Leave Me Alone I'm Thinking

First of all a friend pointed out that the watermark on yesterday's pictures actually got in the way of the expressions which is what I had tried to show so I have edited them so they are less obtrusive so if you want a better look click on the link to yesterday's pictures and you will see what I mean.  If you didn't see them, now is a good time to look #justsayin'.

Secondly why do all these apes look so sad? 

The first two shots are of Sumatran Orangutans.  They were sat out in the wintry sunshine and the youngest one was playing and on the move (which is why it's slightly blurry) but the adult male looked properly fed up.

The third picture is of a Silvery Gibbon, he has the thickest and softest looking fur and a lovely face but such a sad expression.

The final two images are of Sulawesi Macaque.  These are really gregarious animals and there was a good number of them in the enclosure however this one seemed to prefer his own company. 

The new enclosures at Chester Zoo are really quite incredible and their inhabitants have lots of space, indoors and out with lots to keep them occupied so perhaps they're not sad, maybe they're just pondering what to do next.

A Mix of Emotions

Today I have taken a break from the shoot in the Lake District from last Saturday (I will return to those another day), and I am showing some pictures from my visit to Chester Zoo with my daughter, taking advantage of the reasonably good weather.

The first two shots are of Mandrill. The pictures are not as good quality as I would have liked because they were behind glass and it was difficult to get a clear shot without light reflecting off the glass.  All the same I really like these images because of the expressions on the face of the large male. In the first shot he looks terribly sad, and in the second when one of the females started grooming him he still has a far away look.

The third picture is of two female Sitatunga which are swamp dwelling antelope from Central Africa. I thought it was quite a touching image as they moved in to make this contact, in what was quite a deliberate gesture. 

Over the next few days come back to see some of my favourite shots from today's trip to the zoo.

Mossy Rocks

I love the colours and textures in these rocks and I like the contrast between the fast flowing water in the first picture and the mirror smooth water in the final image.

A Bit of Wood

Four bits of wood to be precise, ok three.

Well a woodland walk wouldn't be complete without some shots like these would it?

I like the mossy tree but i really like the gnarly log which looks alien

Milky White

Three more pictures of the falls at Tom Gill, today we are at the upper levels of the falls and the final picture is just a series of fairly shallow drops very close to the top. I really like this image and have a similar one as the wallpaper on my phone at the moment.

The first and second picture are of exactly the same section of the falls as if you needed me to tell you that. I have taken them using different exposures to create different effects with the water. I really like the first one with the water appearing as milky streaks, but I know that some people prefer a more naturalistic look and so in the second one with a faster shutter speed that is what you get. Whatever your preference I hope there is something in today's selection to float your boat! 

Ripples and Reflections

It was a cold and wet morning in the lakes and I was really lucky to get the first shot of Tarn Hows so still with a fairly sharp reflection, you can just make out the raindrops breaking the surface and just moments after taking this shot it poured down and the reflection disappeared.

In the second shot of the log extending into the lake you can see a white area in the distance which is not ripples it is actually ice. In the final image you can also see that the surface of the lake is frozen for quite a distance and although it looks thin and would not have held my weight it was thick enough that a stone thrown onto it skimmed along the surface.

My favourite images today are the first and fourth, leave a comment and let me know yours...

Meet My New Friend

If you like robins then today you are in for a real treat...

Whilst walking up Tom Gill and around Tarn Hows I paused for a short while in the shelter of a rocky ledge to get out of the rain. As I stood there this little robin flew down and approached me.  I didn't have any food for it and so it quite happily searched for insects in the moss and leaf litter. He seemed to pose at times and let me get really close.  He even sat and watched while I changed lenses from my 24 - 105mm to my 100mm macro. With that lens I was able to position my camera just inches from him and he didn't move, he even seemed to take an interest in what I was doing. I have zoomed in for a real close crop in the fourth image so that you can see how clearly defined the feathers are down to the black whiskers either side of his beak and around his eyes.  If you look into his eyes you can see me reflected there too.

Cascades

Here are two more sections of the cascades and waterfalls at Tom Gill.  With all of the heavy rainfall recently there was lots of water and as you can see it was quite a spectacle. I particularly like the section of the falls in the first two pictures but  I have included the third shot because of the height of the falls which was an unexpected sight.

