Cranham & Coopers Hill

14 Nov

It’s hard to convey the feelings of peace and tranquility experienced when stood quietly and still in woodland under a canopy of trees on a windless day. The only sound to break silence is that of squirrels busily preparing for Winter. Initially they scurry to cover but after a few minutes return to their activities. It a beautiful and calming feeling.

There were days this Autumn when I saw no-one else all day, not even the usual dog walkers. Sometimes I just stood there surrounded by trees absorbing the beauty of nature. Even photography was pushed to second place - and that takes some doing!

I had hoped for some misty/foggy mornings to bring a little mystery, emotion and separation to the woodland but it wasn’t to happen for me this year. The weather has been very warm and as I write this in mid-November its still 13 degrees Celsius outside. Autumn this year has been a slow ‘burn’; it’s not over yet although leaves are now dropping rapidly. Another week and the show will be over for another year.

The photograph above was made with the Medium Format camera and the one below entitled ‘The Lost Wall’ with the Full Frame EOS 5DSr. These were taken 9 days apart and very clearly record the progression of Autumn. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to match the focal length of the lens so the latter used a slightly longer (50mm) lens. The Medium Format image used a 48mm (approx 39mm equivalent) lens. This change in camera was due to a problem with the Medium Format lens which is now being repaired.

‘Peeking Through the Woods’ was made through a gap in the trees with a long lens. The distant trees were set slightly back from the main canopy and were just catching a little late afternoon light that penetrated thinner cloud. It was just enough to lift the yellows and reds and give the appearance of a halo surrounding the tree. It looked wonderful :-) I particularly liked the lighter coloured tree in the background that leans to the left - it added depth and character to the photograph. The tree on the far left is compositionally interesting; my initial thought was to remove it as it was too dominant, however, this wasn’t possible without upsetting the balance of the photograph. So it was included with the intention to remove it in post production. In post production, however, the tighter crop necessary to remove it from the frame upset the balance and, actually, I decided I quite liked it! Try covering it with your hand - the photograph isn’t as strong; it seems to act as an anchor and helps with a sense of depth.

I’d love to hear what you think about these posts and the photographs so, please leave a comment below.

Andy