With the possibility of not being able to leave the house looming, I made a trip to Bushy Park. It was a beautiful and sunny spring day and I was in need of fresh air and a respite from the unfolding news. The park was notably busier than normal for a Monday afternoon, but this refuge is big enough for people to keep a safe distance.
This park is quite central to my life and has been a refuge since moving to the area in 2007. It also has given me so much inspiration and featured strongly in my photographic studies, especially in the first two years. The other advantage of using this place as a location is that I know it very well. This includes the environment and different light conditions during the day and night throughout the year.
The first port of call was the water-logged tree I photographed on 6 March. The sun was creating some interesting shadows and colours on the surface of the temporary pond.
This a selection of the shots from the ‘pond’. Very dreamlike and surreal.
I didn’t process all of these shots, but this is one with a bit of tweaking in Adobe Camera Raw.
I then walked through the park along the path towards Hampton Hill. Along the wall, I notice that the strong sun had created shadows of the trees.
I then walked along the path towards Woodland Gardens and observed the trees.
Inside the Woodland Gardens, the ground was still very waterlogged and I couldn’t continue on my usual path. I did notice that plants alongside also had their own ‘pond’ and took the following images. I thought they were quite Klimt-like.
One happy accident. Got to love a touch of bokeh.
I then went to one of my favoured spots to again capture the sunlight on the Longford River.
As the sun was quite strong, these shots were a bit blown and ‘faded’. As I was shooting on my ‘safety-spot’, Aperture Priority, I then set the camera Manual. This enabled me to reduce the camera’s exposure resulting in avoiding the shot being ‘blown out’.
Looking at these shots at home, I thought they were looked as if they were lit by a full moon and not the sun.
With these images in the bag, it was time to think about how to reassess going forwards.
Jennie Meadows MA Photography 