Pampas grass in sharp relief, shades of green behind
You might think that Hyde Hall on a misty November day was not great for capturing images, but you’d be wrong! There were not many people there today, apart from the gardeners! The lack of people meant that it was easier to capture images though. The Mahonia has nice and bright and the pampas grass stood out against the darker colours behind. Orange leaves, still on the trees reflected nicely in the water. The mist made for some atmospheric images as well.
Have a look at our new gallery containing some of today’s images using this link
Bridge over gentle waters shows a bucolic scene on a summer morning at Papermill Lock. Its always worth a trip to Little Baddow.
Bridge over gentle waters
Here Shru was treated to bright sunshine. The sun was already rather warm at ten in the morning and the water had a slight ripple from a gentle breeze. Shru’s shot captures the reflections of the side of the bridge and the surrounding greenery. There are different shades of greenery from the bright green of the bank to the dark green on show of the more mature bushes.
This lock is one of several on the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation, connecting Chelmsford with the sea via the Blackwater Estuary. The navigation therefore became a fundamental freight artery freight in the 19th century . Today there are riverboat cruises and a family run tea rooms for lazy summer days. Therefore today Papermill Lock is a great place to go and enjoy the outdoors.
Lest we forget, Woodham Ferrers in Essex has, like many towns and villages, installed silhouettes of First World War soldiers. This one is positioned in Ormonds Cresent at the top of the hill and is one of several within the village.
Soldier silhouette in Woodham Ferrers
The silhouette is attached to the village sign and reminds us that the village is in the Doomsday Book. It also reminds us that the soldiers went from a rural Essex background with its village church to defend our land. The silhouette is visible to everyone travelling along the main road in the village.
The image also shows that the silhouette is positioned amongst the very ordinary ongoing aspects of aspects of village life. It is near a bus stop from which people come and go, the bus stop has a litter bin. The autumnal foliage clearly shows us that this is the time of year that the First World War ended. Life does go on, seasons turn and now there are very few people alive who remember the First World War. At least we can demonstrate that we don’t forget the men who fought for us in such terrible conditions
Five images of the autumn colours at Danbury Lakes are shown with this post. Three are from this year and two from earlier years. Information about the images is at the bottom of the post.
Squirrel Nutkin?Leafy woodsDry stream bed in leafy woodsZigzag reflections in the lake
About the images
I was lucky with the squirrel, who posed nicely for a second on the end of a piece of stone. His tail curves round nicely and you can even see his whiskers! This year the lake has not yet reached the colours of the attached image. When I was at Danbury last week the waterfowl were also cutting up the surface so the reflections were not as nice either.
Along one of the banks there is a fascinating tree where it appears that the trunk has turned back into the water. The reflections of the tree and the banking are clear, however the movement in the water makes them a zigzag.
Two images from inside the woods follow, where the green canopy is still there, with a carpet of fallen leaves. One image has the dry stream bed running across it.
Autumn Colours at Marks Hall, Essex. The calm water in the upper lake at Marks Hall facilitates these lovely reflections on this autumn day in October 2017.
The upper lake at Marks Hall, Essex
A dust cloud provided unusual weather that day by making the sun go bright orange in the afternoon, like a sunset (see additional image below). You can also see how “pink” the sky is in this image. The trees which form the backdrop to the image are just “turning” as the sap is cut off to the extremities and the leaves become golden.
Vibrant colours
The white pampas grass and the fiery red bush next to it create vibrant contrasts to the greenery above. They add the same vibrancy with their reflections in the green coloured water. These reflections draw the eye into the water to the three arches which form the overflow to control the level of the lake. The arches and the brickwork alongside them are reflected perfectly in the water. The vertical lines of the weeping willow also appear in the water.
Image captured at 2:20 in the afternoon!
Bushes on the path have been used to frame the image. As the dust cloud crosses the sun in different densities, changing the colour of the sun as it passes
Lurking in the bushes!
This image was captured from the bushes on the long side of the lake. It uses the power of the superzoom lens to bring the main features of the image nearer
Autumn Colours at Marks Hall. The calm water in the upper lake at Marks Hall facilitates these lovely reflections on this autumn day in October 2017.
Autumn Colours at Marks Hall, Essex
Equipment: Sony SLT-A65V, Tamron 16-300mm Settings: F8 1/100 ISO 320
A dust cloud provided unusual weather that day. This made the sun go bright orange in the afternoon, like a sunset (see additional image below). The backdrop to this image is the colour of the trees. The leaves have just started to “turn” golden. This occurs as the plant cuts off the sap to its extremities to cope with winter.
Vibrant colours
The white pampas grass and the fiery red bush next to it create vibrant contrasts to the greenery above. They add the same vibrance with their reflections in the green coloured water. These reflections draw the eye into the water to the three arches which form the overflow to control the level of the lake. The arches and the brickwork alongside them reflect perfectly in the water. The vertical lines of the weeping willow also appear in the water.
The bushes on the path frame the image. As the dust cloud crosses the sun in different densities, changing the colour of the sun as it passes
Lurking in the bushes!
Lurking in the bushes on the long side of the lake was the only way to get the image as I wanted! It uses the power of the superzoom lens to bring the main features of the image nearer.
A sunset in mid afternoon!
I captured this image at 14:22 in the afternoon, according to the camera. Effectively we have a sunset in mid afternoon!
A “sunset” in mid afternoon?
Equipment: Sony SLT-A65V, Tamron 16-300mm, Settings: F8 1/200 ISO 125
Battle of Britain Day at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford in 2015. A fly past by a Hawker Hurricane in level flight before making a turn to land.
Hurricane fly past on Battle of Britain Day
Most of the ground crew have turned to watch the plane on that September Saturday, just before the main event started. The bright day is reflected in the colour of the grass, with some of the foliage turning to autumnal colours. Ploughed fields are also ready for the next crop.
Composition wise, I would like to have had the wing on the bottom right corner out of the way and the full wing of the parked aircraft in the foreground of the image. However, the Hurricanes don’t run to a schedule, and when standing in a crowd it is not always easy to compose the perfect image as they fly past. Note the group in the distance at the other side of the airfield. They are people who are seeing the show without paying!
Battle of Britain Day at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford in 2015. A fly past by a Hawker Hurricane in level flight before making a turn to land. Most of the ground crew have turned to watch the plane on that September Saturday, just before the main event started. The bright day is reflected in the colour of the grass, with some of the foliage turning to autumnal colours. Ploughed fields are also ready for the next crop.
Composition wise, I would like to have had the wing on the bottom right corner out of the way and the full wing of the parked aircraft in the foreground of the image. However, the Hurricanes don’t run to a schedule, and when standing in a crowd it is not always easy to compose the perfect image as they fly past. Note the group in the distance at the other side of the airfield. They are people who are seeing the show without paying!
Architectural Symmetry at the Alhambra in Grenada, Andalusia, Spain – captured by Shru. This historic set of palaces has been on Shru’s bucket list since she was a teenager in college.
Roman fortifications formed the basis for the construction of the Alhambra as a small fortress in AD889. The building later became a ruin. Nasrid emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar of the Emirate of Granada built the current palace and walls in the mid-13th century.
This shot is of the Court of the Myrtles part of the Nazari Palaces. The name is from the myrtle bushes that line the central pond. Shru says “This was my first attempt at taking a night shot. A handheld shot was necessary as I unable to take my tripod on the tour. I have chosen to keep the flare from the spot light on the right to mock the moon. I am particularly pleased with the symmetrical reflection in the shot.” The image has a distinctive rough sand paper like texture.
