View allAll Photos Tagged APpicoftheweek
The final week of this year long 52/52 project; overcast but warm. Rather disappointed with most shots this week, did like one shot but it looked familiar, in fact it was almost identical to last weeks shot. This is my second favourite which features some of the park residents, an example of a goose crèche.
Still not sure what my subject will be for the next 12 months.
Marsh harrier quartering the saltmarsh on the Norfolk coast. Just about to pounce on some unfortunate creature (or eggs). They are a wonderful symbol of this wild coastline.
Idless is a local woodland and I am always drawn to this spot which not many people walk through. With its twisted trees and location near a field the natural light pours in and increases contrast. Taken during the rain the atmosphere increases and wonderful compositions are available to the photographer.
Part of my 'Duffus Castle through the seasons' project.
The castle is situated on the Laich of Moray, a fertile plain that was once the swampy foreshore of Spynie Loch. This was originally a more defensive position than it appears today, long after the loch was drained.
The motte is a huge man-made mound, with steep sides and a wide ditch separating it from the bailey. The whole site is enclosed by a water-filled ditch, which is more a mark of its boundary than it is a serious defensive measure.
Duffus Castle was built by a Flemish man named Freskin, who came to Scotland in the first half of the 1100s. After an uprising by the ‘men of Moray’ against David I in 1130, the king sent Freskin north as a representative of royal authority.
He was given the estate of Duffus, and here he built an earthwork-and-timber castle. Freskin’s son William adopted the title of ‘de Moravia’ – of Moray. By 1200, the family had become the most influential noble family in northern Scotland, giving rise to the earls of Sutherland and Clan Murray.
In about 1270, the castle passed to Sir Reginald Cheyne the Elder, Lord of Inverugie. He probably built the square stone keep on top of the motte, and the curtain wall encircling the bailey. In 1305, the invading King Edward I of England gave him a grant of 200 oaks from the royal forests of Darnaway and Longmorn, which were probably used for the castle’s floors and roofs.
A bouquet of blueberries. Bouquet = bokeh. Geddit...?
I'm coming to a theatre near you in 2025. 😎
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Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens. Single shot manually focused, natural light, WB 6000K. Raw file into Affinity Photo for a light touch development.
From the Richard Harvey Studio One
Change of Plans! We’d initially headed to Horsey to photograph the seals, only to find that the beach has been roped off to protect the wildlife during birthing season. Winterton-on-Sea is just a few miles south and what a beautiful sunrise!
A remote area of woodland. A scream is let out, frozen in time. An unseen horror is abroad in these woods. Did anybody hear it...? Would you follow me deeper into the trees...?
Bring her in...
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Thames Estuary, Canvey Island, Essex, England
My first venture out with my new camera body (Canon R5) and actually my first attempt at BIF; Wanted to find somewhere to get level with, or above the birds - Aston Rowant nature reserve in the Chilterns seems like the perfect spot (looking forward to going back!)
A gorgeous start waking up to snow and swirling mist. The mist only lasted half hour or so but made memories and an enjoyable half hour or so.
They reckon a few more days of these sharp frosts, then a trend towards milder spring weather. I'm not taking any chances!
Let the 2024 rose season commence...!
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Our garden. SOOC exposure, Raw file into Affinity Photo, 7:5 crop.
Due North, more or less. He's enjoyed the beach but he's rubbish at the mini-golf and I wasn't going to let him anywhere near the gift shop. With a downturn in the weather imminent our own beds were calling, and so we will bid farewell to the South coast. For now...
Camber Sands, East Sussex UK
June, 2024
"Look up" is always good advice. Lay down on your back if you want to. There's a bed of dry leaves from last Autumn and the birdsong might send you to sleep...
Or we could try it this way.
"Are you gonna be much longer with this? I’m a busy dog with a schedule to keep…"
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Get the shots while you can is my motto. The previous shot was more spontaneous. This one was barely 2 minutes later and I’ve already resorted to bribery…
Absolutely fascinated looking at this tree between all the beautiful colours and that lichen meandering along the limbs.
Up the trail. Round the cliff.
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North Devon Coast. Combe Martin, Devon, England
Exploring the darkest area of woodland. What shall we find?
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Raw File into Affinity Photo for "light touch" development. Side lighting per my trusty £5 torch.
Gravel Hill Wood, Langdon Hills, Essex UK
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Off kilter, a bit weather beaten and faded. Aren't we all?
Old Corringham, Essex, England.
Charming collection of midges approaching the mothership.
The list of photo opportunities seems to be diminishing as the lockdown continues.
Spookily, I came across this...
"If a killing type of virus strain should suddenly arise by mutation...it could, because of the rapid transportation in which we indulge nowadays, be carried to the far corners of the earth and cause the deaths of millions of people." W. M. Stanley, in Chemical and Engineering News, December 22, 1947
...it was cited in the 1949 scifi novel, Earth Abides by George R Stewart.