Bluebells - Part 2 (April 2019)

I have enough photographs for another post on the bluebells near to Clumber Park. In particular, I want to include some of the close up shots:

One aspect of bluebell photography that I haven't mentioned so far is the role of the beech trees in this location. The vibrant green leaves help to emphasise the colour of the bluebells. The tree trunks add shape and scale to the compositions which are best captured with a long focal length. This gives the impression of foreshortening the view making the bluebells appear closer together in the form of a dense carpet of flowers:

Bluebells (April 2019)

I first photographed the bluebells near to Clumber Park in 2006. Since then I have returned most years. There is always a fine carpet of flowers in this location and the colours are wonderful.

Back in 2006, bluebell photography was a novelty. I had recently bought my first DSLR camera, a Canon 20D, and the visit to Clumber Park was one of the first outings. I can see from my computer files some naïve experimentation but also some good shots. Most are over processed with too much contrast and saturation. I was trying very hard in the early days to produce wow images at every occasion. Today, I am more relaxed and I am happy to represent my subjects with minimal processing and a more natural finish.

These are a few photographs from 2006 which I re-processed from the original files:

I could now make a technical comparison with the 2019 images. I have noticed a few differences but that wasn't my thinking when I looked back to 2006. I was actually thinking how much joy I have gained from the photography in this location over many years. Bluebell photography is now an event that I look forward to every year. It is a very simple pleasure in life.

These are a selection from this year near to Clumber Park:

Cockett Barn Farm (April 2019)

I last photographed the fields around Cockett Barn Farm on the upper part of Hexgreave Estate in January and like many of my local walks and photographic locations the changing season refreshes the landscape and provides new interest for the photography.

This year’s crop on the far side of the hill was oilseed and I timed my visit to coincide with blooming and vibrant yellow flowers. I had also seen from a distance a pinkness on a couple of trees that stand on the brow of the hill which suggested apple blossom on trees that I had previously assumed to be hawthorn. It was definitely worth the walk to see and capture the tree’s spring display - a simple pleasure that might have passed me by in years gone by and something that an interest in photography has gratefully provided....

These are the views of the oilseed crop looking in the direction of Bilsthorpe:

And then some looking up and across to the Cockett Plantation:

Finally a selection of photographs on the walk up to Cockett Barn Farm including the imposing pylons that cross the landscape: