Red Campion: a wild flower of the fields and hedgerows

These photographs of Red Campion (Silene dioica) were taken at my previous smallholding in Wales. It is small, somewhat spindly plant that grows in the meadows and hedgerows. It does have an attractive red-pink flower. I find that I prefer the wild flowers over the highly hybridised modern garden plants that are, for me, too 'showy'.

This first photo shows the complete flower head of two adjacent flowers. This, and the other photographs were taken in my cardboard box studio that has black card as a background.

The purpose of the second image was to show leaf and stem detail, as well as the side view of the flower heads. Like many of the wild flower plants I have photographed, the stems are slightly hairy which show up quite will in the flash lighting used.





In this third photo, I am showing a close up of the leaves growing from the stem which is growing another stem with its own leaves and flower buds. I find a great deal in interesting detail in the close-ups, detail that is often overlooked.



More photos of the Red Campion can be seen in the Environment Gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: An older Canon 100mm Macro
Exposure: 1/200 @ f16 with flashgun.
Settings: ISO200 with 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 in close-up

This week I am featuring the same plant as last week, the Ribwort Plantain, but this time showing some close up photos of the plant taken in my 'studio' (a carboard box). Although the ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is a plain looking common weed in the meadows, it is quite fascinating in close up - especially the flower head.

The first photograph is of the flower head showing detail of the stamens. From this I have done a sectional enlargement showing the anthers on the stamens - this is shown below. They all seem to have this elongated heart shape.



This third image is of the whole flower head, which is about an inch or so in length. Very plain and boring as a flower, but it contains a wealth of fine detail.



More photos of the ribwort plantain can be seen in the environment gallery.

Technical Details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: An old Canon 100mm Macro Lens
Exposure: 1/200 @f16
Settings: ISO200 AWB
Off-camera flash with reflectors.

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

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.

Light snow

Unusually, we have had no snow to speak of this past winter, just a light powdering on a couple of occasions. From a distance it looks like a heavy hoar frost. However, it is still quite picturesque which (I hope) you can see from this selection of photographs. They were all taken at the same time, fairly early in the morning - an hour later the sun had melted most of it.

The first photo above is a view from my smallholding in Wales looking northwards over neighbouring farmland. The snow is just enough to lighten the green grass without becoming completely white.



In the second image below, this was taken from the same viewpoint but looking further to the east. In the distance, you can see that the higher hills (the Cambrian Mountains) are more white where they got a slightly deep covering of snow. This too soon melted.

The third photo below is looking south across our garden in a southerly direction. From the shadows you can see that the sun is still low in the sky, but here there is still only a light covering of snow on the higher hills.




I have often mentioned, and shown images of, the Cambrian Mountains. For those who are used to more impressive mountain ranges, these are little more than hills. The reason they are so small for mountains is their age and they have been word down over the aeons by the weather and the ice ages. The Cambrian period in geology, and the Cambrian explosion (of different life forms) take their name from these hills. Many early geologists either came from Wales or studied the land of Wales.

More photos can be seen in this gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS
Exposure: Typically 1/250@f11 to 1/340 @f14
Settings: ISO200, Auto White Balance

Bluebells in the woods

Although it is a little early in the season, I have decided this week to feature some photos of bluebells in the local woods (in Ceredigion). These were taken last year. I was prompted to show these photographs because, last week, I went for a walk in these woods and the plants are just starting to show. The green leaves have pushed up about 2 inches through the undergrowth and leaves. A sure sign that spring is on its way.

The first image above shows one of the paths leading through the wood, with large drifts of the bluebells either side. I find this to be a most attractive walk for much of the year, but in the spring when these plants are out it is just magical.

The second photograph shows a single clump of these flowers against a backdrop of more plants and trees. The British bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, (often referred to as the English bluebell, but as this is in Wales, it is better to call it British. However this plant in not normally seen in Scotland; for them the Scottish bluebell is known as a harebell in the south of the UK. Confusing eh?) is, to a certain extent, endangered because the imported Spanish bluebell has naturalised and is replacing it in many locations.



