Photo Friday - Week 32

Last Sunday I was up at the Orwell Country Park near Ipswich, Suffolk, where I was available to offer photography tuition for children, as part of a Groundwork event with Ipswich Council and Tesco's.  Someone found this beetle, and I had to take some photos...


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/9.5, 3s, ISO80, tripod.

Scale's a bit unclear here, but the body is about 30mm from nose to tail.  Thankfully, it was very sedentary, and barely moved whilst I was photographing it, hence the use of a tripod, and the 3 second exposure.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/8, 3s, ISO200, tripod.

I wouldn't fancy being on the receiving end of those jaws!


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/8, 0.7s, ISO200, tripod.

This image is one of the new ones I've now got showing on the TV at Cameraworld in Chelmsford.  I've completely revised the images there, so you have about 130 new photos to have a look at!

I don't know the species of this beetle, so if anybody else does, please let me know.

Photo Friday - Week 31

On Wednesday I enjoyed a family day out to Kew Gardens, and although photography only played a small part in the trip, I did get a few shots I was pleased with.

This is the Davies Alpine House, an unusual and eye-catching greenhouse.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA16-45mm f/4 lens @ 16mm, f/8, 1/125s, +0.5EV, ISO200, handheld, polariser.

In the Palm House, there were, unsurprisingly, lots of beautiful palms, and I particularly liked the colours and patterns seen when looking up through the leaves.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA16-45mm f/4 lens @ 26mm, f/8, 1/10s, ISO400, handheld.

In the same greenhouse, this Fig leaf caught my eye in a similar way.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA16-45mm f/4 lens @ 45mm, f/8, 1/20s, ISO400, handheld.

We're hoping to go back and explore more, as it's far too big to see everything during one visit, and they have an exhibition of David Nash sculptures there too at the moment, which we really didn't get to see much at all.

Willow Emerald at Fingringhoe Wick

I ran a Close-up and Macro Nature Photography Workshop today at Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve near Colchester, and at one of the ponds (Pine Pond) we found an Emerald Damselfly that I thought was a Willow Emerald (Lestes viridis), which had been found at Fingringhoe for the first time (I think) in 2010.  It's a recent colonist of Britain, first found in numbers in Suffolk in 2009.  The British Dragonfly Society has details of the Willow Emerald here.

By no means an expert on Damselfly identification, I needed to double-check when I got home, but I'm sure it's a Willow, and here's my fairly poor record shot:


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/8, 1/60s, -0.5EV, ISO400, handheld.

Something else we saw was this cricket, which had a black stripe running down its back.  I've not seen one like this before, and it may well be a nymph of a conehead, probably a long-winged conehead (Conocephalus discolor).  Googling it does suggest that's what it is, I'm just surprised they have the long ovipositor at this nymph stage.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/8, 1/125s, -0.5EV, ISO400, handheld.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/5.6, 1/180s, +0.5EV, ISO400, handheld.

Lastly, here's a Grey Dagger moth (Acronicta psi) caterpillar, ID'ed in the excellent 'British Moths and Butterflies' book by Chris Manley.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/6.7, 1/1000s, -0.5EV, ISO800, handheld.

It was excruciatingly hot today, but also a day of firsts for me, as I hadn't seen any of the above before.  Any comments or confirmation of ID appreciated!

Photo Friday - Week 30

I had a very enjoyable day over in Rickmansworth, giving tuition to a young, enthusiastic wildlife photographer, so it's a bit of a rushed Photo Friday today, and although he got some great shots of dragonflies and damselflies, mine fell a little short...

So, here are three photos that are amongst those I'm going to be putting on the TV in Cameraworld in Chelmsford very shortly - it's high time I updated the display, and I have around 120 'new' photos ready for processing to the required size.

The first is a Small Skipper butterfly shot at Hanningfield Reservoir a few years ago, but I like the pose, so here it is!


Pentax K10D, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/6.7, 1/180s, +0.5EV, ISO400, handheld.

Next, a shot of the pine trees at Beecraigs Country Park in West Lothian, Scotland.  Low light and the use of the polariser resulted in a 3 second exposure, and I've processed this in Lightroom to give it (hopefully) a nice bit of atmosphere.


Pentax K10D, Pentax FA50mm f/1.4 lens @ f/8, 3s, +0.5EV, ISO100, polariser, tripod.

Last is this shot of a Chaffinch from the hide at Lake Vyrnwy, Powis, in early July.  Nice soft lighting helps show all the little details...


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA* 300mm f/4 lens @ f/4.5, 1/125s, +0.5EV, ISO400, handheld.

Look out for them in Cameraworld in the next few weeks!

Photo Friday - Week 29

Three quick shots this week, two from a private tuition session I did at Thorndon Park in Brentwood last week, and one from today, when I popped over to Hanningfield Reservoir in the late afternoon.

If you like the Gruffalo, Thorndon Park is the place to go!  They have a 'full size' Gruffalo, the Gruffalo's Child, and now the mouse too, all expertly carved from wood by one of the rangers.  Great for kids, but I've found the adults like them just as much...


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/4, 1/180s, -0.5EV, ISO800, handheld.


The day we were at Thorndon was warm, but we'd had rain before the session, and a downpour near the end too, but I love those conditions for the look it gives the woodland.  These roots of a large beech tree particularly appealed, once they'd been pointed out by my student...


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA16-45mm f/4 lens @ 40mm, f/9.5, 6s, ISO80, tripod, polariser.


Just a grab shot of this wooden bench - I'm back again tomorrow running a macro workshop, so I may do a 'proper' version using my tripod.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/5.6, 1/60s, ISO800, handheld.

Upcoming Workshops

I'm running a 'Beyond The Basics' Photography Workshop at Thorndon Park in Brentwood this coming Saturday, I know there are a few spaces left, so book on quick!  The next day I'm at Hanningfield Reservoir for a macro workshop, then Fingringhoe the following week for another macro one, then another 'Beyond The Basics' at Bedfords Park on the 1st September.  I'm then back up to Fingringhoe on the 2nd September for a 'Know The Basics' workshop, and I'll do another of those at Hanningfield the following week - busy busy busy!

Click the poster to view the different workshops I've got coming up - choose your level!

Photo Friday - Week 28

I missed last Friday's post, so here are a couple of pics from the last few weeks.

The first is from Wales at the start of July; a Spotted Flycatcher, one of a pair that was nesting on the outside wall of the cottage we were holidaying in.  With at least four youngsters in the nest, the adults would frequently pause on this post right outside the lounge window before darting off for food.  I set up the camera on a tripod with the 300mm lens, pre-focused on a point that I hoped would be the landing place for the bird, then took lots of photos.  I'd composed the image as a landscape format shot, to allow for different positions of the birds, so this is quite a crop down on the original.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/6.7, 1/350s, -0.5EV, ISO800, tripod, cable release.

You'll notice it's raining in that shot, something of a theme for the holiday...

The second photo was taken right at the end of the day at my Garden and Flower photography workshop at RHS Hyde Hall, where I'd seen these planters earlier in the year, and I decided I should take a shot before I left.  I was attracted to the colour and texture of the planter itself, and the contrast with the ornamental grasses growing in it, which were blowing in the wind.

My first composition was much more relaxed than this one, and there was too much going on, with a second planter and more foliage included.  One of the participants reminded me of my own advice - to identify what interests you, then make sure that's the most prominent part of the image.  So I recomposed, with a tighter, more abstract design, and here's the result.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/9.5, 2/3s, ISO80, polariser, tripod, remote (IR) release.