Looking at – and seeing – the world
January 1, 2020 15 Comments
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Floods on Tadham Moor, south of Wedmore, on the Somerset Levels; 20 Jan 2008.
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Technique: F6 with Sigma 12-24 lens at 12mm; Fuji Provia 400X colour slide rated at 1600 ISO; Silver Efex Pro 2’s Tin Type preset.
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December 14, 2019 21 Comments
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Looking south on a wet morning in early winter, with a wide angle lens on the camera, and a split tone added in post-capture processing.
Compositionally, the lines of the track, the banks of the water-filled ditch to the left of the track, the horizon and the cloud formations all draw my eyes down past the large tree. A tree that is certainly valued, perhaps even loved – I never come to this very special place without touching it and talking to it, as it clings stoutly to the steep bank of yet another water-filled ditch, always in danger of toppling over, as three other long-known willows behind the camera have already toppled.
Over the years, and in terrible times now quite long past, this very open and simple spot has helped me to keep going, to keep on keeping on, and I am very much attached and indebted to it. To the extent that, when the time comes, my ashes will be sprinkled down there, down along this track, beyond the tree and the large puddle beside it. Knowing that that is going to happen always affects my visits here, but never I hasten to add in any sad or bad way, but rather serving to imbue me with a sense of certainty, and of belonging too, which gets into my photos sometimes and which I value.
And with global sea levels rising as they are, and the land hereabouts already being below the height of the Bristol Channel’s tall tides – tides with ranges of up to nearly 50 feet – it may not be too long before these flatlands are inundated once more. So, yes, a temporary place, then – but to a geologist like me every place is temporary after all.
However – the bottom line – a very simple place, vastly attractive to my “less is more” eyes and mindset – and very special to me in my thoughts too.
Click onto the image twice to open an enlarged version: recommended.
Technique: X-T2 with 10-24 Fujinon lens at 15mm (equiv); 800 ISO; Lightroom, starting at the B&W 12 profile; Silver Efex Pro 2, starting at the Neutral preset and adding a split tone; Tadham Moor, on the Somerset Levels south of Wedmore; 6 Dec 2019.
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November 25, 2019 6 Comments
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The single track tarmac of Jack’s Drove, with a water-filled ditch (a rhyne – rhymes with scene) on either side, makes off southwards across Tadham Moor, in the dull light of an autumn morning.
On the horizon the low line of the Polden Hills, that run from Glastonbury and Street down towards the coast near Bridgwater. The main road along the top of these hills runs along the route of a road built by the Romans – who prudently kept out of the vast lakes and marshes that covered these lowlands in those days.
And on the right my disreputable old car, covered in lichen, cobwebs, mud, cow dung and thin, very weathered paint. Years ago I worked, looked at birds and photographed in often desolate and remote areas, areas where my life might depend on the reliability of my vehicle, and ever since then I have never bothered in the slightest about vehicles’ appearance, but always insisted on absolutely thorough maintenance and servicing. Reliability, for me, is always the name of the game.
Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window, and click onto that image to enlarge it yet again – recommended.
Technique: Z 6 with 70-300 Nikkor lens at 70mm; 3200 ISO; Lightroom, starting at the Camera Graphite profile; Jack’s Drove on Tadham Moor, on the Somerset Levels south of Wedmore; 15 Nov 2019.
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October 31, 2019 4 Comments
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Morning commute in the countryside: high speeds down narrow lanes.
Click onto image to open a larger version in a separate window – recommended.
Technique: Z 6 with 70-300 Nikkor lens used in APS-C format at 450mm; in-camera processing of raw file, starting at the Graphite profile; further processing of the jpeg in Lightroom; Totney Drove, on Tadham Moor, on the Somerset Levels southwest of Wedmore; 9 Sept 2019.
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October 24, 2019 8 Comments
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Field gate, with baler twine.
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Technique: Z 6 with 70-300 Nikkor lens at 185mm; 800 ISO; Lightroom, starting at the Camera Vivid v2 profile and selectively desaturating colour; Capture NX2; Tadham Moor, on the Somerset Levels southwest of Wedmore; 25 Sept 2019.
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August 25, 2019 7 Comments
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Mother and calf; Tadham Moor.
The Animal series looks – usually fairly closely – at a variety of creatures:
Farm cats: see this link for the first image of these photos and much context; there are other images of these cats from this series here 2 3 4 5 .
Roe Deer: 6 .
Cattle: the first image, 7, has context; 8 .
Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window, and click onto that image to further enlarge it.
