Yachts blue and white

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Over the years I've photographed quite a few harbours with their working and pleasure boats, and wherever I've been - certainly in the UK and probably elsewhere - the dominant colours of the vessels has been white and blue. So it is in these photographs of Weymouth and Lyme Regis. It can't always have been so: the natural colours of wood must have prevailed at one time. So why and when did white and blue come to dominate?

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photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

White lily

White lilies are very frequently found in church flower displays. They are used for their symbolism. White represents purity in general and purity as it attaches to Mary, the mother of Jesus. It can also represent rebirth and consequently it is particularly found at Easter adjacent to the font and also near representations of the rebirth of Christ. This example in Tewkesbury Abbey caught my eye due to the vivid colours of the stamens.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Snowdrops and oak leaves

More snowdrops are appearing each day, reminding us that hellebores, daffodils, crocuses and the rest will soon follow. The small white flowers appear undeterred by the cold January that has followed on from the equally cold December. This little group had forced themselves up through a thick layer of oak leaves that had eventually fallen after clinging on to the trees for a longer period than usual.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Painted Lady

In the Victorian period "painted lady" was a derogatory term for a "disreputable" woman. Today it is widely known as the English language name of a colourful butterfly, Vanessa cardui. The example in the photograph is feeding on the nectar of a white buddleia, a background colour that probably suits it better than the usual purple variety of that plant. In Britain the painted lady is migratory, arriving in May and June. Researchers think that its southward autumn migration is unseen because it happens at high altitude.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The Christmas Rose in April

The Christmas Rose, Latin name Helleborus niger, also known as the hellebore, is currently in full flower in our garden on April 1. In my experience this flower has never really deserved its Christmas appellation, usually flowering in January, February and/or March.

I certainly don't recall it in bloom as late as April. It's probable that its shady location has delayed its flowering. Whatever the reason, it is putting on a good show in a spot where later flowering perennials usually appear. These straightforward photographs show the characteristics of the plant, but don't make a photograph to compare with this shot I took indoors of a hellebore from which I cut the flowers.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Extinction Rebellion

On a recent visit to the Shropshire town of Ludlow we came upon an Extinction Rebellion demonstration. It seethed with people, demonstrators, shoppers, sight-seers, market stall-holders and more. So, I only got two shots of the three red and three green women with mime-like white faces and red or green, diaphanous robes. They looked like otherworldly echoes of the Three Graces of antiquity. I'm sure they weren't, but what they represented I don't know.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Striking wall tiles

Fashions in wall tiles come and go, and the longer you live the more revivals you see. Square tiles often make a reappearance after a spell of vertical or horizontal rectangular tiles. Black and white in one form or another come around every few years, and bevel edged tiles seem to crop up as soon as people have forgotten about them. I recently went into a toilet where black and white square tiles were predominant. However, to give them an original touch and to banish any memory of the last time such a colour scheme was popular the designer had inserted an occasional crimson red tile. It worked insofar as it certainly caught my eye and prompted this photograph. Whether I could live with it for very long is quite another matter.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Phone

High key rose

High key photographs - images that are very bright/white with low contrast or minimal dark areas - appeal to me. However, I'm not especially adept at making such photographs. They don't come naturally to me; I have to consciously plan for such a shot. Moreover, I have yet to produce a high key image that entirely pleases me. My best to date is, I think, this example from quite a few years ago produced by over-exposure. Today's photograph has qualities that I like but isn't as successful.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10