Same Walk, Different Pics
Posted: October 26, 2018 Filed under: History, Landscape, Nature, photography, Uncategorized | Tags: History, leaves, nature, photography, sunshine, trees Leave a comment
This is the first lady angler that I’ve seen at the lake! Fortunately she very kindly said she didn’t mind me taking her photo. The sun was streaming across the lake behind her – back-lighting and high-lighting herself and the trees either side of her. Perfect!
This single leaf also posed perfectly for me ….
It was a really dazzling sun-shiney day with lots of high- lighty bits of nature to see … this could be titled a patchwork or an abstract I thought.
There is this huge Weeping Willow tree along the path leading to the lake and it looked magnificent on this bright, sunny day ….although the figure and dogs are the focal point of the pic.
I did some searching on line yesterday to see what I could find out about the Ifield Mill Pond and Bewbush Water Gardens and boy – what an interesting history – much too much to tell here … so, just briefly :
A park was recorded here as early as 1295. The manor of Bewbush seems to have passed down, linked with St Leonards Forest by inheritance to various Earls and Dukes, etc over the centuries, becoming known as the manor of Holmbush/ the Holmbush Estate from 1787 and being sold on to ‘humbler’ folk titled ‘Lord of Bewbush’ and eventually MPs and the like.
Lots of improvements had been done by a Thomas Broadwood after 1824 and he planted and landscaped much of the estate. Whether it was him or later owners who planted my Bald Cypresses there I don’t know, but maybe there’s a way of finding out? My source [A History of the County of Sussex] says he created a large Lake and several smaller ones – so I guess that must be more or less where we can walk now, since Crawley Borough Council bought the whole area , now known as the neighbourhood of Bewbush, in order to expand the housing requirements for all us ordinary folk. And grateful I am too!!
Black & White
Posted: July 11, 2018 Filed under: digital, effects, Landscape, Nature, photography, Trees, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tags: black& White, creativity, infrared, photography, photos Leave a commentIn looking back over the pics I’ve posted here, I realised to my surprise, that I’ve never done a post solely of my black and white images. So, as I’ve recently gathered some black & white and infrared pics into their own folder on my computer, it seems a logical follow- on to post some here: all taken at the Ifield Mill Pond & Bewbush Water Gardens.
Well – there we are folks …. the last few I used an ‘infrared’ effect on in my Paintshop Pro software, because I love the sunny, soft look it gives !
See you soon, Eileen
Ifield Mill & Pond
Posted: September 20, 2016 Filed under: Events, History, Landscape, photography | Tags: History, Mill, outdoors, photography, water 1 Comment
The Water Wheel
I managed to catch the last open day this year at the Ifield Mill – first opportunity I’ve had …. I didn’t realise the ‘Wheel’ was low and wide, having a preconceived picture in my head of those tall, thinish ones.
The Wheel
When I went inside the building my heart sank as I saw the stairs leading up to the next floor [ and above] as I knew straight away I would never make the climb!!
However – the ground floor houses the machinery that drives the Mill. As the brochure puts it : The WATERWHEEL drives the PITWHEEL which drives the WALLOWER , which drives the MAIN SPUR which,in turn, drives the SHAFT to turn the millstone ! So now you know …. I did attempt some shots but as it was in motion all the time they were rather blurry. But they did have a bit of abstract charm about them I think. I must work on them. I know I could have done some techy things on my camera but I’m not good at the spontaneous stuff – too many menus to wade through. I’ve learnt to make a lot of decisions before I venture out on my expeditions, but this time I didn’t think about the Mill’s moving parts.
Forge Bellows
From the description in the brochure this looks like it must be the items from an old Forge that was demolished in the 90’s and donated by the last owner of the business.
Up Above
To my regret I didn’t spend enough time searching the ground floor for likely bits to shoot, not even the display/sales table or the lovely volunteer Mill Ladies who were so kind and helpful …. so, after I turned my attention upwards I headed outside again. Will try again in April/May next year DV. I know that I missed out on such a lot of items and info that were there and I’m so disappointed as I love History ….
