Zoo Portraits
When we were in Holland last month visiting family we spent a day in Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam. We were all quite keen to see the polar bears. Blijdorp used to have polar bears when I was little, but had not had any for a long long time. Seeing the polar bears in captivity, just like other big animals, made me feel a little sad… Not so with some other animals, like the adorable prairie dogs, who seemed quite happy in their zoo home.
I came away with some nice portraits of the zoo animals, and feel they are worth sharing :o)
From The Archives: Portrait of Pip
Date taken: December 2001
Location: Steyning, West Sussex
Camera: Canon EOS 300 + 70-300 kit lens (negative scanned in)
While scanning in negatives today I came across this shot of Pip. Pip was Paul’s parents’ dog and he sadly passed away early this year. I like the warm winter light in this shot.
Postcard from Holland
While in Holland in August we spent a lovely day with my cousin Nella and Daniel, her other half. They are not too far from Rockanje beach, so that is where we headed for the afternoon.
For some reason living abroad makes you more patriotic. Ask anyone who is living in a ‘guest country’! Well, to express this newfound patriotism I decided to write ‘Holland’ in the sand and take a picture of the sea and sky behind it. So I hurriedly scratched the word into the sand and took my picture. Easy!
Paul and Daniel decided they could do a bigger and better job, so wrote ‘Holland’ in massive letters. I watched with amusement as I saw their fatal mistake. They were too close to the sea and before they had finished the ‘D’, the tide came in to reclaim the sand. Amateurs!
All images taken with Canon 40D + Tokina 12-24mm lens
From The Archives: In Awe
Date taken: March 2003
Location: Deer Park Heights, Queenstown, New Zealand
Camera: Canon EOS 300 + kit lens (negative film scanned in)
When I thought about doing a ‘from the archives’ feature with photos that are worth showing off I came across this one. Me and my now husband (in the photo) spent a month in New Zealand after travelling around Australia for eight months. This particular spot is one I will remember for years and years to come. It was simply a breathtaking place. Parts of Lord of the Rings were filmed up there apparently, though I don’t think we found that out until after we had been there.
15 Aug 11: Summer Walk on the South Downs
We were down in Steyning, Sussex, to visit Paul’s parents recently and since the weather was good we went for a nice long walk. The South Downs is Britain’s newest National Park and we explored a tiny bit of it. There were some lovely views to be enjoyed and some multi-legged friends to be made :o)
All taken with Canon 40D
Stag Beetle Encounter
A couple of days ago I went into the garden to get a couple of flower pots, when I noticed our cat Connie looking excited at something she had found. On closer inspection I saw that she had found a male stag beetle. I have never seen one before, so I was quite excited! I took Connie inside, to stop her from terrorising the poor critter and grabbed my camera, which luckily already had my macro lens attached.
It was still in defense position, so I could down close to the floor and snapped some shots.
Then it decided to go on walkabout, mainly in the direction of my toes!
We finally left it to wander in peace and kept Connie inside for the evening
Canon 40D + Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Bluebells
Bluebells are magical – I love how they carpet the ground in the most beautiful colour.
Here are some from Bansteads Woods from a couple of years ago:
And some from the other week at Kew:
In The Picture: Sunset
I always feel I should pick up my old Canon EOS 30 or my Minolta X500 again (though my Minolta needs some repairs). After all, I have plenty of film lying about that could do with being used up. But as we all know, it is so easy with digital! There is no fussing with film or wondering whether the image will work. You just have a look and if it does not look right, you simply take it again.
It’s been a while since I picked up my film camera. A shame really. This image was probably one of my last. We were visiting Paul’s great aunt Bay. She lived in Leigh-on-Sea at the time and the coast was right there, at the end of her road. A pretty nice place to be. We were sitting inside and I saw that the sun was setting, so I quickly grabbed my camera and ran to the end of the road. Really the sunset was less than spectacular, but this shot really works quite well with those dark clouds.
Canon EOS 30 + Fuji Velvia 50
Scanned with Veho Smartfix
Pick Of The Day: Flora – Greater Stitchwort
(Stellaria holostea)
Taken: 24 April 2011
Spring has well and truly sprung and there is greenery everywhere. There is an abundance of wildflowers to be seen along roadsides and hedgerows. A walk through a park in Popeswood, Binfield (Berkshire), left me pausing to look at a wealth of flowers pretty much every step. Very annoying I am sure for my husband Paul and his sister and her husband, who I was walking with. Then again, Paul is probably used to it by now!
The flowers and insects out there mean I suddenly make good use of my little macro lens again :o)
Canon 40D + Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM (ISO 200, F5.6, 1/160)
A Country Pursuit
We went to visit some friends in Devon the weekend before last and there was a fox hunt in the area. It was very interesting to see the horses and dogs and the people. Luckily I was able to get some shots.
Canon 40D + Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II and Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
