With a forecast of sun and cloud, it seemed a good day for a walk in Bushy Park. Also, I knew that I would be stuck in front of the PC over the following two days to prepare for the Interim Review so stroll in the fresh air would be good for both body and soul.
My first stop was to revisit the hawthorn nearest to the Shaef Memorial. The following were taken with the digital camera using the polarising filter.
This is a Black & White conversion of this tree that was taken from a very low angle. Very brooding and dramatic.
I also took these images of the Shaef Memorial with the smartphone.
While standing one the memoiral, I took these two images which (in theory) would be the same view from Eisenhower’s Bushy Park office.
I continued walking through the park and decided to focus on this section. There are quite a few hawthorns in this patch.
The following are shots of some of the trees that caught my eye. I don’t think these images will make the final cut, but I will need to re-photograph once the ferns have gone and in a different light.
Tree One
Tree Two
When looking back at these trees, I realised that they were planted in a row.
Tree Four
Tree Five
On first glance, this tree looks like a small hawthorn peeking out the ferns. The trunk of the tree is actually lying on the ground the ‘tree’ that can be seen is one of its branches reaching for the sky.
After my successful photo session on 4 November 2020, I was quite enthused to return to the park to catch more hawthorns in similar weather conditions. As the forecast was for cold and mist first thing on 6 November, I could not miss out on this opportunity.
Unfortunately, despite it being quite chilly, the air was a touch too humid to have the ‘diamond’ effect on the trees and grass. Nonetheless, I discovered three new hawthorns and took the following images.
The area of Bushy Park I focused on was the patch on the left of Chestnut Avenue at the Teddington Gate.
Tree 1
The first tree I photographed is by itself. I tried shooting different angles around the tree and including different elements in the background.
The white pole that can be seen in the background in the fifth and sixth images marks the SHAEF Memorial. This is the location where General Eisenhower planned Operation Overlord, the code name of the D-Day landings in Normandy during WWII (1939-45). On 5 March 1944 General Eisenhower moved SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces) from Grosvenor Square in London to Camp Griffiss, a large US base in Bushy Park.
According to the Royal Parks website, Eisenhower is said to have relaxed by sketching the pine trees that he could see from his office window. Also, it states that the final buildings of Camp Griffiss were removed in 1963 but there are still signs of the camp, including brackets in trees that held telephone wires.
In hindsight, these closer shots remind me of broken wires.
Tree 2
I continued to walk through the park around the back of Hawthorn Lodge and around to the Diana Fountain car park. There were quite a few deer around that patch, which reduced my potential shooting opportunities. At the time of writing, I couldn’t recall exactly which tree this was, but I will need to revisit this speciment.
Tree 3
The third and final tree that I focused on was near to the main hawthorn patch near to the Diana car park. I really liked the texture of the sky in relation to this tree.
I also noticed this mesmerising cloud formation where I think the cloud was starting to shine through. I couldn’t quite get the angle or shot I wanted, but this is certainly an aspect I need to look out for with future images.
When looking closer at this tree, I noticed a spider’s web coated in water droplets. Evidence of the insects who rely on the hawthorns within Bushy Park.
Later that day, I created a selection of Black & White conversions.
At this stage of the project, it was now time to review the images taken so far. I also had to process how my research and the visual resources/artworks could influence my work going forwards.
Jennie Meadows MA Photography 