Exposure, A Thorny Issue

I don’t know if photographic exposure is a thorny issue for anyone but speaking more literally, the subject of this first image is definitely thorny!

These images may seem under exposed but if they are slightly dark, that is because it was a very dark day for our Taste of Gower walk at Southgate on the Gower Peninsula. Personally I would describe the walk as exhilarating but I accept that it would not suit everyone. There was still colour to be seen on such a dark day – the Whin (or Gorse if you prefer) and the fungi to be found in the grass was a welcome break to the slate grey of the clouds and sea.

thorns

gorse or whin

gorse or whin

yellow mushroom

Evidence of Others

On many of the walks I take I rarely see many other people – one or two at most. However, there is always evidence that others walk the same routes. In this case, apart from the fact that the footpath is well trodden anyway, there were cycle tracks, footprints, trampled mushrooms and the hoof prints of horses.

There are almost always the sounds of human activity in the background and this walk was no exception. The sound clip on this post has the sound of farm machinery in the background along with the twitter and caws of birds. The ambient sound is partly made up of the distant motorway but more noticeable is the constant “flicker” of the electricity pylons under which I was standing. And then there is a human/canine encounter as well.

Cefn Drum 4 

Cefn Drum 4

Cefn Drum-27

hoof print

Cefn Drum-26

 

Mushrooms – In the Order of Autumn

Autumn is here and posting this image of a mushroom may be appropriate within the order of the seasons, but it was not the first of my varied activities last weekend. In fact, this photo was taken mid week and the mushroom, which was convex in shape last weekend, has now moved on to its concave form that comes relatively quickly for fungi.

Mushroom hunting was the first of my activities last Sunday. The walk through our local woods was organised by the Friends of Coedbach Park and led by Steve Protheroe of Swansea Parks Dept. It was a real eye opener to anyone with an interest but little or no experience. The number and range of mushrooms was unexpected and made for a very gratifying event.

Visit the StillWalks Flickr Photostream to see the other mushrooms we found. Unfortunately, the mushrooms are not yet identified in the image names – Steve, the expert, is currently away – but as soon as I am able, I will update that to provide both common and latin names for each one.

Honey Fungus in Coedbach Park

Autumn Bracken in Coedbach Park

Autumn Bracken in Coedbach Park

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Featuring Fallen Fences

Last Sunday morning I went to the park thinking I was going to be late to join the Friends of Coedbach Park on a hunt for mushrooms and toadstools. There was a great deal of activity in the park with two football and matches and a rugby game going on and others waiting in the wing.

I walked around the woods but could find nobody looking for mushrooms or fungi of any sort – I found some mushrooms though – you can see them on Instagram! I should have checked my diary, I would have found the event is down for next Sunday, so I won’t miss it after all.

In the meantime I carried on with my walk and took the opportunity to focus on fences instead and here are a few of the shots I took.

Fences 1 Fences 2 Fences 3 Fences 4 Fences 5

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The Wow Factor – Listening for Sound Quality

Following this week’s posts of phone photos from Fforest and the issues that go along with the processing of them for use in a StillWalks video, I have now reviewed the sounds recorded on my phone from the same walk and for me, this too leaves something to be desired. Below is a sample clip – towards the end of it there is some lovely birdsong!

I used the free RODE app for the recording but not the mic they make to go with it. Much as I would like to have one of these, the main purpose of my trials with phone photography and recording is to assess the quality that can be produced at the basic (free) level and compare it to using StillWalks’ higher end equipment.

I have finished going through the images for a StillWalks video and based on them alone, I would suggest that the finished product will be best viewed on a phone or tablet. The sound, however, may be more of a problem. It is likely that most people would not be aware that the sound quality is not up to scratch and that is understandable and no fault of anyone’s.

It comes down to what I call the “Wow Factor”. It is easy to accept lower quality in something  if you have nothing to compare it with. However, the better the quality, the greater the impact or Wow Factor – whether it is recognized as such or not.

It is probably the sound that does most to take you to the location of a StillWalk and so it is important to me to do what I can to ensure this is as good as I can get it. The proof, as they say, will be in the pudding! I will post the finished video on the blog when it is completed and you can judge for yourselves.

Fforest Fungi