Forest of Dean

Exeter Camera Club organised a week's self-catering holiday in the Forest of Dean this year.

It's a location I've not been to before, and didn't really know what to expect.  However, Ros the girl who organised most of it, had lived in the area for many years, and knew it pretty well, and proved to be an excellent "tour organiser and leader"!

I was lucky enough to share one of the chalets with her.  During the day, we tripped around to various locations and in the evening had huge communal meals with much laughter and drinking till the early hours!

The weather was wonderful - apart from the first two days - but it didn't stop us going out and about with our camera!

A few of the images taken during that week.  I'm still processing some of them.

One of the Chalets with the barbecue heating up!

Ros our organiser and Bryan our President enjoying the evening noggin and natter!

Gloucester Docks - first day in the rain!

Gloucester Docks - still raining - but it makes nice pictures!!

A hapless barman - persuaded to 'model' for me!  He was a natural!

Martin finding something interesting in the undergrowth!  Move over David Attenborough!

Another person I persuaded to 'model' for me in Puzzlewood!

Puzzlewood was a spooky place - which suited infrared I thought.

Mud flats at Lydney!  Just liked the shapes.

I won't bore you with any more - but in any case, I am still feverishly processing them.  We plan to have an evening in September when we will look at everything we took that week!  Really looking forward to it!

ELLA DOES IT AGAIN!!

There's no stopping her, it seems!!

Following her success last year, when she won a Natural History painting competition, with a £100 prize and her picture was framed and hung in the Mall Galleries in London - our clever granddaughter has excelled once more!

This time, it was a competition within Surrey schools, where all junior children throughout the county were invited to depict the Magna Carta!

Ella is very creative, and is frequently to be found on her bedroom floor with her tablet computer, videoing little scenarios with her Lego people and toy animals, using her bedside lamp to illuminate the little set-ups!

That was how she created the picture below!  She downloaded the various banner images, resized them, cut them out and stuck them to cocktail sticks, which were then stuck to the little models hands!

She won!!

Once more, she will be "exhibited" and Rachael is under strict orders to record the event when it occurs, as I still don't know when or where it will be - and wouldn't want to miss it for anything!

Granny had to print a 10" x 8" image for her - and a smaller JPEG which will be projected sometime during the event.

Maybe I will be able to post more about this as and when I get to know about it?

Ella's Magna Carta winning image!

New Found Relations!

Out of the blue, I suddenly discovered a new relation!

All my life, we were a "unit" of mother, father and four siblings.  We knew and had met my father's parents - but other than that - we didn't really know that we had any more relations.  My mother's parents had both died before I was born.

Then, a few years ago, I met Gail.  We are a similar age - and got on really well.  The family tendency towards art ran in her blood too, and Gail is a very accomplished artist using oils, gauche and watercolours and has had work exhibited and produces her own greeting cards and prints.  A really talented lady - who also sculpts!

Imagine my surprise to have an invite from Gail to go to London and meet up with ANOTHER cousin!  One I had known nothing at all about!

And so, in early June, we went to London, staying with Gail's son in North London (yes - another relation!!  They were coming out of the woodwork all of a sudden!)

The spooky thing was that I recognised Jinks first when she came into the restaurant we were meeting up in!  She was a dead ringer for one of my sisters!  And even more spooky - she recognised me, saying I reminded her of a 98 year, recently deceased relation!  (Says a lot for how I look these days!)

Anyway, a very personal blog this time - showing off the three cousins!  I hope my sisters will confirm with me that Jinks certainly has a strong family resemblance!

Cousin Jinks

Gail and Jinks

Ann, Gail and Jinks

Gail's son, Geoffrey

The art tendency has followed the line through Jinks, who designs jewellery and Geoffrey designs graphics for promotional purposes for businesses and has his own business with a staff of six, all using 27" Macs!

Did I drool!!

Arena Seminar, Bournemouth

Spent a very enjoyable long weekend in Bournemouth, attending the Arena Seminar.  Lots of good speakers, and some very inspirational work.

Did manage to get up at 5.30am on the Sunday and a quick dash down to the beach to grab a few shots.  Nothing amazing - but good to be out!  No tripod - so no arty-farty stuff I'm afraid!!

View from the balcony window at dawn!

Dog walkers on the beach.  Lovely surf patterns!

Boscombe Pier.  The best I could manage minus my trusty tripod!!

Day Three - Another Three Hours!

Got on location at 11.00am - a little late - but some the birds were still feeding.  Very cold - but the light was rather good.

Started doing the gulls.  I was able to get a little closer than I did yesterday - consequently, filling the frame was easier.  I think these were Black Headed Gulls in winter plumage.  The backlighting was really nice.

I've been told to get the birds flying towards the camera with space in front of them to "move into"

Imagine my delight when I saw an Egret?  At first, it was roosting in a tree - but patience was rewarded when it finished its preening, then made its way down to the water's edge, and began fishing!!

Carefully plodding along the water's edge.  Don't you just love those Marigold-gloved feet?

Soon, it started fishing.

Those feet just cracked me up!

The action was s-o-o- fast!  Even with 10-frames a second - it was hard to anticipate when, and then capture the moment!

Just as I was about to pack everything away and head for home to warm up - look what silently arrived?

And just as silently and swiftly flew off!  Was it an apparition?

And so ended Day Three of my practice, practice, practice sessions with the new camera!  I think it's slowly beginning to come together.  Whatever!  I so enjoyed the time out - and will certainly revisit this location again in the future.

I'm working in the morning, but might try to go out again in the afternoon, weather permitting.  But I think rain is forecast!

We are away at the weekend - then from 3rd February, I head to Bulgaria to shoot Dalmation Pelicans - which is what all this practicing has been about!

Wish me luck?

Still practicing!

Spent Sunday 25th morning down at the bird hide overlooking the pond beside the River Plym.

Just kept trying to shoot birds in flight!  Not easy!  They were quite far away because the path around Saltram House was very busy with noisy kids, dogs, cyclists etc!  As I'd made the effort to be there - I had to have a go - so I gave it three hours!  These are my best attempts!

Don't give up the day job - so they say!!

Oh - and this Drake!

I'll keep practicing - and may be able to squeeze in another two days before the weekend.

Shooting birds!

Trying my hand at a difficult discipline.  John Baker and Alan Bastin were kind enough to let me gatecrash a photo session they'd organised photographing woodland birds in flight.  I've always enjoyed nature and would love to have more time to sit in a hide and watch/photograph wildlife in all its forms.

A new camera at Christmas prompted me to give this genre a go!  A helluva lot to learn - and I threw away 99.9% of today's efforts!

However, one or two seemed to work - to a certain degree!  Still not up to the very high standards of the boys - but it's a start!  Now that I've a better idea about how to go about this - I am determined to give it a go in the back garden henceforth!

Some of the shots!

Territorial Robin

Blackcap?

Yeah!!  Blue Tit in flight!!!

Another Blue Tit in flight!

Feisty Robin seeing off a Blue Tit.

OK!  So it's a "bird on a stick"!  So what!

Poised for flight!  I missed the moment!!  Pooh!

A bit "busy" - and it's another Blue Tit in flight!
I will keep practicing!!