Landscape photography in SE England is hard work; there are no dramatic mountains, even the hills are just a straight line ridge, almost any accessible coast has been built upon, no waterfalls (well OK one small one but more of that another time), and placid streams. It is pretty in the countryside but oh so difficult or the photographer. But perhaps the photoimaginator can get something. I was walking up Box Hill and as you get towards the top there is, at the top of the scarp slope, some very dense woodland; close set trees and scrub, bent and twisted trees, too dark for undergrowth and a little creepy. Yet I tried some photographs and the base image was nothing that great but I decided to play with the ‘creepy’ and I like what emerged; much more fun than the original. There are the two fun versions and the original, just for curiousity.

Well those were the fun ones;and the original …

I am, to say the least,  far from convinced about astrology, yet it has to be said that as a Piscean (plus moon in cancer) I do seem to have an affinity with water both for recreation (scuba diving, canoeing, swimming) and for photography. However, sometimes you have to try other things, outside your comfort zone, and, as Ansell Adams is one of my photographic heroes, and he was brilliant at trees, I keep trying with trees; albeit with mixed success. This is taken in a park in St Kilda, Melbourne. So it doesn’t always have to be wilderness or even just countryside; you do have to look about you  wherever you are, though agreed, some places are harder than others. But keep looking. As is often the case with me I found interest in the detail, in this case interwoven trunks, rather than the whole tree.

Now I cannot decide whether I like this or not but Mentor&Muse really does and sometimes one has to bow to the inevitable. I suppose it was all too easy; no mountain to be climbed, no bent double to catch an odd angle, no eagle eyed observation of a photo opportunity missed by others. Not even a miracle of nature … well only partly. It was taken at Christmas time in the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. And for whatever reason, the Danes and their normal Scandinavian ideals of simple, bold design, clean lines and fundamental materials are all thrown out of the window at this time of year and their Christmas markets sell as much gaudy, tasteless crap as anyone else. It’s quite heartening really. And in the middle of the Tivoli gardens, surrounded  by the Christmas market, there is an ornamental lake with an illuminated pirate ship; like I said, as gaudy and tasteless as you can get … and fun. This is the reflection of part of it in the lake. Christmas … y o ho ho and bah humbug.

o bow to the inevitable. I suppose it was all too easy; no mountain to be climbed, no bent double to catch an odd angle, no eagle eyed observation of a photo opportunity missed by others. Not even a miracle of nature … well only partly. It was taken at Christmas time in the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. And for whatever reason, the Danes and their normal Scandinavian ideals of simple, bold design, clean lines and fundamental materials are all thrown out of the window at this time of year and their Christmas markets sell as much gaudy, tasteless crap as anyone else. It’s quite heartening really. And in the middle of the Tivoli gardens, surrounded  by the Christmas market, there is an ornamental lake with an illuminated pirate ship; like I said, as gaudy and tasteless as you can get … and fun. This is the reflection of part of it in the lake. Christmas … y o ho ho and bah humbug.

The end of a hot (40c) heavy day; Gaia in a heated sullen mood. No breeze, the sea had barely the energy to roll, just oily and hummocky. Yet then she put on this beautiful sunset, all golden yellows, oranges and reds. A promise for the next day when a soothing breeze sprang up and the temperatures eased a little. She is not without mercy. Ok I gave it a bit of a boost in photoshop; she is a lady and appreciates a touch of blusher and a little lippy.

When I was 17 and again when I was 20 I did a youth hostelling trip to Norway; in each case spending a few days in Sweden. And all I could afford to eat in Sweden was boiled potatoes and meatballs sold by street stalls; their only redeeming feature being that you could help yourself to as much pickle as you liked. I was not very impressed by Sweden.

Last weekend I went back for the first time since those youthful days. I ate fresh salmon and new potatoes, veal & risotto, and beautiful hot smoked salmon with potato salad. And on the pretty island of Hono I sat in the warm summer sunshine eating a slice of pecan pie accompanied by a glass of pear cider and I reflected on how much nicer Sweden seemed now.

And as I sat there I watched boats coming in and out of the harbour, some modern fibre glass hull boats, yet a good selection of traditional wooden boats. And I started photographing one such boat and suddenly realised there were interesting reflections as the prow cut through the water. I only had time to get off a handful of shots before the boat’s angle and direction changed. This is one of those images with a lovely 3 way reflection. I like Sweden.

And yes this is very similar to the previous post yet it an emphasises an important point. It is similar yet it is not the same. It was based on a photo taken a few seconds later. And water is so … well fluid 🙂  so the image is constantly changing. So, if you have a digital camera then get a large memory card then if you spot something interesting then take lots. Even if it’s not water then slightly different exposures, shutter speeds, framing etc all create potential variation. Have fun.