Plants in the Glasshouse – Absorbed in iPhonography

Posted on 30/01/201430/01/2014 by Alastair

I was absorbed in taking the photos and absorbed by the look of the plants but I made a mistake, one I make too often! I forgot to get all the information I would want about the things I was photographing – information I would want when writing this post.

I would like to be able to tell you what these fascinating and exotic plants are but all I can say is that they are in the Great Glasshouse in the National Botanic Garden of Wales. I can also tell you that the first photograph was taken in JPEG format (see yesterdays post for info on formats), and the second in TIFF.

Unfortunately that probably doesn’t give you information that you really want whether you are interested in photography or not, so I must apologise for the omission of this information and ask if anyone knows what they are, to post it in the comments. Thank you.

You can use the Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Winter Lakeside Walk” which features Llyn Llech Owain Country Park in Carmartheshire. Click the image below to watch the video. DVD Collections are available to order in the StillWalks Shop.

Light and Shade Amongst the Trees

Posted on 31/10/201331/10/2013 by Alastair

On my walk through the woods at Cwm Green on the Gower in South Wales, I felt like I was walking through ancient woodland. I cannot say how long the trees have been there but I know, from the evidence, that they are managed – there was even a footpath, thought not very well defined in places.

The woods are on hilly ground and so there were times when I was deep in the shadowy depths, and others when the effect of the sunlight making its way between the trunks or shining on autumn leaves in the canopy was . . . (searching for a word here) . . . emotional!

The first image I have posted today is one of those few occasions when I felt that a black and white panoramic crop was the best representation of the scene. The last photo is looking out of the woods and across the fields to Parc-Le-Breos House, a fantastic bed and breakfast hotel in whose grounds the woods are situated.

You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video – “Woodland Walk” which is from Penllergaer Woods near Swansea, South wales. Click the image below to watch the video.

Interesting Objects in the Woods

Posted on 30/10/201330/10/2013 by Alastair

The sound of many pheasants in yesterday’s post was not accidental. There are many pheasants on the Gower Peninsula, but I had not seen or heard such a concentrated number of them before.

When I went into the woods at Cwm Green, I discovered various objects that seemed to have a specific purpose that appeared to relate to the rearing of pheasants, presumably for the shooting season. Not being an expert on these matters, I was only guessing at their use but the fact that there was an enclosure protected by an electric fence suggested something along these lines. In fact, I wasn’t sure that it was still in use as it looked as though it had not been tended for some time but I wasn’t going to touch the fence to find out.

What I liked was the way the other objects around the area were clearly settling nicely into their natural home and becoming a part of the woodland undergrowth. How ever much we think we can influence or control nature, in the long term, we are only a danger to ourselves if we do not respect the natural environment.

Mushrooms – In the Order of Autumn

Posted on 12/10/201312/10/2013 by Alastair

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.

You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks. Pay how much you want and receive a high quality download of this week’s featured StillWalks video. Click the image below to watch the video.

Featuring Fallen Fences

Posted on 02/10/201302/10/2013 by Alastair

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.

You can use the new Donate button below to help StillWalks, pay what you want and receive a download of this week’s featured StillWalks video “Troserch Woodland Walk“, click the image below to watch the sample.

Fencing the Footpath

Posted on 27/09/201327/09/2013 by Alastair

Following the woodland walk I have been posting about recently, these photos are from the second part of that production day walk.

Early Morning Woodland Sounds

Posted on 25/09/201325/09/2013 by Alastair

It was 6.22 AM when these sounds were recorded on my walk through Troserch Woodland. I had thought I might upload the StillWalks video that this weeks posts have been illustrating, but it’s not quite ready yet. Getting the sequence of images right and the sounds working well and logically with them, is important if the final result is going to do its job – give you a sense of place so that you can imagine being there.

Wildlife Habitat

Posted on 02/09/201302/09/2013 by Alastair

All images from this series of posts are available at StillWalks Photography.

The StillWalks video “Old Railway Track Walk” features many of the things you will find in a habitat like this – one that has been left to its own devices.

Over more than thirty years the trees have grown up, the brambles thickened, the wild flowers spread and I imagine the unseen wildlife is many times more abundant than that which we can see.

The photos below follow from yesterday’s post and are some of those taken for the StillWalks video.

Tag Archives: nature