
Looking up in to the mix of green and blue in the woods one early morning.

Once again I found myself waking at some insane hour and speeding off after my next quarry, today’s was West Woods on the outskirts of Marlborough, to see what’s what for sunrise. This morning’s in-car temperature reached 0°C, that’s technically freezing. In May!! Anyway, I arrived in good time and was stunned by what I saw. Bluebells. As far as the eye could see. It was brilliant! No sooner had I stepped from the car I once again found myself surrounded by a sea of blue and green, smothered by a blanket of the sweetest floral aroma as the soft early light of the rising sun steadily moved past the canopy, gradually intensifying as it went. The late bloom has meant more growth in the canopy overhead than last year, hence the light seems obscured a touch more than preferred. That said it really was yet another wonderful experience and quite a privilege to be surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of a waking spring forest in full bloom. I didn’t really mind the pre-5am start after that. Ah, nature… great!

Back on the nature photography trail again after the superb wedding last weekend. I got up at an insanely early time to leave London, primarily to make it to this location in time for sunrise but also ensuring I would avoid the Congestion Charge, a bonus! With the days getting longer as the summer takes hold that magical hour around sunrise gets much earlier. It could be argued though that this is a good thing almost always guaranteeing somewhere to yourself. Very few people are dedicated enough to rise for first light when it comes around 5am and any good photographer knows to be there before the sun rises to ensure the best composition for when that attractive warm glow appears. The summer can be a little punishing on the most ardent nature photographer but the rewards out-weigh the early rises.
This particular location was awash with bluebells, though this year they seem rather late and less bountiful than previous years but the aroma within the woods – even at that early hour – was incredible. I suspect the late bloom is due to the sudden drop in temperature (it was 2C according to the gauge in the car!) but no matter, I got to work and decided to try something different for a change rather than the ‘done before’ clichéd shots. This particular image was made around 15mins before the sun came up, with enough light to evenly illuminate the woodland for the colours to come through. The effect was made entirely in-camera and not with the use of any software.

More rain, more trees. Despite the thick canopies above loads of rain still got through – and on to me… There is a real sense of autumn approaching which is a little sad as we never really got summer, ok there was a heat wave back in June/July for 5-7 days, I guess that really was it folks! Still, I love autumn. Like Spring the autumn is a time of change, changing colours, weather, light – everything! The landscape itself undergoes a dramatic shift from lush and green trees and tall grasses through to reds and oranges as the trees shed their leaves for the onset of winter. I’m caught between ‘I can’t wait!’ and ‘was that all we got for summer?!’ feelings…no looking back though; Can’t wait! (more…)

Although this summer has failed to brighten up on many levels I was still surprised by what I found in the woods today. The persistent rain over the past few weeks has, it’s true dampened my spirits slightly. So I resolved to face it head-on and went for a walk during a monumental downpour to some local woods. This served two purposes; firstly get the hell out of the house and secondly to satisfy my curiosity to really see what changes come when it’s absolutely chucking it down. I’m not talking about ‘lots of water from the sky’ type changes, nor the resulting puddles of it collecting on the ground as I walk. No, I’m talking about the change in atmosphere around me and how could I possibly capture that on camera?! (more…)

With lots to go through still from the other weekend’s festivities here’s a nice shot I didn’t put up in the last batch of bluebell shots (you’ll be sick of them soon I swear!).

…it’s Star Wars day!
and on an entirely different note, I was out hunting bluebells again, which still have yet to complete their bloomage. Taking their time, see!

Actually they seem to be coming out a bit late this year compared to the last couple of years, maybe that’s to do with being in a different location? Either way here’s a small selection, there will no doubt be more to come soon as they really take off, these are only partially flowered crops…