Tom Gill

After a week of pictures from Preston's Avenham Park I have moved on to a different part of the country today.  With the promise of dry and mild weather conditions I headed up to the Lake District.  Of course it being the Lake District the weather forecast didn't really count for anything and when I arrived at my first planned destination at Glen Mary Bridge between Skelwith Bridge and Coniston it was absolutely heaving down.  After a short delay I decided to head out anyway and I walked up to Tarn Hows via Tom Gill which is a series of waterfalls from Tarn Hows down to Yew Tree Beck. 

It was a fantastic walk up the path alongside the beck and I took my time getting a number of shots, so over the next few days I will be posting several more which I hope you will enjoy.

A Japanese Garden

Today's pictures are of the Japanese Garden set within Avenham Park in Preston. This garden even has its own facebook page where people post pictures of the garden and of themselves enjoying this tranquil spot.

On the day that I visited as you can see the surface of the pond is frozen and there were very few visitors but in spite of the cold it was nice to sit and enjoy the surroundings. I am sure that in the spring and summer there will be much more colour as the trees come into blossom and the flowers in the beds start to bloom so maybe I will be back one day for some more pictures.

Riverside Walk

The first of today's pictures is of the River Ribble at Frenchwood, looking towards Walton Le Dale, I really like the sky in this picture and I like the way the ripply clouds are counter-posed with the ripples in the river below.

The second picture is of the Riverside Walk and avenue of magnificent horse chestnut trees in Avenham Park. I had been waiting for a moment to capture the avenue with no people in it however I felt that the young family walking along add some extra interest to the image, after all the walkway was designed as just that, a walkway, so devoid of people it would actually be rather dull. I chose to shoot this image in monochrome because it emphasises the coldness of the day

Criss Cross

A break from the wintery images for today with a shot of the support structure beneath a bridge across the River Ribble into Avenham Park and then secondly a picture of one of the benches along the riverside walk in the park. 

I think these are quite strong images with the brutal lines and angles of the concrete supports and the strong geometric pattern in the ironwork of the bench and I have chosen them as a contrast to the bright and delicate ice crystals of my last few posts.

Sugar Coated

Just this one picture for today as it is my favourite shot from my frosty morning walk last weekend. This tiny little plant (no bigger than a penny) would have been easily overlooked but for the sugary coating and up close I think it makes a great picture.

Frosty Fence Posts

As with yesterday's images today's shots were taken on Saturday in Preston and before the sun melted the frost I captured the minute crystals on the top of a couple of fence posts. Enlarged here you can see the intricate structure of each unique little shard which in reality were barely more than one or two millimeters tall. You can also see that while from a distance the frost looks like a white carpet it is in fact totally clear. 

Frost Bitten

Over night much of the country had a decent fall of snow but yesterday, before the snow, everywhere was covered in a heavy frost.  I had an interesting couple of hours taking pictures in and around Preston's Miller Park and Avenham Park.  It was really cold but the frost disappeared very quickly even in the weak winter sun so I was lucky to get these shots.

Barbed wire might seem an odd subject for a picture but with the frost it becomes a really interesting image, at least I think so.

The second image of the new bud caught my eye with its dusting frost which close up looks almost like salt or sugar.

I have more frosty pictures to share but will save them for later in the week.

Fresh Growth

When I selected these pictures for today the connection was supposed to be "green" and the original title was going to be "Fresh Greens" because when I look at all of these pictures that is what I can see. I was absolutely certain about the last three pictures but had a nagging doubt about the first and so asked before posting just to be on the safe side. DOH! 

Even though I now know that the fungi in pictures one and two are not green that is still what I see but knowing they're not green just confuses me and frustrates me. It doesn't spoil the images for me, I still find them beautiful and interesting but it makes me question what I see and how these things will appear to other people.

I didn't intend to speak about colour blindness I wanted to speak about the fresh colours, the new growth and the hope that comes in winter when plants like these come to life and bring the promise of spring and when you look at the images that is what I really hope you will see, and however differently we might see these pictures I can say that I like them a lot, I am pleased with how they look and I am pleased to share them with you... enjoy!