ElectroSpanner Mark Brown

These five still life flowers pictures are some of my favourites. The sweet peas and the Aquilegia are from a recent session. The flowers were picked from my back garden. The little vases were found a local car-boot sales and cost about 50p each. Who says that photography is an expensive hobby?! The picture of the orchids is also special to me. The orchids were my steps dads. He had a large collection of different types. My mum still looks after them now he's gone. The Amaryllis Hippeastrum was a rescue bulb from a local garden centre. A little TLC and flowered magnificently! And finally my favourite this year is the Tulip in a blue vase. I entered this in a Camera Club competition and received 19 out of 20 points. Not quite a win :( I had a few prints left, so I gave them away to my friends and family.)

The above are some more still life from my recent session. The tea pot was made a local artist and is just the right size for my afternoon cup of Earl Grey. My best one here is the poppies. They are really tricky to work with. They are at their best for about ten minutes from when they've been picked. So what better way to preserve them than in a photograph where they can remain unchanged for ever? All the flowers were from my garden.

These photos are for their colours. The roses, Echinacea, Rudbeckia and the stunning purple water lily were found at RHS Wisley garden. It's a fantastic place to visit. Any time of year there is always something dazzling to look at. The Gazania, Ox Eyed Daisy, and Dandelion are once again from the garden. You don't have to travel to see great flowers, there's just more variety and more of them if you do!

The purple crocuses grew in a nice shady spot at the back of my garden. The only way to get the low angles was to lay on a black bin liner on a cold February morning. The purple orchid was spotted in Ockwells park woods.

Mushrooms and fungi

I love looking for mushrooms, toadstools and fungi. They come in all shapes, colours and sizes and are found in all sorts of places. I can spend hours walking around the local woods looking for specimens. Some mushrooms only last a day or two before they are gone until next year. While some last for years and remain seemingly unchanging. Some grow as individual fruits, others in massive clusters. Some are tiny, barely measuring a centimetre or two and some are huge, maybe 30 centimetres across. I need to keep my eyes open and not just look down. I've found great examples way above my head! But most of the time is spent looking down. And once I've spotted a likely candidate it's time to compose that image. Usually down on the damp ground using a black bin liner to stop getting too dirty. Then unpacking my gear, set up lights and set the camera and compose the shot. I can't think of a better way to spend a nice autumn afternoon. Quiet woodland, the sound of the birds, the inquisitive squirrels. The comforting earthy smell of the leaf litter. Looking up to see the light fading and wondered if a bright orange ray of sunlight might just illuminate my subject for a second or two.

This selection of fungi pictures was collected over the past couple of years and all local to Maidenhead. The best locations are Ockwells Park (Great Thrift Wood and Little Thrift Wood), Quary Woods and Maidenhead Thicket. Most of these were seen in the Autumn, but there are still a lot around in the summer and sometimes the spring. Spending time down amongst leaves and sticks I've seen things I never realised were there. Many fungi seem to attract a certain group of flies. There are two types I've seen. The first is yellow in colour and looks a bit like a housefly. The other type is back and has long antennas and transparent wings that shimmer with iridescence. I've also seen tiny mites or ticks on a few fungi. If it wasn't for lying down in the damp leaflitter I might never have seen these things!

my 2023 Fungi season

I've spent as much time as I can out in the woods around Maidenhead looking for fungi. I have had some adventures, getting lost in the woods, getting trapped in bramble thickets, climbing over and under fallen trees, and getting comfortable in the damp leaf litter.

For my latest expeditions, I have bought a new camera. It's a bridge camera, so I can't change lenses, but then, there's no need. The range is 25-450mm, and it will focus at 5cm! The new equipment has a setting for focus bracketing. This means I can the set focus point and then have the camera take a load of shots at different focus points. When I get home, I can use Lightroom and Photoshop to align and merge the shots together and create an image that has a greater depth-of-field than I could get other wise. It's really paid off, as this year I have recorded some images that I'm really happy with.