To one side of the road leading up to the Mill is a large area filled with rocks and boulders – I’m sure it all has a specific purpose, but anyway they are a mixture of colours and super textures. I think I might be able to get a bit more ‘artistic’ with my shots of them….
I will post a couple more pics of the actual building and also my usual flora from the walk to the Mill. See you soon, Eileen
Swans
Posted: March 30, 2016 Filed under: effects, Landscape, manipulations, Nature, photography, wildlife | Tags: colourful, lake, nature, outdoors, photography, swans, water 6 Comments
These images are all of the same swan. His mate was on the far side of the lake sitting on their nest and he had conveniently come alongside the walkway. I always feel slightly guilty that I never take any bread with me because he obviously thinks he’s going to get some …. but I can’t juggle bread as well as the camera. Usually there are other people feeding them, but not today.
I made a huge mistake in not watching out for my shadow falling across him so when I got home I had to delete a lot of the pics. Not only was it my shadow, but the metal mesh at either side of the walkway cast shadows too. Some of them I was able to rescue with a little bit of ‘cloning’. Anyway – I still had plenty that I was pleased with and again – I enjoyed making them look a bit different with my PSP and ON1 plugin.
More From the Pond
Posted: March 29, 2016 Filed under: effects, Landscape, Nature, photography | Tags: birds, colourful, lake, nature, outdoors, photography, water 6 Comments
I’ve taken so many photos over at the Pond now so I thought I would get a bit of ‘creativity’ going by using some ON1 effects on these. Normally I don’t like images to look too unreal/unbelievable, but I think I can get away with these … not to the purists’ taste of course, but I’m all for a bit of experimentation! How wonderful that our Creator has given us the ability to create from His originals!
Please leave any comments or constructive criticisms …. I’ll be posting some swan pictures later today/tomorrow. Take care, Eileen
The Ifield Pond in Winter
Posted: February 6, 2016 Filed under: Landscape, Nature, photography, Trees, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tags: colourful, lake, nature, photography, trees, Wild life 2 Comments
This was taken on one of the few sunny days we’ve had recently. There was ice floating around on the lake and parts were really completely iced over. I loved the clear reflections of the trees and a pair of swans sunning themselves on the far side.
Just humour him dear !
When I got round to the other side this photographer got himself a prime spot – it was amazing they let him get so close. They weren’t bothered by him at all.
It was quite a comical sight to see the various ducks, coots etc trying to keep their balance but they took it all in their stride , if you’ll excuse the pun ….
We can DO this chaps !
I added a warm ‘sunset’ effect to this image….
No Fishing Today
At various places around the Lake the local Council have built several platforms to fish from – there were no takers this day though.
Ablaze
Amid all the dark, bare trees this one stood out because of it’s blazing orange colour against the clear blue sky – I’ve no idea what tree it is !! in the pic below it shows the clear image of the moon above it. It really was a glorious day !
As I got nearer to it I kept taking shots and zoomed in on this one. The colour did change in camera as a result, but I did a bit of artistic ‘tweaking’ afterwards on some too, but all within what I call enhancement I hope and not overdoing things. It was truly a glorious colour au naturelle – honest !
I’m going to try to be more active on my Blog – the trouble is that I have a finger in too many pies I think, as I belong to several photography sites. The good thing about blogging though is that I can post as many pics in one go as I like.
till next time, Eileen
The Ifield Pond in October
Posted: November 6, 2015 Filed under: Landscape, Nature, photography, Trees, Wild Life | Tags: birds, colourful, lake, nature, trees, water 2 Comments
This is the first year I’ve visited the Pond in Autumn and that’s because there is a now this lovely new path bordering the Lake so I don’t have to get my shoes wet in the mud. However the fallen leaves can be a bit slippery to walk on when it’s rained. These pics were taken before the rains came …
View from the Bridge
There were a lot of seagulls on the Lake and many of them were lined up on the side-rails of the walkway. I knew they would fly away as I approached so I went slowly and had to use the camera’s zoom before I got too near – not nearly as good as having a camera with proper zoom lens attached, but I was quite pleased with the results ….
Have you got my best side?
