Visit to Liverpool

Visited the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool on a very bright sunny day last week and was amazed by the colours coming through the stained glass ceiling windows. The staff were very friendly and encouraged us to take photographs with no restriction on tripods - just a request to publicize the beauty of the building - not a problem.

Trinity gates

Autumn colours on the Backs in Cambridge

Rainy Wales

Bridge at Connays Quay on a very wet morning in Wales - also have some dawn shots that may be more pleasing though the sombre sky does seem to go with the structure

Using Shift and Tilt Lens

Tried out my Canon Tilt and Shift lens on the beach huts at Wells.


On the left, the beach huts when taken without any shift appear to lean backwards as they are taken from below

With the lens shifted, the verticals are corrected and the beach huts are now upright and photo appears to be taken from a ladder at the height of the decking.

Two More Cafes

Two cafes taken on a rainy visit to Hunstanton - neither was doing much business.

Shifting Sands

The first evening of our recent camera club weekend in Wells was very windy but clear after a very wet day. The shifting sands made wonderful patterns

Silly Flamingos

Pensthorpe has a flock of Flamingos in their Conservation area. They periodically got very agitated and all rushed forward onto the water and were photographed in some very amusing poses.

More Spiders from Wicken

Three more spiders from Wicken


Pisaura mirabilis (right)

Meta segmentata (below)

Araneus diadematus (below right)

Two Images from Wet Sunday

Two images from the wet Sunday of

our camera club weekend in Wells-next-the-Sea.

Any ideas why Hunstanton has these perfectly rounded boulders all covered in green seaweed? Not enough light to make a good image but still took my eye.

This image says it all about Hunstanton on a wet day

Taken at Sheringham station

In the Cafe Number 2

Tea for Two

One of a series on traditional cafes

Two spiders from Wicken Fen

Araneus marmoreus and Araneus

quadratus

Red Kite in Chilterns

We did a detour en route to Bath to photograph the red kites around the Stokenchurch area. Amazing birds - sometimes a dozen in the sky at once - well worth a visit.

This is from one of the small jpeg file so will post the best of the conversions later.

Hard winter to come?

If the old adage is true, with the hedgerows full of berries this autumn, we are in for a harsh winter.

Good news for those like me that like winter frosts and snows, but not so good for the wildlife.

Iceberg beach Jokusarlon

Started looking back on the many photos I took in Iceland in February and have never processed or printed.

I remember being so overawed by this beach that found it very difficult to settle and compose pictures.

Puffin on the Farne Islands

Everyone else's puffins seem to be able to get their sand eels in a tidy row while mine had them all in a mess - some heads towards me and some tails but I did like the bit of movement on the wings and the glancing light.

Pink and purple staircase

Even brighter staircase from Lowry Centre at Salford.

Blue staircase

I have quite a collection of coloured staircases. This one was taken recently in Edinburgh at their discovery centre near the Scottish Parliament.

Pumpkin time coming

With all this year's rain, should be some giant pumpkin's around for Halloween.

Rufous-tailed hummungbird

Last one from Ecuador - the complete catalogue of birds is now accessible from my website but this is my favourite - mainly because I have knipofias growing outside my study window in Cambridge but the most exotic species I have seen on them here are goldfinches

Green Thorntail

Spider from Ecuador

Can anyone identify this orb-spinning spider seen in Ecuador - in open land west of Quito.

Cloud Rain Forest

It was the wet season on the east of Quito and we certainly saw a lot of clouds and rain.

View of Antisana Volcano Ecuador

Taken from nearly 15,000 feet on a beautiful sunny but icy morning. Good day for a brisk walk but at that altitude everything had to be done more slowly.

Back from Ecuador

Back from a week photographing birds - mainly hummingbirds in Ecuador.

This one is called Shining sunbeam which seems a reasonable name for a bright orange bird.

Wedding Photographs

Two 'anonymous' images from recent wedding at Downing College Cambridge - great location

Abandonned Cemetery

Found this old cemetery near Kings Lynn - hoping to get back in winter when easier to see all the old graves

Dragonflies from Fen Drayton Pits

Picture taken on CCC Nature Group outing to Fen Drayton Pits.
Liked the colours but impossible to get front wings in focus.

They liked the metal rails and I got very close to the one below

Harvest Time in Toft

Wonderful sunset tonight as storm clouds approached from the Southeast. Combine harvester worked continuously into the night to get the wheat cut before the rain comes. Rainbow appeared opposite the sun as it approached the horizon.

Great Spotted Woodpeckers

A young great spotted woodpecker being fed peanuts by its parent.

Only the young woodpeckers have the red head.

Study of Swan Take Off

Seven frames taken as Mute Swan took off - all it needs is the sound track.

Two Gannet Images

These are two images from a recent trip to Bass Rock in Scotland to observe the Gannet Colony. There are 50,000 breeding pairs on the rock and almost as many non-breeding pairs.

This is one of my favourites as it shows all the stages of gannets diving for fish. It was taken from the fishing boat taking us to the island after fish had been thrown overboard.

It was a windy day so the gannets coming into land hovered in the updraft allowing some good shots of their flying techniques.

I am in the process of revamping my website and these and more images from the trip will appear in due course!

Two Enthusiasts

Taken at Steam and Crafts Fair at the Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket.

Great trade in bottles of Brasso.

This man is obviously contemplating the enormous task ahead of getting all the brasses polished.

Here the job on another machine is nearly done and ready for the parade

Rocks, seaweed and feather

The rocks were taken in the rain on Dunbar beach, Scotland. I was attracted by the purple, ochre and grey colours that became vibrant in the wet conditions.

Recalling the Beatles Abbey Road

Taken in the snow on Silver Street Cambridge not Abbey Road and they didn't get the strides quite right


Kids in Dublin having fun