Welcome back to #MyOrdinaryWeek and week 12 was once again varied involving work, car troubles, making the most of no light and discovering a new location.
First up was an opportunity to wander for an hour in some afternoon light through an overgrown rail yard where a small woodland has covered almost all remnants of the areas industrial past. Dew to the harsh light and with underfoot being mainly made up with coal dust I decided to go with the Infrared to try and use the contrasts of both light and the woodland with it’s unconventional soil base.
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This was at the beginning of the week and with a day off on Friday I had already sounded out making this an opportunity to get away for half the day. Almost as soon as I started to make plans I was struck with car troubles, it was going to have to go into the garage and Friday would be my only chance. So back to the drawing board.
It was as you were, and back to grabbing the slightest moment near my home over the weekend. Saturday evening showed some promise with fast moving clouds with some gaps threw up the chance of fleeting light so I sneaked out about 2 hours before sunset to a local spot on Eaglesham moor. I’ve shot this location a few times but not for a while. There isn’t much to focus on except one single tree and a broken old farm wall but if the light is right it can transform the usually bleak landscape around it.
On arrival sure enough there was a burst of light just as I’d begun to set up, I was looking for some side light on the tree and colour in the ever changing sky. Promising start……..
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And sure enough, I was settled and had over an hour before sunset when the clouds out west began to thicken, filling those promising gaps I’d hoped would allow lovely low light to peer through.
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It did not look good but I gave it time. and waited around, eventually though I submitted and began to play with some long exposures, multiple exposures and in camera ICM before heading back.
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Sunday morning was about discovery. The previous day I’d passed an area on the train that looked interesting, a bog with lots of interesting small pine and birch trees scattered around the purple carpet of heather that was in full bloom just now. When I stopped I looked on google maps to see about how easy it would be to access. To my surprise though, I’d already pinned it and marked it as ‘woodland with parking’, I must have passed it before and just forgot all about it. So on Sunday morning I decided to go for a look around and see if there was any potential. The weather was to be dull and flat so it was all about sussing out the parking, layout and if it was worth returning in better conditions.
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The open areas showed some sunrise potential with lots of interesting copses and lone trees to work with but as always in boggy areas its not easy to walk around not just with underfoot conditions but when it’s calm like this day the Midges are unbearable. Gloves and head net where the only solution on this occasion.
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I moved back into the woodlands where I was excited to find a huge variety of species of tree, all kindly spaced apart. If there wasn’t thick heather then pockets of fern/bracken dotted the floor which could look pretty good in a month or so when the colour turns to a more autumnal palette.
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All in all a good wander with potential in the coming seasons where hopefully conditions will bring out the character of this place and more importantly kill off some of the midges.
No real keepers again but it felt like a productive week or at least an optimistic one. Perhaps the feeling of being at the top of the hill of summer has helped as I like so many other photographers get very impatient through these months, waiting for the hint of colour to return to the trees as we get ready to run down the other side and splash right into Autumn.
I did work on two other images this week, technically last weeks shots but created this week. Once more multiple exposure images created using Photoshop, each consisting of 3 shots processed together. I am enjoying the whole process of playing around with this sort of image as although different to my more conventional landscapes there is a sense of creativity as I work on each one and finding something I feel stirs emotion or intrigue. I’m never sure if they quite work for anybody else but when I find the right mood for me it’s very rewarding.
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So that’s My Ordinary Week once again. I do hope you have found some enjoyment from it and I do really appreciate you taking the time to have a look. If you have any comments then please feel free to leave them below or contact me through the website or social media platforms linked.
Until next week……..
