Wild Flower - Herb Robert

This week I am featuring a wild flower that I believe to be Herb Robert - Geranium robertianum. This is a plant that was growing in my previous smallholding in Wales. If my identification is correct, it is an annual or biennial plant with, as you can see, small, pink flowers with 5 petals. It grows from spring through to the autumn.

The first photograph shown above is a close-up showing the whole of the flower head. The background is the foliage of the plant. Like many of my close-up photographs, this was taken in a home-made studio made from a cardboard box and some black card.

This second photo shows the whole plant. I like this image due to the lighting on the foliage. I feel there is jut the right balance of light and shadow on the leaves.



This third image is a different view from that normally seen, it is taken side-on to the flower. I love the way the lighting in this highlights the hairs on the flower heads and stems.



More photographs of this plant can be seen in the Environment Gallery.

Details:
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: An older Canon 100mm f2.8 macro
Exposure: 1/200 @ f16 - Canon flashgun
Settings: ISO200 AWB

The berries of the Guelder Rose

This week I am showing some photographs of the berries of the Guelder Rose. Although this is a native plant, is is often used as an ornamental tree or shrub in gardens. What attracted me to this tree is the brilliant red berries that brighten up an otherwise ordinary shrub.

In the first photo, I am showing a close-up view of the berries against a background of the green leaves. Being primary colours, the red contrasts quite well with the green of the leaves but, as you can see, the leaves are rather dull and marked.

In this second image, I show the whole tree in a large domestic garden - my wife's flower garden in our former smallholding in Wales. You can see from the size of the rusty antique seed drill to the left, and the trees in the background, that it is quite a small tree, but rather large for a shrub.




In this third photograph, I was lucky to have a clear blue sky that I could use as a background. Again, as the red and blue are primary colours, they contrast quite well. In the gallery you will see two versions of this photograph, This one in portrait format and the second in landscape format. This is to give potential buyers a choice depending on the circumstances.



The full set of photos can be seen in the Environment Gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: Canon EFS 17-85mm IS
Exposure: Typically 1/160 @ f11 Aperture priority
Settings: ISO200, AWB

Laburnum in blossom

This week I am showing some photographs of Laburnum - a small tree - in blossom. Although the tree in itself is not particularly impressive, it does have a rich yellow blossom that is quite spectacular seen closer up - as I hope you will agree.

The first photo, shown above, is a landscape view of several clumps of blossom hanging from the tree. I find that this shade of yellow contrasts quite well with the green leaves and blue sky forming the background.

The second shot is a similar view of one cluster of blossom, but this time taken in portrait format, allowing me to concentrate on just the one stem.




I have moved back for this third photograph. This is to show more of the tree and its blossom. All the yellow does brighten up what would otherwise be quite a dull tree. These images were all taken of 1 tree at my previous smallholding in Wales.



More photos like these can be seen in the environment gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: Canon 17-85mm IS
Exposure: 1/250 @ f10
Settings: 200ISO, AWB

More trees in the hedgerows

This week I am continuing the theme of trees in the hedgerows with another selection of photographs. When I lived on my previous smallholding in Wales, I liked to wander over the fields at different times of the year and day to take photographs of the trees and hedgerows. I tended to take most photographs of the same few trees as I considered them photogenic although other trees looked good at different times.

The first image shown above is a group of 4 trees in a single hedgeline. This is one of the few photographs of the 4 trees together although I had previously taken photos of the trees in
pairs or singly. I like this image for the sense of space and tranquility it presents.

The second image is one of my favourite trees. This is a single specimen growing in an old hedgeline along with some scruffy gorse bushes. I have taken this photograph from low down so as to eliminate the background landscape so there is just the sky and clouds. I nearly chose this image for my 'Picture of the Week' instead of the one above - it was a close call.




The third photo shows another single tree specimen in the same hedgeline as the one above - they are only about 30-40 yards apart. Taken on a different day, this one has a clear blue sky for the background.




More pictures can be seen in the environment/ natural history gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: Canon EFS 17-85mm IS
Exposure: typically 1/800 @ f11
Settings: ISO200 AWB

Tufted Vetch in the fenceline

Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca) was a common plant in the fields and hedgerows of our previous smallholding in Wales. It is an important plant as, being a member of the pea family, it fixes nitrogen into the ground which helps the fertility of the soil.

