Tag: Trees of London

Categories
AGM64 Photography Research Project Stage 2 Posts

AGM64 Bushy Park 14 April 2021

At this time, I wasn’t sure exactly how to progress my body of work for Stage 2. I had a few ideas, but nothing had quite settled. There was only one thing to do, which was visit the park with the camera.

Once I arrived in the park, I first visited the tree I had experimented with back in February.

AGM64 Hawthorn Experiment 11 February 2021

The main difference this time was that it had now started to grow leaves.

What was interesting to observe is that only half of the tree was in leaf. There was one side which was still bare.

I then took some close ups of the branches with the budding leaves. These will need further experimentation.

One part of the tree that caught my eye was the top of the trunk before the branches split. I was really struck by the details.

After looking at these images when I arrived home, I created the following Black & White conversions.

When looking at the two images together, it struck me how they ‘flowed’ together. Maybe returning to the concept of building a tree with different elements was viable.

I continued through the part and was starting to realise that the hawthorns weren’t quite ready for their show of blossom. This would be at least two more weeks before any hint of pink could be seen.

What I had started noticing instead was how the leaves of these Horse Chestnut trees while they were growing from their buds. They looked so frail and fragile, like a baby animal.

I then took the following images of the Horse Chestnuts with the Lime trees behind. The Limes had yet to start growing their leaves, so give an interesting backdrop.

I tried the following Black & White conversion with a compositional crop to compare with the original colour image.

Not perfect, but something’s ocurring.

Categories
AGM62 Photography Research Project Stage 1 Posts

AGM62 Hawthorn Sunset 6 December 2020

Despite the starting off dull and wet, the clouds lifted and the sun broke through after lunch. As such, I thought it the ideal opportunity to see how the light would be at this time of day.

I took both the 85mm and 35mm along with the tripod and made my way to Teddington Gate arriving at 2.30pm. I thought I would start with this tree (image taken on 1 December 2020). However, the light was totally blocked by the other tree in this image and it was totally in shadow.

Despite this disappointment, the sunlight was illuminating the hawthorns on the left of Hawthorn Lodge.

The following were taken using the 85mm lens and at 5:4 aspect ratio. All of the following images are low res JPGs taken directly from the RAW file with no editing, unless stated.

Tree One

When I arrived home, I cropped the first image to a 1:1 ratio. I thought the dark shadow on the grass in the foreground made the image look ‘heavy’.

I also produced a Black & White conversion to compare the two versions.

Tree Two

I then spotted this hawthorn, which I’ve not photographed before. I particularly like its ambiguity. Not sure of the composition, though.

Tree Three

I then moved onto this hawthorn, which I’ve photographed from a different angle previously.

I realised at this point that it felt I was just ‘going through the motions’. So I tried some close ups of the mistletoe.

When looking at the images at home, I noticed how these close ups show the ‘ancient’ features of the hawthorn.

Tree Four

A stunning tree, but for some reason, I couldn’t get the composition just right. I also realised that I had shot it in portrait. In hindsight, it seems best to shoot a tree in landscape when the canopy is over a particular width. This observation was also useful in depicting a tree with missing branches as ‘whole’ (as with Tree One) or focusing on what was actually there.

Tree Five

I then tried something different with this hawthorn.

Tree Six

Next, I returned to one of my favourite hawthorns. It was interesting to see how this tree looked from a different angle and with the afternoon sun.

Tree Seven

By this time, I was starting to get tired and my concentration was waning. This can be seen in the following shots.

When looking at these images and some of the above, an annoying aspect was starting to make itself apparent. It was the ‘out-of-focus’ foreground featuring either grass or ferns. This is something that could be a feature of an image or a distraction. Something to consider.

Lastly, I took some close ups of this hawthorn. Still not sure about using this type of shot in the final body of work, but there is scope for their inclusion.

Categories
AGM62 Photography Research Project Stage 1 Posts

AGM62 Bushy Park 16 October 2020

With the words ‘take more photographs’ ringing in my ears, it was back to the park. My intention was to take shots of the trees with the sunlight shining through the Autumn colours. However, I was thwarted by the clouds and a grey sky. As a result, I resorted to focusing on observations and sub-conscious feelings.

My first stop was Chestnut Avenue.

I then stopped to take some further images through the Split tree:

Instead of heading to Woodland Gardens, I then took a detour to a copse that I only explored recently.

This is how it looks from the inside (smartphone shot).

I was using my 24mm-70mm lens at this stage and took some initial shots at 53mm.

I then set the lens at 70mm.

I then had an idea. What would it look it if I stood in the middle of the copse and took a series of images on the ’round’. I took two sets of these in two different locations using the 70mm lens setting.

Set 1

Set 2

I then walked towards Woodland Gardens, but before entering I took a couple of shots of these trees

According to the Royal Parks’ website, Bushy Park is one of the best sites in London for mistletoe. This parasitic plant is rare or absent in the the other Royal Parks and it grows very well on Limes and Hawthorns.

Woodland Gardens – Pheasantry Plantation

After a flask of hot tea and some ginger biscuits, I contemplated the park while sitting in this location.

I made some notes:

Bushy Park:

  • Logical, but not logical
  • Boundary – straight lines and curves
  • Lines of trees
  • Circles of trees
  • Plantations – SSSI (Special Sites of Scientific Interest)
  • Taking shots ‘in the round’ – what happens when images are in line?
  • B&W vs. Colour
  • Leaves vs. Branches
  • Space in between

After this meditation, I continued my walk through the gardens.

Nothing particularly exciting, but nice to capture the Autumn colours.

Woodland Gardens – The Waterhouse Plantation

I then visited The Waterhouse Plantation. On entering, I took shot of the map, which gives further details of the different areas of the plantation.

This is a smartphone shot of the area I focused on. I changed the lens to the 85mm as I wanted to try a different perspective.

While looking up, I noticed one tree that stood out from the surrounding ones.

I then captured some of the Autumn leaves close up on a lower tree.

The next two captures that caught my eye.

My next stop was the Hornbeam Avenue, another of my favourite spots. I then took three sequences ‘on the round’.

Hornbeam ‘On The Round’ Set 1

Hornbeam ‘On The Round’ Set 2

Hornbeam ‘On The Round’ Set 3

After processing the images, I created a few Black & White conversions. The originals are on the left, B&W on the right:

Chestnut Avenue

Split Tree

Autumn Leaves – The Waterhouse Plantation

References:

Rhs.org.uk. 2020. Mistletoe. [online] Available at: <https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=134&gt; [Accessed 18 October 2020].

The Royal Parks. 2020. Trees. [online] Available at: <https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/bushy-park/things-to-see-and-do/flora-and-fauna/trees&gt; [Accessed 18 October 2020].

Categories
AGM60 Research & Experimentation Posts

AGM60 Bushy Park – Woodland Gardens 7 May 2020

After my session on 5 May, I wanted to take a more measured approach. My intention was to use the tripod rather than holding the camera. This, in theory, would line up the shots more accurately. Also, it would enable me to operate the camera differently. By using the tripod, I would be able to use and angle the camera’s ‘live view’ screen to see the composition better. Using the viewfinder means scrunching my face up and using just one eye to see the potential shot on a tiny screen. Using this feature on the camera is a lot more comfortable and productive for me.

The location I chose was the Woodland Gardens in Bushy Park. I wanted to try my new technique at a place I know well. As with the rest of the park, it was thriving and full of colour.

These are the results.

 

 

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started