Iris’ Water Lily
I was kindly sent the above picture of a Water Lily flower by Mrs. Iris Shepherd and her original shot, taken with the superb Panasonic Lumix TZ7, was quite brilliant to say the least. However, I love tinkering in Photoshop and so, with Iris’ blessing, I set about hacking and chopping away at her original photo and came up with the result below; a different take on the flower by altering a little of its dynamic range and the darkening of the background.
Take a moment…
… and a deep breath as you sit down on the bench, then absorb the view that spreads out before your eyes…
Jumping for joy
A Grey Squirrel captured in mid-bound (notice its eye is firmly fixed on the fool with the camera)!
Call the Fire Brigade
An old and forgotten Fire Alarm Switch remains in-situ, shadows lengthening in the mid-morning Sun. The cast iron box, its red paint faded and flaked by the passing seasons, is now just home to Spiders since a wiring bypass relieved it of any importance many years before, which means that the lever stuck in the “ON” position is of no consequence to post-modern safety anymore…
The Love-Birds
After looking at this picture of two paired Wood Pigeons, who can honestly say that the animals that surround us on a daily basis and who we take no notice of in passing, do not possess feelings akin to our own…?
A moment’s rest
A male Small Skipper Butterfly steals a moment’s rest on a Bramble leaf, its wings’ rustic hues contrasting against the jagged-edged, dark green plant.
Early morning Clover
A Red Clover, its vivid pink inflorescence looking spent and tattered, stands tall through the flattened meadow grasses glistening with early morning dew in the hope its remaining finger-like flowers will catch the attention of any passing insects.
Pylon in Bloom
A fracture in the clouds and the Sun flares out, blooming the exposure in this shot. The only saving grace is that some of the metal stanchions and cross beams in this electricity pylon deflect a little of the glare and as such, create a picture with a nice HDR effect.
A real-life Triffid
The time of the year has come for the fern carpet to grow once more, so this plant’s started its unfurling in earnest. At this early stage, the sprouting fern resembles some strange alien life-force: with curling tentacle arms, elongated insect eyes and hooked mandibles for a mouth, it looks just like a Triffid for the 21st century.
Reclaimed in loss
A collection of headstones in an overgrown cemetery: forgotten by the living for whatever reason, the ferns and mosses have taken hold around the marble headstones and limestone crosses, revealing the sodden earth is the reason why the plinths’ lean like crooked teeth.
Stretch the Horizon 