The first photo, shown above, is of some flower heads and leaves of a plant that was growing along a wire fence. The fence was quite overgrown with different grasses and wild flowers and herbs. This plant was hanging away from most of the growth. You can see the pea-like tendrils that it uses to support itself.

The second photograph shown below shows one of the seed pods. If it wasn't for the size (it is quite small), you could easily believe it was a pea pod.



The third image shows an old flower head. The top has the remains of the old flowers as they die away. Lower down is the new seed pods that are just forming. In fact you can see the outline of the young seeds as they are developing in some of the pods. The remains of the flower are still clinging to the end of the pod.



Like many of the close-up photos that I tike, I find great interest in the detail. It is not all pretty, some of it is quote messy looking, but that is nature in the wild!

More of these images can be seen in the Environment Gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: An older Canon 100mm Macro
Exposure: Typically 1/250 @ f8
Settings: ISO200, AWB

Lesser Butterfly Orchid

This week I have chosen to show some photos of the Lesser Butterfly Orchid, Platanthera bifolia. Identification of this is quite difficult as it is very similar to the Greater Butterfly Orchid. However, by using some of the excellent resources available on the web, I am reasonably confident of the identification.

The first photo is an enlargement of a single orchid in a meadow of our smallholding in Wales. In the background you can see the purple of a spotted orchid. The butterfly orchid was quite rare in our meadows - we only had a few specimens. The spotted orchid was quite common, there were hundreds in just this one meadow.

The second photo shown below is of a single plant in the meadow. This was taken on a late summer evening with the sun low down in the sky. As you can see, it is surrounded by quite dense, tall grass.



This third image shows the setting for these photographs. This image looks roughly south with a view to the Cambrian Mountains a couple of miles in the distance. You can see from the long shadows that they were taken late one evening when the sun was low.



More photographs can be seen in the Environment Gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: Canon 17-85mm IS Zoom
Exposure: Typically 1/320@f13 to 1/60@f11
Settings ISO200, AWB

Self Heal - a common garden weed

Self Heal, Prunella vulgaris, is a common garden weed that is usually overlooked - except for those wishing to remove it from their gardens and lawns. However, up close the flower heads are quite amazing. I think there is incredible beauty in the shape and colour of the flower heads - as can be seen above.

These photos are from one specimen that grew tall - previously I had photographed some in the lawn that was regularly mowed so grew very short. I took these photos, and others (shown in the gallery) to show aspects of the plant other than the flowers. This could be of interest those wishing to use the photographs for identification or instructional purposes.

The second image, shown below, is from a branching stem and shows the way the leaves grow out from the stem as well as an immature flower head.



This third photograph, is similar to the one above but the flower head is younger still - it is green. You can also see the texture of the surface on the leaves - quite fascinating close up.



These photographs are shown with others in the Environment Gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: An older Canon 100mm macro
Lighting : Off camera flashgun with a diffuser
Studio: A cardboard box with a black background.

Ribwort Plantain - Plantago lanceolata

This week I am featuring what is to many a common, unattractive weed - the Ribwort Plantain. However, when you get close up it (or at least the 'flowers'), it can look very attractive as you can see in a couple of these photos.

The first two photos were both taken of the same plant on the same day. It was one of a small cluster growing in a small field overrun with buttercups. This made an attractive background for the photographs. I was fascinated by the way the flower head had its stamens arranged in a ring around it.



This third photograph is an attempt to show how common they were in one of our fields - there were just so many of them amongst the grass.



More can be seen in the natural history and environment gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: Canon 17-85mm IS
Exposure: Typically 1/250 @f16
Settings: AWB, ISO200

Meadow Flower - Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca)

Last year, when I had my smallholding in Wales, I was almost overwhelmed by the different wild plants that I was able to photograph on the smallholding. So many that I am still trying to catch up - and we are well into a new season in a new location, so I don't know if I will ever catch up!

The photos I am featuring this week are of a wild flower in the meadows: the Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca). This plant is a member of the pea family which means that it puts nitrogen back into the soil so is an important plant to help maintain the fertility of the soil.