These first few are from a trip to Quarry Woods. I parked up, walking boots on, earbuds connected, good music choice selected, and a bag full of equipment on my back. I wandered around the woods for about 3 hours, not sticking to any paths, just looking to see what I could find. Once I got my eye in, I spotted fungi all over the place. It was really quiet, and I didn't see many people, just a few walkers with their dogs, a horse and rider and a few dogs, owners never seen! I did bump into a pair of fellow mushroom hunters, we had a great chat about what we he seen and other places to try. It's also really surprising how warm it gets just dashing around the woods. For a late October afternoon, I wish I'd left my coat at home!

I find it amazing the weird things I've seen sitting a eye level with the fungi. Most of the area is crawling with bugs, flys and spiders. But the best thing I've seen is a tiny white mushroom growing out of a tiny little fir cone.

I spent a late hour in Ockwells Park. It was earlier in the season, so I wasn't sure what would be a round. It had been warm but had rained much, so I wasn't expecting much. I spent an hour or so in Great Thrift Wood. The area a quite large and there are no real paths, so it's easy to get turned around and a bit lost, which is great! I stumbled across a few groups to photograph. I also found someone's tobacco stash in a hollow tree stump. It had been there a while and I'm not sure even I could find it again! After I managed to escape from Great Thrift Wood, I headed for Little Thrift Wood. This is the Bluebell Woods of Ockwells Park. A fence made of old sticks and wood has been made along the edge of the path to keep people out when the bluebells are in flower. At this time of year, there are only vicious brambles, and ferns or bracken. In a common theme of my fungi hunting adventures, I got trapped by brambles and had to carefully navigate a way through. It didn't help much, the brambles still managed to bite me many times. I think I also discovered some mutated stinging nettles. The ones I found were particularly stingy!

I had a great adventure one morning at the Brick and Tile works on Maulders Lane. My grandad worked at the site as a tile maker back in the day. He then went to work at the Star Works in Knowle Hill. When we were kids, there were no paths through the brickworks. We used to fish in the ponds and have great adventures. I was recreating that and forgetting I'm supposed to be an adult. So I left the path and headed off into uncharted territory. It was mostly fun and a little painful in places. The brambles were very sharp and with no paths, I had to make my own way through. At one point I had to climb over a fallen tree. That was OK, but I had to jump down the other side. Sadly, I couldn't really judge where the ground was due to the thick brambles and ferns. I jumped, and the ground was a lot lower than I anticipated! I went for a bit of a tumble and landed in tangled brambles. It took a few minutes to compose myself and get all the thorns out of various places. I've not had so much fun in ages.

I had a great walk around Burnham Beeches too. There were so many great fungi around. One dead tree I found had bright yellow mushrooms all around it, I'd never seen anything like it. Being late afternoon, I did get a cap illuminated by a sunbeam. And it had a fly posing on top for me! Very cool!

My final outage was with some members of the Maidenhead Camera Club. There were just four of us. We had a little walk around Ashley Hill woods. It was nice to have a slow walk, chat and a few stops to take some pictures. An other three hours well spent.

Animals

I try to get images of animals, but they tend to move a lot, which makes it hard! Zoos are great as you have a captive audience. But shooting through glass or cages has its challenges. Butterflies are great but tend to fly off and not sit quietly with their wings on display. Same with birds, they are either in cages or flying around. I've got lucky a few times. You would think snails would be an ideal subject, but they are a nightmare. Because they are small, the depth of field is very narrow, and then they move, a lot. They really do not stay still and can cover a lot of ground in no time!

These are some of my favourite animal pictures. The Emu and Macaws were seen at Woburn Safari Park. You can find butterflies at anywhere that has a tropical house. The Red Eyed Tree frog was a pet of mine a few years ago. The Red Eeyed lizard was found in Singapore Botanical Gardens while I was on holiday. And finally, the snail was borrowed from my garden, entertained, photographed and returned one afternoon

Some more of my favourites. The piranha was found swimming happily at the London Aquarium. Frogbert was spotted near the stream in my back garden. The robin was chirping away in my apple tree. And the green tree boa was a guest at the Living Rainforest in Newbury, next to his friend Phil

Waterfalls

Whenever a go away and there is a waterfall nearby, I'm going! I'll lug all my gear, tripod, filters, remote release cable, bits and pieces. I'm prepared to walk or hike miles to find the perfect spot. Then I can spend hours setting up, composing, shooting and moving around. Many waterfalls are shrouded by woodland, or exposed on the side of hills, some are hidden in deep gorges. The route to a waterfall is full of sensations: the sound of the water, the lush green of the mosses and ferns, and the cool moist air. I love following the sound of the running water, jumping and climbing over rocks all to get in the perfect position. Sometimes I get wet feet, or slip and bang my gear or bruise myself. Always worth it and always fun!

