England’s model defender
Sitting atop the ramparts of St Anne’s C of E church in Royton and beneath a fluttering St George’s Cross flag is this bird of prey statue, keeping away any Pigeons that have intentions of lingering a little too long and overstaying their welcome in the belfry: a model English Falcon to scare away unwanted feathered interlopers, no less…
*Shot on a Canon 600d 18mp dSLR using a Tamron 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Di ll LD lens with settings at ISO-200, lens at f/5.6, metering mode set to spot and an exposure time of 1/1600 seconds*
Let battle commence
A fly fisherman strikes into a brown Trout on Piethorne reservoir in Newhey and judging by the explosion on the water’s surface, he’s just about to begin an arm-numbing battle against a leviathan from the deep!
*Shot on a Canon 40d 10mp dSLR using a Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS mkll lens with settings at ISO-200, lens at f/5, metering mode set to spot and an exposure time of 1/40 seconds*
Oldham’s Civic Centre at twilight
A wide angle shot of Oldham’s Civic Centre, the 200 feet and 15-storey concrete and glass behemoth that has been seen from every compass point within the borough since its 1977 completion, no matter how many miles you may find yourself from its white-brick façade. (Although time has cast a grey finish to the tower; or perhaps that’s just Oldham’s near-constant rain?!)
*Shot on a Panasonic Lumix FX9 6mp compact camera with lens at 6mm and settings at ISO-100, f/2.8 and an exposure time of 1/50 seconds*
On the prowl
This freshly-shorn Sheep appears to be doing her best to impersonate a prowling feline!
*Shot on a Canon 1D Mark ll N 8.2mp professional dSLR using a Canon EF 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM lens set at ISO 200, f/6.3 and an exposure time of 1/2500 seconds*
Sundown supreme
Nothing to say really; just peer into this stunning Sunset and feel yourself drift away…
Gossamer wings
As the sunshine passes through this Red Dragonfly’s wings, the shadows they cast onto the ground beneath their fluttering canopy appear as infused amber hues and as delicate as gossamer windows.
The growler
‘The white fangs jutting outwards from this rabid beast’s foaming mouth let me know I’d only a couple more seconds of life left before the canine shredding starts…’ Oh sorry, lost myself there as I looked at this picture of a small Jack Russell annoyingly yapping away!
Royton town centre
A shot of Royton town centre, taken from the vantage point of the Zebra crossing on Rochdale road near Lower Turf Lane.
New beginnings
A sprouting grass seedling stands proud, ready to disperse its own new Life for the year that’s to come.
*Shot on a Olympus E-P1 12mp micro 4/3 system digital camera using a Vivitar 28mm f/2.8 Close Focus lens with camera settings at ISO-100, f/2.8 and an exposure time of 1/2000 seconds*
National Grid symmetry
A framework of angled stanchions, crossbeams and high-tension wires combine to form this National Grid pylon and from the almost perfectly symmetrical viewpoint shown in this picture, the different parts create an architectural beauty of industrial sorts.
Stretch the Horizon 