This first photograph is an extreme close up of the flower head of this plant. From a distance it looks small and insignificant. Closer up it has beautiful shades of pink, lilac and blue.

The second image below shows the whole plant, again in the 'studio' (a cardboard box with a black card background). You can see that it had tendrils for gripping on other plants as it climbs - just like a pea plant.



This third photograph shows the plant in the meadow. Close up it really stands out against the green background of the grasses and other plants. I find a lot of beauty in the plants that are often overlooked in favour of showier garden flowers, but are stunning in their own right.



More can be seen in the environment/natural history gallery.

Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: an older Canon EOS 100mm macro.

Lake at Talley Abbey

I have visited Talley Abbey a couple of times now. It is one of the three that I have visited in Wales - the others were Strata Florida and Tintern. Of the three, Talley is my favourite.

Next to the ruins of the abbey is an old church and graveyard - I think this has a wonderful setting, as I have tried to show here. Adjacent to the church and abbey is a quite picturesque lake. This first photo shows the lake in a tranquil setting, surrounded by hills with sheep grazing peacefully by its edges.

This second photograph was taken from the churchyard showing the view across some of the gravestones to the lake. What a magnificent final resting place this makes.




This third image shows more of the graves with the lake forming a backdrop. This is a lovely, quiet rural location. The monks that built the original Abbey chose a good location!



More photos can be seen in the 'Images from Wales' Gallery.

A second visit to St. David's Cathedral.

A few weeks ago we visited St. David's Cathedral for the second time. The weather was a lot brighter for this visit, with bright sun and blue sky. This gave far better outdoor photographs than for my previous visit last year.

The first photograph was taken from near the main entrance and shows the cathedral in its entirety. I hope this conveys some impression of the size and majesty of the building. Impressive when you consider the building was started in 1181.

In the second image, below, I show the decorative ceiling of the tower above the choir in the centre of the church. I like this shot due to the unusual angle that I took the photograph. I was worried about the sunlight streaming through the window arches in the tower spoiling the photo, but I must have been lucky as there are no obvious streams of light.



In the third image, I show some of the decorative stonework on one of the arches. Without modern tools, the stonemasons have incorporated rich designs into the structure.



Outside, there were also old gravestones lined up against a wall, some dating back to the early 1700s. These had a lot of lichens slowly covering the surface. Below I show one example with more in the gallery.



I have added about half of the photos I took into the 'Images from Wales Gallery' - I hope to add the rest next week.

Technical Details:
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: Canon 17-85 IS
Outside Exposure: Typically 1/25o @f13
Outside Settings: Auto WB, 200ISO
Indoor Exposure: Typically 1/30 F5.6
Indoor settings: Auto WB 800ISO

2 Dawn Photographs

One of the advantages of living where I do is the fantastic view from the house across the Teifi valley to the Cambrian Mountains. This advantage will soon disappear for me as we are moving house this week, but I still have loads of photos taken here to catalogue.

We are moving across the width of the UK to a property with less land, and less spectacular views (but still rural). We will be in Norfolk near the east coast of the UK. Depending on the state of the Internet connection there may not be a blog or 'Picture of the Week' next week.

Although it does not look like it, these two photographs were taken on the same day just 7 minutes apart. The first photograph is a view, taken on a frosty morning, across the front garden looking south or southeast to the Cambrian Mountains. I love the way the lilac colour fades onto the blue and gold of the sky.

The second image below was taken near the end of the garden, looking past the trees and shrubs towards the Cambrian Mountains. This time the colours are more red and pink. As these were taken in mid winter, I did not need to get up too early to photograph this dawn.



More photos of the dawn can be seen in the gallery.

Technical Details:
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS
Exposure: 1/8@ F4 and 1/30@F5
Settings: ISO200 +1/3 stop exposure compensation.

A visit to Tintern Abbey

This week I made a visit to Tintern Abbey. This, like many monastic establishments in the UK, is in ruins due to the "Dissolution of the Monasteries" instituted by Henry VIII in the 1530s. This one is in better condition than many others. Tintern is situated in the southern part of the Wye Valley (itself an extremely attractive part of the country) on the Wales-England border.

