Category: photography

Battle of Britain Day

By cpadmin

Hurricane flypast on Battle of Britain Day

Battle of Britain Day
Hurricane fly past on Battle of Britain Day

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!

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

Settings: F6.3 1/1000 ISO 100

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

Sunflowers in September

By cpadmin

Sunflowers in September – Four Images

Its really nice to have the sunflowers in September. The warm very weather which limited the life of the blooms in July and August has subsided. Now we have the cooler mornings and evenings but still warm days where you only need a tee-shirt! Four images from my garden are attached to this post.

Little Leo Cluster

Firstly we have the “Little Leo” sunflowers (2 feet high) in a large tub. Originally their heads were 5 inches across and as each one dies it is cut off and another one appears. The flowers get smaller each time and are now only two inches diameter! They keep coming though. Cropped to a square image.

Sunflowers in September
Little Leo Sunflowers

Copper Coloured Sunflowers

I’m ashamed to say I threw the packet away so I don’t know the name of this variety which arrived free in a magazine last year! However its mage some lovely copper and yellow coloured flower petals on plants up to four feet high. It’s almost as if someone has dusted the petals with brown paint! There are nice yellow and brown colours in the centre disc florets too

Sunflowers in September
Copper tinged sunflower

Turning 90 degrees we see the second sunflower on this plant and in the background a profusion of colours from the pots and pouches in the garden

Sunflowers in September
Sunflower against a coloured background

A close up of Little Leo

Sunflowers in September

A close up of Little LeoHere you can see the stamens in the centre of the flower and a drop or two of water on the petals

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

Different aperture and shutter speed settings

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

Looking up, looking down!

By cpadmin

Looking up, looking down! La-Roche-Guyon.

Looking up, looking down!
Looking down! La-Roche-Guyon.

Looking up, looking down! contains two complimentary views. One is from the top of the Donjon (keep) looking down at the river. The second image other from the road in front of the Chateau. There are three ‘parts’ to La Roche-Guyon: the village itself, a large 14th century Chateau, and the medieval donjon (in English we would say “Keep”). 

La Roche-Guyon stands on a broad bend in the Seine River. It is 10km east of Vernon in the Ile de France (Paris) region of France. The village is officially classified as one of the ‘most beautiful villages of France’. Originally developed next to the river below the medieval Chateau, the remains of which still stand on the hill behind the village.

The two views show how high the keep is and how exhausting it was to climb to the top. The view is well worth the climb though. La Roche-Guyon is only a few miles drive from Monet’s garden and was Rommel’s Headquarters in 1944.

Looking up, looking down!
Looking up, la Roche Guyon

Say hello Little Leo

By cpadmin
Say hello to Little Leo
Say hello to Little Leo

Little Leo, this years first sunflower

Say hello Little Leo. This is our first sunflower of the year. “Little Leo” grows no higher than two feet (60 cm) high. I grow fifteen or twenty of these flowers in a large pot on the patio. Progressively they come into bloom and fill area above the pot with colour. The stems also produce more than one flower. As you can see from the image son of Little Leo is well on the way curving to the left of the image. The flower has bright yellow petals and the centre core has a more intense yellow colour.

A small hoverfly can be seen visiting the flowers if you look closely at the image. The soft spiky hairs on the stalk are also clearly visible. Summer really has arrived when the sunflowers come out. This image was captured in shade yesterday evening.

I’m now waiting for the large sunflowers to grow and bloom over the coming weeks

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

Settings: F5.6 1/80 ISO 100

A stunning view – image of the week

By cpadmin

A stunning view. Curral das Freiras is in a stunning natural depression, 1600 feet above sea level, in the mountainous interior of Madeira. It was the sanctuary and hiding place of a convent of nuns during a particularly unpleasant pirate raid on the island.

A stunning view - Curral das Freiras
A stunning view – Curral das Freiras

The village was isolated until tunnels were driven through the mountains in recent years. This image is captured from the viewing point of Eira so Sarrado which itself is 3600 feet above sea level. The journey to and from the viewing point was by local bus. The bus charged up and down hills and around hairpin bends at great speeds on the narrow roads.

