Meanygate meanderings (and beyond) - a farmed landscape
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I got myself a new toy at the weekend and took it out for a play this afternoon. It'll probably end up gathering dust like tripods of the past, but I wanted to see if using one would make it possible to get more depth of field at lower ISOs for a series of vertical pictures I have in mind. Of course that would only matter if I ever print them large. But we're all susceptibe to new toy syndrome and it was my birthday the other week!
But first another for the comparison series.
I was hoping that 35mm might work for the verticals but I might have to go a bit wider. Then again this might be one of those ideas that fizzles out.
Then it was back to hand-holding...
The first time for a while I've been out at sunset and seen the sun set.
I must give this a rest and get some work done!
But first another for the comparison series.
I was hoping that 35mm might work for the verticals but I might have to go a bit wider. Then again this might be one of those ideas that fizzles out.
Then it was back to hand-holding...
The first time for a while I've been out at sunset and seen the sun set.
I must give this a rest and get some work done!
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I have bursts of tripod use. Rarely do they last longer than a couple of sessions. My hope was/is that a lighter one might get more use but I'm not sure it will.
I've got a nice light one that I bought pre-Covid sat next to me as I type. That one hasn't got any further than the front room.
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When I have had a project in mind that needs a tripod I will happily take it out. The only thing is that these projects fizzle out usually quite quickly. I have no idea why!
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Out in the bitter easterly this afternoon I was remembering what the weather was like when I started meandering the meanygates, unseasonal spring warmth, sunshine and clear blue skies. Roll on spring. Although there's every chance it'll be cold and wet this year!
Yesterday the forecast was for sunshine. While it threatened to break through at times it never succeeded, with frost lingering all day in places.
Not much had changed but one of the flooded fields had drained considerable thanks to two pumps operating. This is just a record shot showing the thin skim of frost/ice on the field.
This is the second pump, downstream of the one that was leaking earlier. The way the log echoed the black pipe caught my attention.
This is a poor photograph of something I couldn't find a better way to picture. The straw looked to have 'flowed' off the field. I'm guessing it had been floating on a flood and when the flood drained the straw went with it. It was visually striking, but difficult to get the effect across in a small image.
Just some machinery in a field with a foreground 'bog oak'.
Although not much is changing at the moment I'll keep at this at least until I've done the full twelve months. I might as well given the unlikely prospect of being allowed to travel anywhere I'd like to take photos.
Yesterday the forecast was for sunshine. While it threatened to break through at times it never succeeded, with frost lingering all day in places.
Not much had changed but one of the flooded fields had drained considerable thanks to two pumps operating. This is just a record shot showing the thin skim of frost/ice on the field.
This is the second pump, downstream of the one that was leaking earlier. The way the log echoed the black pipe caught my attention.
This is a poor photograph of something I couldn't find a better way to picture. The straw looked to have 'flowed' off the field. I'm guessing it had been floating on a flood and when the flood drained the straw went with it. It was visually striking, but difficult to get the effect across in a small image.
Just some machinery in a field with a foreground 'bog oak'.
Although not much is changing at the moment I'll keep at this at least until I've done the full twelve months. I might as well given the unlikely prospect of being allowed to travel anywhere I'd like to take photos.
I really like the first one - the cracked ground detail - very nice!
The pipe and log, I quite see what you noticed. But the red pump is very visually dominant, it draws my eye away from the pipe.
I quite understand about the straw, there is a field near me with very distinctive stubble (from maize I think) - I keep trying to capture the patterns there, but fail every time. They'll plough it soon so I can stop worrying then.
The pipe and log, I quite see what you noticed. But the red pump is very visually dominant, it draws my eye away from the pipe.
I quite understand about the straw, there is a field near me with very distinctive stubble (from maize I think) - I keep trying to capture the patterns there, but fail every time. They'll plough it soon so I can stop worrying then.
sphexx
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Late this year aren’t they. Mine have been almost out before Xmas in recent years but this only about mid-Jan. Winter Aconites are out now.
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I used to play Car Wars in the 80s. This "machinery" reminds me very much of that.
Have you got a plan for this work Dave? (Apologies if I missed/forgot about a post that explained it)
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They've been out a couple of weeks here, which seems about usual, or even a little early.
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There's a zine in the offing of some pictures, but my hope is to carry it forward in a less random way. Don't want to make any predictions though!.
