Orchid #1 // February 28, 2005
A shot from the fantastic orchid house at the Botanical Gardens in Cambridge.
Chlorophyll // February 27, 2005
This is a detail of a bird of paradise leaf backlit by the sun. It was taken in the tropical house at the University Botanical Gardens in Cambridge.
Snowflake // February 23, 2005
Some typically understated English snow. Some countries measure their snowfall in inches or even feet; we count individual flakes.
If you look just to the left of the centre, you can see an actual 6-pointed snowflake. How fab is that? I've never seen one before.
Sweet Tooth // February 22, 2005
A bag of Haribo Starmix and Coconut Mushrooms later and I feel really, really sick. And I didn't even start on the Tangfastics :-)
I'm still at the novelty stage with my macro lenses. It's such a different perspective to what I'm used to. I'm finding that lighting is critical too - a bit of experimenting is in order, I think.
Carnation // February 21, 2005
I've wanted a proper macro lens for ages and I finally got one off eBay at the weekend. It's the Sigma 105mm f2.8 macro. I love the limited depth of field you get with it wide open. It's probably only a few millimetres at 1:1.
I know that macro shots of flowers are not the most original, but hey, it's easier than going outside :-)
IHI40 // February 20, 2005
This is the last picture in the series from Aldeburgh. I hope you've enjoyed them.
Something completely different for tomorrow, I think.
Hut No. 11 // February 18, 2005
This is a simple image of the same hut that appeared a few days ago.
I like the fact that the owner has gone to the trouble of fixing two old oars to the side of the hut to create a name plaque. I'm easily pleased.
'Jill-Anne' of Ipswich // February 16, 2005
Continuing with the Aldeburgh series...
The remaining fisherman in Aldeburgh use day boats. They go out to sea in the late afternoon and return with the catch as night falls. The fish is sold on the beach the following morning.
If you visit when the fishermen are not around (as we did), the whole place looks abandoned.
Fish for Sale // February 15, 2005
This shot is the first in a series that I took around the old fishing huts on the beach at Aldeburgh.
The thriving fishing industry that was once the mainstay of the town (along with boat-building) has been hit hard by dwindling catches and factory ships. A few fishermen remain though, and you can still buy fresh fish on the beach.
Staring out to Sea // February 13, 2005
This was taken on the pebble beach at Aldeburgh. It feels like months since I've seen a blue sky. The English weather was true to form though; it started snowing about 30 minutes after I took this shot.
Converging Verticals // February 09, 2005
Another architectural shot - this time of the Old Schools in Cambridge. You know, one of these days I am going to post a black & white shot that actually has a sky - I promise :-)
King's College Entrance // February 08, 2005
This was taken just after yesterday's shot on my Sunday morning trip into Cambridge. Get the right light on this stonework and it is the most fantastic golden colour - get the wrong sort of light and you have to resort to gimmicky selective colour tricks to make an interesting picture :-)
Early Morning on the Backs // February 07, 2005
A picture of Clare Bridge taken from Trinity Bridge. This is an area of Cambridge called 'The Backs' that runs along the River Cam.
I got up early on Sunday hoping for some mist on the river but got drizzly rain instead. I thought I'd put this up anyway, but I'm definitely coming back when the weather improves. Some dawn shots around this area would be great.
Night Punting // February 06, 2005
Everyone who visits Cambridge has to take a picture of some punts. It's the law. I was trying for something a bit more original here. I like it in an abstract sort of way.
All the world's a stage // February 05, 2005
'A long, long time ago, perhaps five thousand year into the past, there lived a race of higher beings called Atmas, They were unique in that they didn't have physical bodies. They were made of a material that looked like light and they lived in a world that looked like a sky. This sky was beyond the ordinary sky. They lived in this dimension, beyond time and space. Nothing ever changed in their world. There was never an experience of an end to anything. They lived with a profound sense of security and peace. The feeling was as if they were at home.
Shipping Forecast // February 04, 2005
'Tyne Dogger Fisher German Bight west or southwest 4 or 5, increasing 6 in Tyne and Dogger. Mainly fair. Moderate or good...'
This won't mean much to you if you're not from the UK. Sorry. And yes, before anyone mentions it, I know the radio is tuned to Radio 2 rather than Radio 4. It's just that the composition works better with the needle pointing to Radio 2 :-)
Something for the Weekend? // February 03, 2005
This was taken through the window of a traditional barber shop in Cambridge on a night prowl. The slightly odd composition is down to me trying not to get any window frame in shot, but on reflection I quite like the empty space on the left, the broom and the close cropping of the chairs.
Vanishing Point // February 02, 2005
Inspiration was lacking last night so I decided to go out and take some traffic shots. This is the junction I turn off at every night on the way home from work. The angle wasn't what I was quite hoping for but it was pretty scary stumbling about in the dark next to a busy road.
I took loads of shots which were so-so, but this one stood out because of the red trails coming down from the top right. These were from a lorry that went past. The structure on the right is a water tower.
Ice Man // February 01, 2005
This is a picture of Stephen dressed up like he's off to the North Pole. We were actually just walking the dog around the forest seen in yesterday's shot.
