Coffee shop water

My preference, when looking for somewhere to sit in a coffee shop, is a seat by a window. That way I can watch the world go by. But, now that the festive season is upon us that rule does not apply. Why? Because the windows have become sites for Christmas advertising - loaded drinks and calorie-packed pastries are urged upon us and the outside world becomes somewhere only glimpsed beyond the notices. The bottles and glasses were by a small window sill where the adverts wouldn't fit and offered a modest still life.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Water surface semi-abstract

There is often a disconnect between what the eye sees when looking at water and what the camera sees. This happens most frequently when a high shutter speed freezes the movement of water or a deliberately slow shutter speed blurs it. Today's example does neither of these things. Rather, the meniscus effect of leaves touching the water surface and the reflections are emphasised, revealing a quite pleasing semi-abstract effect that wasn't easy to see with the naked eye.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Reflected reeds

I've said elsewhere in this blog that I have a particular liking for reflections in glass and water. I also enjoy the plants that grow in and around water and regularly fit them into compositions. On our recent visit to Steam Mills Lake I saw many remnant reeds/grasses from last year standing above the surface at the water's edge. As we walked round the lake I looked for an example that was producing a good reflection. This is the one I settled on.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Abbey Mill weir, Tewkesbury

The weir at Abbey Mill in Tewkesbury is a "fish belly" sluice that can be raised and lowered according to whether the river is at flood level or not. On the day of this photograph the sun was shining, the temperature was high and flood levels had been absent for several months. What was interesting, however, was the contrast between the water speedily rushing over the weir and the seemingly calm, reflective quality of it before it began its fall.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Unexpected colours

Generally the colour of water relates to what lies beneath or to its surroundings - the colour of the sky or overhanging trees, for example. However, sometimes it is an unexpected tint. In the photograph above the green doesn't seem to correspond to any reflected objects but does sit nicely as a complement to the buff of the reeds and the blue of the cloudless sky. In fact had the green not been there I probably wouldn't have taken the shot.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Autumn leaf

Recently, after a couple of days of almost non-stop rain, we visited our youngest son and found that he had erected a pop-up event shelter in his garden. It has arches rather than filled in sides and is ideal in these coronavirus times. The children can play under it, we can all meet under it and, as I found when I looked up, there are interesting photographs to be found under it. This leaf is on the outside surface of the shelter along with the water droplets. Unfortunately I didn't have a dedicated camera with me, only the one in my phone, but it did a reasonable job.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Phone

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

Looking down...

The heavy rainfall of the past month or so has left the ground in my part of the world sodden such that pools of water have formed that are reluctant to go. This is especially so in parts of the Forest of dean. Quite a few of our recent walks have involved negotiating sloppy mud and making detours around extensive puddles and pools. We came upon an elongated pool recently that gave a good refection of the trees above while also showing something of the leaf covered ground beneath the water's surface.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Black-headed gull

When the dark chocolate brown (not black) cap of the black-headed gull disappears and is replaced by a couple of dark, scuff-like makings I know that summer is past and the colder months lie ahead. Similarly, when those disappear and the hood makes its re-appearance in stages until the striking hood is complete, by the end of March, I am reminded that sun and warmth are on their way. This young example of the species caught my eye when it was lit by the low winter sun against a dark watery background on Newent Lake in Gloucestershire.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Cattle by the River Monnow

It was a hot, humid day as we walked along the bank of the River Monnow at Monmouth. Some of the cattle were, understandably, standing in the water and taking a drink to cool down. What wasn't understandable is why they were all packed so closely together rather than spreading out so they could all refresh themselves. That compressed mass of bodies must have generated a heat that negated any benefit they derived from going to the river.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

The disappearing River Slea

The River Slea has been a geographical feature of Lincolnshire since time immemorial. But near the area shown in today's photograph it periodically, usually in summer, dries up completely. There is speculation that this might be due to the extraction of water through nearby boreholes, or because of the permeability of the river bed at this point. It would be interesting to know if it dried up in the nineteenth century or in medieval times. That might help us to determine whether the reason was natural or man-made.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100