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Well, that's proved correct. The software is no longer supported and has stopped working (something to do with PHP which is beyond me) although the site remained live. A shame as once I had the site built all I had to do to make a new album/gallery was upload direct from Lightroom. The problem is I needed to delete some pages. Bugger!
A new free/cheap solution was required. My hosting provider has another site builder included but when I went to try that the gallery function uses Flash, which has been scrapped by Adobe. Bugger, bugger!
I tried Adobe's Portfolio but couldn't get it to make pages like I wanted them to look, and it would have meant subscribing for their hosting. I wanted something I could do the design on my PC and upload to my host. I think I might have found it. I played around with jAlbum some time ago but it seems to have developed since then and so far things look OK. It'll cost, but it's an affordable one-off payment for a hobby site. Still in the playing about stages but some feedback on usability and layout would be appreciated. http://www.photo.dlst.co.uk/
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No snow on the coastal plain to speak of and today SUNSHINE! I stopped work early to take advantage of a chance to get out after days stuck indoors. Not that I has much hope of finding anything to photograph so I took the car for a run. I spotted a traditional farming scene - gulls following a tractor. It wasn't easy to photograph as when the tractor got in range the gulls wouldn't come down, I guess because I was too close.
I was trying to get the birds backlit against a dark background but couldn't get the angle right.
The land is obviously drying, hence the tractor being on the land, with fewer puddles to be seen and ditches low and quite dry in places. What water there was lying was still frozen.
I also got a couple of building pictures before the sun inevitably got hidden by a dark cloud well before sunset.
Nice to get out again and a couple of pictures worth having, this one of the low sun bouncing off the sign which is one I've been hoping for since all this started.
Back to the chore of rebuilding my website this evening.:banghead:
I was trying to get the birds backlit against a dark background but couldn't get the angle right.
The land is obviously drying, hence the tractor being on the land, with fewer puddles to be seen and ditches low and quite dry in places. What water there was lying was still frozen.
I also got a couple of building pictures before the sun inevitably got hidden by a dark cloud well before sunset.
Nice to get out again and a couple of pictures worth having, this one of the low sun bouncing off the sign which is one I've been hoping for since all this started.
Back to the chore of rebuilding my website this evening.:banghead:
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The freeze continued and while the low temperatures and strong wind kept me at home the ground firmed up enough for tractors to get on the fields. A late afternoon walk out on Friday saw some cultivation had taken place.
In a few places it looked as if there had been a hailstorm, but the white blobs are actually fertiliser pellets.
Today was positively balmy but again I couldn't get out until four. There was some distant field and ditch work going on, but too far off to reach before the light would have gone so I ended up photographing greenhouses. for some reason the one I walk past keep throwing up picture making opportunities. Reflections are difficult to resist.
Shooting through obstructions is another trick I use. This greenhouse belongs to a houseplant producer.
I'm not sure why I keep trying to make pictures of this sump and pump area. The arrival of a digger made for something slightly different. I tried to work the irrigation outlet into the picture, but using the flip out screen for composition isn't my strong point. Nice idea poorly executed.
Good to get out again, even though it was only for an hour or so. Better still that I wasn't freezing cold!
In a few places it looked as if there had been a hailstorm, but the white blobs are actually fertiliser pellets.
Today was positively balmy but again I couldn't get out until four. There was some distant field and ditch work going on, but too far off to reach before the light would have gone so I ended up photographing greenhouses. for some reason the one I walk past keep throwing up picture making opportunities. Reflections are difficult to resist.
Shooting through obstructions is another trick I use. This greenhouse belongs to a houseplant producer.
I'm not sure why I keep trying to make pictures of this sump and pump area. The arrival of a digger made for something slightly different. I tried to work the irrigation outlet into the picture, but using the flip out screen for composition isn't my strong point. Nice idea poorly executed.
Good to get out again, even though it was only for an hour or so. Better still that I wasn't freezing cold!
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The increase in temperature has got the arable crops growing and greening but not much else happening or to be seen on today's wander. The neat regualrity of the piles of silt from this dredged ditch were what prompted me to take this photo.
The next two were simple detail pictures. The broken plastic pipes have been there for a long time but only since the ditch edge has been cut have they been visible enough to photograph. I'm not sure why I took the photo. Is it 'challenging'?
