I love black and white photography and so when I spotted this beautiful black and white bumblebee i thought he was a perfect subject .
I thought however that i should show him off in colour against the flowers that he was feeding on. I think he looks lovely but actually I think it looks more stunning in black and white.
Let me know what you think.
This was shot hand held with my 100mm macro lens.
These images were originally shot in colour and although they were a lovely fresh green if felt they looked more striking in black and white.
Over the weekend I found these beautiful Common Spotted Orchids in a meadow on the shore of Colemere. I had never seen so many orchids growing in one place and mixed in with masses of buttercups and other wildflowers it was a wonderful scene.
One of my favourite lenses is my Canon 100mm 2.8 USM Macro lens but for a while it had been out of action so I sent it off for repair. The day I got it back I couldn't wait to try it out again so went out to the front garden and took these shots of a lavender plant we have growing in an old chimney pot.
Lavender is such a wonderful plant, such vibrant colour and heady perfume that has relaxing properties. Close up you can see the delicate little buds with their furry covering.
I am so glad to have my lens back so I can get up close once more.
Walking through the grounds at Vaux le Vicomte on a hot day in May I wasn't too surprised to spot one or two common lizards basking in the sun . What I didn't expect was to see one having lunch. I was slightly disappointed to have missed the moment when this little chap caught his prey but it was so cool to watch as he tried to devour it.
As I approached with my camera I could see that he was becoming increasingly wary in case I was after his meal. In the first shot you can see from his pose that he is standing guard over his meal.
I am not entirely sure what it is but I think it is a large cricket or similar insect. I was impressed to watch as the lizard dragged it around given its size relative to the lizard. I don't think it looks too appetising but the lizard seemed quite satisfied.
Coming to the end of the tour around the interior of Vaux le Vicomte I came upon a group of school children on a trip. As you can see they were all dressed up in period costumes as ladies in waiting and musketeers and they were being guided through their paces by an enthusiastic young woman.
I don't normally post pictures of people and here I have been careful to shoot from behind so the individuals can't be identified. What I like in each of these images is the way the children are looking eagerly at their tutor feeding off her enthusiasm and excitement. I know that the woman in the second image is not in focus but that was because I wanted to focus on the children leaning in to follow what she was doing.
I chose to show the first two in black and white to give a period feel to the image but in the third I wanted to show the richness and colour of the costumes. I really like this last scene which shows the children in pairs waiting to be announced as they entered the great hall as if for a grand ball or party. I had some good school trips as a child but none quite as much fun as this one seemed to be.
This was the second time I have visited this Chateau at Vaux le Vicomte and there were a few noticeable differences.
Firstly in the grounds the Box hedge parterre has been removed it having been ravaged by the Box moth caterpillar and secondly the additional fee to climb the stairs to the dome and view the grounds from above had increased from 1 euro to 3. Even taking inflation into account my first thought was that this was a bit steep (rather like the stairs). However when I got to the stairs it was obvious that the extra funds had been put to good use in stabilising the stairs which previously had been rickety and quite scary. This time there were new treads and additional supports so climbing up I felt much more secure.
It was worth it too as the view from the top is spectacular although I know that there are some people who seeing these stairs might think twice about venturing higher.
This the chateau at Vaux le Vicomte in Maincy 34 miles outside of Paris. I have chosen to post two images of the approach to the chateau which is surrounded by a deep moat filled with large carp and edible frogs.
It is an impressive bulding, built in the 17th century, designed by Le Notre for Nicholas Fouquet, finance minister to Louis XIV.
Although the clouds hang heavily over the chateau in these images later in the day the sky cleared and it was really hot as we explored the castle and grounds (which are equally as impressive).
Imagine the "house warming party" with a list of guests which includes celebrities such as Moliere who even performed in a specially commissioned play in the gardens, aristocrats, politicians and the king himself.
Unfortunately for Monsieur Fouquet his enjoyment of his country home was short lived because the king a proud and jealous man decided that his finance minister had become a little too big for his boots. Louis considered that Nicholas had tried to upstage the king by having such a grand house built that he confiscated the chateau and had Monsieur Fouquet thrown in jail. After a trial he narrowly avoided the death penalty after a small majority voted for exile rather than execution (although it was a close call) and he was sent to live abroad.
So yesterday I posted some pictures of singing frogs, something I had never witnessed before.
Today I am sharing a series of pictures captured a few days previously from the walls of the medieval city of Provins. I knew that there was a bird of prey display within the city but I was was not expecting to come quite so close to the display itself. Taking in the view of the countryside surrounding the city I was surprised as this European Vulture flew past. I wasn't really prepared for wildlife photography and but I was equipped with my 24 -105mm L series lens and the quality of the equipment really shows in these images.
Initially the vulture made a couple of solo passes but then it was quickly surrounded by a flock of pigeons and some crows that mobbed it. After a while it took refuge in one of the ruined towers further along the wall before presumably it went to play its part in the flying display for the paying public.
I recently experienced something that I had never heard or seen before, a frog chorus.
These shots were taken in the grounds of the Domaine de Marie Antoinette at the Palace of Versailles. I heard the sound from a way off and as I approached the small bridge across a stream the sound stopped. Looking down I spotted a few frogs resting in the cool water and then after a while my patience was rewarded as they started "singing" again.
They are such cute little creatures but as they puff out their cheeks they look slightly comical.
They seem to grow to a decent size too, plenty of meat on those thighs, if that's what you are into.