This third and final photograph shows a drift of bluebells in the dappled shade. Due to the limits of the photographic process (*), this colour is a poor imitation of the rich colour that you see when you view the plants in the wild.



More photographs can be seen in the environment gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens: EFS 17-85mm IS.
Sensitivity: ISO200, Auto WB
Exposure: Typically 1/50 @ F14
Support: Either hand-held or using a monopod.

(*) I understand this is due to the fact that they reflect a lot in the near infra-red which is not visible to us, but is registered by as red by both film and digital sensors.

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

Strata Florida Abbey

This week I am featuring the ruins of Strata Florida Abbey in Mid-Wales. It is thought that the Abbey was founded around 1164 A.D. and was due to the patronage of the Lord Rhys (many of his descendants were buried there). This monastery increased in power and authority across Wales with farms belonging to it being spread out across the Welsh countryside. Its influence was felt throughout Wales and it sought influence over other monasteries such as that at Talley (which I have featured before).

The first photograph above shows the entrance doorway. It must have been quite impressive when the abbey was complete. The second image below shows the entrance door from inside the abbey. You can get an idea of the thickness of the walls from the window to the left.




This third photo shows what remains of the pillars along the knave that supported the roof. You still get a feeling for the strength and power of the stonework. It is amazing to think that these structures were built by hand without any powered machinery or tools that we would think of as being essential these days.



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

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: EF 17-85mm IS lens
Sensitivity: ISO400
Exposure: varies but typically at 1/250 @F16.
Lighting: Natural light. Light to medium cloud sometimes with the sun shining though.

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.

Another fine day at Cors Caron (Tregaron Bog)

This week we went for another walk over Tregaron Bog (Cors Caron) which is an ancient peat bog that is now run as a nature reserve. We were lucky with the weather as it was quite a clear sunny day with a bright, but low, autumn sun.

The first picture is a view through some trees across the width of the bog. I like this image because of the contrast between the blue sky and orange-brown grasses. The bare trees give a feeling of the isolation possible in this part of Wales.

The second photograph was taken moments later when a line of horses galloped by in the middle distance. Some of the local farms have grazing rights on the bog and horses are often overwintered on the bog. Often the horses are Welsh Cobs - a hardy breed that can stand the conditions.




I like this third image more due to the colours rather than the composition. I think the particular shades of blue and green complement each other well. These have not been enhanced - the colour is that 'out of the camera'. On this occasion I used a polarising filter which may have improved the saturation of the colours.



You can see more of the photos in the Cors Caron section of the Images from Wales gallery.

Technical details:
Camera: Canon EOS350D
Lens: EFS 17-85mm IS hand held, Circular Polarising filter
Sensitivity: ISO200
Exposure: Aperture Priority - Mostly f8, exposure times typically 1/160sec.
Lighting: Natural light.

The Ystwyth River above Cwm Ystwyth

Last week I wrote about my recent visit to the mine workings near Cwm Ystwyth. Whilst there, I did not concentrate just on the mine workings, I looked around for other photgraphic opportunities.

The photo above was taken by the river adjacent to the mine workings. The river flows down one side of the valley with the bulk of the mine workings on the other side. As you can see, at this point the river is little more than a stream, especially during a drier spell as it had been. At this location we are not far from the high boggy moors in the Cambrian mountains where this, and other, rivers originate.

The photo above is taken looking downstream, partially into the light. You can just see some old mine buildings and spoil heaps to the right of the Vally in the distance.

The second photograph below is looking at the river upstream. The river winds from side-to side as it flows down the valley. I have tried to capture the dark metallic blue colour of the water. The blue sky and low sun gave the water a most attractive colour.



As a contrast, this third photo was taken on the way to Cwm Ystwyth and shows the river valley lower down. A quiet pastoral setting amongst the higher hills forming the Cambrian mountains.



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

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

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.