Best of the Rest - January (2017)

These are a selection of images taken during January 2017 and December 2016 but not included in other posts.

Strawberry Hill

A small set taken on a foggy morning walk to Strawberry Hill in Clipstone Forest:

 

 

 

Orangery, Rufford Park

The restored orangery and baths at Rufford Park features outdoor art including this sculpture:

 

 

 

 

 

The orangery was closed to the public and the glass doors had steamed up on the inside:

 

Blidworth Woods

In other posts from this time period I have mentioned having to look up into the trees to find the light:

 

 

A mono conversion of pines trees converging:

Silver birch and pines:

Young oaks:

 

White Skies

White skies in winter are not always the best conditions for landscape photography but on this occasion I had a finish in mind for the final image. I wanted to achieve something that had a similar tonal range to a medium to hard pencil sketch. These were the results:

 

 

 

On a separate day, I used the white skies differently by sending the trees into near silhouette:

Winter Branches

Photographing branches in winter is about seeing and capturing shapes. Sometimes this means finding some order in the chaos or finding a way to representing the natural complexity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Growth

Finally, the first new growth of the year - Hazel Catkins. The male catkins tend to catch the eye but the female buds can just about be seen with their characteristic red styles: