Passionate about photography... A daily photo blog to showcase some of my favourite pictures from my growing portfolio.
Landscape, Macro, Black and White, Travel and Street photography.
I haven't posted anything to my blog in a little while and I certainly haven't been as regular as I had intended when I started it but I do intend to post more regularly. I went to Bodnant gardens recently with the intention of getting some beautiful shots to share to get things started again. I was fortunate that the weather was good and there was excellent light and lots of beautiful flowers on display so I took lots of pictures that I will be going through to select the best. Given that there was so much to see and photograph you might be surprised that the first images I share from that day out are of a disgusting Horse Fly. I say disgusting because they are annoying buzzy bitey things ( I got bitten on my elbow by one) but since I had my macro lens attached I thought I would take a closer look at the fly that settled on the bench behind me. I was surprised to see that it has a shiny golden mask around bright red eyes that don't exactly make it a thing of beauty but is quite spectacular all the same. Apparently it is the female flies that bite and they will travel large distances to find a suitable food source. Unlike mosquitoes that pierce the skin and suck blood from the host horse flies have jagged saw like teeth that slice the skin and they release an anti-coagulant so they can feed on the blood that pools in the wound. I said they were disgusting...
As always I am looking out for hearts in nature and this warm coloured pebble on the beach at Milford on Sea caught my eye. The sea spray in the air was a real nuisance in that I had to continually clean my lens but it added a freshness and shine to the pebbles.
I know (because I trust those that tell me) that this picture is a blend of greens but to me it looks like black and gold and rather like molten metal. However you see it I hope you like this as much as me.
Today the weather has been a real mixture of cold and wet with heavy rain hail and sleet at times followed by clear blue skies and now it is a clear and starry night with the promise of a hard frost in the morning. It would have been nice to get pout with my camera this afternoon but work appointments got in the way so here is another shot from my recent trip to the Lake District with a view of Derwent Water and Causey Pike in the background. I love the shine off the surface of the lake and the contrast between the layers of light throughout the image.
Flies get a bad rap and it is hardly surprising since they have some pretty disgusting habits but if you can put your prejudices to one side and look closely there really is something of beauty. Look at the glassy wings and shimmering thorax and those fantastic eyes. The honey bee is industrious and popular but are viewed cautiously and fearfully because of their potential to sting. They too are marvelous creations and really quite beautiful. I love to photograph them hard at work and with their dusting of pollen.
Following on from yesterday's pictures of a bumblebee today I have this gorgeous hoverfly for you. I know that gorgeous might seem an unlikely adjective for a flying bug but with its shiny metallic thorax, glassy wings and intricate compound eyes this bug is a little beauty. Add the brilliant yellow flower into the mix and these are fantastic shots even if I do say so myself.
