Bouncing rain!

31st August 202131st August 2021 By cpadmin

In August 2021 we had some bouncing rain. It rained stair rods and it rained cats and dogs! The Weather forecasters have been saying how many, meaning how few hours of sunshine we have had in August 2021! It rained so hard that the drops were bouncing from the table on our patio. Not wanting to miss an opportunity I opened the patio doors, set up the tripod and started experimenting.

This post has two images from a collection images of rain drop “bounces” from more than one shower on more than one day.

On the image above with the plant pot, the “bounce” here is about half an inch across, we also see its reflection. The plant pot saucer is about 1 foot diameter. There is also a bubble and its reflection in the foreground. We can also see some stair rods coming down, one straight into the bounce.

And the rain came down — A single area of impact and its volcano like bounce

The bouncing rain above hits the table and then projects upwards like a volcano or a firework pretending to be a volcano.

See more images of the bouncing rain on the Compass Photography Website

Waterfront at Godmanchester

29th April 202129th April 2021 By cpadmin

The waterfront at Godmanchester from the water meadows. Unlike the original image, this panoramic has been created by removing proportions of the sky and the water. Consequently, this allows a focus on the ribbon of old houses on the road by the waterfront and their reflections. The age of the properties varies. Some are Georgian, whereas others may be even earlier. You reach the water meadows by crossing the Chinese bridge. It is then possible to walk to the river Great Ouse. More images of the waterfront at Godmanchester are shown on our website. Click on this link

Godmanchester is in Cambridgeshire, next to Huntingdon. It is on the site of the Roman town of Durovigutum. In addition, there is archaeological evidence of Celtic habitation prior to the establishment of a Roman town and a Mansio (Inn). people have lived here continuously for more than 2,000 years.

The website of the local paper indicates that “telling people that you come from Godmanchester” elicits a look of confusion! We visited on a bright spring day and fed the ducks. Then we wandered round the water meadows and past the boat houses. A couple of narrow boats were plying the Great Ouse and people were using magnets to fish in the water. They brought a a pistol!

See more of our images at – Compass Photography Group

Low tide Sunset

16th March 202116th March 2021 By cpadmin

Low tide sunset is one of a collection of image capture on the river crouch at the Hullbridge Crossing, South Woodham Ferrers side. The setting sun was a strong orange globe and offered possibilities. The brown mud tempered by enthusiasm. High tide would have offered much more photogenic opportunities, nevertheless we were where we were! This image shows the sun reflected in the pink finger of water which is extending to the shore from the centre of the river. While the sun is setting people are walking on the river bank. Their reflections also appear in the water. The chocolate coloured mud is also turning golden under the setting sun.

Following other attempts, the position of the camera has moved to capture the globe reflected in the water. This shows the challenge of capturing images of a sunset at low tide. The position at high tide is different. Reflections are frequently offered from different positions. It is undoubtedly worth noting that a wet suit would be required to get an image from this position at high tide! So perhaps not! This image does show the pink water, which like a finger is lengthening as the water returns.

Six more images captured at this time can be seen on the Compass Photography website. Use this link to see them

Frozen pond on a freezing day

8th February 20218th February 2021 By cpadmin

Frozen pond freezing day — Frozen pond on a freezing day

Frozen pond on a freezing day is the third image of the same pond I have published. Captured at 0900 on a very cold morning this image offers little comfort. Two previous images of the same pond have been published, however this one is darker and more foreboding. The sky is overcast and it is snowing. There is more snow on the ground in this image. Snow lies on the arms of the large tree.

There is a distinct wintery image to this picture of the pond. The tree does reflect in the ice, however they are much less striking and dull. Bare branches of the bushes frame this image as they reach out to the pond. Moving around the pond to capture the image was a treacherous venture. I have been asked where this photogenic pond is. It is at the rear of Blackwood Chine in South Woodham Ferrers in Essex CM3 5FZ. Top Barn Lane is what this stretch was called originally.

Snow is on the ground and the forecast leads us to expect more later. The plan is to make the most of the snow. We get it so rarely these days, however there is always the concern of safety. More snowy images will be published on the Compass Photography Website Latest Images – Compass Photography Group

Pond in the snow

8th February 20218th February 2021 By cpadmin

Here we see the pond in the snow. This image captures the same pond from the same vantage point as the post of a few days ago. Snow, that local rarity, fell as the image is captured. It made the image less sharp and a little blurry in parts, however reflections of the tree are still visible in the water. Getting to the vantage point was a little more tricky though. Under foot the ground was muddy and slippery. Still you have to suffer for your art! This image was captured in the late morning yesterday, however the pond was frozen over this morning. The resulting image is much darker and not as attractive this one of the pond in the snow. The clouds are heavy and create a sense of foreboding.

There is a complete covering of snow on the ground today and it is so recent that there are no footprints in it. There is a covering of snow on the arms of the large tree today.

