Category: Heritage

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

Lord Lieutenant of Essex at Rayleigh

By cpadmin

The Lord Lieutenant of Essex visited Rayleigh Museum recently. The museum asked me to be the photographer for them that afternoon. The Lord Lieutenant is a role that goes back to the 1500’s. Mrs Jennifer Tolhurst is Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Essex and the first woman to hold the role. The museum tour lasted about two hours during which tea and cakes were served with the trustees.

Rayleigh museum is on the High Street in Rayleigh. It is above Pizza Express. The museum packs a large number of interesting exhibits into a small space. Much can be learned about the history of the town. There is a new exhibit about the railways and there are lots of things for children to do too. Click here to visit the museum’s website

The Lord Lieutenant posed for some formal photographs and unveiled a plaque recalling her visit

It was quite an experience trying to capture informal shots in that environment. The museum has uneven floors and a variety of lighting challenges. People were moving around at it was a challenge to get good images of the people present without being obtrusive.

  • The Lord Lieutenant of Essex
    The Lord Lieutenant reviews the exhibits
  • The Lord Lieutenant of Essex
    The Lord Lieutenant takes tea with Rayleigh Museum Trustees

Click here to view our other images by visiting our website

Battle of Britain Airshow

By cpadmin

Battle of Britain Airshow

The Imperial War Museum at Duxford hosted the Battle of Britain Airshow on Saturday and Sunday 21st/22nd September. On Saturday thousands of people attended. The sky was clear and bright, the weather was hot and the views were really good. The displays of WW1 and WW2 planes were really interesting. See the three photographs. See more photographs from the event on our website. https://www.compassphotography.co.uk/battle-of-britain-airshow-2019/

  • Spitfire diving
    Spitfire diving to pounce
  • Battle of Britain Airshow
    Some of the 16 Spitfires
  • Checking them over
    Crew check the aircraft over

Rochford Arts Festival

By cpadmin

Mike’s images are on display as part of Rochford Arts Festival. An Art trail has been created around Rochford and there are guided tours to meet the artists. St Mary’s charity shop, 7 North Street, Rochford is where the images are on display for 12 days. St Mary’s run a Horse Sanctuary. If you like looking at art have a wander round the centre of Rochford in the next few days and look at what is on display.

Mike’s display for Rochford Arts Festival

These three images were captured with my phone just after the installation. They are not brilliant picture because of the reflections and the fact I did not want to get run over.

  • Rochford Arts Festival
    Display at St Mary’s shop
  • Rochford Arts Festival
    Mike’s images at St Mary’s shop
  • Rochford Arts Festival
    Mike’s display at St Mary’s shop
  • A shot from the launch of Rochford Arts Festival
    A light installation at the launch event
  • Rochford Arts Festival
    People listening to the mayor
  • Rochford Arts Festival
    Busy organisers

Launch event

Images are also shown of the launch event last night. Use this link to look at the Arts festival website and follow in on Facebook

See more of our images by visiting our website using this link

An interesting Assignment

By cpadmin

An interesting assignment

Had an interesting assignment last week. The museum at Rayleigh asked me to join them on location at the Rayleigh Council Chamber. Together with the town council, they wanted a record the council chamber and the photographs that it contains. Created 250 images, which will need processing. Here are two of them.

Click this link to go to Rayleigh Town Museum

interesting assignment
Order please
Interesting Assignment
Rayleigh town council

Visit our exhibitions at Rayleigh

By cpadmin

Visit our exhibitions at Rayleigh

Visit our exhibitions at Rayleigh. Mike is currently exhibiting photographs in both the Mill Hall (The Mill Arts and Event Centre Rayleigh) and Rayleigh Windmill. The two venues are next to each other and there is car parking.

The Mill Hall exhibition continues from now until the 16th August 2019. A photograph of the images is shown below, however click here to look at all the images on display on our website. The Mill Hall is open most days and it is possible to view these images at any time.

The Rayleigh Windmill Exhibition continues from now until the 25th August. A photograph of the images is shown below, however click here to look at all the images on display on our website. The Windmill is only open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The page on our website shows the exact opening dates and times. Click here to link to the Mill Hall and Rayleigh Windmill.

    • Visit our exhibitions at Rayleigh
      Images at the Windmill
    • Visit our exhibitions at Rayleigh
      Images at the Mill Hall

    Images of the Kent seaside

    By cpadmin

    Images of the Kent seaside

    On one of the hottest days of the year I captured some great images of the Kent seaside. The sun shone without a break as I travelled from Cape le Ferne in the east to Dungeness.

