the fog F/5.6, 1/125, ISO 320 – Fujifilm x100vi Colours of winter F/5.6, 1/100, ISO 2000 – Fujifilm x100vi Orange and green F/11, 0.5s, ISO 125 – Fujifilm x100vi – Tripod
As I mentioned Hay Wood has featured before in my blog and the landscape is transformed in Spring
Sixteen-acre ward has been a project that I started in March 2021, and I have visited the area at regular intervals since. The wood was in the news, when the initial plans for the HS2 line revealed that it would cut into the wood. Therefore, trees were felled, and an old ancient pond was duplicated in a new location nearby. This new pond has signage and chains to protect this nature venture. Over the years, the landscape around the wood has changed drastically. This is my fourth visit to the wood. As with the previous ones, I was interested to see if anything had changed since my visit last year.
The new pond is covered with vegetation. No entry to the pond.A crane rears its headOvergrown
Fortunately, my drive to Berkswell village was not difficult as the HS2 works will close access to various roads around the area at a moment’s notice. I parked my car near to St Mary’s Church, Berkswell, and walked along the boardwalk. There is a footpath that runs up the hill over a farmer’s field. This footpath meets up and follows the HS2 route I reached the part of the HS2 track which passes by Sixteen-acre wood and goes onto meet Kenilworth Rd.
The landscape has really changed.Drainage and fencesNot a place for swimming.
A year on and I noticed that the vegetation is starting to reclaim much of the area. The new pond is thriving although it could do with some trees around the parameter. Meanwhile the old pond has not given up and there is still life around an old tree has collapsed into the water. Walking down the designated footpath there is a sharp contrast. On the left side beyond the steel fence the large land moving vehicles were resting as it was a Sunday, a day of rest. The earth had been moved into heaps of brown soil and there were lines of plastic pipes lined up for draining the water. On the right-hand side, the wood looked in a sorry state. Some of the vegetation is recovering but there are still scars around the knocked down trees. Some of the trees looked like scarecrows contrasting against the bleak sky. What did catch my eye was the number of butterflies and dragonflies that were present. Nature is slowly attempting to get back to its feet after being interrupted by the HS2 works.
The old pond looks out at the new landscape.The trees look bare.Crows fly above the trees.We are still here.DragonfliesNew places to restButterflies
These pictures show the amount of construction that is happening as the pace of building is now moving quickly. In the midst of this construction, there were some beautiful butterflies and I must have seen around 10 different types of insects. There was a hoard of dragonflies that are living in the stagnant water created around the HS2 trenches. Someone once told me not to worry about HS2 as everything will grow back once the viaducts that are planned are completed. I wait to see if this will be true as the scars in the land look very deep. I now have my 4th entry into my 16 acre wood project and I will return next year to see what progress has happened and whether nature is coping with the changes forced on the landscape.
HS2 construction is gathering pace.Earth moving equipment waiting for Monday morning.The stagnant water has encouraged the growth of the dragonfly population. The wood is to the left of the picture.
IgersbirminghamUK were contacted by the National Trust to ask if we were interested in holding an Instameet at Coughton Court. This approach is part of the National Trust’s summer campaign to bring people together to explore their properties and enjoy the outdoors. This aligns with the IgersbirminghamUK group which aims to organise photographic Instameets with the aim of photographing and enjoying a day out at different locations.
Scaffolding around the historic Tudor building.
Coughton Court is a historic Tudor House and is undergoing an extensive program of repairs to the roof of the building. The cost of these repairs is £3.3 million and the conservation project will finish in 2025. During the building work, parts of the house remain open to the public.
Hard hats and high visibility vests. IgersbirminghamUK photographers ready to go “Through the roof”.
We gathered at the property early on a Sunday morning in August. The often-photographed building looked so different with the scaffolding and plastic sheeting covering the brickwork. Our National Trust host, Gum, gave a warm welcome and outlined the plans for the day. After introductions and the obligatory picture, we split into two groups of 10. One group visited the house whilst the other climbed the scaffolding to review the restoration project. Both groups then swapped over.
Beautiful views from the top.Looking out towards the Birmingham Road.Dropping a penny from the viewing platform.Details of the repairs on the Tower roof.
There are 88 steps up to the Visitor Viewing Platform. We donned blue protective hats and hi-vis yellow jackets and then we made the journey to the top. On the way up, we began to see the beautiful Warwickshire countryside. There were many photographs to be taken of the unique views of the house and the surrounding estate. The view of the restoration work on the roof of the tower showed the extensive renovations being done. I have climbed the tower in previous years and this view was different to what has gone before. I have photographs taken before the restoration, but to see the stonework close up was very exciting. The drop penny shute was fun especially as James had a coin to drop into it. Whilst the views made it tempting to linger around the top of the tower, there was another group waiting to go up and there was still the house to visit.