I love waterfalls! And Wales has a lot. The top three here are of Ceunant Mawr, near Llanberis, just up the hill from the Snowdon Railway station. The river falls in three fabulous falls, each cascading down to the next drop. The next was caught at sunset and is just down from Ceunant Mawr. The bottom left is on a path out of Pont Pen y benglog, towards Llyn Idwal in Snowdonia. And finally, two nice little falls I found in the woods around Aberdunant Hall Holiday Park near Porthmadog.

These falls are all over the place. The first three are from John Forest National Park, on the east edge of Perth City. The land is old and flat, so the falls have smoothed all the rocks down. The middle left is from the Glen Lyn Gorge in Lynmouth, North Devon. The middle one is somewhere up the Lettermay Burn, in the middle of nowhere, Lock Goilhead, Scotland. The middle right is Henrhyd Falls in South Wales. And the bottom one is Sgwd Gwladys Waterfall in South Wales.

Landscapes

I saw this view driving back from John O'Groats. The sun was shining down on these fields with a dramatic sky. So I pulled in a very convenient layby and took a couple of snaps. I couldn't get a colour version to express the different colours of the grass, sea and clouds. So I tried mono and messed around a bit in Photoshop. I'm quite happy with the result. It scored me a win in a Maidenhead CC competition! The layby is just here: 58.08842132025006, -3.717426571287487

You can find a landscape photograph anywhere. Just stop and point the camera at something amazing! Rolling hills, rocks, mountains, the sea, trees and things. I tend to go for the large vista, showing the size and scale of the view - bigger is better!

These shots are from all over! We have Hay Tor Rocks in Dartmoor. The hills outside of Lock Goilhead, Scotland. The bright autumn colours are found in Hyde Park, London. Neat rows of crops found in Bray, Berkshire. A cloudy shadow from halfway up Mount Snowdon. And finally the sea cliffs and a wind-blown tree in The Valley of the Rocks, North Devon.

The first is on the Pacific Highway in Western Australia, somewhere north of Perth. Then there is the Pinnacles Desert, also in WA, just outside Cervantes. Next are the crashing waves seen at sunset in Woolacombe, North Devon. The single wave was seen on the coast at Kynance Cove, Cornwall. The big comms dish is at Goonhilly. Next is St. John the Evangelist, Magherally near Banbridge, Northern Ireland. The vast landscape of the Scottish highlands is next from a point near Loch Ness. And finally some more Photoshop fun with a boring photo of some trees. This one was made about 15 years ago!

I feel I have to quote Douglas Adams for the photo of a communications dish at Goonhilly:

"The planet beneath them was almost perfectly oblivious of their presence, which was just how they wanted it for the moment. The huge yellow somethings went unnoticed at Goonhilly, they passed over Cape Canaveral without a blip, Woomera and Jodrell Bank looked straight through them - which was a pity because it was exactly the sort of thing they'd been looking for all these years."

The above images are from all around. First is the view down toward the Seven Sisters. Next is a balancing or stuck rock at Lands End. Then there is a seascape from Kynance Cove, Cornwall. The middle two are the hills across the bay from Reykjavik, Iceland. The last two are from The Giant's Causeway, Northern Irland.

Usually, a mono conversion is used to enhance the texture and contrast. Or in my case to try and rescue a flat or rubbish image. Top left is the view across the head of Loch Goil head in Scotland. The boats are in Lynmouth Harbour. The next seascape is from Anglesey across the Menie Straight to Snowdon. The big rock is Hay Tor in Dartmoor, Devon. And finally a couple of images from Lizard in Cornwall.

Cities and Towns

Another type of landscape photo is that of the city, usually at night with the bright lights! There's always something amazing about visiting different cities, near or far.

