Category: Uncategorised

Hot pink Gerbera – image of the week 23rd June 2018

By cpadmin

Hot Pink Gerbera

Hot pink gerbera
Hot pink gerbera

Shru has captured an image of a hot pink gerbera, using a macro lens.  A few drops remain balanced on the petals.  The petals themselves act as leading lines. They draw the viewer’s eye in from the right to left, where lies the centre of the flower.  The naked eye does not readily see the detail at the very centre of the flower.  This young flower not yet released its pollen.

Shru comments:

I love the detail of flowers and take every opportunity to use my macro lens and set up different shots. The surface of the petals is impermeable allowing the drops to sit proud on them. This impermeable  velvety feel makes Gerberas a very good flower to use for balancing drops.  The centre of this flower is particularly complicated. Several structures of are different colours and shapes make up the central hub of the flower. All this makes for an interesting image.

 

Canon EOS 7D Mark II EF 100mm Macro IS USM plus Extension Tube Set

F5.6 0.4ss ISO 100

Lovely Summer flowers – Yellow Phlomis

By cpadmin

Yellow Phlomis

The yellow Phlomis is one of my favourite summer flowers. The full name is Phlomis russeliana. It’s a “hairy” perennial to 90cm in height, with large, ovate, rough-textured grey-green leaves. This phlomis has stout stems that bear whorls of hooded, soft yellow flowers 3cm in length. Simply put it grows up like a wedding cake with at least three layers of yellow whorls. The three layers and their whorls are visible on the image. 

The hairy stems and hairy leaves are visible in the image, captured in the morning light yesterday. Phlomis russeliana, also known as “Turkish sage”. It is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae, native to Turkey and Syria in south west Asia.

Lovely Summer flowers – Yellow Phlomis
Lovely Summer flowers – Yellow Phlomis

RHS Hyde Hall has a really good display of them at present, but then they have the space which I don’t in my garden! 

Forget all the technical stuff though, Phlomis this is a lovely and unusual plant to have in the garden. Here it stands out against the colour of the fence and the flowers of a purple digitalis and a Kerria japponica creep into the image too.

Tower Bridge, captured from in front of the Tower of London.

By cpadmin

Tower Bridge, captured from in front of the Tower of London. Image of the week 11/06/2018 

Tower Bridge, captured from in front of the Tower of London.

Tower Bridge, captured from in front of the Tower of London. This iconic bridge is shown on a wintry March morning. It is partially framed by leafless branches of the trees on the embankment. The towers are reflected in the murky rippling water. The overcast grey sky dulls the whole image. This prevents the colours of the bridge being shown off to their greatest advantage. There are golden crests of the towers and blues and reds from the cables if you look closely.

Shru’s image is unusual in that there is an absence of river traffic and vehicles crossing the bridge. The scene is more placid than the normal hive of activity. The drooping flags also tell us that there is no wind as the image is captured. The bridge is vertically and horizontally placed in the centre of the rule of thirds grid.

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become an iconic symbol of London. Because of this, Tower Bridge is sometimes confused with London Bridge, situated some 0.5 mi (0.80 km) upstream.

Did the Americans think that they were buying Tower Bridge?

Have a look at the story which goes back to 1967. Americans buy a London Bridge

 

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

Settings: F5.6 1/320ss ISO 100

Stromness, Orkney. Image of the week 3rd June 2018

By cpadmin
Stromness, Orkney
Stromness, Orkney

Graemsay, from the point of the ness at Stromness, Orkney

Stromness, Orkney. Using a wide-angle lens, I captured this image a year ago this week . From the point of the ness at Stromness we see the island of Graemsay. I cropped this image to a square format in Lightroom, to emphasise the diagonal shoreline. I have eight square images of Orkney from this visit. The extreme 8mm focal length does “stretch” the image as shown in the clouds and the water. The pleasant evening with “sharp” light allows a crystal clear image. The texture and warm colour of the pebbly shoreline contrasts with the calm clear cold sea which is flat as a millpond. The clarity of the water allows us to follow the pebbles underneath the surface of the sea.

Graemsay lighthouse is on the left of the image. Here is a stillness and an “out of the way” feeling, yet we are on the edge of the second largest town in the Islands.

We are currently exhibiting this image in a square format with seven others at Rayleigh Windmill. Why not come and see it in the flesh!

More about Graemsay

Graemsay is located in the Western approaches to ‘Scapa Flow’, lying between Stromness on Orkney mainland and the North end of Hoy. There are two lighthouses, Hoy High to the East and Hoy Low to the West. Both were built & designed by Alan Stevenson of the famous lighthouse engineering family and commissioned in 1851. The current population is twenty-three permanent residents including six children with the addition of two properties being occasionally occupied. Parts of the island have been left largely undeveloped and are a haven for many wild plants. Check out http://www.graemsay.org.uk/

Equipment: Sony SLT-A65V, Sigma 8-16mm

Settings: F11 1/320 ISO 100

By traitor’s gate, Tower of London

By cpadmin

By traitor’s gate, Tower of London

By traitor's gate, Tower of London
By traitor’s gate, Tower of London

This black and white portrait image was captured on the embankment on the River Thames. We are positioned in front of Traitors’ Gate at the Tower of London, looking towards Tower Bridge. The anchoring lines of the bridge are visible at an angle on the left of the image.

The street lights, the knobbly railings and even the waste bins provide multiple leading lines in the image. The lines direct our eye deep into this visually complex image. The intertwining branches of the trees, which are in their winter clothing also add complexity to the image. The season allows us a view of the Tower Hotel that the foliage would hide in summer. To capture the image without people Shru had to wait a number of minutes. Such is the life of a photographer!

