Interlude with Bugs

A short interlude in my backlog of events shoots and general camera busyness taking up all my time outside work at the moment - a most unfortunate chafer beetle having a terribly unpleasant time with biting mites or ticks (if you know the little critters please tell as I would be interested).


Taken at twilight at my house using Sig 70-300 APO on macro with Canon 430exii flashgun.


As my Dad, who identified the beetle, said: "Oh how horrid".


Enjoy.
Well,
Don't actually.




Also I am going to start adding some links to random photos I have stumbled across that interest me. 
In this one I enjoy the hint of a larger, powerful landscape glimpsed beyond the subject of interest. The angle seems to make it a cursory glance of a passer by bending low to inspect it - but makes me excited at the prospect of standing on the mountain beyond.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/luismontemayor/497471630/in/photostream/

Wiltshire Downs (Old)

I really really like these - definitely some of the best photos I've ever taken. So I'm gonna put them up here again, because although I've got the dance show shoot ready they need to be checked over before they go online as there are kids in some of them.
Anyhow here we go. Incredible weather over the Wiltshire downs.

Backbury Hill

Climbing on my hill with Will - a Project me thinks.

New Shetlands

Some time ago it was to my great surprise that my little sister as permitted the gift of a pony. A very small pony, a feisty minature shetland, but a pony never the less. Now he is trained and lovely and still bites me on occasion out of friendliness I am sure, and she has Another one. A 'filly' as I am informed, and the foal who is staying for the summer.
They are settled and getting used to each other. Charlie (the original) has just about got used to being bossed around by the mother, but when they were introduced they behaved very interestingly, both coming unexpectedly close and trusting, then kicking off and coming to blows.
These are the photos of the new comers and their introduction.

Gower 'Glamping'

I am getting ahead of my backlog, but here's last weekend's trip to the Gower for Louise's and Bobby's birthday celebration.
The best bits: Saturday morning, kite flying in the wind, and the stillness of sunday, at the turn of low tide, with no wind, no gulls and even the students in hushed tones guessing the Sunday paper's literary riddles.

Our Animals

This is from a little while back, I was staying with relatives and playing a lot with the many dogs all about. I realised quite how much I missed my springer since she died at the proud old age of SEVENTEEN. Anyway this made me think about what I really love about the pets we keep, and dogs in particular. It's the trust they give - often dogs seem to be very knowing, but when they appear completely clueless they follow you with open adoration that surpasses thinking when you might next feed them. So here are a couple of shots to describe this simple relationship.






Lots and lots to come! I've been very busy with lots of visits these last two weekends, and I think some good shots came out of it.
Also I am getting together a bath of photos of my hereford climbing friends ready for some sort of poster or suchlike.

In the meantime
Toodles!

Summer Flowers

I have been doing plenty of shooting of late, and had precious little time to organise and consolidate.
I have also been considering a little the attitude I am to take to my photographs. I feel for the most part that I am experimenting - all the time. I spend precious little time researching how to take photographs - or taking the advice of others. I prefer stumbling blind into it all I think.


Maybe part of this is just ego? I hope most of it is a willingness to play and learn through it.


Besides this however, I don't know sometimes how to feel about the end result of the photos I take, and really how harsh one is to be to oneself when upon the curve of learning. I have said before that it is the doing of photography that holds me in a happy and free place, but I do want there to be a result to my experimentation I am very pleased with.


I suppose that the easiest path for me would to be content with gradual improvement, maintain my aspirations for the future and take delight in the moment of each photo. But it is very hard I feel to decide if you are actually improving technically and compositionally. Especially if the real tests - James' wedding definitely was one - are quite few and far between. Should I be doing something different? Am I broadening my experience in a way that will be useful, or am I just messing around with progressively bigger lenses?


Time shall tell I guess.


Enough talk - one of the ongoing experiments coming up - my fascination with flowers.


Two types of summer flowers often overlooked but favourites to me, inhabiting places hidden and unexpected. Out of place, untended and beautiful in a simple, bold manner.