Technique: Z 6 with 70-300 Nikkor lens used in DX (= APS-C) format to give 450mm; 800 ISO; Lightroom, starting at the Camera Neutral v2 profile; Silver Efex Pro 2, starting at the Film Noir 3 preset and adding a light Coffee tone; beside the Magic Carpark on Tadham Moor, on the Somerset Levels southwest of Wedmore; 12 July 2019.
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August 3, 2019 14 Comments
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A summer’s morning down on the Levels, and after a lot of early morning photography I was relaxing with hot coffee and a sandwich in a spot on Tadham Moor that I know as the Magic Carpark. I’ve given it this somewhat strange name because, many years ago now, being in this little, quiet place helped me through terrible times in my life, and I’ve been coming here ever since. And, after I’ve downed the very last of my very special Belgian beers, this is where my ashes will be scattered. A wonderful and eminently simple little place.
On this particular morning, in the field next to the rough track that leads off south from the Carpark, there was a herd of cows, largely motionless, along with their calves. And the more I looked at these cows, and at the morning’s light washing over them, the more I was drawn to them. And so, putting down the coffee and picking up the Z 6, I walked slowly and quietly down the rough track towards them.
Arriving next to the cows, I kept very still and quiet and just looked at them. Most were unconcerned by my presence, but this one, who had been lying down beside her calf, stood up to look at me, and advanced a few paces – and I was very glad of the water-filled ditch – the rhyne – that lay between us. But, keeping silent and motionless paid off and, slowly raising the camera, I carefully started making images of this very placid scene.
I started this Levels’ Animal series with portraits of farm cats: see this link for the first image in this series, and much context; there are other images of these cats from this series here 2 3 4 5 . Then came a picture of a deer 6 .
Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window, and click onto that image to further enlarge it – recommended.
Technique: Z 6 with 70-300 Nikkor lens used in DX (= APS-C) format to give 330mm; 800 ISO; Lightroom, starting at the Camera Neutral v2 profile; Silver Efex Pro 2, starting at the Cool Tones 1 preset; the Magic Carpark, Tadham Moor, on the Somerset Levels; 12 July 2019.
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May 13, 2019 22 Comments
Someone has encountered health problems, someone is unwell. Someone who is a good and long-time blogging friend, originally from around here but now living on the other side of the world.
Amongst other strategies, she is turning to her camera and to blogging as means of helping her cope and, far away as I am, I want to try to do something – however little – that is supportive. She is in any case a very perceptive photographer of the Natural World and I have urged her to further immerse herself – and her camera – in Nature.
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Water Lily leaves in a rhyne’s the dark, peaty waters
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Very much a favourite picture of mine: a farmer and his wife off to check on their stock at first light on a foggy morning. A very friendly couple, my age I suppose, they always wave and smile
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Sunrise, looking over towards Glastonbury
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Rhyne; misty morning
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Mute Swans coming in to land on floods; Tadham Moor
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Freezing morning, ice on the rhyne – I was driven to putting my fingers in my mouth to try and unfreeze them – should have dunked them in my coffee!!! Tadham Moor
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Glastonbury Tor – and finding out that pointing a 400mm lens at the sun does not do miracles for the eyeballs!
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Looking west at sunrise: Our Star rising, and its light just catching the tops of the clouds; Tealham Moor
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Misty morning
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People call me The FATman … they’re really very rude, you know …
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Tealham Moor, looking east along a rhyne
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Its just a question of avoiding the last, over curious lunge, when that big, drooling muzzle goes straight into the front of the lens ….
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April 30, 2019 6 Comments
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High ground below the colours of sunrise. Looking up, from Tadham Moor.
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Technique: Z 6 with 70-300 Nikkor lens used in DX (= APS-C) format to give 450mm; 1600 ISO; Lightroom, using the Camera Vivid V2 picture control; high ground above Tadham Moor, on the Somerset Levels; 12 Apr 2019.
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March 28, 2019 9 Comments
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An unreal landscape. Just a single track road, its verges and, standing up on either side, the precipitous, abrupt lines of machine-cut trees – that are either columns along the nave of some vast, natural, outdoor cathedral or, equally fancifully, sombre beings – Ents perhaps! – standing obediently aside to let us pass through.
But pass through to where, that is the question.
The mist is down, and beyond this road and these trees there lies only uncertainty.
There are other images from this early morning shoot here: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 . Each will open in a separate window.
Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window, and click onto that image to enlarge it further.
Technique: X-T2 with 55-200 Fujinon lens at 101mm (equiv); 200 ISO; Lightroom, using the Velvia Vivid film simulation; Silver Efex Pro 2, starting at the Antique Plate 1 preset; Jack’s Drove, on the Somerset Levels south of Wedmore; 19 Oct 2018.
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