New Work For Major Project Part 3.

Below are some new images for Part 3 of my Major Project which is focusing on the Agricultural aspects of the landscape surrounding my home.

Tech. Details

F-stops- f/8

Expo- 640sec

ISO- 400

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 230mm

At this time of year one farm in the village becomes particularly busy, this is because its Lambing season. I wanted to stay away from the kind of photos you find alot of on this subject, this beginning the kind of stuff where there's groups of lambs skipping and jumping around a field or lying in a load of daffodils. What I wanted was something a bit different and in the above shot I think I found just what I was after, what I like is the way the mother seems to be keeping a watchful eye on her lamb from a distance.

Tech. Details

F-stops- f/13

Expo- 400sec

ISO- 500

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 47mm

They've started planting Potatoes now in a few spots around and about and these fields always offer up some good shots because you can make use of the long straight parallel lines that are produced as they plant. In the first image above I've avoided looking straight down the rows but instead position myself at a bit of an angle because you get a feel for them slopping away downhill in this position while at the same time capturing some of the surrounding landscape. Add to this the good sky and I've got a very useful final image.

Tech. Details

F-stops- f/14

Expo- 500sec

ISO- 500

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 47mm

The second image is taken from the same field but with the framing altered to take in a different aspect of the area. Here I liked the curving nature of the field lines but at the same time the way I could include a small area of the village making a visual connection between the two parts. I really like the way that by a simple change of position these two images can feel so completely different but be taken in the same place.

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New Work for Major Project Part 4.

 Tech. Details

F-stops- f/11

Expo- 400sec

ISO- 400

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 18mm

I know in my last entry I said I wanted to put a little more variety into this section but I took this shot last week and just loved the mood it creates with the dead tree in the background and the rows of new planting leading the eye straight towards it. I think its the contrast between the new and the old that makes this photo tick, plus the very dramatic sky.

Tech. Details

F-stops- f/10

Expo- 250sec

ISO- 400

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 18mm

As we enter Spring I've already mention how I hope this'll help bring the variety I'm after to this section and in this image I've started to do this. In the woodland one of the first signs of the changing season is the appearance of Daffodils, I think this photo again as with the one above works because of the contrast between the still very dead looking trees and the new life on the ground.

Tech. Details

F-stops- f/10

Expo- 320sec

ISO- 640

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 22mm

What caught the eye here was general shape/form of the tree as it's a little unusual because it's clearly one tree which appears to be two. It isn't actually in any of the new planted areas but there's just something about it that makes it different.

Tech. Details

F-stops- f/13

Expo- 400sec

ISO- 500

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 18mm

There's a couple of ways you can look at this photo, one that it's someone having a bit of a laugh or two that its someone highlighting a serious health and safety concern. Unfortunately I think its probably the second because in today's world everything is seen as a danger to your health and landowners have to cover themselves against law suits. I think personally this just proves my growing concern that the whole world has gone crazy, what next warning signs saying you might slip on the wet grass? This is why I like this shot because it serves a double purpose of illustrating a local issue but at the same time anyone can relate to the health and safety madness we all live with.

Tech. Details

F-stops- f/8

Expo- 500sec

ISO- 1250

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 300mm

Tech. Details

F-stop- f/10

Expo- 800sec

ISO- 1250

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 140mm

Tech. Details

F-stops- f/8

Expo- 640sec

ISO- 1000

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 250mm

I been keeping my eye out for a while now for a good wildlife shot to show something of the kind of things that you're likely to find within this forest but had struggled a little. First I tried birds, pretty easy you'd think but not as straight forward as I'd hoped in the more mature areas. Then I thought Badgers after I'd seen the sign, again this time of year with the young starting to leave the sets it supposed to be easy to get shots while the lights still pretty good. To my amazement I never saw one badger in the couple of attempts I had, I know there there it just seemed they also new I was. Then when I was really beginning to wonder what I was going to do I came across to very young Grey Squirrels playing with each other, they could have been very old at all and it could have even been the very first time they'd left the dray because as long as I stayed very still, up wind and in the sun they didn't mind me watch them at all. The three photos above are the best from quiet a few I took and I think I'm personally leaning towards the last shot as my favorite because I like the way I managed to capture the larger of the two playfully biting at the smaller's ear. I always think wildlife images work better if there's a little action involved, some how it makes the photo's seem more real and less posed (not that its easy with wildlife to do this but you no what I mean).

