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Focus on: Rivington Reservoir Autumn 2010
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Map: Click here to find Rivington on a map.
This image shows the Pigeon Tower and Winter Hill Mast from the road between Upper and Lower Rivington Reservoirs. The beautiful autumnal trees are in the Chinese Gardens.
On a cold, blustery, day early in November I set out to photograph Rivington Reservoir.
I intended to capture the reservoir from a couple of different angles, but for those of you that know the reservoir, this isn't always easy due to the number of cars that park on the road between the two reservoirs, Upper and Lower Rivington.
Fortunately, it was late afternoon by the time I got out and up to Rivington and the sun was quite low in the sky. It is well known that late afternoon is a good time to take photographs so I was really pleased to see the colour of the sky and the brightly coloured leaves on the trees.
I used my Canon Powershot S60 to take both photographs using the automatic "wide" setting. This was the first time I had used "wide" so I wasn't too sure how the shots would turn out.
I can only recommend that any of you out there, who haven't used the "wide" setting, should do so as soon as possible as I was thrilled with the outcome. This setting is fantastic for landscape shots and, I have to say, provided me with some of the best landscape shots I have ever taken.
This second image shows the view over the Upper Rivington Reservoir, with a view towards Anglezarke and Chorley.
Focus on: Lana Falcon
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Lens: Tamron 70-300mm Shutter Speed: 1/400 sec F/6.3
Focal Length: 300mm ISO: 100
Map: Click here to visit the map where the image was taken
My photograph of a Lana Falcon was taken during a falconry display at Witley Court, Worcestershire.
Lana falcons are large birds of prey which breed in Africa, Europe and Asia. They are also bred in captivity for falconry. It is claimed that the lana lived in Sherwood Forest and the Forest of Dean, where they probably had escaped from the nobility who kept them as hunting birds. The lana falcon hunts by “horizontal pursuit” in open country or African savannah unlike the Peregrin falcon which dives from a height. Its prey is usually birds, which it takes while flying. The falcon's nest can be found on cliff ledges or in trees, where it lays between 3 and 4 eggs.
The falcon pictured was exremely well taken care of by its owners, who demonstrated their devotion to the bird. I felt that this was a golden opportunity to photograph such a beautiful creature.
It was difficult to get a close photograph of the falcon due to the number of people attending the event. I took many photographs whilst the falcon was flying and seated on its owner's glove and jesse and this was by far the best due to the sharpness of the image and the light captured in its eye. The image was captured using my best zoom lens (70-300mm) at its closest point, along with a monopod so as to gain a steady shot without becoming an obstruction to others watching the display.
I would be lying if I didn't say that this photograph is one of my firm favourites. I love the falcon's staring expression, sharp eyes and the composition of the image!
Lesley |
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