Silver birch avenue

The small, closely growing, silver birch avenue in this photograph must have been deliberately planted because it runs along the top of an embankment of a disused railway near the edge of the Forest of Dean. It is now one of the footpaths that runs from Cinderford's Linear Park into the forest. 

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Town Trail, Ross on Wye

In the 1960s a large section of Britain's railways network was declared surplus to need. The tracks that faced the axe were, in the main, rural lines or those where passenger traffic was sparse. The metal rails were taken up and the land on which they lay faced a number of new uses. One of the best was conversion into a public footpath and cycle track. Today's photograph was taken on one such at Ross on Wye, Herefordshire. Here the Town Trail passes along the edge of the built-up area and offers a quiet and leafy route fror walkers and cyclists.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Silhouettes: Take 2

This photograph was taken from the same spot as that posted yesterday. But whereas the focal length of that image was 74mm (35mm equiv.) this was about 400mm (35mm equiv.). The strong silhouette of my wife on the bench against the lower, distant background forms the entirety of the composition and the interest comes from the form and details of that bold shape. Once again I can look back and see other photographs where I have used the same device. This example, featuring a bait digger's bike, was taken in 2006.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Silhouettes and compositions

I saw the line of the wet path before the bench and once I'd seen the bench I imagined someone sitting on it and a composition that involved the path leading to the silhouetted figure. My wife obliged as the figure and the rest fell into place. The basis of this composition is one that I have used several times, as for instance, in this example.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

January silhouettes

The promise of sun found us hauling ourselves up Worcestershire Beacon in the Malvern Hills. As is often the case, the forecast was more optimistic than the reality which included a fair amount of cloud and a sprinkling of rain. However, a low winter sun offers the prospect of silhouettes and my wife was a helpful subject in this regard. Here is the first of three silhouettes, in this instance also incorporating the triangulation pillar at the summit.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2