A shot from Tuesday’s visit to Painshill Park in Cobham, Surrey. Those eighteenth century landscape designers knew a thing or two! Two of Painshill’s famous follies are visible in this view, the Gothic Temple and the Chinese Bridge. For the techies, I used a .6 ND hard grad for this shot, and a circular polariser, of course. I have written several other posts about this favourite location of mine. Just click on the tags, Painshill or Painshill Park to find them.
Although the Thames has subsided quite a lot since the worst of the floods earlier this month, it is going to take some time for the waterlogged soil to dry out. This was the scene at the local rugby and cricket club this morning.
The standing water makes for some pretty reflections, but not much good for playing!
Still, there is improvement; I couldn’t have stood in this spot last week.
Last Tuesday
This long-exposure malarky is a lot of fun.
Believe it or not, I now Tweet. (I can’t believe I am saying that!) Find me @RTalibart.
ISO 50, 16mm, f/11, 215secs
ISO 50, 16mm, f/11, 246 secs
Last month, I posted some images of our local starling murmuration. I popped back three times last week and was delighted to find them still there, doing their thing, only in greater numbers. Yesterday was the best yet as the sunset kindly provided a colourful backdrop.
As some of you may have read on the news, here in Surrey we are experiencing some seriously epic flooding as the Thames bursts its banks.
This is usually a meadow.
Desborough Island is now Desborough Lake
A swan claims new territory
We’re going to need a bigger bridge!
I am very excited today because the news has just gone public that I have won Surrey Life magazine’s calendar photography competition. Here’s a link to the announcement. My winning image is Evening Poppies (above) and it goes on the cover of the calendar. January’s image is also one of mine: Winter on Desborough Island. A further two have been requested for the exhibition at Denbies Wine Estate in January: Moonrise over Weybridge and Autumn at the Lake.
Sun through mist creates rays of light on Chatley Heath last week. I am honoured to be Artist of the Week at The Shed Gallery. See here for my interview!
Today, I want to share a very special experience. Last week I had the pleasure of witnessing one of nature’s great Autumn spectacles, a murmuration of starlings. During Autumn and Winter, starlings flock together at twilight, performing amazing aerial ballets that attract more birds to the group until they descend, all together in a moment, to their roost for the night.
It starts with just a small group, circling in the sky in a way that seems to attract others.
Soon many more have joined, and fantastic shapes are created as they bank and wheel about.
This was a very small murmuration, with numbers in the low hundreds. Flocks in the thousands are seen at certain key locations in Britain at this time of year. Sadly, however, starling numbers nationally have fallen by 70% in recent years and they are now counted as a threatened species. For more information, see the RSPB’s website.
I feel very privileged to have seen this waning, natural wonder.
f/11, 2″, ISO 50, 24mm, 0.6 ND Grad and 0.9 Pro Glass
I have had a wonderful week of photography, with two full days out in the field with fellow enthusiasts, Jenifer Bunnett and Tony Antoniou. Conditions were perfect, with mist and patchy sun. On both occasions I visited Boldermere, a peaceful lake incongruously nestled in the crook of the M25’s junction with the A3. Each day was rounded off perfectly with one of nature’s most spectacular Autumn displays, a murmuration of starlings. Those shots will follow in another post soon. For now, a gentle panorama of this quiet, forgotten spot.
I have been outside all week, and am consequently very behind with visiting blogs. I will try to catch up soon, before we head off on our next big adventure, Down Under!
Focused Moments 