The original shots of the gulls were a little bit sharper and deeper in colour, but I liked the soft effect I got while messing around with the effects in my PSP. Another bit of artistic licence [which I’m prone to do cos I enjoy it!]
see you soon dv, Eileen
For a Short While – The Rain
Posted: August 1, 2014 Filed under: Landscape, Nature, photography, Portraits | Tags: bit of fun, close up, digital, garden, garden ornaments, image, landscape, nature, outdoors, paintshop, Paintshop Pro, patio, photography, photos, plants, rain, rainy weather, sculptural quality, sculpture, statuary, stone, weather Leave a comment
I took these photos through the window a few days ago when we had rain as a respite from the heat wave. The forecast seems to be for a bit more of our usual weather shortly, but that’s ok cos I don’t like the heat that much! It’s probably an age thing as all the ‘olds’ I know feel the same , but the young absolutely love it!
When it rains it makes everything look different and it creates opportunities for me [when the rain stops] to search out things in my otherwise ‘samey’ little patio garden. Plus I can shoot through the glass if it’s pouring down outside. I was very pleased to capture some ‘splashes’ in front of Ollie the owl and his companion [who I haven’t thought of a name for yet].
Ollie and Friend
I will post some sedum/raindrops later today hopefully, take care all – Eileen
Pond [er] Again
Posted: July 22, 2014 Filed under: Events, Landscape, Nature, photography, Wild Life | Tags: birds, bit of fun, digital, Ducks, feathers, Geese, image, lake, landscape, nature, outdoors, paintshop, Paintshop Pro, Paintshop Pro software, photography, photos, Pond, water, weather, Wild life Leave a comment
As well as buying a new camera I went mad and bought an updated version of my Paintshop Pro software – x6. I tinkered around a bit with the colour on these duck images. They were in dappled shade which I quite liked, but I think I could probably have got more light within the shadows. If I decide to have another go I may post the results here to compare. There is a lot that is the same in my update, but a lot that’s unfamiliar to me, so I’m on a learning curve as usual.
I’ll sign off now …… please leave any comments or suggestions, or even ‘like’ or ‘share’ ! Eileen
Once More Unto the Pond, Dear Friends
Posted: July 19, 2014 Filed under: Landscape, Nature, photography, Trees, Wild Life | Tags: 'new camera', 'Olympus Stylus 1', birds, blue, change of scenery, colour, colourful, digital, Ducks, Geese, image, lake, landscape, nature, Olympus Stylus, outdoors, Park Cameras, peaceful, photography, photos, Pond, scenery, swans, tranquil, trees, water, weather, Wild life Leave a comment
Fortunately I’d chosen to visit the Pond a few days before the present heatwave really hit us. Nevertheless – it was a really bright,sunny day and I was armed with my brand new camera – Olympus Stylus 1 – recommended by a very helpful assistant at Park Cameras in Burgess Hill. Because I’m struggling with the settings etc I ended up going back to ‘auto’ . I know I could have done better, but hope I’ll get brownie points for trying!
I do feel the need for a kindly hand to guide me or a nearby class to join, but meanwhile , though it takes twice as long when you don’t know what you’re doing, I will learn by swotting and trial and error – and I will try to compensate by being ‘artistic’ …. But – I’m loving my new Stylus 1 and something I didn’t think I’d find easy is using the view-finder! My not so efficient eyesight means I prefer to use the screen to take my pics usually. But this viewfinder is a good size and switches from the screen mode automatically when you press said viewfinder to your brow. I’m sure it’s making me hold the camera steadier too.
As I took rather a lot of pics I will spread them over a couple of posts. Some are of the scenery, some of the wildlife and some of people and doggies.
This is taken from a small concrete bridge where the Lake leads into a somewhat stagnant looking canal. It is very quiet and secluded and the reflections of the surrounding greenery are lovely.
There is a little peahen[?] at left foreground in above pic …..
A little bit further along, the Lake narrows and is dissected by a road, the other side seems to be quite a little haven for the ducks and geese as they like to gather there to be fed by everybody. It’s a very picturesque part …
From another angle. I liked the shadow patterns of the tree.
Well folks, as usual, I would really appreciate any comments or thoughts on these images, if you have the inclination. see you soon with some doggie pics.
many blessings, Eileen
