tree shadows

Shadows On a Spring day

My walk this week has looked at art, craft, design and now, having come back outside on a beautiful Spring day in Leeds city centre, I am looking at shadows. Standing on the steps of the Leeds Art Gallery and looking down on Victoria Square the subject matter of my photography (iPhonography) was obvious. The patterns of light and shade created by such a bright day stood out in strong contrast against both the warm coloured paving stones and the strong blue of the sky.

step shadows

The shot I took of the pattern of tree branches on the pavement confused me at first. I thought it was out of focus, until I saw on closer inspection that while the tree trunk shape close to the ground and cracks between the paving slabs were in focus,Continue reading

Millennium Rail - monochrome

The Arrangement of Things

When I crossed the Millennium Footbridge in York at the start of my walk this week I was interested in the arrangement of the half submerged objects in the flooded River Ouse. In post production I also saw the potential for the use of monochrome in many of the photographs I shot with the result that this week I have been posting parallel image galleries in colour and black and white (and one or two in sepia).

semi submerged

There were some images which would have been pointless in monochrome, such as the one above or those below of the primroses. But there are others where the colour was almost pointless such as those of the bridge itself and its wet railing. And then there is the sound . . .Continue reading

Old Buddleia flower

A Space Between – Edgelands of Industry and Nature

My walk this week has been through a space between, a space on the edge of both nature and industry – and nature, of course, wins every time and in so many ways.

return route

Looking at the evidence of man is perhaps not the best way to finish my posts on this walk but there are other elements to the landscape apart from the old tyres and wires. The profusion of old Buddleia bushes will soonContinue reading

Red water grasses

Fluffy, Furry and Fuzzy – New Edgeland Growth

The edgeland of Newport which I was exploring on my walk this week were partly coloured by industry, but Spring knows no bounds and prompts all plant life to new growth at this time of year.

Spring growth?

And so, looking away from some of the other aspects of this liminal industrial space, I took a closer look at some of the different wasteland plants that were coming to life around me. The buds and seed heads were fluffy, furry and fuzzy as they set out for the sun against the red earth and water of the ponds in this abandoned area of the Newport Levels.

I never did get to the official Newport Wetlands but was very happy to see this less cared for environment where there was plenty of evidence of man but no man to be seen.

jewelled bank

My Walk This Week – Ready for Growth

My walk this week returns to the National Botanic Garden of Wales. It was Mother’s Day here in the UK and we took the opportunity of our membership to visit at a time when so many plants and flowers are getting ready for growth.

prepared for growth

We can see the plants in our own garden getting ready for growth of course, but we do not have a team of volunteer gardeners and professionals attending to it and neither do we have the wonderful range of native andContinue reading

Seasons in the Sunshine

view south from Llyn Llech Owain

Continuing my walk this week at Llyn Llech Owain in Carmarthenshire, the sun’s shining bright and the haze looking south from the lake suggested heat. However, coats were still needed and although the seasons may be getting a bit mixed up with each other as weather conditions are disrupted by global warming, this was still the end days (hopefully) of Winter and the early days of Spring.Continue reading