Misty Malverns

Hill walking in sun and clouds not only lifts the spirits but also provides plentiful opportunities for photography. That was the kind of weather promised when we set out to walk on the Malverns recently. However, the forecasters predictions came to naught and we found ourselves in low cloud, mist and the odd clearer spell. However, the walking was fine, and the changing weather offered photography of a different, darker, more desolate kind.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

River Avon at Tewkesbury

There are several River Avons in Britain. This isn't surprising when you know that "avon" is Celtic for "river". Appending the word "River" is a relatively recent construction so in the past the name would not be the tautology that it is today. The Welsh "Afon" has the same meaning. The River Avon that flows through Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, is well-known as the Avon that flows through Stratford in Warwickshire, the birthplace of Shakespeare. At Tewkesbury is its confluence with the River Severn, and in this area it is a place of leisure boating. My photograph shows the final navigable stretch before the weir at the water mill. In the distance Tewkesbury Abbey can be seen. I liked the effect that sepia toning added to my black and white view.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M1

Reflected houses, Tewkesbury

Tewkesbury is a town particularly rich in old, timber-framed buildings. These are mainly to be found clustered around the original heart of the settlement that stretches from the banks of the River Avon to Church Street, the High Street and Oldbury Road. This row, on St Mary's road, next to the Avon by the water mill, must date from the late C15 to the early C16. They make a picturesque group with their reflection in the still water below.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M1

Fishermen, Tewkesbury

One of the pleasures of photography in winter is the low sun presenting more opportunities for silhouettes, one of the recurring themes in the images I take and make. The phrase "take and make" is particularly appropriate with photography involving silhouettes because I often undertake some post-processing to emphasise the effect. I've done that in this instance and I've also converted the shot to black and white to remove the distraction of points of bright colour on the boats.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M1

Monnow Bridge, Monmouth

I posted a photograph of this fortified bridge in May, and on a recent shopping expedition to Monmouth I took another shot in the colder, harder light of November. The gathering of gulls, swans and ducks also added something to the shot. However, in my mind, as far as birds go, this image is a missed opportunity because, seconds after I pressed the shutter, a pair of kingfishers, iridescent blue and jewel-like in the low sun flashed from right to left and disappeared under the nearest arch, heading upstream!

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Autumn beech trees

2018's cold spring and hot summer has produced a wonderfully colourful autumn, with beautiful displays of leaves in woods, hedgerows and gardens. I've often found that the last days of October and the first week or so of November to be the best times to photograph autumn leaves and that has proved to be the case once again. The beech trees have been showing varying shades of orange and yellow, eclipsing, but only just a similar palette in the oak trees.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Remembrance poppies

The poppies and crosses above are a small section of those placed in the grounds of Hereford Cathedral as part of its remembrance of the sacrifice of those who died in the service of their country, and more particularly, given that it is the centenary of the 1918 armistice, those who fell in "the war to end all wars".

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100