The remains of an onion pile made for a pretty obvious 'pattern' picture, but I took it anyway as there wasn't much else interesting me today.
At least I got plenty of exercise today after being cooped up most of the week as I spent an hour wandering somewhere else this morning taking my final photos for the upcoming zine swap...
The next two were simple detail pictures. The broken plastic pipes have been there for a long time but only since the ditch edge has been cut have they been visible enough to photograph. I'm not sure why I took the photo. Is it 'challenging'?
The remains of an onion pile made for a pretty obvious 'pattern' picture, but I took it anyway as there wasn't much else interesting me today.
At least I got plenty of exercise today after being cooped up most of the week as I spent an hour wandering somewhere else this morning taking my final photos for the upcoming zine swap...
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It's nice to be able to get out after four o'clock and have time to do a circuit in daylight. There was more ditch work going on but either out of range or strongly back lit by the low sun. Well, those are my excuses for not trying very hard. The diggers were too far off, but the drain clearing guys were right by the side of the road. I spent a few minutes weighing things up but couldn't see an easy way to make a set of pictures to tell the story. I settled for a distant, but well lit, overview.
The low sun had some benefit in that it was highlighting spider silk on some unharvested potatoes. this time I did make an effort but it was scuppered by flare.There probably weren't quite enough 'webs' to make a picture that showed the effect well either.
Looks like I got my sign photo in the nick of time.
The low sun had some benefit in that it was highlighting spider silk on some unharvested potatoes. this time I did make an effort but it was scuppered by flare.There probably weren't quite enough 'webs' to make a picture that showed the effect well either.
Looks like I got my sign photo in the nick of time.
sphexx
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I should have known that.Gossamer is the word you were looking for
https://www.anglers-lodge.co.uk/product/pearsall-s-gossamer-tying-silk/Indeed.
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That's my chances of getting the 'definitive' puicture of the pump house gone. It is no more.
The mortal remains.
That was pretty much all there was to see that had changed on today's brief outing. But the greenhouses provided me with something to photograph in the late winter sun. I do like vaguely grid-like arrangements of stuff.
It was the shadow patterns and disappearing tyre tracks which made me stop for this one. Not a particularly productive day for this project but this morning was for a couple of others. One of which is a new idea that needs some tghinking about after taking some test shots. Maybe it'll appear on TP if I can solve the practical problems.
The mortal remains.
That was pretty much all there was to see that had changed on today's brief outing. But the greenhouses provided me with something to photograph in the late winter sun. I do like vaguely grid-like arrangements of stuff.
It was the shadow patterns and disappearing tyre tracks which made me stop for this one. Not a particularly productive day for this project but this morning was for a couple of others. One of which is a new idea that needs some tghinking about after taking some test shots. Maybe it'll appear on TP if I can solve the practical problems.
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It must have blown over.
Another added to my 'strata' files. When ditches are dredged it shows the depth of topsoil over underlying clay.
Respray job.
They must be getting better at loading trailers, or more careful towing them, round here because I haven't seen as many potatoes and carrots in the road as usual this winter.
The hawthorn buds are showing green but there's still little fieldwork taking place, although the greenhouse growers have been planting out.
Another added to my 'strata' files. When ditches are dredged it shows the depth of topsoil over underlying clay.
Respray job.
They must be getting better at loading trailers, or more careful towing them, round here because I haven't seen as many potatoes and carrots in the road as usual this winter.
The hawthorn buds are showing green but there's still little fieldwork taking place, although the greenhouse growers have been planting out.
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I'm running out of steam on this now, but I'll try to keep at it until a full twelve months are up.
Today had a 'why didn't I notice that before' moment when I saw a field of potatoes which hadn't been lifted and I expect will be ploughed back into the ground which I'd photographed being worked in post #335.
The trail left by this digger ready for action clearing a ditch was what I tried to show in this next picture but I couldn't get the angle or framing to my satisfaction. The low sun made getting a decent exposure a problem too and I did more processing than I'd have liked instead of simply hitting the delete key.
But a stick in a field is a sure fire winner every time!
Today had a 'why didn't I notice that before' moment when I saw a field of potatoes which hadn't been lifted and I expect will be ploughed back into the ground which I'd photographed being worked in post #335.
