River Thames Chain Links, the huge links once belonged to a hand turned crane. A walk along the River Thames reveals it history of this great artery into London.  Over many years I suspect the crane landed goods from all over the world. Warehouses that were then along the river banks received goods transshipped by barges from larger craft. Now the warehouses are cafes and bars!

Wearing a jacket of rust and showing the pitting of when they were used to lift heavy cargo, today the links stand as a reminder of their past days, .

This is a close up shot showing how raw metal has stood the test of time from use and weathering.  The links rise from the bottom of the shot. Whilst we can’t see the beginning and end of the chain we know the links continue to go round the spindle.  This is a deceptive shot. Captured close to the links without a comparator it masks the true large size of the links.

There many stories from the past along this congested river and there are some new additions too. Take a walk along the river and see what can be seen!

Normally we add some colour to our text, however here the grey text matches the image

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

F5.6 1/20ss ISO 100

Six new images on our website front page gallery

New images on our website. We have replaced the images in the gallery on the front page of our website. One of the images is shown here, click on the website to see the others and read about them below  www.compassphotography.co.uk

The leaping jaguar from the bonnet of the car is a creature not to be messed with! The black and white presentation makes it look more aggressive and the tilted bonnet emphasises the take-off opportunity (Shru)

A large white butterfly approaches a flower, possibly an Allium. The antenna and compound eye are clearly visible as are the veins of the wing. The background is nicely blurred (Shru) 

The old half-timbered watermill at Vernon in Normandy is on a broken bridge over the river Seine. As Vernon on the strategic route to Normandy its various bridges have been destroyed and rebuilt during campaigns over the centuries. It’s pleasing that this traditional mill survived the 1944 destruction

Petit Anderly is on the banks of the river Seine in Normandy. The still Seine provides reflections of the cliffs and trees. A typical Norman house is on the banks of the river centre left (Mike) 

The hairs of a bee suspended in mid-air can be seen as it approaches a pink poppy to collect nectar. More nectar is visible on the petals. There is lots of detail to see in the white stamen and yellow pistil (central hub) (Shru)

The boathouse at Audley End, in Essex is almost hidden in the foliage by the side of the stream. It and the foliage is reflected in the water, through it is unsure whether the boat is serviceable. (Mike) 

We hope you enjoy these new images on or website

It’s a dog’s life!

It’s a dogs life, Juno and Ernie

It’s a dog’s life! Here is our dog Juno. The Dog’s Trust saved Juno and brought her over to the UK after she was left to wander on a roads in Eire. She has been with us for two years. She is pictured inside her home, the place she escapes to and where she takes her “finds”. Juno sleeps here at night and for the odd case of bad behaviour she goes there too. 

All is not well now though. The kitten, a tomcat called Ernie (the previous tomcat was Eric) has decided that it’s a place for him too. He is no respecter of others. I caught him in there yesterday, but by the time I got the camera he was away! So here he is, in the dog’s cage.

Ernie has never been afraid of Juno, he chases her, chews her tail and nuzzles her snout to snout. Juno plays with Ernie too. She bounds up to the cat who rolls up to play. But now it looks like Juno’s  last stronghold is in danger, where else can she go?

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

Settings: F4.5 1/60 ISO 100, with flash

Letting off steam, Epping and Ongar Railway

Letting off steam shows a steam engine doing just that! I don’t often go to places to take pictures of steam engines, however yesterday I went to the Epping and Ongar railway, in Essex. They had a Victorian weekend and one of the engines was actually Victorian. That engine was metropolitan 1.

The other engine is the one in the picture. It had just pulled into North Weald Station and making a tremendous roar it vented steam for a few minutes. I don’t know why the driver or fireman climbed up on the tender, but there they are. 

The diagonal plume of white steam cuts forcefully across the image almost tearing it in two. This is what makes the image special. Without the steam it’s just a picture of a black engine. The red signals add a colour contrast to the image. 

The engine was number 5187, for those who like that sort of thing. Built for the UK War Department this class of engines entered service in 1943 for war service. It is known as an “Austerity” 2-8-0 heavy freight steam locomotive. The fact that the War Department built 935 of these engines, makes this one of the most-produced classes of British steam locomotive.

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

Settings: F8 1/500 ISO 100

Cliffs and still waters at Petit-Anderly

River Seine at Petit-Anderly. Petit-Anderly is a picturesque village on the bend of the river Seine where the river is navigable and slow-moving. The village contains many original half timbered properties, forming houses and businesses of all kinds. There is a larger and less picturesque “Grand-Anderly” nearby.

The slow-moving Seine making its way down to the sea is captured from the quayside. Towering over the water are several white rock outcrops. The waters contain pleasant reflections caused by the sentinel rocks and the greenery from the slopes above the river . Centre left and hiding in the trees is typical Norman country house at the waterside. The other houses on the right of the image indicate a road running along the bank.

Petit-Anderly is a stopping point for Seine river cruises. It was a hot day and the water looked inviting!

The imposing and emblematic Château-Gaillard Castle dominates the town from above, though this is not in shot. Richard the Lionheart, Duke of Normandy and King of England built Château-Gaillard Castle was built in 1196 – in just one year! Richard aimed to keep watch over the valley and protect the city of Rouen a few miles away. This is part of France that was English all those years ago.

A smaller image file than the one used in the first post attached to this post

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

Settings: F7.1 1/400 ISO 100

Cliffs and still waters at Petit-Anderly

The river Seine at Petit-Anderly. Petit-Anderly is a picturesque village on the bend of the river Seine where the river is navigable and slow-moving. The village contains many original half timbered properties, forming houses and businesses of all kinds. There is a larger and less picturesque “Grand-Anderly” nearby.

The slow-moving Seine making its way down to the sea is captured from the quayside. Towering over the water are several white rock outcrops. The waters contain pleasant reflections caused by the sentinel rocks and the greenery from the slopes above the river . Centre left and hiding in the trees is typical Norman country house at the waterside. The other houses on the right of the image indicate a road running along the bank.

Petit-Anderly is a stopping point for Seine river cruises. It was a hot day and the water looked inviting!

The imposing and emblematic Château-Gaillard Castle dominates the town from above, though this is not in shot. Richard the Lionheart, Duke of Normandy and King of England built Château-Gaillard Castle was built in 1196 – in just one year! Richard aimed to keep watch over the valley and protect the city of Rouen a few miles away. This is part of France that was English all those years ago.

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

Settings: F7.1 1/400 ISO 100