Category: photography

Koala competition success

By cpadmin

Koala competition success. Mike achieved two successes in a world-wide photography competition recently. The theme for the competition was “Australia”. There were 441 entries in total. The successful images are below. The one of the Koala bear playing “peep ho” came 17th (meaning it was in the top 4%) and the one of the Cooking Cave at Uluru came 32nd (meaning it was in the top 7%). So in the end, well chuffed!

Koala Competition success
Koala competition success. Koala playing peep ho at Werribee Zoo
The cooking cave Uluru

Compass photography will be returning to publishing image of the week again from this week onwards and updating the website shortly.

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

Click here to go to the website of Werribee zoo

The little people in Warnamunde

By cpadmin
the little people in warnamunde
A fountain in Warnamunde

I am currently indexing some of my old photographs and I found this 2012 image of the little people in Warnamunde. We went there for half a day when the cruise ship stopped in Rostock.

The sculpture is actually a fountain. This fountain is unique in that it’s not a spouting fountain. The fountain is linear and water runs alongside a procession of 19 bronze figures. The sculpture is based on an actual practice in Warnemunde. The citizens, dressed in their finery, walked together to the tax office to pay their taxes. They wanted to make it a happy event. The website says this event still takes place in Warnemunde. It reminded me of the borrowers, hence “the little people in Warnamunde”. Click here for more details

Click here to see our other travel images

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

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

Madeira magic three recent images

By cpadmin

Madeira magic, three images from last week’s visit to Madeira. Two images are at sunrise, which in October is mercifully late! One image shows the mirror like hotel pool with reflections of the palm trees and rails. Leading lines to the palm trees come from the rails.

  • Madeira magic
    Funchal Sunrise
  • Madeira magic
    Sunrise along the coast
  • Maeira magic
    Funchal from Pico dos barcelos

The second sunrise image was captured from the promenade below the hotel. The white building and the palm trees are silhouettes against the cloud and rising sun. The bonus in this image is the Cunard liner Queen Victoria creeping into Funchal harbour. I did not see the ship until I was looking at the images in the hotel room after breakfast.

The third image shows Funchal from one of the viewing points high above the town. You can get to Pico dos barcelos on a long and tortuous bus ride that has lots of nice views along the way. Images can be captured from the viewing point here around 360°. There its a lot to see here. Madeira magic, three images from last week’s visit to Madeira.

Use this link to see more about Madeira

Use this link to see images from our previous visit to Madeira