Major Project Part 4- The National Forest.

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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Major Project Part 3- Agriculture.

For the next part of my Major Project I wanted to focus on the Agricultural landscape which makes up part of the surround countryside around Yoxall (the rest is made up by the National Forest project but I'll cover that more in due course). What I was looking for were images that illustrated the diversity in the Agricultural landscape that can be found in what is a very small area around the village. As with the previous parts of my Major Project this isn't the finished product by any means because whats great about this subject is that during the next few months as things spring back to life and start to grow the landscapes can change in a matter of weeks producing new opportunities. Below is what at this point I consider to be my best images for this section.

Tech. Details

F-stops- f/14

Expo- 500sec

ISO- 400

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 22mm

What I like about this shot is the way the lines draw the eye into the background towards the distant single tree plus the way the horizon is shaped it too has a similar effect on the scene. Its a very simple photo but one that works well in illustrating a Autumnal view as the fields have been replanted ready for the spring and for the yearly cycle to start again. I used a red filter in Photoshop to finish off this shot because I like the blue of the sky to appear darker giving it what I think is a much more dramatic feel because it makes the clouds really jump out and seem more solid, if the photo is left in its original state the tonal range just isn't quiet right and it doesn't match the reality of the subject.

Tech. Details

F-stops- f/13

Expo- 500sec

ISO- 250

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 22mm

The second photo in this section I again captured towards the back end of last year but with this example I took inspiration from my Critical Review and the way Ansel Adams made his own landscapes appear grander and more dramatic. What he did to achieve this was simple drop the horizon lower in the field of view altering the scale and feel of the subject. Again as in the first image I've made the sky appear dramatic and it possibly works better in this case because the clouds seem more threatening in that there could be a storm on the way. 

Tech Details

F-stops- f/8

Expo- 160sec

ISO- 640

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 52mm

For me this is the best photo in this section because it captures a moment that is repeated daily at this time of year all over the country but at the same time is quiet personal because I was able to get pretty close without disturbing the cows while they fed on one of only two dairy farms left in the village. I just like the way they get stuck in shoving each other out the way and then burying themselves up to there ears in some case in there food. Its actually amusing to watch because they know when it's feeding time and will stand together waiting, even calling out sometimes if the farmer happens to be late. With this shot I didn't have to make any changes in Photoshop because the original version was about spot on, the only thing I did do was slightly crop some of the background out to full focus the view on the activity of the cows.

Tech. Details

F-stops- f/5.3

Expo- 100sec

ISO- 640

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 55mm

One thing Winter does bring is the storing away of farm machinery until the spring as a lot of the livestock has been brought into barns or just closer to the farms. I think there's something a little sad this kind of view, you much rather see a farm up and running and busy rather then pact up and quiet as you see here. Maybe it's because I've seen to many farms left in this manner after either the farmer's retired with none of their family wanting to take on the running or its simple gone out of business all together.

Tech. Details

F-stops- f/10

Expo- 250sec

ISO- 500

Expo Bias- 0 steps

Focal Length- 35mm

It isn't all doom and gloom though I might make it sound like that some times because some are coming up with alternative ways of make a living from the land. Take the photo above of a Alpaca farm on the edge of the village (see website Trent Bridge Alpacas for more info) someone who's trying something a little different and making a success of it. What I wanted to do here was use the low light to capture just their shadows originally because I thought it'd look a bit different even usual but it just didn't work so instead I widened the view to include the animals themselves and the surrounding landscape. The end result works much better and it still looks a bit strange because you aren't use to seeing Alpacas in the English countryside.

Taken all together I'm fairly happy with how this section is coming together, I think it reflects the land use and what's going on in the landscape but at the same time there's still room to improve. As I said at the start over the coming months I'd hope to still expand this more because it's one of two sections that I'm planning to continue working on throughout the rest of the course, the other section being on the National Forest Project which I'm going to cover in my next entry.  

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