Surrey Bluebells – ISO 400; 50-140mm; f/2.8; 1/60 sec (click image to view larger size)
Bluebell season this year, for me, was a bit of a mixed bag. I didn’t get any “out of this world” shots, but I did manage a few I’m happy with.
I was very lucky yesterday to have an enthusiastic young lady attend one of the photo walks I’ve recently been advertising on the Funzing website. This one was held in Richmond Park.
At this time of year, I quite often head out into the Surrey Hills in search of bluebell woods that I haven’t been to before. When I’m there, I try to find compositions that I think will work well when the bluebells are flowering.
This stag has recently lost one of his antlers, the other will also drop off soon. With red deer, this happens naturally around the end of winter and they take until July to regrow.
Snow is scarce in southern Britain. Checking through my archives, it’s been around eight years since I captured images in a decent snowfall. So I was excited when the “Beast from the East” (a Siberian weather system heading our way) was forecast to bring us unusually heavy snow.
Autumn Walk – ISO 400; 166mm; f/5.6; 1/180 sec (click image to view larger size)
What to do when you find a nice (quiet) location but you think having a person in view would help add something to the image? Put the camera on a tripod, set your 10 second timer, step into the limelight and become the star of the show. Although, it’s not always quite as easy as it sounds, as I found out recently!
Autumn is taking hold and colours are changing, so I thought I would post a few of the images I have made over the last few weeks from visiting several local woods.
Stags at sunriseI’ve not posted on here for quite some time (four months apparently, having checked my last post) and there’s a reason for that – a new venture that’s occupied a lot of my time over the past two or three months.
Pre-dawn mist on Wisley Common – 14mm; ISO 500; 1/125 sec; f/4.0 (click image to view larger size)
After visiting an exhibition of images by talented Surrey based photographer Rachael Talibart, I was inspired to visit the Wey Navigation for a sunrise shoot. Visions of mist rolling over the water bathed in soft dawn light filled my head as I headed out early one morning a few days later. Turning off the A3 took me past Wisley Common where I noticed low lying mist through the trees, so it looked promising.
However, at the river the mist was hardly present, just a few thin swirls in small patches. So I headed back to Wisley Common, the draw of the mist being too great for a simple photographer to ignore.
Seclusion – 100mm; ISO 200; 1/250 sec; f/4.0 (click image to view larger size)
Seems like all I’m doing lately is photographing bluebells, but I suppose it is the season for it.
This year I decided to travel further than my back garden in search of bluebells. Internet research showed a couple of promising locations in Surrey within about 45 minutes drive from home.
So I started exploring in late March and weekly thereafter to check on progress. Places such as Ranmore Common, White Down, Leith Hill and Hatchlands Park.
47 Photography by Martin Griffett 