Category: England

Sunny Wednesday at Hyde Hall

By cpadmin

Image of the week focuses on Hyde Hall

A sunny Wednesday at Hyde Hall. Another sunny day before another storm! I was able to capture lovely images at Hyde Hall. Two image of the ones captured are shown below.

colourful clover hill
Colourful beds on Clover Hill

Clover Hill

The grass on clover hill was very green, there were nice bends to see on the bank. There were layers of colour in the flower beds. White grasses were waving in the wind and the yellow and deep red cornus (Dogwood) plants were providing striking displays. The image as you see it has different layers of colour as you look up and down it.

sunny wednesday at Hyde Hall
Daffodils catch the sun

Daffodils

A sunny Wednesday at Hyde Hall and the daffodils are out! I managed to get a close up of one in the Hilltop Garden. In the image shown the daffodil flute bows its head down. Other flowers are out and coming out behind it. Since Wednesday we have a daffodil out in our garden. I hope they all survive storm Dennis!

There is lots to see at Hyde Hall at the moment so take a trip there after the storm. The roses are starting to bud! Visit Hyde Hall’s website

See more of our images at WWW.Compassphotography.co.uk

Sunny day before storm Ciara

By cpadmin

Sunny day before storm Ciara

Today was a sunny day before storm Ciara arrives tomorrow. I was able to capture images at Hanningfield Reservoir and Compass Gardens in South Woodham Ferrers. The reservoir at Hanningfield held more water than I have seen it is for a long time. The sun and the clear sky allowed me to create marvellous images of the large expanse of water. Use this link to take a look at Hanningfield’s website

Sunny day before storm Ciara
Glorious views at Hanningfield reservoir

In Compass Gardens the crocuses and catkins were out. I played with a few images of the crocuses and in the end got down to ground level. Literally the camera on the grass and my mobile phone employed to keep the camera level. It’s a great result. It shows the grass being taller than the crocus. The trees look massive in the background. The storm is coming tomorrow and I suppose it will not be possible to get such nice photographs.

Sunny day before storm Ciara
Yellow crocuses from ground level

See more of our images at WWW.Compassphotography.co.uk

Winter warmer!

By cpadmin

Winter warmer!

Winter warmer
Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’

The dull, grey and cold days of the New Year need a winter warmer! Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ is just that. This colourful-barked dogwood are typically grown for winter colour, when their colourful, leafless stems shine like beacons in the bare winter garden. Cornus sanguinea has red stems, and looks fantastic when planted with evergreen shrubs, and among spring flowers.

The image below was captured at RHS Hyde Hall recently and as you can see the colours are vibrant. A large space is required to get the best effect though. Most of us don’t have a garden big enough to allow this plant to show itself off to best advantage. We can still look forward to summer warmth!

See more of our images at WWW.Compassphotography.co.uk

A nice day out.

By cpadmin

Travelled to Leicester on Wednesday for a nice day out. My hosts took me to Beacon Hill outside the city where the views of the Trent plain are quite remarkable. I’m pleased with the images I managed to capture on my new camera from the top of the hill. It was a really bright day, though cold. On top of the hill there is a very attractive craggy feature pushing out of the landscape. This made a nice panoramic.

A nice day out
Beacon Hill, near Leicester
A nice day out
Craggy outcrop – Beacon Hill

I passed through London St Pancras as I was travelling by train to and from Essex. Captured a few nice nighttime images of the Christmas lights. People playing the pianos create a nice atmosphere in the station. There is however no Christmas tree at the station this year. Last year the tree was awful. This year there is a pink Eiffel Town monstrosity. Why can we not have a traditional tree in this showplace. I have not included a picture of it here, however if you use this link you can see it. All in all it was a nice day out. Two good journeys and lots to do in the middle.

London St Pancras
St Pancras at night

See more of our images at WWW.Compassphotography.co.uk

A Bright Winter’s day

By cpadmin

Today was a bright winter’s day in Maldon Essex. I took the opportunity of a brisk stroll around the promenade to capture some images. It was the first outing for my new camera! Really pleased with the results.

  • Thames barges
  • a bright winter's day
  • a bright winter's day
A bright winter’s day

Hythe Quay was the home of a cluster of Thames barges. They make a colourful display. Maldon is the home of the Steam Tug Brent Trust. They are repairing two tug boats. Click here to have a look at the Steam Tug Brent Trust website

The tide was half out. This gave lovely textured patterns in the mud, as well as a visually pleasing sweep round the river

Have a look at the other image galleries on our website WWW.compassphotography.co.uk

Guest Photographer

By cpadmin
Guest Photographer
The road and railway to Wickford, the BP station

Our website has a guest photographer until the end of January 2020.

Guest Photographer Terry Joyce enjoys using a light aircraft to fly over the Essex Countryside. He captures images of the features of the landscape during the fights. This collection of images are selected from over 50 images of South Woodham Ferrers captured at different times. Have a close look at the images. See if you can see your home, school or workplace in our town.

