Returning Steps

Posted on 28/01/201628/01/2016 by Alastair

I loved the woodland around the old shed I found (see yesterday) on my short walk in Carmarthenshire this week – the density of trees and yet the openness in the winter created a wonderful range of subtle colours, textures and patterns.

The first thing I encountered when starting on my return up the hill, was my own footsteps in the thin snow. The thaw was already in progress at the start of my walk and you can see and hear how fast the snow is melting in the footstep sound clips on Monday’s post – “My Walk this week – First Snow”. It is quite possible that this is not only the first snow but also the last of this winter – we shall just have to wait and see!

Rocks and Ripples

Posted on 27/10/201527/10/2015 by Alastair

Viewing the rocks and sand ripples from above on my cliff walk at Rhosilli on the Gower peninsula revealed some fascinating patterns. I loved the complex textures of jagged rocks dotted with white gulls and the smoother flat patterns of wave platform structures seen on our way round to Fall Bay from the Worms Head.

The sand ripples may be a common pattern but I liked the subtle sunlight and shade. I thought it might be worth looking at it in black and white and in converting the image I also heightened the contrast quite a lot. The monochrome shot can be seen tomorrow on Leanne Cole’s Photography blog post Monochrome Madness 2-30. I can’t make up my mind which I prefer – subtle colour or contrasty monochrome.

Landscape and Light

Posted on 03/02/201503/02/2015 by Alastair

The conditions on this morning’s walk were darker than on the previous day. This did not stop me enjoying the walk just as much and the darker sky meant that this panorama shot taken on my iPhone needed very little adjustment in order to accurately represent the scene over the hill at the highest point of my walk.

Contrasting light can be one of the greatest challenges in photography, so if the purpose is to represent the scene as it was rather than creating a more dramatic view, then it is quite convenient to have more even light.

And so the drama today comes not from the scene but from a detail of the landscape. The scribbled twigs of the tree in the second image could represent a snapshot from a stormy, windy day. That is what the angles, textures and movement say to me in this picture, but in fact the weather was completely still without a breath of wind.

Windblown and Wondering

Posted on 28/01/201528/01/2015 by Alastair

My recent walks at Kidwelly in Carmarthenshire revealed to me a number of aspects of the local environment. The old canal, mudflats and birds of the Towe Estuary were among the first of my discoveries, but there were other elements of this area that contributed to the atmosphere of the place just as much as those more obvious features.

These trees had a particularly dry looking bark and colour to them along with their windblown direction of growth. These as well as the brambles and dry reeds through which the footpath led me, all contributed to my perception of the environment – one that suggested a much dryer place than could be the case.

I wonder about that apparent contradiction? Even the dampness in the cold air could not defeat the sense of a lack of water that I felt from the colours and textures around me.

For all the lack of colour in this image of the trees, there is a monochrome version of it featured on Monochrome Madness 47 at Leanne Coles Photography blog.

Proportional Representation – Two Views

Posted on 22/01/201522/01/2015 by Alastair

I don’t know what proportion (if any) of the people of Mumbles would go for proportional representation if it were available in the forthcoming May election in the UK. Disregarding politics, below is another take (or two) on the term that is more akin to cropping in photography.

It was a dreary day when I took these photos but, for me, that is no reason not to take them. The range of textures in the scene is what interests me most, from the finer grain of the concrete in the sea wall to the lumpy rocks and stones on the foreshore, to the fuzzy grey textures of the trees on the hill. All of this interspersed with the softer green moss on the wall and the sand separating the stones on the beach. And then there are the patterns and colours of buildings and people stretched across the centre of the frame.

At least it wasn’t raining!

Night Lights and Reviewing the Week 9

Posted on 18/01/201518/01/2015 by Alastair

Recently we had a clear but dark night amongst a lot of wet weather and I was tempted to stop on my way home and catch a shot of the lights of the Carmarthenshire side of the Loughor Estuary.

Urban Nature

Posted on 17/01/201517/01/2015 by Alastair

Even without the colours of Spring, Summer or Autumn, trees and architecture or nature in urban areas is a very attractive mixture. It was pretty miserable weather when I took these photos but I still found the blend of man-made and natural pleasing to the eye.

Patterns and Textures, Control and Freedom

Posted on 15/01/201515/01/2015 by Alastair

Can you see the eye in the strange mixture of pattern, colour and texture in the underside of this bridge? Even without the structural repairs, I find this common bridge structure has an interesting and attractive mixture of these things. The plant may not be a part of the original design, but it brings an added element of freedom to the control needed in the architecture of such a structure.

Tag Archives: texture