Here we have Perth, WA from Kings Park. Looking up at the tallest Hotel in SE Asia, Swissotel, The Stamford, Singapore. I was lucky enough to stay on 52nd floor! Where I got the next photo from. Then there is the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik. London from the Tate Modern. Garfield was spotted on a wall in a suburb of Perth, WA. I was looking for some inspiration near to home. I spotted a nice view one lunch time while spending my lunch time walk the streets. A nice shot of old and new in Maidenhead. The atmospheric shot is of my son walking across the QE II bridge in Belfast. At the far end of the bridge is the Beacon of Hope, or ‘Nuala with a Hula’ or even ‘The thing with a ring’, if you prefer! Finally, another picture across Singapore Harbour.

The Sky

The sky. Looking up at the clouds, waiting for a stunning sunset or sunbeams shinning down!

I love a dramatic sky! Just point the camera up and see what you see. First is a sunset across the bay in Kalbarri, WA. The mono clouds with a shadow were seen by Boulters Lock one summer afternoon. The big sky and clouds were taken as my son was running down a very big hill in the Valley of the Rocks, Devon. I couldn’t get over how a big part of my life is so small compared to the sky. The tree with the sun setting was taken one late winter afternoon in the middle of the New Forest near Whitefield moor, maybe 20 years ago now. Then storm clouds over my back garden. The first sunbeams shot is across the see at Tintagel, Cornwall. The second one is across Dartmoor one miserable summers day. The tall sunset with wispy clouds was seen in Paignton, South Devon. And finally a red and purple sunset from the Chalfonts, somewhere.

Category - Other

And then there are those photos that appear in the category - Other. Just pictures of things and moments and objects and stuff. But they all have memories attached and a story behind the image. Why was I there, what was I doing, who was I with? My friend owns some classic Ford Capri cars, so I take photos for his insurance policies. Day trips and photos of what you see, ships, extreme horse sports and cathedrals. Or looking down at the sand, and thinking, 'that looks interesting'. A cup of coffee taken at Stubbings after a walk around Maidenhead Thicket with the Maidenhead Camera club members on a nice autumn morning.

A message of hope for us all! Snapped by the seafront in Paignton, South Devon. A hot cup of coffee on a cold autumn day at Stubbings Café. Just what you need after a slow walk through Maidenhead Thicket with the Maidenhead Camera Club. The stark modern interior of Reykjavik Cathedral. Ropes and tall ship rigging seen in Portsmouth Historic docks. I spotted some interesting shapes in the sand while walking around Traeth Llanddwyn in Anglesey. The day was cold and windy! The picture of an eye was seen in London on my way to Tower Bridge for a visit. I was stuck in a bit of traffic, so grab the camera! The images itself is made of hundreds of photographs. Very cool! I snapped the horses at the Thame Country Show. The horse trials are so exciting to watch. The skill of the riders or maniac being pulled behind on a thing like a skateboard. It’s also fun to experiment with whatever is lying about. So, I had some nice fresh chillies, ready for a nice curry. So before they got sliced, they got photographed. Next some photos of my friend Clive’s Capri. He has three of them in running order, so every year I take photos for his insurance policies. I'll finish with two Abstract images. These are both minerals. The first is an agate slice. The second is a polished slice of malachite (Copper ore).

Maidenhead Camera Club competition images 2023-2024 season

I have entered the following images into this years' photo competitions at Maidenhead Camera Club. I'll add the scores and critique at some point.

Although these images were seen earlier, I've put them here to describe them more. The first is titled 'Scrawny Old Bird'. The image was seen at Wooburn Safari Park a few years ago. I used a long lens and managed to get the background out of focus and isolate the bird. I got good focus on the eye with a nice catch light. I am happy with the details in the feather. I scored 18 out of 20. The judge commented that I was just losing focus on the tip of the beak.

The sweat peas were part of a practice set of flower still lifes I was playing with one Sunday afternoon. I was using my collection of little vases and various flowers taken from the garden. The sweat peas were particularly vibrant with deep blues and purples. I think they looked good in the hand-painted vase. The judge scored me 15 out of 20 for this one. He felt that the blue background did not compliment the colour of the flowers well. He didn't like the bright highlights on the vase and suggested several ways to improve the image. He was spot-on with his critique. To be honest, it was a bit of a rush job. I don't like the blue either and have taken onboard the highlights and how best to avoid them. I'll try again next year!