Twelve aerial images of South Woodham Ferrers are currently on display at South Woodham Ferrers library. The library will also host a PowerPoint presentation of over 40 of Terry’s images. This will be on Saturdays the 23rd and 30th November 2019 from 1000 till 1200. Visit the library and view the images. The image below is one of the ones on display. Click here to visit the page on our website to see Terry’s images (www.compassphotography.co.uk)

Terry’s other passion is Rayleigh Town Museum where he tirelessly volunteers to enhance the exhibits and promote the museum. If you have not been to the museum it’s well worth a look. Click here to go to Rayleigh Town Museum’s website

Suffolk in Autumn

By cpadmin

Suffolk in Autumn comprises four images from an overnight trip this week. The catalyst for the trip was the concert being held by “The Hot Club of Cowtown” in Bury St Edmunds. I chose to take the scenic route to Bury, up through Clare and via Ickworth.

The main street in Clare was full of fallen leaves and this gave a great opportunity to create a really leafy Suffolk in Autumn image.

Ickworth is a national trust property – see their website I went there to photograph the huge Rotunda. Alas, scaffolding covered the Rotunda! At the bottom of the Italian formal gardens is a path which curves round. The wall and the shadows of the wall lead your eye nicely round to a tree with golden leaves. Classic leading lines!

  • Leading lines at Ickworth
    Leading lines in the grounds of Ickworth
  • Suffolk in Autumn
    Leaf strewn main street at Clare
  • Bury St Edmunds
    Benedictine ruins at Bury ST E
  • Suffolk in Autumn
    Glorious colours in Bury’s Abbey Gardens

Moving on the Bury St Edmunds I spent time in the Abbey Gardens. One ruin amongst others! Firstly, I came across golden trees and then ruins of the Benedictine Monastery. I progressed down to the stream and found many opportunities for autumnal colours.

In short, there was lots to see in Suffolk in Autumn! The autumn colours seem brighter this year

Pictures from the Park

By cpadmin

A series of images from Knighton Park in Leicester forms “Pictures from the park”. The title could add the words “in the rain” as it started raining just after we arrived. There are some lovely golden leaves falling from the trees. Others have fallen and lie on the ground. The park in question is Knighton Park in Leicester. Click on this link to go to the Park’s website

  • Pictures from Knighton Park
    Falling leaves in Knighton Park – 1
  • Pictures from Knighton Park
    Knighton Park – 2
  • Automn in Knighton Park
    Pictures from Knighton Park – 3

Two things might have improved the shots. Firstly, being there a week earlier. Secondly using a tripod. As it was a family walk there was not time to fuss with a tripod. Have a look at our other galleries of images from gardens using this link. View our website www.compassphotography.co.uk

Farleigh Hospice Exhibition

By cpadmin

Farleigh Hospice Exhibition. Over twenty of Mike’s images are now on display at Farleigh Hospice in Chelmsford. Turning left at reception there is a long corridor. The images are hung down both sides of the corridor down to another junction.

Find out more about Farleigh Hospice by visiting their website

  • Farleigh Hospice
    Farleigh Hospice
  • Farleigh Exhibition far wall
    Mike’s images on show at Farleigh
  • Farleigh exhibition panoramas
    Panoramas at Farleigh exhibition
  • Farleigh exhibition A4s
    Farleigh exhibition A4 images
  • Farleigh exhibition A4s
    A4 images
  • Farleigh exhibition corner
    Farleigh exhibition corner
  • Farleigh exhibition 2019
    Mike’s square images on show at Farleigh

See more of our images on our website

Autumn colours in Colchester

By cpadmin

There were lovely autumn colours in Colchester yesterday. I spent an hour in Castle Park walking along the side of the River Colne capturing some lovely images. Image 236 is just above the weir where the river bends. Reflecting in the water are the golden leaves still clinging to the branches. Image 263 is again by the river. It reveals a bend with the bank on an angle and a rusty field of fallen leaves. The Willow in image 297 droops to the water and on the other side of the Colne more golden leaves reflect in the water.

Away from the water, image 337 shows that one tree has turned golden by the footpath. Bare branches of multi-stemmed trees that have already dropped their leaves reflect in the pool further down the Colne in image 346. A flock of seagulls that was sitting on the lake was disturbed. They took off as I was capturing another image of the pool. I managed one or two shots of them (363).

  • Autumn colours in Colchester
    River Colne (236)
  • Autumn colours in Colchester
    Autumn colours in Colchester (263)
  • Autumn colours in Colchester
    Going gold (337)
  • Autumn reflections in Colchester
    Weeping willow (297)
  • Autumn reflections in Colchester
    Autumn reflections (346)
  • Autumnal colours in Colchester
    Birds on the wing (363)

Find out more about Castle Park by visiting their website. Use this link to do that