300 up!

When I started this blog never did I imagine that I would make this milestone. I have never kept a diary and couldn't see any reason for doing so, but a blog is different. There was a pause between my fourth and fifth postings of about nine months, why did I continue - probably because the photographs started to improve and I wanted to share them.

Late morning I had to make a visit to Phil, probably the best dentist in the world. It's an amazing fact that, having filled your mouth with dental paraphernalia and numbed half your head,  dentists then ask you a question and expect a coherent reply. Well today wasn't bad at all and Phil showed  a genuine interest in what I might be getting up to in the afternoon. I explained that I would be visiting Anchor Bottom to capture some orchid shots. Flowers are obliging in that they don't move much and that I would utilise some artificial backgrounds to improve the composition.

My backgrounds are made from Daler or Foam board of neutral hues held in place by a bulldog clip on a ground spike. Of course the distance between subject and background is important as none of the background should be in focus.

Fragrant Orchid taken "au naturel",  with some care to keep the background "quiet".

Much improved ...but you have to watch the colour shift - more photoshop attention required.

Possibilities are endless - do you aim for it to be aesthetically pleasing or visually correct?

Perhaps a few more wispy bits of grass lessen the "museum shot" effect.

 Pale form of the Fragrant Orchid

Fragrant Orchids  grow large here...



..as do Common Spotted Orchids.



 

As the afternoon progressed the temperature rose and Adonis Blues emerged but lack of sun meant they stayed in cover.



 

 Though some wasted no time.

  Technique also works for butterflies

Set the pose

Position the background.... perfect.



On the way back to the car park a nice specimen of Sainfoin, Onobrychis viciifolia

Dave's artificial background holder.

And a couple from Monday's visit to Kithurst and Chantry Hills

Somewhere in Sussex and Anchor Bottom (Again!!)

I needed to get out, mainly to prove that I can just about last a day out on the downs. I wanted to visit Anchor Bottom to catch and record the Fragrant Orchids, our last visit being a tad early for them. However, first up was an undisclosed site in West Sussex which hosts at least a thousand Pyramidal Orchids. Yet again I was a tad early, as most of the plants are still in bud, but I was delighted to record five Bee Orchids in the fairly dense vegetation. Oddly enough the Pyramidal Orchids here are extremely long-stemmed.

 

Having had lunch in a sea of wild flowers I made my way to Anchor Bottom, yes, I know, again!! As my seven readers may have gathered, it is rapidly becoming a favourite. No worries, it will be birding time again soon, just as the football season starts. A complete circuit gave me Fragrant Orchids over the whole site but the major population was located on the north facing southern slope, adjacent to a host of Common Spotted Orchids.  I also noted quite a few immature Pyramidal, dotted here and there. The weather wasn't  the best for butterflies but I did have a fleeting glimpse of a Painted Lady.

A wide variety of form and hue.

Common Spotted Orchids have done well.

On the south facing bank I found the patch of Meadow Clary, Salvia pratensis and took some record shots. I also found a couple of nice Common Broomrape, Orobanche minor plants, one tightly in bud, my first recording of a holoparasitic angiosperm!!

 

Dropwort, Filipendula vulgaris

Felwort/Autumn Gentian? Gentianella amarella

Mill Hill and Anchor Bottom (II)

Opportunities to visit the Downs with my able Cameraman's Assistant and Dark Background Holder don't manifest themselves very often. So with Liz driving we set off for Anchor Bottom - target Fragrant Orchid. Only two specimens found - perhaps just a bit early -  by the end of the week more will be showing. With a dark background I couldn't resist some shots of the Common Spotteds which were showing nicely.

 





With

 

Without

                

On to Mill Hill where the background holder became somewhat redundant. Liz just watched the antics as I manoeuvred to get even more butterfly shots. I was particularly pleased to capture a fresh Cinnabar Moth just as we were leaving.  And the Birds?  Well a couple of Kestrels, supported by Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats and a particularly good flyby of a Raven - too many leaves on the trees to see much else.