Sun sets behind the evocative ruins of Grosnez Castle on the Northwestern tip of Jersey, one of the British Channel Islands.
Sunset at Grosnez
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Category Archives: photography
Ladybirds with attitude
Which way?
The bad tempered ladybird
This season, stylish ladybirds wear spots to match their flower.
And for my next trick…
I just want to be left alone
Sanity will return tomorrow. I promise.
La Coupée
Our trip to the Channel Islands this summer included a stay on Sark.
Under the effects of wind and water, Sark is becoming two islands, Great and Little Sark. They are joined by a narrow isthmus called La Coupée.
It’s a spectacular spot, the cliffs shearing off steeply from both sides of the narrow path. My photos don’t really do it justice.
La Coupée used to be so dangerous that people would crawl over it on their hands and knees. During the nineteenth century, the path eroded until it was only three feet wide. The present road dates from 1945 and was constructed by German prisoners of war. It can still be an eventful crossing even today; on busy days tourists pushing bikes, the principal means of transport on this car-free island, mingle with carts pulled by horses. The latter have right of way, but there’s not a lot of room when they pass! Sadly, I didn’t get a shot of a cart on La Coupée; I always seemed to be there at the wrong time.
I did, however, manage to take some photos of La Coupée at dusk. As the light dims, and the people leave, it becomes a spooky place and, not surprisingly, has had a reputation for being haunted. One story tells of a black dog, called the Tchico, who roams the cliffs around La Coupée at night. I didn’t see Tchico, which is probably just as well.
More about Sark next week.
The return of Gasteruption Jaculator
So I’m a little bit weird – live with it.
Last year I posted a few shots of this bizarre creature, a wasp parasitic on solitary bees. For some reason I didn’t include this shot of gasteruption in flight, so here it is now. This is just for you, Gunta, because I know how much you like my buggy posts 😉
Poppies, again
Poppy field near Send, in Surrey.
In July, I shared some images of a poppy field I had found near the village of Send. I couldn’t resist sharing a few more. It was really special being there, among all the flowers. Three whole fields were covered in poppies. The first shot was taken in the morning, but I popped down again in the evening for some better light.
Poppies mixed with other wildflowers and grasses
As the sun set, the poppies began to close, but the light was more interesting.
Poppies start to close
Everything changes in evening light
In low light like this, a tripod was essential. Needless to say, the camera was not set up for a moving deer, so when one bounded across the field I was working in, all I could do was react and take the shot with the wrong settings. At least I have something vaguely deer-like to jog my memory; I have a picture in there that needs no settings.
South Bank sunset
A beautiful sunset snapped in July during a stroll along London’s South Bank.
There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they’re absolutely free.
– Jo Walton
Large white
About the only good thing about having a full hard drive is that it forces me to revisit old files, looking for things I can delete. In the process, I often find images that didn’t make the cut first time around but have grown on me since. These two butterfly shots are the case in point, taken in July 2011 at Mayfield Lavender farm, Banstead, Surrey.
The large white butterfly, so prosaically named, is ubiquitous here in Surrey (and probably everywhere else in England) and it tends to get overlooked for more unusual species, but actually it is really quite pretty when you look closely. I like the eyes, with a subtle hint of green. If it was rare, we’d all be waxing lyrical about its ghostly beauty.
Fort Grey
I have done battle with the binding machine and submitted the hard copies of my dissertation. It is well and truly done.
I have already visited a few blogs and have plans to visit many more – I have missed the fun of sharing this great hobby with other enthusiasts. I have lots of plans, plenty of photographic projects in the pipeline. But I also want to share some of the photos I took during our holiday to the Channel Islands this year. This is Fort Grey, on Guernsey’s West coast. Inside, there is a fascinating shipwreck museum which I heartily recommend. It is never easy trying to do landscape photography on a family holiday. At this location I noticed the best viewpoint of all just as we were driving away and couldn’t bring myself to ask the family to stop again while I captured it. This will have to do. Mostly it was too hazy while we were there and there weren’t enough clouds to make interesting sunsets, but this evening was an exception.
Common Blue
It’s been several weeks since I was last here. I’ve missed it. I just pressed the button on my dissertation! I can no longer tinker with it; it’s done. All I need to do now is bind and drop off the hard copies tomorrow. I am excited to be able to get back to the blog. I hope you haven’t all given up on me!
I couldn’t completely leave the camera alone for the whole summer. Here’s a shot of a lovely little common blue butterfly, captured while on holiday in Sark in July. See you after college tomorrow!
Hiatus
Focused Moments is going to be ‘on hiatus’ until 9th September while I attempt to finish my dissertation. I look forward to catching up with everyone then!
Focused Moments 