Daily Photos - Tues27/Wed28 Mar

Grasses at Golitha Falls.

Moss at Wistman's Wood.

Both taken with my Panasonic DMC FX550.

Dragonflies.

If you only read one thing today, let it be this. I lost my sister to cancer 6 years ago when she was 14. I was 12. I used this story to comfort me. It never gets any easier but I think it helps. The story is used to explain why people 'have to go away sometimes' but we never see them again. And afterwards, I will share some photos of dragonflies and butterflies I've taken.

The Dragonfly Story

Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of water bugs. They were a happy colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did notice that every once in awhile one of their colony seemed to lose interest in going about. Clinging to the stem of a pond lily it gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.

"Look!" said one of the water bugs to another. "one of our colony is climbing up the lily stalk. Where do you think she is going?" Up, up, up it slowly went....Even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight. Its friends waited and waited but it didn't return...

"That's funny!" said one water bug to another. "Wasn't she happy here?" asked a second... "Where do you suppose she went?" wondered a third.

No one had an answer. They were greatly puzzled. Finally one of the water bugs, a leader in the colony, gathered its friends together. "I have an idea". "The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where he or she went and why."

"We promise", they said solemnly.

One spring day, not long after, the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up, he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had broke through the surface of the water and fallen onto the broad, green lily pad above.

When he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn't believe what he saw. A startling change had come to his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail. Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings...The warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture from the new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself up above the water. He had become a dragonfly!!

Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere. By and by the new dragonfly lighted happily on a lily pad to rest. Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond. Why, he was right above his old friends, the water bugs! There they were scurrying around, just as he had been doing some time before.

The dragonfly remembered the promise: "the next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk will come back and tell where he or she went and why." Without thinking, the dragonfly darted down. Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly, he could no longer go into the water...

"I can't return!" he said in dismay. "At least, I tried. But I can't keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I'll just have to wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they'll understand what has happened to me, and where I went."

And the dragonfly winged off happily into its wonderful new world of sun and air.......

Common Sympetrum Dragonfly, Calstock, Cornwall. Oct 2010.

Damselfly, Devonport Leat/Wistmans Wood, Dartmoor, Devon. June 2011.

Damselfly, Devonport Leat/Wistmans Wood, Dartmoor, Devon. June 2011.

Butterfly, Isle of Raasay, Scotland. Aug 2011.

Mating Damselflies, Fairy Glen, Isle of Skye, Scotland. Aug 2011.

(?) Downy Emerald (?) Dragonfly, Fairy Glen, Isle of Skye, Scotland. Aug 2011.

Still Life Dragonfly. Metalwork Garden Decoration.

?Common Sympetrum? Dragonfly. Italian Gardens, Garnish Island, Ireland. Aug 2008.

First post - Landscapes

Here we start with a post about what type of photos I like to take. I am very much in to nature and how landscapes form and change. The photos in this blog will be taken at different times. At the moment I have a backlog of photos ready to upload to this blog from 2008 up until now. I am going to concentrate on uploading ones that can be grouped together such as: landscapes, macro, animals etc. When the 'backlog' is cleared I will then upload photos organised by date rather than subject.

Some of these photos may overlap topics so I'll tag them appropriately to be able to find them easily in the tags section in the sidebar of this blog.

When talking about my photos, you will find I talk pretty much about the art aspect of the photos rather than the technical camera settings. I am developing my skills and learning more about the workings of my semi-professional DSLR however I still prefer the arty side of things!

Landscapes.

All photos in this post were taken with my Panasonic DMC FX550.

Pentillie Castle Gardens.

This photo was taken at Pentillie Castle. The building itself had been neglected for years after it was inherited and the owners did so much work on it. It was featured on Country House Rescue (link may or may not work depending on amount of time after link was posted - http://www.channel4.com/4homes/on-tv/country-house-rescue/pentillie-castle-episode-info-09-01-13) This photo was taken along one of the bottom paths by the river.

The river you see is the Tamar, separating Cornwall (foreground) and Devon (background) - two counties in one photo!

Rame Head 09/01/2011

Early January, I went for a walk around Rame Head in Cornwall, not far from where I live. The sunset was beautiful. A few more pictures were taken and will be uploaded in the near future.

Lone Tree, Wistmans Wood, Dartmoor. June 2011

A walk to Wistman's Wood on Dartmoor in June 2011. I love how the river meanders in an 'S' shape with a tree positioned perfectly. The photo was taken walking along the Devonport Leat where I managed to get a fantastic photo of a damselfly. Wistman's Wood can be seen on the hillside behind the lone tree. The wood has stories of hauntings which I find intriguing. I recommend this walk - through the ancient oak wood; one of the oldest remaining ancient oak woodland in the country.

Lone Tree, Fairy Glen, Isle of Skye, Scotland. August 2011

Here is a stream and waterfall situated in the Fairy Glen, Isle of Skye, Scotland. August 2011. I think I have a 'thing' for lone trees! I find they add something to the barest of landscapes. As seen below on another lone tree situated downstream of the Fairy Pools (not the same place as the Fairy Glen) on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. This was a rainy day, not really a surprise in Scotland! The Fairy Pools were so beautiful. A must see for walkers, nature lovers and artists visiting Skye.

Lone Tree, Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye, Scotland. August 2011.

First Great Western Train crossing Forder Viaduct en route to Plymouth. Sept 2011.

A perfect fit for 'Landscapes'. This was during a free lesson I had at school. I decided to get some inspiration for my art coursework. I usually go down to Churchtown Farm Nature Reserve during my free lessons (when it's sunny of course!) so knew roughly when the trains passed through. In the background we see Trematon Castle. The motte and bailey in Saltash. My hometown! I love the composition of this photo and there's a lot going on to make it interesting but not too much to spoil it. I think I timed the train crossing just right.

Below is another photo from Churchtown Farm taken on the same day as the above. This is the last field, Point Field which is a bit like a peninsula, surrounded by the River Lyhner which flows into the River Tamar to the south and east and the river from Anthony Passage to the west. It is a great lookout point for nature lovers and across the Lyhner is Anthony Estate.

Churchtown Farm, Saltash, Cornwall. Sept 2009.

The below photo was taken at the 5 Fingers in Austria. 5 Fingers being the name of a platform with 5 fingers extending over the edge of the mountain cliff edge. I think I took this photo just in time!

Air Glider, 5Fingers, Dachstein/Krippenstein, Austria. July 2008.

Save the best until last. This (below) is one of my favourites. On holiday on the Isle of Skye in August 2009. Not far from where we were staying, Waterstein Head protrudes into the sea; a huge cliff where on the top, if a lot of patience is spent, a sea eagle can be seen taking advantage of the coastal winds. It is truly an awesome sight. This photo, taken from near the top of Waterstein Head, shows Neist Point, the most westerly point in the UK you can reach by car without hopping on to a boat. We were staying only a few hundred metres east! The lighthouse provides a great sight on this peninsula. The sheep add an excellent foreground.

Sheep on Waterstein Head, Isle of Skye, Scotland. August 2009.

What did you think of my first photo post. Are there any subjects you'd like me to do next? Is there anything I can add or improve on? Let me know in the comments below. I hope you enjoyed the photos. Remember, these are only a minor taste of what is to come! I hope you'll keep coming back to see more. Thank you.