Virtual exhibition at Rayleigh Windmill. A number of my images associated with the re-erection of the sails on Rayleigh Windmill have been posted on the Rayleigh Windmill Facebook page as part of the 2020 virtual exhibition being held this year. Go to the links below to have a look and the images
Copies of the images displayed
More images of the re-erection of the sails can be found on our web page
RHS Hyde Hall is open again. There is a great display of yellows and purples amongst the flowers. Today was the first day of opening after the lock down. Three of the images captured today are shown above, there are another six on our website under the heading “latest images”
The Purple Alliums are mostly past their best, however the one shown here was in the shade and had more colour. Moving up and round to the pond in the Hill Harden there were some bright yellow water lilies. Foxgloves (digitalis) were present in abundance. One of my images shows the patterns inside the foxglove petal.
To gain entry to Hyde Hall you need to go on line and book a time slot for entry at the website. Remember to take water with you. The one thing I missed after my walk round was the cup of tea!
To look at more of the images from Hyde Hall open again click here
This post is not for hay fever sufferers. The white May blossom is lovely to look at from a distance as the trees and bushes become covered in delicate white and creamy coloured flowers. It’s even better to get close up and see the shape of the flowers that make up the blossom. If you suffer from hay fever you will disagree with me. Some flowers, particularly the hawthorn have a strong smell. The smell also gets through to the back of your throat and makes you want to sneeze and cough!
Blossom from three different plants, trees and bushes are shown below. Firstly the Hawthorn Bush which produces some very delicate clusters of white flowers. The flowers will eventually turn into red berries.
Secondly there are images of the cylinder shaped blossom of a cherry tree with a very long name. It’s called “prunus padus watereri AGM Bird Cherry Tree”. These flowers are creamy rather than pure white.
Lastly there is the “common as muck” Cow Parsley, Latin name Anthriscus sylvestris. The umbrella like clusters appear all over our fields in May and June. They are summer itself, but not for hay fever sufferers! They can’t wait for the early summer to pass.
See more of these images on our May Blossom page
Just to confirm all of these images were captured on my daily walks during lockdown!
Before the rains came we have had almost five weeks of sunshine. The temperature has varied from cool to very hot and back. The forecast said several days of rain and before it came I spent time capturing images of the plants growing in the garden.
The weigela looked particularly outstanding. The pink and white flowers were showing as buds and/or full blooms. The colours always remind me of raspberry ripple ice cream, one of my favourites. The variegated leaves are attractive too. The plant send it flowers out in arching stems on which the growth of the flowers extend. One shot shows a high stem crossing the washing line!
The passion flower plant was sending wispy tentacles out over the top of the fence. They remind me of the tentacle of the creatures in HG Wells War of the Worlds.
Three images are shown below, eight images from this series can be seen on our website by using this link https://www.compassphotography.co.uk/before-the-rain-came/
Lock down photographs. With lock down comes the question “What do I do with my time”. One of the photographers in team Essex posted a picture of pigeon with the caption “I’m getting desperate!” I understand that. However, flowers are breaking bud, leaves are forming and there are things in the garden which can be played with to create images. Many of the images are ones that we would not necessarily seek to capture in normal times.
For example, I have been using my macro lens for the first time in three years. I also managed to capture images of the moon with my 600mm lens. I was surprised at the quality of the moon images. The craters are clearly visible on the edge of the image. This post contains two of the lock down photographs. Click on the link to go to our website and see some of the others in the latest images section.Lock down images – 1
All creatures macro and small, three images attached. Being at home this week means that photography has been limited to the garden. I have entered a competition to photograph textures and have been playing in the garden with my macro lens. It is amazing how different textures look when you take a really close view of them.
I wanted to capture the texture of a tulip flower. I tried one that was out and then tried one that was unfurled. The text is nice and smooth, however the image also shows an aphid standing on the side of the flower looking at me. I presume it a green fly, but a bit early for them.
Another ladybird offered itself for a close up. I find them so attractive. A friend tells me it’s a seven spotted one, which is common! Still I like the image of the ladybird on the dwarf conifer. It was also well behaved and stayed put whilst I fiddled with the camera! Smooth texture on the ladybird and furry texture on the conifer.
The third shot is from a post in the garden. Put in the ground 30 years ago, it has weathered and suffered from a lack of preservative. I wanted to catch the image of the knot, which I did. The knot in real life is 5mm across! What I had not appreciated, again, until bringing the image on to the computer was that there was a distinct cross shape in the wood as well.
See more of our images by visiting our website “https://www.compassphotography.co.uk/”
Ladybirds in the sun. Spent most of the morning today in the garden as there was nowhere to go today! Just finished mowing the lawn and I noticed this ladybird on a fence post in the garden. So I nipped in and got the camera, fitted the macro lens and grabbed the tripod.
Getting the close up shot was not as easy as it could have been. The two ladybirds were sunning themselves on a post next to a bale of hay. I had to fight uneven ground to set the tripod on, the bush in the way and the angle of the sun to get an image or two.
I was just lining up a shot of the two together when one of them beetled off! Still, I’m pleased with these and might have another go tomorrow setting the camera on a pile of bricks instead! I hope you enjoy looking at Ladybirds in the sun.
The National Geographic for kids website says that “There are about 5,000 different species of ladybirds in the world. These much loved critters are also known as lady beetles or ladybugs, and in many cultures they’re considered good luck. They come in many different colours and patterns, but the most familiar in the UK is the seven-spot ladybird, which has a shiny, red-and-black body”. Got to the website by clicking here.
See more of our images by visiting our website www.compassphotography.co.uk
Lone Daffodil. Storm Dennis bent this daffodil right over into a pool of water. It was wrecked! I pulled it up, cut it off and put it in a pot to decorate our lounge. Its been here a week now! It brightens the place up!
See more our our garden images
See more of our flower images
Compass Photography has a Batty guest photographer on its website from today for a while. John Dobson has allowed us to show 10 of his wildlife image including several of bats. One of the images is really fascinating. The sleeping bats are covered with condensation droplets. Its quite normal apparently but strange to the rest of us who know nothing about bats and probably would not seek them out in caves to photograph! The image below has a lovely purple sheen. You can also clearly see the fingers hanging on to the wall.
Please look on the site and see John’s images and read his biographical notes which tell you more about him. You could also look up the Essex bat group’s website. John is not really a Batty guest photographer though
Stormy Seas – Competition successes! These three images have just received prizes in the same international competition. The theme of the competition was “Capture the Wind”. With storm Dennis which is here today, these images will resonate. The one with the hooked wave came 11th out of 500 and the other one came 74th out of 500. The wave rolling in came 200th out of 500!
The first image was captured at Ramsgate on the first Sunday of January 2018. The weather had been bad. I was fed up of being cooped up inside, I definitely needed to get out. The south coast was my destination. The sea along the beach at Ramsgate was foaming. In addition, when I got to the harbour around lunchtime there were some giant waves. Very dramatic!
Broardstairs is the location for the second image. It’s not far from Ramsgate. People had parked cars on the quay whilst the tide was out and as it came in, the tide washed the cards. I have often wondered if the cars started after their soaking. Some daft folk were also dodging in and out of the spray.
The third image shows a wave at Dunbar in Scotland last year. It is one of a burst of seven images. It was windy and the wind was blowing against the spray and driving it back over the waves. I spent quite a few minutes capturing shots here.
Hope you like “Stormy Seas – Competition successes!” See images at the Compass Photography Website. WWW.Compassphotography.co.uk
