View over Herefordshire

click photo to enlarge
On a recent walk on the Malvern Hills I was reminded how sunlight and clouds can enrich a view of the landscape. Not only do they make it feel more three-dimensional, they focus the viewer's eyes on elements that might otherwise offer less interest. On this shot they also make the foreground, the main subject, feel separate from the bluish, hazy distant landscape.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

View in the side mirror

As my son drove us round the M25 I noticed, in the mirror closest to me, the sun tinged clouds of the setting sun. I took several photographs of what I saw, many of which were blurred due to vibrations, and a few that captured the evening scene. This is the best of the bunch. When I came to caption the photograph it occurred to me that we don't seem to have settled on a name for the mirror by the passnger side door. It's not a wing mirror because they are above the wheel arch. Nor is it a rear-view mirror - they are inside at the top centre of the windscreen. Door mirror is sometimes used, as is A-pillar mirror and side mirror. I've plumped for the latter.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The warm light of (almost) winter

The pollarded willow tree above featured in a photograph with vapour trails that I took in June. This was shortly after it had been cut and all the year's shoots had been removed. The photograph above is testament to the resilience of the willow: by next year it will have quite a full head of shoots and branches. I took this photograph at sunset as we walked by the River Wye, the warm tinges of the sunlit clouds contrasting with the cold blue of the sky and the growing shadows. The image is a reminder that winter will offer warmth to photographs but mainly when the sun is near the horizon.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Reflected twigs

One of the themes throughout much of my photography is reflections. I like the way that they play tricks with reality, sometimes in ways that we don't expect. Today's example shows some twigs that have fallen into a shallow pond, with their reflections (and those of some couds), a composition that has a minimalist aesthetic.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Woorgreens Lake, Forest of Dean

Woorgreens Lake and Marsh is a 22 acre (9 hectare) nature reserve in the Forest of Dean that is managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and the Forestry Commission with the assistance of a population of 10 Exmoor ponies and 6 English longhorn cattle. It was formerly the site of open cast coal mining that ceased in 1981. On the day of our visit the only water birds in evidence were some mallards, moorhens and about half a dozen goosanders. However, the sky was graced by an interesting formation of clouds that were reflected on the almost still surface of the lake.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

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