Llanelli Birds

These are the bird shots from the same visit as the Dragons.

 This is a Hawaiian Goose. He was in the same enclosure as the bird below. I really like this shot as it shows he looks quite evil.

I am unsure as to what this bird is but it had dark heart shapes on the tip of each wing feather. Unfortunately I was unable to get a decent photo of the rest of it as it was determined to be up against the chicken wire and directly in front of me. I like this shot as it is in complete sunlight and the eye really stands out.

I was taking loads of shots trying to get a good one as he kept strutting around. My dad threw some seed and he turned and looked at me as if to say, 'that's all you are gonna give me?'

Here is a fuller shot of him showing more of his plumage.

This was inside the hut that the flamingos had. I really like this shot as the line of lights lead you up to the flamingo. You can also see his reflection in the water which is nice.

The swan really stands out in this shot. The background is a little messy with the cygnet.

Llanelli Dragons

A couple of weekends ago I went to Llanelli Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. It was a lovely day and there were lots of dragonflies around which gave me an opportunity to practice some photography skills. These are my favorite photos that i have cropped down to show more detail. 

The one problem I did find was that because it was nice and sunny, they didn't stay still for very long so you had to take a series of photos as you slowly walk towards them and hope they don't fly away.

 These three photos were taken in a hide out of the window. There were a couple of dragons zipping about and every now and again landing on the ledge outside the window. this allowed me to get quite close but also to rest the camera on the ledge and so there would not be any shake from me.

 This was on a large piece of rock. There are quite a few on the side of the paths dotted around. I really like the surface texture of the rock as it is similar to the wing patterns.

Slimbridge

 These are some of my favourite photographs I took at Slimbridge.

I had a really fun time although next time I would like to go during the week so there aren't as many children there to scare away the birds just as I push the shutter.

New Camera

My dad had to buy me a new camera to go down to Falmouth with as Falmouth mainly stock Canon or Nikon lens so I couldn't take my dad's Pentax camera. As I already had a Nikon film camera he bought me a Nikon D5200. I decided to walk down to Llantwit beach with some friends and play a little.

 I found this on the cliff by a corn field. It was an escapee that had grown up inside an old post. I like the way it is half in shadow as if it didn't want to be seen. I love the texture and lichens growinbg on the post as it looks really old and touchy-feeley.

This is a Clouded Yellow butterfly that wasn't very easy to photograph as it didn't like to keep still. It was the only one in a cloud of white butterflies so it really quite pretty. 

When we got down to the beach we sat at the bottom of the cliffs and chatted. We started to much around with some of the small pebbles and I created a fish It looks like it is about to wash up on the shore.

Easton Walled Garden

On the 28th July I went to Easton Walled Gardens and here are a couple of my favourite shots.

 This was taken near the bottom of the gardens looking up to the house. I really like tihs one as it shows the house and grounds but it also has some of the flowers that grow and it is all in focus. It looks like a photo you would find in a magazine advertising the Easton Walled Gardens.

With these two I decided to take close ups of the flowersbut make them slightly different than normal close ups.

I really liked this plant because it was quite unusual with the colours and the dark veins showing.

I really like the architectural detail on this photo. I also like the difference in colours betwen these two flowers. They are on the same stem and yet one has opened earlier and so there is less colour in it compared to the newer opened flower.

There were loads of butterflies there as anyone would expect but my dad spotted this fluttering around and so I followed it untill it landed so I could take a picture of it. This is called a Brimstone butterfly. This is the first time I have seen one so I was really excited. As you can see it is a very striking butterfly.

Falmouth update

I received my results from Bridgend College a little while ago.
...

I got a triple Merit overall so that means I am going to Falmouth. Hurrah, Yippey Ki Yay and other various happy noises.
I am actually pretty nervous as I don't know what to expect. However, my friend Charlotte also got in to study Illustration so I will have a friend down there.

Malvern Spring Show (Part2)

This is the second part of my photos from The Malvern Spring Show.

This is another of my favourite images. There is the rule of three with the purple sticks which curve round and mirror the flowers. Most of the flowers are not in focus except the centre line. The black background makes the flowers stand out. Your eye is drawn to the yellow stamen is a couple of the flowers and you are lead around the photo by the curving sticks that curve out of the bottom of the photo but seem to curve back in at the top left. 

This was in the theme Perfume. The perfume is L'air Du Temps which features two doves flying together on the bottle top. The box is yellow with the doves in white. I like the way that this started out with a very simple design and created something which has a lot going on. In this photo I have concentrated on the main part of the design as this is where everything is.

This is a focus on the dove and the Freesia. I think the green stem and buds stand out against the grey of the wood. Your eyes are drawn to the yellow flowers. If I could retake this photo I would move the piece of grass that is on one of the flowers so it would not be interfering with the shot.  

This is a really sweet picture. You could use this as a card. The background is sufficiently out of focus so it will not detract from the focal point. I should have made sure that the felt at the front was completely in focus but it doesn't look too bad as the felt colours blend together a little. Unfortunately a couple of the petals are not in complete focus which detracts from the overall image. 

This is a really interesting photo as the ball is slightly to one side rather than in the middle and it looks like it is sitting wonky. It is a very dramatic shot with the ball the focus of the picture and the contrast between the black of the background and the silver of the ball.

The colours in this photo go well together and the shapes the green ribbon makes are interesting. There is some great texture in the pink cloth. This makes it stand out so that it isnt just a background colour. The left of the sunflower starts to become fuzzy which is a shame but the rest of it is sharp and detailed.

This one is interesting because the sisal goes in and out of focus which contrasts the block colour and shapes of the sunflower petals. I think the black centre of the sunflower grabs your attention the most as it is a stark contrast with the bright yellow surrounding it.

This one was cropped from a much bigger image but I think this is the most dramatic part of the photo. It looks like it is a paint tester with the block colours. It also reminds me of a Mark Rothko painting.

This one looks like the type of photo you would get when you buy a frame. I like the stripes on the leaves as it gives it more life. The leaf curls either side giving it more depth as the only part in focus is the top of the leaf. You don't know where the leaf curls to as the top right of the photo is just a block of colour. This adds intrigue.

I really like the metallic colours on the material behind the flower as it amplifies the pink and purple in the flower. Also the green veins on the flower stand out from the white and silver.