Fly agaric mushrooms

Even though my tripod goes to ground level, it still wasn’t low enough to create the vantage point I wanted. Ordinarily I would have used a beanbag but Ididn’t have one with me on this occasion so I used what I had. Gloves, hat, filter case and a lens cap! 

Nikon D300, 12-24mm @ 14mm, iso 200, 1/8 sec f16, tripod, mirror lock-up, angle-finder.

A little further on I came across this attractive little area of birch and bracken and spent the next while shooting a panoramic which consisted of 5 upright images stitched using PTgui software. One of the biggest problems encountered when doing this work is parallex error and unless you have a head which corrects this you will be restricted to the closest you can be be to the nearest point of focua. The one I use is made by Nodal Ninja. Beautifully engineered, lightweight and compact, it makes the whole process that much more enjoyable.

I ventured deeper into the woodland, off the beaten track, and there were pictures all around. The colours were breathtaking. The task was not as simple as I first thought, to make sense out of nature’s chaos!

Nikon D300, 70-200 @ 98mm, iso 200, 1/6 sec f8, tripod, mirror lock-up.

The sun threatened to burn through the mist but it never did. Sometimes, it would clear marginally, but mostly it remained so.

Another panoramic. Sometimes, there is no other format that will do the scene justice. In order to gain the perspective I was after (telephoto “stacking” effect) shooting with a wide-angle then trimming the top and bottom wouldn’t have achieved this so, several upright images stitched was the only answer. Quite a simple composition yet, typically me, I still managed to make a mountain out of a mole hill and spend close to an hour taking it. It’s a good job I work alone!

Parasol mushroom

The two below were taken in woodland in a nearby village. A break from the computer was in order and fortunately I live near such places. As the previous image, the panoramic format lent itself to the two scenes, especially the last one when mist becomes more pronounced the more you shoot through.

Beech tree in coppiced woodland.

With the marshes being but a short distance away, they are never far from my mind. Such a dry autumn resulted in dry marshes and the result is there were few birds within photographable range. That doesn’t stop me from going over there however and on a morning such as this, who can blame me!

Stitched panorama incorporating 5 upright images and processed using PtGui.

Hothfield Common covers an area of approximately 150 acres making it Kent’s largest area of acid heathland.  As you would imaging, it is generally an open space of heath with lowland valley bogs and around the perimeter, woodland of predominantly birch with some mature beech to the south. 

Cotton grass. Another stitched panorama. This technique is perfect for this kind of image when the interest lies across a single plane when foreground and background interest become irrelevant.

Due to the invasion of such species as bracken and birch leading to the loss of the heathland habitat, certain measures were necessary to reduce this risk and consequently highland cattle and Koniks are now a feature. 

A 'normal' shot taken with a 12-24mm and a 0.9 ND grad to tone down the sky and sunlit heath.

Hothfield Common really is a great place for everyone.  There’s a large car park and trails of varying distance and even a road-side snack bar!  Be warned however, with the current hot weather we are experiencing, come prepared with a hat and sun cream or if you prefer, like me, get yourself there at dawn.  Trust me, it’s worth it.

Here’s one I did last week on the North Kent Marshes at sunrise.  5.15 to be exact.  How I love getting up for spring/summer sunrises!  Always worth it when you get there though.  Six upright images, stitched using PtGui software.

Nikon D300, 28-105mm at 55mm, iso 200, 1/30th sec. f16, ND Grad 0.6.

As I entered the Forestry Commission car park, I was greeted by the sight of a rather large herd of fallow deer, that are wild here and totally unlike the park deer of nearby Knole.  I hoisted the pack on my pack and headed to the spot where I hoped to get the pictures.  But, as you can see from the results, although it brightened a little, it remained heavily overcast turning to heavy rain.  Thank goodness I brought my umbrella!  In the first image it was so dark, I needed to use the AF on the 28-105 to focus!

Beechwood at dawn

Both images were taken in portrait mode, the first requiring 7 images and the second, 5  and were then stitched using PtGui. 

Bluebells in beechwood

Although I didn’t get the pictures I wanted, it is always good to be out early, especially at this time of the year.  Seeing the deer in the woodland and listening to the dawn chorus made me forget, albeit only for a short while, just how wet I was!

