One Point of View – Multiple Options

Which structure to focus on? That was the question for me with this view over the lake at Llyn Llech Owain in Carmarthenshire. The portrait view could only include one tower. My choice was less about the scale of the architecture and more about the fact that the larger structure was partly hidden by the small trees in the middle distance. With the lake being partly hidden by the trees, there seems to me to be a greater sense of mystery about the scene.

lake

lake

A Hint of Sunlight

A hint of sunlight forms part of the reflection in the lower section of this image and is a subtle reminder of the Autumn weather on the day of my walk along the Tennant Canal near Swansea.

It is the pattern and direction of lines and the texture in this photo that I enjoy. The banks of the canal are having a bad hair day – or would it be thought of by some as a distinctive style.

Complementary images are posted on Instagram through the week and can also be seen on the sidebar of the StillWalks blog.

Tennant Canal

Tennant Canal

What I Like – Image Composition

When selecting images to post on this blog I try to pick photos that I like for a range of different reasons – composition, texture, pattern – perhaps most importantly, how well they depict my memory of the place they represent.

My main reason for choosing the images below is composition. In the first shot I particularly like the combined shapes of the light – the oblique oval of reflected light on the water of the canal and the quarter oval of light in the sky. The image, for me, is not so much about the reflection of land on water as the abstract shapes of light and dark, hence my rendering of the second image.

The composition of the last photo has nothing to do with manipulation. This was simply the way the reflection appeared with the apparent shape mask being created by the reflection of the wall and underside of a bridge over the canal. The shot was a little underexposed but this made for a more dynamic and abstract composition.

Complementary images are posted on Instagram through the week and can also be seen on the sidebar of the StillWalks blog.

Tennant Canal

Tennant Canal Composition

abstract reflection

 

 

Reed Reflections

I love the effect the moving waters of Tennant Canal has on the reflection of the reeds along its banks – painterly or impressionistic! You can see from the photos that it was a good day for a walk along this canal at Jersey Marine near Swansea.

The “brush strokes” of leaves both in the water and against the canvas of the field make these grasses some of the most attractive plants in this enclave of nature surrounded by the habitation and industry of man.

There will be another photo of reeds against the sun to be seen later today on Monochrome Madness 41 at Leanne Cole Photography.

Complementary images are posted on Instagram through the week and can also be seen on the sidebar of the StillWalks blog.

Reed reflections

Reed reflections

sunlight and reeds

Reeds and field

A Well Kept Secret – Exploring Tennant Canal

The Tennant Canal at Jersey Marine is just a few miles from the centre of Swansea. The area is surrounded by works and roads, developments and housing, but before you reach any of those things, you would have to climb over the small hills that surround Pant-y-Sais Fen alongside which the canal flows.

This haven of (relative) peace and nature is like a well kept secret – if you didn’t know it was there, you wouldn’t think to take a look. The M4 motorway twists past at one end and there is currently a major development for Swansea University being carried out on the seaward side. But the sound of this activity is not to be heard such is the noise absorbing effect of the topography along with trees and other vegetation. The wind in the reeds and the more noticeable and pleasurable sound.

Complementary images are posted on Instagram through the week and can also be seen on the sidebar of the StillWalks blog.

Tennant Canal Swansea

Pant-y-Sais Fen, Jersey Marine

Tennant Canal-3