A Little Bit of Bokeh

 After the Goldcrests (see yesterdays post) had flown away I hung around for  little while and tried to make use of the sunlight through the trees. 

I spotted a little bit of lichen on a broken branch so tried to get a nice image of it, in doing so I noticed the bokeh created by the light breaking through the trees and shrubs in the background. So I spent some time experimenting trying to capitalise on this interesting effect.

I practiced with some other plants as well as the lichen and I will share them in my next posts.

These were shot using my 100 - 400mm telephoto lens and 1.4x converter at F8, 1/1000 sec and ISO 3200 

Everyone Loves a Robin

So here's a Robin to brighten your day...

Everything is Stacking Up

I am taking a short break from the shots from Venice and over the next couple of days I will be sharing a selection of pictures of a stone stacking adventure on the river Wyre in Lancashire.

I had gone out for a landscape photo session with my son but the light wasn't very good so we headed down to the river near Scorton in Lancashire, a spot I had found a little over a year ago on a camping trip, to build some stone stacks.

Here are two slightly different views of my first effort of the day. I have chosen one black and white and one colour shot. I think the poor light and the absence of any strong colour in the scene means the black and white image is actually the stronger of the two showcasing the form of the stack and the contrast of textures, light and shadow.

Creepy Little Fella

Maybe it is unkind to call this cute little bird "creepy" but he is a Tree Creeper so it is an accurate description. I have only photographed one once before and it was a lousy shot, low light, quick moving subject so grainy and blurry. On this particular occasion although the light wasn't great I did manage to get three quick shots. Using a high ISO the pictures are still quite grainy  but with a little bit of work I have been able to reduce some of the "noise" and produce soft but usable images.

He didn't stay still for long and quickly made its way around and up the tree trunk out of sight but it was a genuine thrill to see it and capture these pictures. You have to agree he is pretty cute. You may be able to make out his long claws/toes perfectly adapted to clinging to the bark enabling him to move nimbly and quickly up and down in his search for insects in every crevice. Hie curved beak is also perfectly adapted for the task of winkling out food from the tightest spots.

What's a Wogan?

This is...

Under Pembroke Castle there is something referred to in the guide book as a wogan. This is a cave which was likely home to the earliest inhabitants of the Pembroke area. Apparently it has never been excavated but there is a similar cave nearby which has revealed traces of human activity dating back to 10,000 years ago which is in the mesolithic era.

The castle is built above and there is a narrow stone staircase which leads down from the relatively modern courtyard. The entrance to the cavern has been enclosed by a thick stone wall with high windows and a steel gate and being a cave its really quite dark inside, fortunately my camera is able to pick out the detail even in low light and without flash so that is how I am able to share these pictures with you.