Bloodsucker
After draining its last victim’s blood and plasma, this Mosquito has decided to indulge in an after-dinner treat with a quick suck of this flower’s sweet nectar.
The factory’s lodge
As the Sun begins to go down behind the horizon, this factory’s chromium-finish chimney reflects a mirror image across the water’s surface of a nearby fishing lodge: the burning brilliance of the parting day merges into the pitch shadows of the waking night…
Foundations
I spotted this red-chipped brick lying on the shore of Ogden reservoir in Piethorne valley during a lowering of the water level recently. As the reservoir itself is actually situated in Newhey up in Greater Manchester, I found the kiln-fired readable indentation on its surface to be quite apt for the brick’s new watery location: a foundation stone for successive generations to stumble upon.
*Shot on a Sony a700 12mp dSLR with a manual M42 mount Helios 58mm f/2 lens (wide open aperture) and settings at ISO 400 with an exposure time of 1/40 seconds*
Black and white lounging time
A black and white Cat – busy lounging in the Sun – has had this essential Feline pastime interrupted by a fool pointing a camera in its general direction (yes and I’m the fool)!
Feeding time
A Farmer empties his tractor-drawn slurry tank across one of his fields, restocking the nutrients back into the soil so next year’s fodder will be productive once more; however to a city dweller walking past, it just looks, smells and tastes like someone spraying a load of sh*t across a field!
Wakey wakey
A Foxglove’s tubular-shaped flowers slowly begin to open their incandescent purple petals, sounding the dinner gong for any passing insect pollinaters.
In decline (slight return)
Roll the clocks forward a few months and the graffiti has disappeared! All it needed was some Council workers armed with a jet wash, some wire brushes and plenty of elbow grease to give the same wall a makeover. (Is it just me or did the paint-daubed previous image of this wall look more appealing?!)
In decline
Years upon years of adolescent graffiti scribbling upon this pebble-dashed subway wall has resulted in a strange kind of ‘industrial-strength beauty’ that people passing by notice, whether they want to or not!
Ogden Sunset
A shot of Ogden reservoir at Piethorne valley in Newhey at Sunset: as the light has dropped down beyond the silhouetted plantation on the undulating horizon and the breaks in the overhead cloud cover glower with its dying illumination.
Justifying the expense
A photographer checks through the images he’s just taken on his Canon professional dSLR body and cream-coloured ‘L’ lens, feverishly assessing the shots achieved to see if the results justify spending tens of thousands of pounds on his camera equipment.
Am I jealous that I cannot afford the same kit? You bet!
Stretch the Horizon 