Category: Panoramas

To Greenwich on the Thames

By cpadmin

Travelled by boat to Greenwich on the Thames this week. Took advantage of the warm weather to sit outside on the boat and soak up the sun. It was just like summer. Travelling under Tower Bridge is always spectacular. Here we are so low that the bridge looks as if it is bending back. HMS Belfast is in the distance.

To Greenwich on the Thames
Under we go, Tower Bridge

The second image shows how little river traffic is on the Thames today as we journey to Greenwich. We are at New Crane Wharf in Wapping and have just been passed by a speeding police boat going in the other direction. Hence the wave! Symmetry is a word you might use about the buildings here! It’s also marvellous to look at the detail.

To Greenwich on the Thames
New Crane Wharf, Wapping

At Greenwich it’s worth walking to the top of the hill and taking in the view from the Royal Observatory. Canary Wharf continues to develop a pace. It is said that the number of tower blocks will make it look like Manhattan! You can just see the river bending round in the distance too.

To Greenwich on the Thames
View from the Royal Observatory, Greenwich

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

Settings vary

Essex Landscapes Calendar 2019

By cpadmin

Bluebells on the front of the calendar

Essex Landscapes Calendar 2019. The Compass Photography Calendar displays the Essex countryside in all its glory, month by month. The front cover is bluebells at Hanningfield reservoir 

 Essex Landscapes Calendar 2019

Monthly images of the Old Rochford Reservoir, Fenn creek at South Woodham Ferrers, Hawkwell, Thorpe Bay, Papermill Lock, RHS Hyde Hall, All Saints Church Rettendon, Paglesham, Marks Hall, Ashingdon and Compass Gardens – South Woodham Ferrers

You can also view the whole calendar our website: 

http://www.compassphotography.co.uk/essex-landscapes-calendar-2019/

Each calendar costs £7.00 plus P&P if needed, payment can be made by PayPal, cash or cheque if you’d rather. Contact Mike on 07973-294820

Autumn Colours at Danbury Lakes

By cpadmin

Autumn Colours at Danbury Lakes

autumn colours at Danbury Lakes
Glorious colours

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.

autumn colours at Danbury Lakes
Squirrel Nutkin?

autumn colours at Danbury Lakes
Leafy woods

autumn colours at Danbury Lakes
Dry stream bed in leafy woods

autumn colours at Danbury Lakes
Zigzag 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.

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

Settings vary with the image

 

Autumn Colours at Marks Hall, Essex

By cpadmin

Autumn Colours at Marks Hall, Essex

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.

Autumn Colours at Marks Hall, Essex
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.

Autumn colours at Marks Hall, Essex
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

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

Settings: F8 1/100 ISO 320

Sunsets to die for – Tucepi in Croatia

By cpadmin

Sunsets from Tucepi

Sunsets to die for. We saw some excellent sunsets on a recent trip to Tucepi (pronounced “Toochepi”) in Croatia. Only one of the fourteen nights we were there did not have a glorious sunset.

Sunsets to die for
The sun hidden in the tree

Sunsets to die for
Boats, trees and Brac

Sunsets to die for
Open water just showing Brac

Sunsets to die for
Pine trees and Brac in the background

Sunsets to die for
Brac in the background

Sunsets to die for
Two trees in the sunset

Tucepi is on the Adriatic coast of Croatia and looks across to the island of Hvar. Images included here also include the island of Brac in the background. There is a long promenade at Tucepi, with pine trees on the edge of the shingle beach boarding the sea. A number of the trees are captured in the sunset images together with boats and people walking out to photograph the nightly spectacle. The water was also incredibly calm. We assumed that this was because the shore was in the lee of the islands. A lovely warm place to holiday!

Equipment: Sony SLT-A65V, Tamron 16-300mm, with differing settings depending upon the light!

Night lights – Sydney Australia

By cpadmin

Sydney at night from the Opera House

Night lights – Sydney Australia. Captured under the lea of Sydney Opera House, this image has been cropped to portrait from landscape. The crop to portrait is important for two reasons. Firstly, it cut out a dark uninteresting area of harbour water. Secondly, the effect of the lamps and tall buildings is heightened and they are emphasised by the portrait format.

Night lights – Sydney Australia
Sydney at night from the Opera House

The view looks back toward the city from the promontory where the opera house is. It shows the tall offices and hotels, their lights and the smoky red coloured light pollution hanging over the city. A quick rain shower had cleared the quayside of people. Everyone had dived under the Opera House overhang to shelter. I nipped out with the tripod, camera and remote set up to capture the shot. Until I returned to the UK I didn’t realise what a nice shot this was.

