The National Forest scheme was setup back in the mid 90's to create a new woodland in the Midlands (for more info see http://www.nationalforest.org/), Yoxall sits right on the edge of this area and only makes up a very small fraction of the total project which covers areas throughout Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. I can only speak for the area around where I live but what generally seems to happen is that the Scheme acts as an option to landowners who's ground isn't being used anymore for agricultural purpose's but they need it to make them money somehow so the scheme rents the land for a set length of time (I'm guessing we're taking over 20yrs at a time) and then plants tree over this area. At my best guess I'd say that about a 3rd of the land surrounding the village that 25 years ago was farmland is now part of the National Forest so you can see from his how farming has reduced in the area during just this short period.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/8
Expo- 500sec
ISO- 1000
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 300mm
In a new plantation I spotted this refection in a freshly dug pond and thought it create a interesting effect, its one of them kind of photos where you simple can't see where the bank ends and the reflection begins making it seem almost unreal on first glance. I think it would have worked better if I'd taken it later in the day maybe because then I would have been able to get closer to the far bank and capture more of the surrounding landscape, this would have meant it would have appeared as such a narrow field of view. Its not a bad shot I just think maybe I could look again and improve on the idea.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/10
Expo- 250sec
ISO- 400
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 55mm
What I went looking for was a high vantage point where I could give a better impression of the layout and scale of an areas that had been freshly planted only recently, the above image works pretty well in this respect I think. What I like about this particular view was the way the misty conditions softened the image giving it a kind of dreamy appearance and making the silhouetted trees in the background seem far less harsh and defined as they would have seemed in more normal conditions.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/9
Expo- 200sec
ISO- 800
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 31mm
Because the project has been underway for near 20 years now there are different areas of woodland that are more mature then others having been planted in the early stages of its inception, one of the problems that is starting to arise in some of these areas is that as after the planting its down to the land owner to then maintain his patch some are beginning to fail in there responsibility. Here above you can see this with the over grown nature and with the sign seemingly falling to pieces only adds to this effect. This is one of my more favorite images in this section because it shows one of the failings of the project.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/9
Expo- 250sec
ISO- 400
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 24mm
Above is shown a new area of planting with the protection tubes almost looking like grave markers in a strange kind of way with lines moving away into the distance (I know its a strange comparison to make but that's almost what they appear like to me). What I wanted to make use of was the light projecting the shadows from these tubes towards the camera because I thought it'd add an extra dimension to what without would seem quiet a dull uninteresting view. I think the end result is something altogether more interesting because of the way I've framed it it not maybe straight away obvious what you're looking at which can only add to a viewers interest.
Tech. Details
F-stops- f/8
Expo- 160sec
ISO- 500
Expo Bias 0 steps
Focal Length- 22mm
For my final view in this section its back to a more mature area but this time what capture my attention was the way the grass almost appears like waves lapping through the frame giving it a very strange unique appearance. In Photoshop I once again used the burn tool to increase the contrast in the grass while at the same time really darkening the trees making them stand out from the lighter grey of the sky. I like the range in this photo although others might say its a little on the dark side I think that's one of the reasons it works well.
When I look at this section as a whole at the minute I think its main problem is that maybe it lacks a little bit of variety that the other sections have more of. As I said in the 3rd part of my project hopefully with the on set of Spring and life returning to these areas I'll be able to put this right. If I'm honest this section I've struggled with a lot because how do you illustrate a woodland project without ending up with photos of trees and more trees, maybe I need to start looking a little more closely at maybe the way it has effected the area in encouraging more wildlife or how it contrast with the surrounding farmland. As I've said lets hope Spring gets my creative juices flowing again.
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