As the weather has been rather poor lately, I chose a day when the forecast looked quite bright for that part of the country. As it is some 2½ hours drive away, I relied on the forecast. However, it was a very dull, cold blustery day.

I must admit that, for some reason, I did not feel very inspired on the day. But when I got home and started reviewing the photos, they turned out better than I expected, although I would not call them impressive. The picture shown above is my favourite from the day. Both when I took it and when I look at it, I can almost feel the monks walking by.

The second photograph shown below is to show the arches through the arches through the arched window. This works surprisingly well although if the lighting conditions were brighter, I think the image would look better.




In this third photograph, you can see the clouds of the dull day. The picture gives some idea of the scale and structure of the abbey complex. I am awed when you think of the effort that went into building it all in the days when everything was manual labour and the roads where just mud tracks.



More photos can be seen in the "Wales Gallery"

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: Canon EFS 17-85 IS
Exposure: Typically 1/10 to 1/15 @ F11
Sensitivity: ISO400
Support: Most were taken using a monopod for support.

A red sunrise from the smallholding

This week I feature another set of photographs showing the dawn from our smallholding showing the view over the Cambrian Mountains. It is not often we get a dawn like this with a rich red sun underlighting the light cloud cover. But when we do, the show is fantastic.

The first photo above shows the reds and yellows of the clouds with a small reflection in the ornamental pond in the garden (the white thing on the right is the dovecot). The second image below is a wide format shot concentrating more on the wonderful colours in the clouds - they really were that stunning!



This third photograph concentrates just on the clouds, showing the intricate patterns reflecting the red sunlight. I could look at these for hours...




These photographs were all hand-held, supporting the camera on a window frame.
Camera: EOS350D
Lens: EFS 17-85mm IS
ISO: 200
White Balance: Daylight
Exposure: f5.6. Shutter varied from 1/13 to 1/50sec

Sunrise over the Cambrian Mountains

I am fortunate that I live in a beautiful part of the country. The front of our house overlooks a shallow valley (carved by glaciers in the last ice age) and onto the Cambrian Mountains. These mountains are not high (they have been worn away by countless ice ages), nor rugged, but are gentle, rounded, accessible hills.

On a fine day with the right cloud they give spectacular sunrises. This week I am showing some images that I have just loaded into the gallery. They were all taken within minutes of each other from our front garden one November morning. I like the way the yellow turns to gold that turns to red. This is then complemented by the sky and clouds that have soft blue-grey tones.

This second image was taken in a different part of the garden. The cloud pattern is different although there is only minutes separating the photographs.





The third photograph concentrates on a smaller area of the view. This looks more reddish but still has a wonderful set of tones in the picture.



More photographs can be seen in the gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: EF 17-85mm IS lens
Exposure typically: 1/60 @ f5.6

More sunsets

I am having a 'thing' about sunrises and sunsets at the moment. This week I am showing some more images that have been loaded into the gallery. The first photo is a similar shot as one I showed in the previous post, but without the birds but with more foreground and dark clouds. For this shot, I was standing on a hedge bank, leaning on a telephone pole, overlooking a neighbours property. This was taken in May.


The second photograph was taken from just a few yards away on a different evening, but pointing to the right in a north-easterly direction. The colour of the sky was totally different - pale pinks and lilacs.





This third image was taken from the same point as the first but a few months later in August. This has the same yellow and golds, but different cloud patterns give a different feel - there is no heavy cloud overhead.


More photographs can be seen in the gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: EF 17-85mm IS lens

Sunsets

I have just made a start going through a number of photographs taken at dawn or dusk. Today I am featuring a few photographs taken at sunset or dusk from my smallholding in mid Wales.

The first photo, shown above, is the sun low in the sky taken on an August evening. I like the pinkish-yellow tone - it is almost monochromatic. This photo was taken from one of the lower fields looking roughly west towards slightly higher ground.



This second photograph was taken from a neighbour's field adjacent to out smallholding. It shows the sky after the sun has dipped below the horizon. I think the two birds flying past add interest to the shot.The view is roughly north-west and was taken in late May.

The third image, below, was taken early one November. I like it for the almost symmetrical aspect with the lone shrub on the horizon. The pink sky is genuine - it was what made me take the photograph in the first place.