If anyone is not sure about its name, the Traitor’s Gate is an entrance through which many prisoners of the Tudors arrived by boat at the Tower of London. King Edward I built the gate, to provide a water gate entrance to the Tower, part of St. Thomas’s Tower.

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

Settings: F5.6 1/50ss ISO 100

The Meeting Place

By cpadmin

The Meeting Place is a 30ft high bronze sculpture weighing 20 tonnes. If you go to London St Pancras International Railway Station and come up to track level you can’t miss it. The statue was designed by British artist Paul Day and revealed in 2007. It is located at the south end of the station and evokes the romance of travel through the depiction of a couple locked in an amorous embrace. Perhaps a welcoming or a departure for a loved who has or is about to travel. Commissioned by London and Continental Railways is modelled on the sculptor and his wife.

The Meeting Place, London St Pancras
The Meeting Place, London St Pancras

Did the idea come from a WW2 photograph?

I can’t help thinking that the idea for the pose in St Pancras came from the photograph taken in Times Square New York in 1945 on VJ Day. Captured by Alfred Eisenstaedt, it was published in Life in 1945 with the caption, “In New York’s Times Square a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers”

Legendary kiss VJ day
Legendary kiss VJ day

Around the base of the statue in St Pancras is a further collection of scenes. Like it or not, it is certainly a striking addition to the architecture of the station. There is also a statue of John Betjeman nearby too. Next time you go to St Pancras to meet friends, meet them at The Meeting Place!

Compass Photography Exhibition at Rayleigh Windmill

By cpadmin

Compass Photography Group at Rayleigh Windmill

Compass Photography Exhibition at Rayleigh Windmill again in 2018. This is our favourite place to exhibit, partially because it is such a unique setting, however also because everyone is so friendly. The windmill just exudes history and we spent a day there creating a record of the sails being re-erected last month. We hope you will be able to come to one of the dates on the list below and see our images and also experience the windmill. Before you choose which day to come you need to be aware of two things.

  1. Sunday the 10th June 2018 is the Rayleigh Trinity Fair. This is a very busy day, which on the one hand may attract you as there will be lots to do and see, hot dogs to eat and so on. On the other hand it may be too busy for you and last year there was a queue of people to get into the windmill and up to the exhibition.
  2. There are very steep stairs to climb to get to the three exhibition levels in the windmill. There are permanent exhibitions on levels one and three and we are on level two.

This being said we hope that we will see you at the Windmill on one of the dates we are there.

Compass Photography Group Rayleigh Windmill Exhibition Poster 2018
Dates of Rayleigh Windmill Exhibition

Red Leicester?

By cpadmin

Red Leicester?

Red Leicester? The weekend before last we went to Leicester for a family event. Opposite the church this building caught my eye. Crescent cottages is an attractive house on the end of a row, it creates a corner all of its own. The building is named after an Georgian crescent of houses, set to the right hand side and just out of the image, in King Street. 

I’ve been past the buildings before but not noticed it. The distinctive way the railings have been painted, with the red matching the post box is attractive. Picking out elements of the railings themselves emphases the sweep

Red Leicester?
Red Leicester?

of the curves and the lines leading back to the building. 

Subtle beige colouring highlighted in brown with white is used to paint the building. The horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanum) and its candles confirms the time of year. Ubiquitous double yellow lines and the office block on the left of the image tell us we are in the city centre. You might also guess its Sunday morning by the absence of traffic!

From the summit of Valentia Island

By cpadmin
Valentia Island
Valentia Island

Glorious view from the Summit of Valentia Island, County Kerry.

From the summit of Valentia Island. Valentia Island is one of Ireland’s most westerly outposts. It lies off the Iveragh Peninsula in the southwest of County Kerry. There is a bridge at one end of the island connecting it to the mainland, yet the 20 minute ferry ride is an enjoyable part of the journey to the island. This image is captured from one of the highest points on the island.

There is an undulating pattern of green and brown scenery formed by the mountainous and windswept landscape. The landscape itself appears to enclose the blue water and the ribbon of foam attacks a number of the shorelines.

Most noteworthy is the fact that the water to the left of the image almost immediately forms into the Atlantic Ocean with the next stop in that direction being New York! A layer of cumulonimbus clouds float by in the blue sky of this panorama. Simply put, it’s a view to die for! The minute incursions of mankind can be seen in the white houses dotted around and the Cromwell Point Lighthouse built in 1841. This is one of my favourite images, the view is really breath taking, yet this is only one of the many breath taking views on the west coast of Ireland

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

Settings: F7.1 1/640 ISO 100

Icy day at Rochford Reservoir – Image of the week

By cpadmin

Icy day at Rochford Reservoir

Icy day at Rochford Reservoir
Icy day at Rochford Reservoir

Rochford Reservoir is now a small fishing lake of about five acres. It is located near Southend Airport and feeds into the River Roach. The Roach in turn feeds into the Crouch and thence the North Sea. The unusual snowy weather in March has transformed the water in to ice. The pair of ducks stand somewhat forlornly rather than swim around.  The snow has settled to form a layer on top of the branches which contrasts attractively in both colour and texture with the tree bark.

A leading line forms from the tree branch on the left taking the eye upwards toward the centre of the image.  Reflection of the bark in the ice conveys our eye towards the ducks on the frozen water. Behind the tree it is just possible to spot the curve of what looks like a frozen wave. Small amounts of snow are sprinkled on the ice, as if icing sugar on top of a cake. Pleased to say that the weather is much warmer now! For the fisherman, the reservoir has a very good stock of common and mirror carp, nice size roach and perch, eels, tench and lots of ornamental carp!

If you like this image have a look at the others on our website

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

Settings: F5 1/800ss ISO 100