Nature’s backyard

On the verges beside the bridle way last year’s grasses and wild flowers, dead or decaying, frequently form interesting patterns that normally we ignore or, most often, just don’t see.

Please, shut the gate!

The message is clear: the farmer would rather you didn’t cross his field, but if you do so will you please fasten the gate.  I was attracted by the texture –  the gate is almost tactile and contrasts with the strands of the twine  –  and by the colours.  OK the colours have been saturated a little to make the point.

Please, shut the gate!

Bark pattern

I shot this photo because I liked so much the textures and pattern, but I would love to be able to name the component elements, such as the types of lichen, the black dots, the pale grey etc.

Bark pattern

Click to enlarge

 

Just think about it! (5)

‘If there were dreams to sell  ……. what would you buy?’          Thomas Lovell Beddoes

Patterns in the sand

It is a constant source of amazement that the ebbing sea can leave behind such intricate patterns in the sand.

Intricate sand pattern

Click to enlarge for detail

Evening meditation

Evening meditation

Tanglewood roots

Years  – decades? centuries?  –  of pruning and layering have produced writhing confusion at the base of this hawthorn but it has fought back with gusto.

Tanglewood roots

The Ice Skater

This image was initially an unsuccessful photo of a ‘cow parsley’ seed head protruding through the snow.  To ‘rescue’ it  I decided to remove the texture of the snow and heighten the contrast.  There was little improvement, but when I flipped it horizontally and rotated it 90 degrees anti-clockwise the eccentric ice skater emerged.  Just a bit of fun!

The Ice Skater

Tree in Winter

Many deciduous trees have a special appeal during the winter months.  Bereft of their leaves, these trees display a naked honesty as they reveal their true shape and form.  The photo below was taken during the recent cold spell  –  there is evidence of snow on the branches  –  when the clean air and blue sky made even the smallest twigs perfectly clear.   I find the mesh of twigs and small shoots particularly attractive.

 

Tree in Winter

Click to enlarge

 

How things change!

Just one week ago the garden was covered with a thick carpet of snow.  Today the snow has gone and has been replaced with an array of early spring flowers.

Just think about it! (4)

Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.     Confucius

 

See also Beauty, where art thou?

Crystal abstract 2

Crystal abstract 2

 See also Crystal abstract

At the Water’s Edge 5

I was attracted by the reflection of the sky colour on the wet sand and by the sunlight playing on the waves.

At the Water’s Edge 5

See also At the Water’s Edge, At the Water’s Edge 2, At the Water’s Edge 3, At the Water’s Edge 4, Wave, Wave Abstract, Abstract 101 

Crystal abstract

The snow, frost and fog have all gone  –  at least for the time being.  I feel a return to a little colour would be appropriate.

For me, a favourite aspect of photography is exploring the texture and patterns of natural objects  –  pebbles, crystals, seaweed, plants etc  –  and using these elements to create abstract images.  I hope that the viewer will respond instinctively rather than seek a logical or representational interpretation.   (See Just think about it! (2))

Crystal abstract 1

More through the window

 

These photos are part of the ‘As seen through the window’ project, the first selection of which were posted a few days ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St Andrew's - the village church, just over my garden wall

Another frosty morning

A carpet of snow, a sharp overnight frost, a light fog and, eventually, bright sunshine combined to make this a dream morning for picture taking.  The fog created soft focus images and the sunshine produced a clear blue sky to contrast with the frost on the trees.

Just think about it! (3)

I would like to recapture that freshness of vision which is characteristic of extreme youth when all the world is new to it.    Matisse

Cold comfort!

Cold comfort

 See also As seen through the window, The Thaw, Arctic in a pond,

As seen through the window

There was a further covering of snow overnight which refreshed the landscape after yesterday’s steady thaw.  The day began in bright sunshine but with temperatures low enough to discourage me from venturing out.  As a consequence the photos in this selection were all taken from the comfort of the house!

 

An irresistible opportunity

Conifer in the farm house garden

Simple but beautiful

I was attracted by the intricate mesh of young shoots contrasting with the sunlit main branches, set against the clear blue sky.

 

See also Arctic in a pond, 

 

The Thaw

In recent days we have had snow, fog, ice and now the thaw.  As the carpet of snow shrinks other elements of  beauty are displayed.  See the changed texture of the snow, the ice crystals at the edge, the patterns on the lawn as individual blades of grass reappear.