One notable absence from my photographic calendar in the last two or three years, has been the annual pilgrimage to photograph the bluebells at Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor.
This particular location is very popular with photographers, as it has a barn with a rusting tin roof to add contrast to the trees surrounding it, as well as the blanket of bluebells that parade their late spring splendour in the sunshine.
I had imagined that this well photographed scene would form the basis of this particular ‘one frame’ post but as I looked through the many images I captured on the day, it is this view that I particularly liked more than the cliched image.
The said barn is hidden from view just right of centre in the cluster of trees but it was the wall in the foreground forming a kind of frame that I liked, the small cluster of bluebells at its base, then the centre ground with its cavalcade of colour that completed the scene for me.
In just a few days, this scene will disappear for another year but the memories of this beautiful late spring morning will remain.
Tag: One Frame
One frame – and then there were three.
My camera collection has grown a little over the last few days, my recent outing with a Lumix LX3 that I had bought for next to nothing, prompted search for more digital compacts at reasonable prices.
While an online search was promising, a friend of mine mentioned he had a box of camera gear he was looking to shift and would I be interested?
Does a bear facilitate its lavatorial functions in the woods?
Long story short, I have four ‘new to me’ cameras in my collection, two of which had their first proper shoot yesterday, the others will have their day in the coming weekends.
The Canon G11 and S95 are both around 10-12 years old and fit my old camera theme very well, so I was looking forward to using them on today’s shoot.
While the S95 is very pocketable, the G11 is bulkier but both lighter in my camera bag than my trusty 5dII.
Keen to get out before the bank holiday crowds descended, I set out at just after 6am, a familiar route along the riverside for what was to be one of my most enjoyable photo walks.
I will post another blog over the next day or two of the many pictures I took today but my favourite was a minimalist image of 3 pigeons perched on top of one of the flood defence pillars on my route, the almost clear sky adding a good backdrop.
Initially there were just the 2 pigeons, as I approached, a third joined the avian meeting, which made me remember one of my favourite Genesis albums “And then there were three”
With the s95 in hand, the image was mine, I knew immediately it was going to be a monochrome image, the slight grain from the tiny sensor adding more character to the image.
I think the S95 will be in a bag with me at all times now, it’s small size is ideal, as I still prefer a camera to my mobile phone for images.
One Frame – An early start.
I had not set an alarm for Saturday morning but woke up just after 4:30 am, a lie in of some 90 minutes from my normal work day alarm.
Summer is knocking on the door when it is almost light at this time of day, such a welcome respite from those long hours of darkness of wintertime.
I feel that I need to make the most of these few short months of extra daylight, so after my first brew of the day, I set out for an early stroll along the river, breakfast will be my Saturday treat upon my return.
The sun has already begun its ascent into a cloudless sky, casting a golden glow across all it touches, the river is perfectly still, there appears to be a photograph wherever I look.
It is this one particular scene that falls into my photo of the day category, the reflections of the houses reflecting in the serene waters with the beautiful green of the bankside grasses and flora, bathed in the early morning sunlight, what a perfect storm of photographic ingredients.
It is scenes such as thuis that are my reward for those early starts, a small price to pay for such beauty.
One frame – Pitville park Cheltenham
As a way of keeping a more regular blogging routine, I have decided to take a single frame from one of my photo shoots and give a little back story to the image.
I spent a few days away near Cheltenham last week, a town I have only ever passed through until now but was given a quick fire guided tour on the Sunday afternoon.
This particular location is Pitville park, first opened in 1825 and is the largest ornamental lake in Cheltenham.
I had wandered around the lake, looking for a suitable composition, as I was toing and froing , the sun peered from behind its cumulus mask to bathe the boathouse in its late afternoon light.
With the trees above me acting as a natural frame, this was my first shot of the day and easily one of my favourites from the four day excursion.
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