    Capel le Ferne is white cliffs of Dover country. It has a great café on the top of the cliffs. The Lees at Folkestone looked almost tropical in the images captured from there. Sandygate roasted in the sun. Behind Waitrose at Hythe I found some welcome shade along the calmness of the Royal Military Canal. Dymchurch was busy and it was extremely hot driving the steam engines at the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway so I was told!).

    The beach at Greatstone had lots of people on it and pebbles reflected in the sunlight. Dungeness looked as special as it always does, perhaps more so in the sun. A yacht passed by near to the shore and provided a nice opportunity to photograph it in the blue sea against the yellow pebbles.

    View more of the images from this day by going to the Compass Photography Website

    • Images of the Kent seaside
      Sailing by at the tip of Dungeness
    • Images of the Kent seaside
      Patterns in the sand – Folkstone
    • Images of the Kent seaside
      Dungeness – The boardwalk looking back to the road
    • Images of the Kent seaside
      Welcome shade – Royal Military Canal at Hythe
    • Images of the Kent seaside
      Pulling out at RHDR

    Cascades under an ancient green canopy

    By cpadmin

    Cascades under an ancient green canopy

    Golitha Falls is the location for cascades under an ancient green canopy. The water cascades though a gorge of ancient oak trees at this Cornish nature reserve. There is no single large waterfall, instead multiple waterfall form this cascade.  The water feeds into the River Fowey at the end of the gorge and travels down to the sea.

    The woodland flora here has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

    Cascades under an ancient green canopy
    Golitha Falls. A cascade of waterfalls

    The image forms a lovely scene. The stones along the bank are covered in moss. Several cascades are in evidence. The tree branches grow randomly  at odd angles. The water reflects the green canopy above it. This is a scene from June, however the leaves give an impression of April. The feet of the tripod were actually in the water, allowing the shot to be captured from near the water level. Within the gorge you can only hear the sound of the water. Peace and tranquillity reign. Rain had fallen the day before we visited. This had increased the water flow. We recommend a visit here. 

    Click here to see our other images on www.compassphotography.co.uk

    Click here to visit the Golitha web site

    Equipment: Sony SLT-A65V, Tamron 16-300mm & Tripod

    Image settings f4.0 1/25 ISO 100

    Cornucopia of colour

    By cpadmin
    • Cornucopia of colour
      Purple alliums in front of daisies
    • Cornucopia of colour
      Aster alpinus goliath in the dry garden

    There is a cornucopia of colour in a new collection of images captured at Hyde Hall in late May 2019. It was a slightly breezy sunny afternoon. I walked round the garden in a different sequence.

    Normally, I arrive at the garden when it opens in the morning to capture images without other folk in the way. This visit was in the afternoon. As a result, it meant that the sun had moved round to a different angle and gave different opportunities.

    Two images from the new gallery are shown above. One of the images shows Purple alliums set in front of a pastiche of out of focus bank of daisies. The second image show the compact purple and yellow aster on a bed of pebbles.

     Click on this link to see the whole cornucopia of colour gallery.

    The whole  slide show includes more purple alliums, yellow roses in the rose garden, Californian poppies, a white Iris shaped like a polo mint and two restful images captured from a bench below the small pond.

    This link will take you to our other Hyde Hall galleries

    Equipment: Sony SLT-A65V, Tamron 16-300mm

    Settings for alliums: F6.3 1/640 ISO 100

    Settings for aster: F5.6 1/1000 ISO 100

    Visit our website www.compassphotography.co.uk

     

     

    Hyde Hall on Easter Sunday

    By cpadmin

    Hyde Hall on Easter Sunday

    Hyde Hall on Easter Sunday
    Distance shot of Woodham Ferrers

    Hyde Hall on Easter Sunday
    Rododendron saint tudy

    Hyde Hall on Easter Sunday
    Magnolia judy

    Hyde Hall on Easter Sunday
    purple Bergenia

    Hyde Hall on Easter Sunday
    Blossom on a Malus

    An early visit to Hyde Hall on Easter Sunday enabled me to capture some super images in the sunshine. Hyde Hall is an RHS Garden in Essex, UK

    The attractions included red and white blossom on the Malus trees, this one had no label! The purple Bergenia stood out against the white pebbles in the dry garden at the top of the hill. Magnolia judy is a delicate pink lurking around the far side of the lake overlapping the footpath. The strangely named Rododendron saint tudy (yes “tudy”) has lovely deep purple flowers and is found in a shady path to the right of the house.

    The 150-600 lens enable me to frame a long distance image of houses along the B1418 in Woodham Ferrers. The leaves on the tree are bursting forth over the right hand diagonal half of the image. Behind them on the low skyline we see the houses and the undulating yellow field with its tractor tracks.

    Visit our Website

    Have a look at more of our images on www.compassphotography.co.uk

    Equipment: Sony SLT-A65V, Tamron 16-300mm – setting vary