Autumn at Westonbirt

There were more visitors than trees at Westonbirt this afternoon. The Acers are probably just about at their best with a combination of greens, yellows and reds.

The image below was done by placing the camera on the ground with the fish-eye looking upward at the canopy. I used the timer facility but I had to move quite quickly to get out of the picture.

Fungi in Epping

The recent rain has resulted in a 'bloom' of toadstools in Epping Forest. The Fly Agarics and the Porcelain Fungi are two of my favourite species so I was happy to spend a long while photographing them today. I even tried the Porcelain in infrared!

Sunset

Very impressive sunset this evening - impressed by the change in colour temperature within only 10 minutes as the sun went further below the horizon.

I then turned to photograph the full moon and did not realise that I had two birds flying across the face of the moon till I downloaded the image .

Common Blue Butterfly

Returned home today and was greeted in the garden by this beautiful and very obliging Common Blue butterfly on a matching Gallardia.

Toads instead of Toadstools

There may have been a lack of toadstools in Sheringham Woods today but the overnight rain brought out large numbers of toads (and frogs). Their camouflage in the autumn leaves is amazing. We only noticed them if they moved and often nearly trod on one.

Life of a Stink Horn

There are not many fungi about in the woods at the moment as it is so dry everywhere but we did find all the stages of stink horns. They start as a gelatinous egg from which the stink horn expands and reveals a cap covered with greenish foul-smelling slime. This is visited by flies who disperse the fluid containing spores on their feet. The final stage shows the stink horn when all the slime has been consumed.

Norfolk Trees

A few tree shots taken around our holiday cottage in Plumstead Green near Holt Norfolk. So far not finding Aperture as flexible for doing infrared monochrome conversion as Lightroom. I will do some new conversions of these files on the pc when I return.

Cromer in Infrared

We walked along from West Runton to Cromer today. Liked this shot of Peter and Ollie with Cromer in background.

I waited a long while for a van to move from front of the pier - by then the sky had clouded over but still gave an interesting IR shot - all the curved lines took my eye.

I also tried a lower viewpoint - needs a better monochrome conversion to give more contrast in the sky.

Barn Owls in Norfolk

Today I revisited the site where I saw a barn owl leave the barn yesterday evening. I went a bit earlier and was rewarded by the sight of the owl leaving the barn as I approached.

When I was there yesterday I went into the barn and saw the nesting box up in the eaves. I was aware that there were still noises coming from near it but thought at the time it was rats. Today I decided to have another look at the box and photograph it. Just as I raised my camera a second owl came out of the box . I didn't have a fast enough shutterspeed for a clear photo but was thrilled to see it so close. I left quickly, sat a little way away and the owls returned to the area.

September Summer Day at Wells

It was more like July than end of September in Norfolk today. A view of the beach at Wells-next-the-Sea. Another image for my Sky Reflects the Land series

We took Ollie for is first real taste of the sea and met up with Ruby and Millie (and El)

Peter and Ollie in Norfolk

Peter and his greyhound outside holiday cottage at Plumstead Green near Holt Norfolk.

Wuthering Heights

One of the colour infrared images taken at the CCC portrait shoot at Madingley Hall on Sunday.

It made me think of Kathy haunting Heathcliffe in Wuthering Heights - too many late nights this week I think.

Predatory shieldbug

An image from our trip to Wicken Fen yesterday - oh if only it was all in focus - this shieldbug predates caterpillars - it carried this one around with amazing strength as it must have weighed much more than it.

100 macro lens

This image was more satisfactory as the shieldbug was still and all in the same plane of focus so could use F16 but still some of legs out of focus.

The spider spinning its web was taken with a ringflash with the camera set to Manual (200th f32) and hence a better depth of field.

Looking Up

A couple of pictures from a recent walk around Cambridge looking up at the ceilings in King's Chapel and in the Round Church.

Clair and Paul's wedding

To view Clair and Paul's wedding photos go to my website and request a client user name and password.

Happy Birthday

Millie is 8 today having been born on an unforgettable day September 11th 2001.

Here she is enjoying an unusal quiet moment during our morning stroll

Rose

Still testing my Sony for closeup - used the flash on this and surprised that it illuminated even when close to subject. Rose about 10cm diameter.

Windy Sky

The sky at lunchtime today was so striking that I took the camera a couple of hundred metres up our track to get a clearer view.

Infrared really brings out the cloud and vapour trails

Sawfly Larvae

Not an easy subject I have discovered - the larvae are reluctant to extend their tails in the same plane and also swing the tails suddenly just when the shutter is being released.

Macro Pictures with Sony H50

I have acquired via a rewards scheme a Sony DSC-H50, which has an amazing 15X optical zoom and also focuses to 1cm. Today I tested the macro.

For web photos and small prints, it seems very good. There is no RAW facility and fair amount of noise and chromatic aberration so large prints may be out but useful light camera for keeping in the car for those unmissable moments
Thanks to Tricia for an enjoyable morning photographing in her garden and eating breakfast.

Under the Rainbow

Drove back from Berkhampstead yesterday through hail and rain storms but was rewarded by some of the brightest rainbows I have seen for years. The one on the left is illuminating a field just by the M1 near Woburn. Cambourne is at the end of the rainbow on the right.

Play of light,shade and ferns

Some intriguing images from the Well House at Ashridge House. Many thanks to Terry for showing me round the house and especially this wonderful window in the basement of the house. It was lit from a grating at ground level and the play of light and shade as the sun went in and out was awe inspiring. In the first picture the sun is behind clouds so the contrast is low enough to make out all the features of the window frame and the grating outside. As the sun comes out, shapes appear on the window pane

Thethird image shows the maidenhair ferns that are growing under the grating. In the fourth image, the camera has focussed on the dirty glass in the window with soft outlines of the ferns behind.

The last two images show progressively closer images of the light playing on the dusty and cobwebby glass.