More photographs can be seen in the gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: EF 17-85mm IS lens

Talley Abbey on a bright day

This week I feature some more photographs taken on a second visit to Talley Abbey. This time is was a brighter day with blue sky and fluffy white clouds. This meant that at times the sun was bright with hard shadows; at other times, more subdued with indistinct shadows.

The first photo shows the main structure of the remains of the Abbey with a background of the rolling Welsh Countryside. I like this for the contrast between the blue sky and green countryside, with the building bridging the two.

In this second photograph, I try to give some impression of the size and majesty of the building. It is impressive enough to modern eyes, it must have been awe-inspiring to the peasants of the time.




This third photograph was an attempt, only partially successful, to capture a view through the 3 remaining arches. I need to think about how I can improve this view, yet still capture the 3 arches.



More pictures can be seen in the Images from Wales Gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: EFS 17-85mm IS hand held
Sensitivity: ISO200
Exposure: ranges from about 1/400 at f13 to 1/60 at f22.
Lighting: Natural light A sunny day with some clouds occasionally covering the sun.

Talley Abbey

This week I have selected some photographs of Talley Abbey to show and discuss. This initial set was taken a couple of years ago when I first had my digital SLR when I was trying out its capabilities.

Talley Abbey is the ruins of an abbey built between 1184 and 1189. It was founded for the monastic order of the Premonstratensians, or White Canons, by the Lord Rhys . The monastery was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1536 (when he had a bust-up with the church and dissolved many monasteries and took their lands). Subsequently, most of the buildings were destroyed and their materials used in other buildings or homes.

The first image above shows the ruins from the entrance gateway. This is about 15-20 ft above the monastery ground level (you go down some wooden stairs to approach the Abbey) and gives a good view of the building and the surrounding countryside.

The second photograph below I like because it is taken through the remaining three arches. I took a number like this, each time trying to eliminate the surrounding buildings from the image to try and give a timeless feel to the place.





In the third photo below I have tried to capture the size and power of the building. I believe this to be the remains of the tower. I can barely imagine the effort that went into such a building without any equipment that we now take for granted. The thickness of the walls and the amount of stones that went into them was truly a work of labour.




More pictures can be seen in the Images from Wales Gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: EFS 17-85mm IS hand held
Sensitivity: ISO200
Exposure: typically 1/250 at f13.
Lighting: Natural light A bright but cloudy day with the clouds sometimes covering the sun.

The valley and old mine at Cwm Ystwyth

A couple of weeks ago, it turned out to be a fine autumn day with a clear blue sky. So I decided to visit the old mine workings near Cwm Ystwyth. Cwm is Welsh for a shallow valley and Ystwyth is the name of the river. The location is well into the Cambrian Mountains.

My initial researches indicate that the mine ceased working in about 1922, but I have yet to discover what was mined. I did find one reference that indicated that copper was mined here in the bronze age. A number of mines in the area can trace their origins back to the Roman times. I recall reading that one motivation the Romans had for invading Britain 2000 years ago was for the metal from the mines (gold, silver and lead has been mined in the area).

By the time we got to the mine, there was some light cloud which, at times, hampered the photography - I had to wait for the clouds to pass the sun and the shadow of the cloud to move on several occasions. The autumn sun was quite low.

There are a number of paths along the side of the valley which enabled me to get to some higher viewpoints. The first photo (above) shows a view from the valley side looking upstream across the mine workings and derelict buildings.

The second picture (below) is a similar view but taken further back and from higher up. One thing I do like about the Welsh mountains (and the other mountainous areas of Britain) is their accessibility. They do not have the grandeur of the big ranges such as the Alps or the Rockies), but they are easy to get to and explore, and have a soft, well rounded character - the result of glaciation during the ice ages.



The third photograph shows one of the ruined mine buildings. Although it is difficult to tell without any historical records, this seemed to be a grander building - perhaps it was offices or a residence for the mine owners or managers.



More photos can be seen in the Images from Wales gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: EF-S 17-85mm IS hand held
Sensitivity: ISO200
Exposure: Aperture Priority - Mostly f11, exposure times typically 1/250sec.
Lighting: Outside - Natural light.