This image has a gentle sprinkling of snow on the bare bushes and snow in the air too. The falling snowflakes can best be picked off against the brown area on the trunk. Its such a rarity to have snow that I am going to go around and about to capture more images of snow later. Have a look for these over the next few days at Latest Images – Compass Photography Group

Reflections in the Pond

1st February 20211st February 2021 By cpadmin

Water in the pond — After all of the rain the pond is full of water

There are reflections in the pond! You may be scratching your head thinking why is this remarkable. Bear with me. This pond is very near to our house. Unsubstantiated legend has it that the pond was created in the dim and distant past when builders dug the Essex clay to make bricks. No one really knows if that is true. A neighbour who was present in the 1980s when the present houses were built said that the pond always used to be full. He said that “things” were dumped in the pond during the building process. When they were finishing off the builders pumped the pond dry and took the stuff away.

The pond is normally dry now days. When we get a lot of rain the water will accumulate. Recently, there has been enough rain to please Noah, so the level of water is high. There is more than two feet of water in the centre. One day last week the sun was out and I managed to capture an image of the water and the reflection of the tree in the water. There is just enough space to capture the spreading arms of the bare tree in the area of the water.

Last year a pair of ducks came quite regularly to take residence and its hoped that they will visit again this year.

This image is in the “latest images” section of the Compass Photography Website. Click here to take a look at them

Clements Green Creek SWF

26th January 202126th January 2021 By cpadmin

Clements Green Creek SWF is in South Woodham Ferrers in the County of Essex. The tidal River Crouch fills and empties from the Creek twice a day. At high or low tide there is either a wide expanse of water of a wide expanse of mud. When the water is high and calm like a mill pond it is possible to see reflections from the clouds. One of the images below shows that.

A gentle breeze leads the clouds across the face of the water. High water and wind can make for some turbulence Low tide brings a huge expanse of dark brown chocolate coloured mud into view. It brings lots of bird to peck in the mud for food and as they do this they make whistling noises. The mud looks like a pancake rolled out by a rolling pin. At low tide a trickle of water progresses round the narrow channel and down the estuary to the sea. The second image shows the chocolate brown mud at low tide.

More images captured recently at Clements Green Creek SWF are shown in the “latest images” gallery on our Compass Photography website. Clements Green Creek – Compass Photography Group

Clements Green Creek - Low tide — Mud looking banks with a brown chocolate pancake texture

Sunsets over the Adriatic

28th September 202028th September 2020 By cpadmin

Sunsets to die for — Brac in the background

Sunsets over the Adriatic shows two images captured at Tucepi in Croatia two years ago. Tucepi is not far from Makarska, which itself is not far from Split where you fly to. Every night we had a sunset like this. Both images have the island of Brac in the background. You can get a day trip to the islands of Brac and Hvar not far off the coast. One of the images is framed by the ever present pine trees. The trees cloak the beach and provide shade as you walk along the promenade in the hot sun.

To find out more about Tucepi click on this link

To see more of the images in our Croation Galleries, click on this link

Five star trip Godmanchester

22nd August 202022nd August 2020 By cpadmin

Five star trip Godmanchester. Had a five star trip this week. I went to five places en-route to and around Huntingdon. This post shows three of the images captured at one of the ports of call, Godmanchester. Click here to see the page on our website with ten images from that day.

First up was the United States Eighth Army Airforce Cemetery near Cambridge. It’s a very moving place, with rows and rows of white crosses. There is also a wall of remembrance and a visitor centre chronicling the events from 1942 to 1945

Next up was Paxton Pits near St Ives (Cambs). This old quarry is now a Nature Reserve with “a rich mosaic of wildlife habitats, with beautiful lakes, riverside, meadow, reed bed, scrub and woodland”. There are lots of places to wander and look at the bird life. Check out Paxton Pits

Moving on, Godmanchester was a place I had not been to before. The waterside and river Great Ouse are extremely photogenic. There is a white latticework bridge and boathouses along the side of the river. The causeway seems to be an area where people congregate. One of the images catches the white bridge (known as the Chinese Bridge) and the spire of the church hiding behind. A panoramic image shows the causeway. A shot of the two storey boathouse also manages to catch the church in the background.

Brampton Mill was the fourth port of call on the tour and I finally ended up at the National Trust property Houghton Mill, also on the Great Ouse. All in all a great day out with four of the five places visited on the Great Ouse.

Brythnoth from Heybridge

3rd August 20203rd August 2020 By cpadmin

Brythnoth from Heybridge. Two of many images captured on a walk from Heybridge Basin round the river Blackwater to face Maldon. I wanted to capture images at high tide. It was the hottest day of the year so far. The expanse of water at high tide is truly remarkable.

It is possible to get a view right across the promenade park to the boat yard and then to the Thames barges moored at Hythe Quay. One of the images shows the statue of Brythnoth on the left and the promenade snaking round in an “S” shape until it reaches the boat yard. It is amazing to recognise that things are not where you would expect them to be. Taking a view from the other side of the water is educational.

By removing the water and the foot of the image and the sky at the top of the picture panoramic images have been created. The technique emphasises the breadth of what is there to see. It’s an aspect missed with the normal proportions of an image. These images include one of Brythnoth on the extreme left and the full expanse of the Promenade Park across the long thin image.

Brythnoth from Heybridge. For more information on the statue of Brythnoth check out this website

More of the images from that walk can be seen on our website. https://www.compassphotography.co.uk/maldon-from-heybridge/

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Category: Water