The Essence of Our Greenwich Trip in Infrared

Our Annual CCC coach trip was to Greenwich this year and, like last year in Brighton, it was very hot. Here a few images quickly converted from infrared to get an idea of some of the places that we visited. The infrared certainly gives the feel of the brightness of the day among the trees and how people occupy themselves in Greenwich Park in the scorching heat.

Hawker Emergence Has Started

In the last week, we had found six empty large dragonfly nymph cases in the vegetation around our pond and on Thursday I caught this one emerging - presumably a South Hawker (we had around 100 last year https://pin-sharp.blogspot.com/2017/07/sixty-southern-hawkers-and-still.html).

Car Park Contrasts Northampton

The last visit I made here was on a dull day and I was using infrared to capture this impressive concrete car park in Northampton https://pin-sharp.blogspot.com/2017/10/for-members-of-concrete-appreciation.html. Thursday was a very hot and contrasty day so very different images!

Marbled White Roost has Grown

I counted over 40 butterflies roosting on Tuesday evening with some pairs as in first photo (female has a yellowish tinge and can appear browner markings). Experimenting with aperture - for my 50-140mm lens (+2X) f8 seems to be the optimal for sharp subject and diffused background. Last MW image is photostacked - awaiting Fuji firmware update to make this easier and more accurate! First Small Skipper of the season on grass seedhead. Last three images from Lark Rise Farm on a very hot Wednesday afternoon.

Silver-Washed Fritillaries are Out

Wonderful to see freshly emerged Silver-Washed Fritillaries at Gamlingay Woods yesterday. They were very active in the heat in the late morning so difficult to photograph. Will have to return earlier in the day. Also Speckled Wood, Small White Female and Large Skipper plus a puzzle Damselfly. 

 

Colours of Dereliction

Photographers are often drawn to abandoned places where decay and emptiness show the collapse of the 'futures of the past'. Upper Heyford is just such a place having been deserted in 1994 and most buildings left as they were. Many of them are now deemed unsafe even though they are classified Heritage sites.  The  dilapidation gives us visual clues to the faded lives, moved communities and lack of awareness of the past. Having myself lived through the Cold War era when 30,000 USA personel were stationed there and billions were wasted on nuclear preparations, it illustrates the enormous waste of money and often lives that results from the propaganda created by politicians and media -  a lesson that never seems to be learnt by any generation.