This image shows the village, tiny as it is, with the towering walls of the cauldron of rocks completely dwarfing it. The images captured from the viewing point ae so high above the ground that they seem to be captured from an aeroplane. The views are breath-taking!

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

Settings: F9 1/320 ISO 100

Re-installing the sails at Rayleigh Windmill (2)

By cpadmin

Re-installing the sails at Rayleigh Windmill

The Rayleigh Windmill is a 200 year old Grade II listed building situated high on a hill in Rayleigh. This mill is the tallest mill in Essex at 60 feet (18.29m). At the base of the Windmill the brickwork is 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m).

Rayleigh Windmill
The sails arrive “on the back of a lorry”
Rayleigh Windmill
Putting a bolt in. He couldn’t find the hammer!
Rayleigh Windmill
Half way there. Two up two to go
Raylleigh Windmill
Lifting the last sail. Note the shadows

In October 2017 the sails on the windmill were removed for essential maintenance. In April 2018 the sails were re-installed. Shru and Mike spent the day at the Windmill when the sails were re-erected. We happened to have our cameras with us and captured the images below. These four images are a “before”, two work in progress images and a “job done” one. However on our website there are 11 images of how the team did it. Go to our webpage for a look.

We have also prepared a comprehensive historical record of the day in the forms of a PowerPoint presentation and a Photobook. These can be viewed at Rayleigh Windmill when it is open.

The website images follow the sequence from the arrival of the lorry through to completion, including the amazing aerial work of the team, swinging from ropes as they hammered bolts in.

Visiting the Windmill

The windmill is open frequently during the summer months and is also a wedding venue. Have a look at the Rayleigh Windmill website

Re-installing the sails at Rayleigh Windmill

By cpadmin

Re-installing the sails at Rayleigh Windmill

The Rayleigh Windmill is a 200 year old Grade II listed building situated high on a hill in Rayleigh. This mill is the tallest mill in Essex at 60 feet (18.29m). At the base of the Windmill the brickwork is 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m).

Rayleigh Windmill
The sails arrive “on the back of a lorry”
Rayleigh Windmill
Putting a bolt in. He couldn’t find the hammer!
Rayleigh Windmill
Half way there. Two up two to go
Raylleigh Windmill
Lifting the last sail. Note the shadows

In October 2017 the sails on the windmill were removed for essential maintenance. In April 2018 the sails were re-installed. Shru and Mike spent the day at the Windmill when the sails were re-erected. We happened to have our cameras with us and captured the images below. These four images are a “before”, two work in progress images and a “job done” one. However on our website there are 11 images of how the team did it. Go to our webpage for a look.

We have also prepared a comprehensive historical record of the day in the forms of a PowerPoint presentation and a Photobook. These can be viewed at Rayleigh Windmill when it is open.

The website images follow the sequence from the arrival of the lorry through to completion, including the amazing aerial work of the team, swinging from ropes as they hammered bolts in.

Visiting the Windmill

The windmill is open frequently during the summer months and is also a wedding venue. Have a look at the Rayleigh Windmill website

One of the two famous bridges in Monet’s garden

By cpadmin

A view captured in Monet’s garden at Giverny last week.

Bridge in Monet's garden
One of the two famous bridges in Monet’s garden

Are they the most famous bridges in the world?

One of the two famous bridges in Monet’s garden. Are they the most famous bridges in the world? Maybe, maybe not. But hundreds of people queue up to walk round it, over it and photograph themselves on it. Monet’s garden in Giverny northwest of Paris has two bridges like this. This image was captured as the gardens opened on a summer morning with a heat haze. The haze soon evaporated and once it had cleared I would have secured a better image. However, by this time other tourists had crowded the bridge!

Monet’s gardens are so colourful. In this image we see the reflection of the bridge amongst the water lilies. There are rows and rows of brightly coloured flowers stretching downwards and away from the house. To get to the lily pond and the bridges it is necessary to go under the roadway. The pond is surrounded by more shrubs and flowers and the lilies were just coming out last week when we were there. Truly an experience to savour.

To see the gardens at their best, buy your tickets in advance and go early in the day to the ticket holders’ entrance.

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

Settings: F5 1/60 ISO 100