New Year Walk at Barton

We took a walk round the fields at Barton hoping to photograph a Hare or two. We briefly saw one retreating so here a miscellany from the morning. Several very smart -looking Reed Butings. There are a couple of very strange scarecrows - the one with dolls' heads is enough to scare anyone let alone a Crow. 

Focus-Stacked Mosses and Fungi

The first four images are Focus Stacks using a 50mm macro lens and the automatic focus bracketing of my Fuji camera. Depending on how deep the stack needs to be, I varied the number of images in the bracket - the first image has 76 images in the stack; the rest used 35 images. The final two two are straight shots. 

Final 2020 images from Toft

Some images from yesterday's frosty misty walk around my local area. We saw several robins feeding on berries especially in frost-free areas deep in bushes. The frost was spasmodic often on one side of twigs or only on the tops of trees. 

Frozen Woodland Floor

The overnight low temperatures and mist resulted in ice crystals in the mosses, leaves and even fungi. 

 

Wintry Trees 2

During the second half of my walk on Monday, the mist cleared a bit revealing more distant features in the landscape. The sunflowers have just about shed their seeds.

 

Infrared Winter Trees

I walked up to Hardwick wood yesterday morning in the mist using my Sony RX100 IR-converted camera. These are the jpegs more or less straight from the camera achieved by setting the white balance in the camera with a white card. The wood itself was magical with misty trees and frosty leaves - only problem is the very muddy paths (in some cases they have turned into streams).

Christmas Eve in Cambridge

Traditionally I visit Cambridge on Christmas Eve for last minute shopping but this year it was just a visit to the quieter areas. Sad to see previously bustling areas so empty but the beautiful light still made it a pleasant experience.