A very early start was needed since the site was in shadow after 12 so I would be there half an hour or so after sunrise when the light was just gorgeous and the birds more active than later on.  Ordinarily, I would use a semi-permanent wooden hide, they are warmer and don’t flap around, but for this I used a dome hide from WWS which can be moved around the site as the light changes.  They are so light that they most certainly need pegging down!  They are great for the job though. 

Goldfinch. Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8, iso 400, 1/800 sec f4.

The North Kent Marshes are steadily coming alive with the wonderful displays of lapwing, just as the many ducks and waders head north to their breeding grounds.  

Marsh sunrise

On just one of several mornings spent looking for boxing hares, where there was quite a bit of chasing and boxing, I came across this individual who happened to pose close and long enough for me to grab a couple of shots.  The light could have been better but you take what you can get when they stand up like this.

The light was extremely flat on this particular morning but there was so much chasing going on that it was great just to be there, watching.  I followed this individual through my lens as it moved across the flooded marsh, avoiding as much as it could, having to jump over the water.  I liked the connection between it and wetland and waited until it was in silhouette.  Producing it as a black and white panoramic image simplified the composition further.

Robin in snow

Robin in oak

With it’s bright orangey/red breast (can’t decide which), the robin needn’t be prominent in order to stand out. 

Elmley Marshes

Panorama of Elmley Marshes consisting of 8 upright images stitched together using PTGui.

Oaks on Elmley Marshes

It’s in conditions like this that whenever I’m out on the marshes I think of how farmers of yester-year used to cope in such a challenging environment.

I’ve had a bird feeding station set up in a local woodland for the last 6 weeks but hardly anything is turning up at the moment, a testament to the mild weather we have been experiencing of late.  I understand it’s due to change in the next few days.  I’m hoping for goldfinches this winter and with niger seed feeder in situ I have my finger”s crossed that they notice it. 

The image below is a reminder of the wonderful autumn we had here in Kent.  I went out one afternoon for a stroll to some private woods I have access to and as usual took my kit with me.  Leaving it at home only means one thing…that a great photo opprtunity will be missed!  As it turned out I had quite a productive few hours, shooting some tiny mycena sp. fungi amongst others and this.  I liked the feeling it gave of being at a junction.  Left for the woods or right along a hard track.  You can guess which path I chose!   The colours, light and depth cried out to be shot as a panoramic.  One of the most useful pieces of kit that I have purchased over the last 18 months is a camera leveller made by Acrotech.  Having read various reviews I opted for this model and have found it to be indispensable for this kind of work.  It’s beautifully made and makes levelling the camera a breeze.  They were then stitched using PTGui.

So this year in Kent I have, much like orchids last spring and summer, concentrated on fungi.  I always find myself out there shooting them anyway at this time but I really felt like I needed to update the library with the classic specimens such as Fly Agaric and the more unusual like Giant Polypore.  I would visit one woodland in particular about 40 mins from my home many times as on each visit different types presented themselves.  I also ran a couple of photography workshops there which went down well as we had good weather and different varieties to keep us occupied. 

Panorama of broadleaved woodland

Fly Agaric

Porcelain or Beech Tuft fungus

Fruit of Sweet Chestnut

Aside from this I spent a memorable morning watching Fallow Deer rutting.  These were completely wild, not in a park, and as I stepped out of my car at dawn I could hear the unmistakeable ’grunt’ of the bucks.  It was quite dark and raining so I knew photography wouldn’t be an option but the thought of me seeing them drove me on.  I walked slowly wearing dark, silent clothing along the forest tracks and stopping every 50 metres or so to listen for the bucks whilst at the same time checking wind direction.  I got closer to the sound some 30 minutes later and proceeded towalk into the coppice woodland, the rain muffling my footsteps.  I crouched and there about 20 mtres away I could see the buck through the trees patrolling up and down the length of his stand grunting continuously.  And then, as if out of nowhere, another buck sat up only 10 metres away and looked at me.  The wind was in my favour and he couldn’t make out what I was.  He grew more curious and made a few steps toward me.  30 seconds later he stepped even closer and did the same a gain shortly after.  He eventually circled me to get my scent and when he eventually did so, scampered through the wood.  I remained still and over the next 30 minutes or so carried on watching the buck on his stand with others all around me periodically grunting.  I didn’t take any pictures but it was a great experience non the less.