"A word on the spot is worth a cartload of recollections"
James Maggs, Southwold diarist 1797-1890

Wednesday 27 April 2011

New camera

I’ve only ever owned Point and Shoot cameras, but last week I had a rush of blood to the head and went out and bought a good digital SLR. Over the last couple of days I’ve been taking my first steps into a whole new world: of shutter speeds, lenses, light sensitivity, metering, apertures, white balance and so on and so on. It’s dizzying, but exciting too.

Yesterday I packed the camera and cycled over to Reydon Wood. The wood is well known for bluebells at this time of year, and there were a couple of serious photographers already wandering its paths, carrying large tripods and enormous zoom lenses, when I arrived. As one of them passed me, he remarked “too little sun, too much wind”. I mumbled something in agreement, feeling a complete charlatan.

Anyway, a couple of the photos came out ok.



I cycled on, further inland to the small old flint church at Blyford. From a previous visit I remembered clear glass windows and a whitewashed interior, which I thought might offer good light for a photo on a cloudy day.

Someone had put flowers in an alcove under a window, for Easter:


On my way back to Southwold I passed a pig farm, and a cock pheasant in a field. The photos I took aren’t very good but I’ve posted them anyway. Some of you may be getting a little bored with all the flower shots.


Tuesday 26 April 2011

East Suffolk at Easter

I’m up in Suffolk for a few days. The long weekend has been sunny and warm, without a cloud in the sky.

I got up early on Easter Friday and saw the sun rising over Bramfield church. Double-click the photo to see the rabbits in the field.




The Suffolk landscape is at its best just now, with bright green spring growth and flowers everywhere.





The apple tree in R and C’s garden is in bloom.



Early on Easter Monday, R and I took Poppy for a walk across the heath land and through the woods around Westleton. We heard a nightingale singing in a gorse thicket.



Being with a dog makes walks a lot more fun.