All that remains…
This picture of an old stone building, left to decay over the last 50 years or so, was shot back in 2009 in Piethorne Valley, Newhey. Nothing more than a shell even three years ago – its door and window frames were long gone to the elements – it was the building’s roof slates that had protected the wooden rafters during its time of abandonment. However, with a downturn in the economy hitting home during that particular year and slate tiles still bringing a pretty penny, the structure was stripped bare of its overhead aegis and left to fend naked on the moor…
Stuck in the middle
A brave – or rather foolish – Wood Pigeon appears have gotten itself into a little mess, surrounded by electrical cables on all sides: careful now or the bird could be reduced to nothing more than a puff of feathers!
All that glitters…
The leaves of this Birch tree are back-illuminated by the Sun, their serrated edges and heart-shape emphasised by the close focus; the remaining dappled light in the background has been rendered into a wonderful spatter of bokeh droplets, frozen in mid-glitter.
A framed view
A shot taken from beneath the motorway slip road tunnel at Stakehill in Middleton, looking towards the rear of Tandle Hills and Hough Lane farm. The concrete lintel and walls create a perfect picture frame for the view, albeit in a squarish 4:3 aspect ratio!
Balancing act
A Soldier Beetle clings to a blade of grass, ready to launch itself into the wide green yonder and flutter away. The seeds on the stalk above show how small this insect really is and how the surrounding foliage must appear mountainous to invertebrates’ living in the macro world.
Savage beast
I used to walk or ride to work each morning along a farm lane and each morning without fail I’d be greeted by this Jack Russell barking its heart out. The dog would come hurling towards me, snarling and snapping away as I passed its owner’s house and continue in this rabid frenzy until I was well out of sight, then return to hiding in the bushes for the next unsuspecting person to wander past!
The old bones
All that remains of a Sheep that was struck down by an infected sore on its rump, the rest of its carcass having been scattered by scavengers…
Unfurling or curling?
Close-up macro shot of a fern’s tip, either unfurling or curling depending on the time of the year.
Water overflow (slow shutter)
The same overflow pipe at the rear end of Norman Hill reservoir, again shot handheld on a Canon 30d, with an EF 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5 lens without an image stabiliser. This second picture of the water’s flow has been snapped at some of the camera’s slower settings in the hope of ‘blurring’ the tumbling liquid. This time the camera was set at ISO 100, EV-0.3 and an exposure time of 1/8 of a second, the lens was set at one of its slowest aperture stops – f/18 – and once more left wide open at 35mm.
Water overflow (fast shutter)
The overflow pipe at the rear end of Norman Hill reservoir has been chosen for today’s and tomorrow’s blog entries to try and show two contrasting speed effects that can be achieved when shooting moving water. Both pictures have been shot handheld without a tripod on a Canon 30d, with an EF 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5 lens without an image stabiliser. This first picture has been snapped at some of the camera’s faster settings in the hope of ‘freezing’ the tumbling liquid: the camera was set at ISO 400, EV-0.3 and an exposure time of 1/800 seconds, the lens was set at its fastest f/3.5 aperture stop and left wide open at 35mm.
Stretch the Horizon 