A view of the ceiling in the entrance hall
The “Through the roof” project is highlighted throughout the house and we were shown around via the temporary entrance to the main hallway. Everything looks different to what I am normally used to as the restoration of Coughton Court is extensive and involves several areas. Some of the rooms are inaccessible and others have furniture stored away. There is a feel of a family house undergoing decoration, as items are cleared away, although this is on a much grander scale than your average family house! There are informative displays throughout the large room that normally has a grand table set out for dinner. One of the most impressive areas was the lounge. The National Trust has taken the opportunity to lower the chandeliers to allow cleaning of these intricate beautiful creations. There were a few more rooms to pass through and then it was out to the gardens. The house visit was a new experience and as photographers we were getting a feast of opportunities for pictures.
New displays of the different rooms undergoing restoration.Storage room with ceiling decorations and other items carefully stored away.Lego men helping with the work.The chandeliers are at ground level allowing detailed inspection and cleaning.Crystals and family photographs.ChandelierPiano and notices
The gardens were looking beautiful and the lime tree walks lead out to the large green space. Looking back there are views of the building, although this time it is covered up for the restoration work. As I made my way up to the river Arrow, I saw the stalls for Myton Hospice who have a summer display along the river. Along the west riverbank, there are numerous butterflies planted along the waterside as memorials to loved ones. These lead onto the footbridge and the riverwalk. There is so much to explore at Coughton Court and each visit is a different experience.
The rear view of the Tudor house under renovation.The butterfly display by Myton Hospice on the river banks.
There was still one more treat in store as we were given an early access to the walled garden. This was a wonderful opportunity to view the various ‘rooms’ of this extensive garden without too many people spoiling the picture. There are several picturesque views and the flowers were in full bloom. There were many bees out and about especially on the lavender borders. I took many pictures in the garden and I noticed that many other photographers were doing the same thing. I particularly liked the quirky growth on the Lysimachia flowers. They resembled ducks with their crooked growth. After taking our fill of the gardens, we retired to the outside courtyard for a well-deserved coffee break. There was a quick review of our pictures and the we said our goodbyes.
The water feature within the walled garden with St Peter’s church in the background.Bees on the lavenderLysimachia
The National Trust is highlighting the importance of take time out of our busy lives to reconnect with nature. This reminds us of how beautiful nature is and the joy and happiness that it can bring. This IgersbirminghamUK Instameet was an opportunity to do just this and we wish to thank the National Trust for allowing us to visit Coughton Court. Thanks to Nicky Warwickshire of the IgersbirminghamUK team for organising the Instameet.
Thanking Gum and her team for allowing us to spend time in Coughton Court. We loved our time and the opportunity to take photographs.
If you enjoyed this report on the IgersbirminghamUK meeting or wish to visit other National Trust properties I have put links to other blog entries below.
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.
A new Lavender field to visit. Warwickshire Lavender Fields is behind Coventry airport nestled in the beautiful countryside that remains between Coventry and Leamington Spa. The fields are relatively young and started out in 2016. Several photographic friends has told me about the fields and having done the Cotswolds Lavender fields, the family thought a fields closer to home would be worth a visit.
A low down view of the lavender fieldsStriking a pose in the colour purple.Running through the lavender.
The day we chose was one of sunshine and showers. The showers when they arrived were wet and windy. This did not stop us having great fun at the fields. I understand that before we got there my oldest daughter had excelled at falling down a hole much to the amusement of the grandchildren. When we arrived the heavens opened, and we got soaked. However the rain did clear the fields, and everyone made for shelter. Although my camera was under threat from the rain, there were some wonderful photographic opportunities as people were crowded into the tents. Even Lily came along to pose in front of the tents. The children had such fun even though they got very wet. The café served great coffee and lovely cakes and the shop offered a range of lavender products including bunches of lavender flowers.
Then the rain came.Luckily everyone could get into the tent to escape the rain.Lily posing in front of everyone sheltering from the rain.Chloe with her lavender flowers.
Whilst a bit of sunshine would have made the visit, we still enjoyed ourselves. We set off home for a change of clothes and to share photographs of the day. Well worth a visit and a very photogenic site for all photographers out there.
Lavender plants to take how with you.
If you want to know more about Warwickshire Lavender fields then please follow the link.
Chesterton windmill has featured in my blog over the years. The windmill is a popular structure sitting on top of a prominent hill in Warwickshire just outside Leamington Spa. You can just see the windmill from the M40 motorway, but you need to be a passenger as your eyes have to search for it in the landscape. During the Covid Lockdown, we visited the windmill many times to meet up with our grandchildren and therefore the place has many special memories. I have not visited much in the last two years as the sails have been sent off for repairs. The repair process has been ongoing with no sign of the sails being returned. On Twitter, David Adams, a member of the Chesterton Archaeology Research Team lamented about the situation to English Heritage and Historic England. He tweeted that the Windmill was looking more like a folly these days. His words spurred me on to visit once again.