Reflections and leading lines

The glowing orbs of the sentinel pavement lights form a line leading the eye back towards the city. The rain on the pavement additionally allows a glistening reflection of the lights to form another leading line. This complements the “dash-dash” line formed by the paving slabs.

This was a December night and one of my first attempts at night time photography. In the UK it would have been cold then. However, even with the rain a jumper was all you needed down under at that time of the year.

I have a version of this image as a 20” x 30” canvas and it looks great!

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

Settings: F3.5 1/15 ISO 1600

A view from the high life!

By cpadmin

A view from the high life!

A view from the high life! These three images captured not quite from the top of a mountain near Tucepi in Croatia show excellent views.

 

A view from the high life!
Shrouded in mist

A view from the high life!
A road on the edge

A view from the high life!
Looking down at sea level

Climbing mountain roads (some glorified tracks) we reached several viewing points high up the mountain. Technically we were not in the Biokovo nature park, however we were right next door to it. Two images show the mountain road where we were, one shows us momentarily shrouded in cloud which came and went. The other is where the road almost appears to go off the end of the mountain. The road reminded us of the roads along the Almafi coast. Fortunately, we did not experience the Italian drivers overtaking on blind bends. The third image show the coast road below us, the glorious colours of the sea

Architectural Symmetry at the Alhambra

By cpadmin

Architectural Symmetry at the Alhambra

Architectural Symmetry at the Alhambra
Architectural buildings at the Alhambra

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.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II EF-S 18-135mm IS STM

F11   1/6 ISO 16000

1066 and all that! Image of the week

By cpadmin

1066 and all that! Image of the week

1066 and all that! Three images from Battle Abbey. Re-visited this site last week and captured three images.

First image.

1066 and all that!
Pond down the hill from Battle Abbey

Down the hill from the Abbey is a large pond surrounded by greenery of all kinds. In terms of composition the greenery frames the image and the reflections of the bushes on the other side of the pond add reflections in the water. These reflections appear to be “under” the waterlilies. I first went here on holiday in 2011 and “snapped” an image. Went back last week to take more care and secure a really good version of the image.

 

Second image

1066 and all that!
Archer aiming high at the Abbey

This image reflects English Heritage’s view that the long bowmen of William the Conqueror let their arrows fly from this sort of position. Of course the Castle or Abbey was not there in 1066, however I thought it made a nice image. I understand that there is a view that this location was not the location of the battle of Hastings anyway!

Third Image

1066 and all that!
Panorama from the top of the gatehouse

Having walked around the site I climbed to the top of the gatehouse part of the Castle and turned my camera to the distance. There is a nice view over the weald which is yellow as the crops have been cut. Interestingly for mid-August it is possible to see that the trees are turning after a long period with temperatures over 30 degrees C.

Battle Abbey

English Heritage are the custodians of Battle Abbey click on link to find out more

Equipment

For all three shots: Sony SLT-A65V, Tamron 16-300mm, plus tripod

First Image Settings: F6.3 1/400 ISO 100

Second Image Settings: F6.3 1/640 ISO 100

Third Image Settings: F6.3 1/500 ISO 100

Image of the week. Circular Symmetry – Dungeness

By cpadmin

Circular Symmetry – Dungeness

Circular Symmetry – Dungeness
From the top of Dungeness Lighthouse

Circular Symmetry – Dungeness, two images attached. This is one of my favourite images. It is composed to reflect the symmetrical nature of the view from the external balcony at Dungeness lighthouse. The lighthouse itself is of course “round” and surrounded by a circular wall. Paths lead to and from the circular 19th century keepers building at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. A pair of 20th century bungalows were later built for the keepers. They and the attendant outhouses are equally placed on both sides at symmetrical angles from the centre of the older circular accommodation building. The chimney pots on the older building are almost equidistant from its centre which has a small glass atrium.

The manmade elements of the image form smooth textures which contrast with the puckered texture of the tufty grass. Built in 1901 and first lit in 1904 this is the 6th of seven Dungeness lighthouses. The climb to the top is well worth the view as the second image shows. The terminus of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway forms added attraction on site. Click link to railway.

Circular Symmetry - Dungeness
Wide angle view from the top of the lighthouse

Equipment: Sony SLT-A65V, Tamron 16-300mm (Round house shot)

Settings: F7.1 1/500 ISO 100

 

Equipment: Sony SLT-A65V, Sigma 8-16mm (Distance shot)

Settings: F7.1 1/800 ISO 100