The trail left by this digger ready for action clearing a ditch was what I tried to show in this next picture but I couldn't get the angle or framing to my satisfaction. The low sun made getting a decent exposure a problem too and I did more processing than I'd have liked instead of simply hitting the delete key.
But a stick in a field is a sure fire winner every time!
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Of mild interest, Google has updated it's aerial view of where I live. I think, from looking at some details, the pictures were taken shortly after I started meandering the meanygates. Certainly during the dry spell after the trees were mostly in leaf.
My photography has been mostly failure, however. Either things were too far away or I arrived just as work was finishing for the day. But activity is increasing and things changing.
My photography has been mostly failure, however. Either things were too far away or I arrived just as work was finishing for the day. But activity is increasing and things changing.
What I find interesting about the satellite image is how straight the lines are. I just looked at a similar image for my area (Bedfordshire), and there are hardly any straight field boundaries. I guess for your area it is a measure of how the battle against ground water was only properly tackled in a post-industrial age (earlier efforts presumably obliterated).
I like the tranquillity and textures in the final image.
I like the tranquillity and textures in the final image.
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The fields on the former wetlands round here are all defined by ditches and drains, as you move just a few miles east the boundaries are less regular even though the land is still pretty flat. Once the land begins to rise the scenery changes, ditches are replaced by hedges and the farming starts to become livestock orientated.
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A mixed bag today. Two things which made me 
I didn't like to intrude on misfortune.
From afar this drain work looked as if it was roadside, but it wasn't. Nice light in the distance though.
Another one that can go in my eggs for sale folder.
I didn't like to intrude on misfortune.
From afar this drain work looked as if it was roadside, but it wasn't. Nice light in the distance though.
Another one that can go in my eggs for sale folder.
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Well the red tray on the hedge is obviously what is known in the espionage profession as a 'dead drop' indicating that the are secret documents to be picked up.
Tarleton and Banks are known hot beds for such stuff.
Tarleton and Banks are known hot beds for such stuff.
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A change of scene today with a walk through the potato yard and back past the sheep farm.
It's difficult to convey the sheer numbers of potato crates stacked up all round the yard in a single photograph. I was lucky that the sun came out as I neared the yard and provided contrast.
There's been more fieldwork gone on in that area with most fields now tilled to some degree.
Most ditch work has been carried out, but some still under way on a Saturday. Farming doesn't stop.
A pattern in a stubble field.
And some gratuitous lamb action!
There's a lot of walking between 'hotspots' on the flatlands, which was novel when I started this because I was primarily walking and taking photographs without any plan. Now it's got get tedious because I'm walking in order to look for photographs. That's my impatient side coming out!
It's difficult to convey the sheer numbers of potato crates stacked up all round the yard in a single photograph. I was lucky that the sun came out as I neared the yard and provided contrast.
There's been more fieldwork gone on in that area with most fields now tilled to some degree.
Most ditch work has been carried out, but some still under way on a Saturday. Farming doesn't stop.
A pattern in a stubble field.
And some gratuitous lamb action!
There's a lot of walking between 'hotspots' on the flatlands, which was novel when I started this because I was primarily walking and taking photographs without any plan. Now it's got get tedious because I'm walking in order to look for photographs. That's my impatient side coming out!
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That is a good set.
As you say, farming never stops and your shots over the last year have demonstrated this admirably.
As you say, farming never stops and your shots over the last year have demonstrated this admirably.
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Went out earlier than usual today. Some tractor I missed seeing yesterday when I went elsewhere.
The old pump area is being redeveloped. I shall keep an eye on this.
Detail on a slurry tanker.
An old horseshoe, probably dredged up when the ditch was being worked on.
The old pump area is being redeveloped. I shall keep an eye on this.
Detail on a slurry tanker.
An old horseshoe, probably dredged up when the ditch was being worked on.
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Out again this afternoon! It was worth it too. Not strictly 'the moss' but definitely along a meanygate. This field was down to stubble beet for sheep winter keep. It's permanently fenced with sheep netting so I'm not sure what it's being sown with. Time will tell. Things have moved on from ploughing fields and scattering seed. It's all highly mechanised and automated these days. Looks like a lot to go wrong to me!
Yet another tracks in field shot.
And some plant pots outside the nursery greenhouses.
Yet another tracks in field shot.
And some plant pots outside the nursery greenhouses.