A low down view of the sail-less windmill from the adjoining Barley field.
The place was quiet when I arrived, and I was the only visitor around. I had brought along my tripod and spent my time leisurely approaching the windmill taking pictures. To begin with I used my 400mm lens to obtain some pictures of the lines in the field lined up with the remaining windmill structure. There are lines in the barley crop that provide a lead into the windmill making for an attractive picture. At the windmill, there is evidence of both natural and artificial erosion of the surrounding wall and the four-legged structure. The artificial erosion is the damage caused by visitors. There are stones scattered around the site and part of the surrounding wall is broken. The damage is unsightly, and no one is taking care or looking to repair the war.
Evidence of wall damage that is all around the Windmill.
The sails are obviously missing, and this removes much of the majestic appearance of the windmill. Any windmill will look deflated without sails. The unique architecture is still appealing for photographs but it is still not the same. A popular place for viewing the windmill is just into the fields on the western approach. With care I went along the tracks into the fields to set up my picture. For these pictures, I decided to use my big stopper filter. This was used to slow down time providing a cinematic feel to the pictures. There is some blurring of the barley due to the light wind blowing across the area. The clouds passed by and so did the time. I decided to move on, leave the peace behind and re-enter the hectic time of the day.
The windmill does not look the same without the sails. We need them back.
There was still some sadness as I left. The windmill is looking more like a folly without its sails. Using this blog and social media, I will ask people to post pictures of Chesterton Windmill in a campaign to bring back the sails. The picture below is one of my favourite pictures of the Windmill which was featured in the BBC England Big Picture
Who doesn’t love the sight of bluebells gently swaying in the breeze. Many of our ancient woodlands are at risk by the creeping threat of development and that is why I support the annual Bluebell Wood Fundraising Open Day in the Heart of England Forest. Conserving our woodlands for future generations is very much a priority. Great Alne Woodland is just off Spurnal Lane, and is a part of a Natural Burial Ground. The ancient wood has a stunning display of bluebells at the end of April and is open to visitors for two days.
A typical woodland scene with bluebells.Bluebell carpet running up the hill.Bluebells gather around a fallen tree.Bluebells with a scattering of white bluebell flowers.
My daughter loves visiting this quiet and picturesque woodland and there are so many good photographic opportunities. I brought along my camera equipment and found that the early morning light was perfect. The contrast of blue and green is a joy to see and photograph. My lensball was also put to good use for a few pictures. A useful photographic tip for maximising the benefit of your lensball is to use your macro lens for the pictures. This technique works a treat.
Using my lensball in the bluebell forest.
My 52 week project challenge was bokeh and the bluebells provided several opportunities to focus on the flowers with a wide open lens (f/2.8). This throws the background out of focus producing lovely Bokeh.
A bluebell with a blue background.
During my visit to the woodland, I met Toby, who is the organiser of this charity event. He kindly agreed to have his picture taken and be part of my 100 strangers project which is slowly moving forward on my Flickr pages.
This is Toby who organises the Bluebell charity walk.
The organisation of the day is excellent. The walk starts in the car park and takes you through the woodland with some well positioned spots for those important selfies. I noticed that the event is becoming more popular but via the use of ticketing, our family took part in the walk and did not meet many other people. For a short time, the woodland was ours to enjoy and we were able to take in the sights of those beautiful bluebells. My grandson loves the place as you can see from the following pictures.
A boy and his dog.A portrait in the bluebell forest.
Bluebells stretching out in a forest glen are always a wonderful sight to behold. This year there has been an abundance of bluebells and they are slightly earlier than previous times. For the photographer, bluebells are so appealing and to see the blue flowers either close up or at a distance is always very appealing. This year I first noticed the bluebells when I visited the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham and then again during a bike ride to Hay Wood that is close to home. I have visited several bluebell woods before, including Austy Woods, and I am always on the lookout for one that may offer a different take on this renowned British walk. The Heart of England Forest‘s Bluebell Wood which is in Great Alne, Warwickshire, held a charity woodland walk to help to conserve these irreplaceable ancient woodland habitats. I found it by chance on browsing through Facebook and signed up for the event.
The start of the walk on a glorious spring day.The path into the bluebell wood.A beautiful ancient woodland with a lovely carpet of bluebells.
The wood is near to one of my favourite breweries, Purity Beer, but sadly we passed the entrance and arrived at the Great Alne wood. Another time maybe! There were a few parked cars and there was a warm welcome from the organisers. My daughter, Natasha and Noah, my grandson, came with me and we set off to explore. This is an ancient wood and there were strategic signs placed along the way that gave us interesting nuggets of information about the wood. There was also a tree log strategically placed midway during the walk, where we could get some lovely selfie pictures with a bluebell backdrop. The place was quiet, and we felt at one with the place. The wood has a rolling terrain with gentle hills which show off the bluebells. Having had our fill of the bluebells we made our way back to the start. There was a short detour to a hill that provided a view of the surrounding area. The sun was out throughout the visit and this helped with the photography and views of both bluebells and scenery.
