Twitching at Eden

Popped down to the Eden Project the other day to take some photos of the birds with my Sigma 170-500 lens as I really haven't used it half as much as I should have done.

Click on the photograph for a larger version

I found a male and female chaffinch:

And a Dunnock:

So nothing too exotic! Still, it's all practise.

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Lanhydrock

I went for a photography wander around the Lanhydrock Estate last Saturday with members of St Austell Camera Club. The grounds were a stunning mix of Victorian gardens surrounded by acres of grass and lovely old trees.

I took a few shots (click on the photo for a larger version)

I loved this old door, it reminded me of The Secret Garden and made me wonder what was behind it...

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Lunar Eclipse on the Winter Solstice ~21st December 2010

I was up before the sun yesterday morning - watching the first lunar eclipse on the winter solstice since 1638 (372 years!).

I used my Sigma 175-500mm lens, but hadn't bargained on the effect the minus temperature would have on its capacity to focus. The first shot I took, before the full eclipse had happened, was the best of the bunch as the others were too soft.

Bit of a shame, but at least I saw it. There are some fantastic photographs of the moon looking red and spectacular taken by other people here.

Here is my attempt - click on it for a large version - it looks better that way!

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Roche Rock and the Legend of Jan Tregeagle

The weather has been quite dramatic in Cornwall in the last week or so. Flash floods in St Austell caused chaos for some who had to be rescued from their homes and there was talk that the beautiful 14th Century bridge in Lostwithiel would collapse.

I noticed that the sunsets had been quite dramatic so went out to Roche Rock last night to see whether I could get any nice silhouette shots of St Michael's chapel. Sadly the position of the sunset scuppered the shot I had in mind, so I settled for shooting the kids sitting on a nearby rock with the sunset instead.

Click on photographs for larger size:

Then I shot the Chapel in "blue hour".

Click on the photograph to read the legend about the ghost of Jan Tregeagle.

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Sparrows

I went to a fantastic talk at St Austell Camera Club the other day. Sue Earnshaw showed us some amazing wildlife photographs taken all over the world, but also shots of the birds in her garden which she practises her skills on.

I felt inspired and since I enjoy sitting on my window sill and watching the world go by, having a camera in my hand seemed the natural progression.

These sparrows live in my roof, so they are always about.

Click on the photographs to view large versions.

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Eden

Went on a camera club outing to The Eden Project a few weeks ago (I've been a bit slack with the blog of late). I loved the dahlias, which were in full bloom:

(click on the image for large version)

as were the Verbena:

This little fella came to say hello:

I also snapped fellow club member Dan, who prefers polaroid to digital photography, while he wasn't looking. I enjoyed the old vs new technology in this shot:

You can see his photography here.

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Candid Kids

Went to a BBQ the other day and chased the kids round the garden with my camera. Was reasonably pleased with the results. Click on the photo for the large versions - they look better that way.

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