Bluebell backgrounds always makes for a lovely photograph.A view of bluebells in the ancient woodland.The perfect opportunity for a lensball picture
Photographic tips – I took my tripod with me, and I used my Canon 5D mkIV. I brought my general-purpose lens EF24-70mm f/2.8L II USM and a zoom lens EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM. I added a polariser on the 24-70mm lens. All pictures were taken in manual setting with the ISO 100 and I had my tripod to allow for a low shutter speed. My trusty iPhone13 also delivered some excellent pictures.
The final view of the Warwickshire countryside.
I have added links to previous bluebell walks. Please also visit the Heart of England Forest websites to learn more about what they do protecting and developing our forests. Bluebells in Austy Woods Heart of England Forest
I just love taking pictures of street art around the West Midlands. As a companion piece to my photographic walk around Royal Leamington Spa, this is a detailed look at the street art around the Grand Union Canal area. There are several wall murals that are worth highlighting and many are curated by the Brink Street Art group. Each is interesting and whilst I know some of the artists, the vast majority I am unsure about. I have put down the Instagram link to Brink Street Art Group if you wish to find out more about these images. I will update the blog to give the recognition to the artist and their mural so please contact me. If you are visiting Leamington Spa, then they are worth a visit to see.
Those eyes!The pen is mightier….Almost Neon light eyesCheese, cat and a mouse. @JulesMuck
BalancingAcross the canal.A pair of eyes.Crow in the moonlight.The beauty of swans.Colourful street art by N4t4
Royal Leamington Spa is long associated with the family. We used to visit in the late 1980s and think it was so exciting with the Parade and the Parade and the Royal Priors shopping centre. Returning over the years, the town still looks impressive with the Georgean and Victorian buildings looking clean and impressive in their whitewashed coatings. The opportunity to do a photographic walk around Leamington Spa was organised by my fellow photographer buddy, John Bray. I arrived in the town inbetween two storms, Dudley and Eustace. The sun came back during the lull which whilst welcome, created strong shadows during our morning walk.
Royal Leamington Spa Bowls ClubBlossom on the trees along the River Leam, Leamington Spa.The Bandstand in the Royal Pump Room gardens.
Our first stop was the home of bowls, Royal Leamington Spa Bowling Club. The groundsmen were preparing the greens for spring and the greens looked beautiful. Our walk followed the river Leam and we passed through the Royal Pump Room gardens with the impressive Bandstand.
All Saints Church reflections in the puddles.Reflections in the street of All Saints ChurchThe results of all the surface water from Storm Dudley
Moving over the river again we headed past All Saints Church where there were some opportunities to take reflective photographs. We went onto Mill Road and then Mill passage lingering on the impressive iron pedestrian bridge over the river. It was here that we encountered our first street art with a mural of elephants painted on an electricity substation hut near to the entrance to the bridge. This work was painted by the Brink Contemporary Arts group and makes a feature of three elephants who used to live in Leamington.
Elephant Mural on Mill Road, Leamington SpaDetail of the Elephant Mural
The river Leam was full following the recent rains and there was a strong current under the bridge. There was also a fine mist of the spray from the waterfall crashing over the weir. Having photographed the bridge and the river our next destination was the Grand Union canal.
Spray on the bridgeDetailsAngry looking riverLovers’ Locks on the bridge.
Our walk took us through the streets of the town and we commented several times at the hidden gems of architecture. Just before the canal there is a mixture of light industry and new buildings that leads onto an old factory where the Brink art group has facilitated more street art. The pedestrian canal bridge has curved steps and provides views of the street art.
It is in this area around the Pedestrian Bridge over the canal that the Leamington Spa Street Art is concentrated.
A selection of the murals is featured in my next blog. My favourite was a mural painted by @n_4_t_4 on the side of the canal. There were several others that are featured and part of the Brink Art group.
Street art by N4t4
Making our way back to Jephson park, we stumbled upon a small oasis of crocuses in bloom showing that spring was well on its way. Following on from Jephson park, we took in coffee in the city centre before heading off to Clarendon Square where many films are filmed including Upstairs, downstairs. The latest TV series to be filmed there is “Stonehouse” based on the MP who faked his own death.
Clarendon Square
Royal Leamington Spa is well worth photographic attention as there is much to see from the beautiful architecture to the contemporary street art. All the pictures were taken mainly with my Fujifilm x100v compact camera unless otherwise stated.
CrocusesThe Town house, Leamington Spa.Bench and feetStaircase to the sunStudy in B&WAll Saints ChurchLeamington Spa
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