Have just returned from a lovely long weekend down in the New Forest with Mr Blunders, where there was walking, posh country houses, lots of mud (so I was able to christen my new wellies), rain/hail/sun and blue sky, and of course, much photography. Have recently actually worked out how to properly work my (incredibly complex) compact camera, having bowed to pressure and read the manual from cover to cover, so used this for most of the weekend, in mainly funky square pinhole camera format. Was positively liberating to be walking around unencumbered by my stonkingly enormous Nikon, and as much as I love my Big Boy DSLR the weight does sometimes become a tad wearing. Loved shooting in square format , I often crop my 35mm shots square so it was great to actually be able to compose using a square frame. The pinhole camera effect gives a vignetted and slightly muted look to the photographs which I really like, and whilst I usually shoot in RAW format these were JPG'd by the camera so were pretty much ready to go straight from the memory card, thus negating the requirement to spend hours of PP in front of the computer, staying up until stupid o'clock to work on them. So what's here is a bit more "holiday snap mode" than the stuff I put on Flickr, but I've had a great time taking the following photos!
Mark on our first walk on Friday afternoon,
having just been hailed on.
having just been hailed on.
It was VERY wet in those woods!
Mr Blunders consults the map (we're not lost, just slightly confused)
The beautiful New Forest
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Mr B!
A welcome stop at the pub, which was closed, but still let us in for a drink anyway :)
First pinhole camera shot (this subsequently proved to be rather addictive).
It was all very damp and there was lots of moss everywhere.
A visit to the National Trust property Kingston Lacy in Dorset, on a beautiful Saturday.
Both ends of a cow .....
The Snowdrops were out in force, although according to the sign on the gate, only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday - I guess they all went back underground from Tuesday to Thursday ;)
One of the ancient trees within the grounds of Kingston Lacy.
The long walk with snowdrops - lots of patience required waiting for people to get out of the way!
Mark contemplates the beautiful house. I did like it so much, although it wasn't open to the public until March, so hope to return again some time to see inside.
Mark doing his Master of All He Surveys Thing.
My lovely new wellies (which were very black and shiny before our Friday walk - M called them my S&M boots)
In the grounds at Kingston Lacy
Details of the house.
The Snowdrops found a way in everywhere.
Lunchtime. Mark had a jacket potato filled with curried something - he referred to it as "old lady curry", i.e. not very strong, therefore probably would have suited me down to the ground.
A True UrbExer's Car
Mr Blunders asks TomTom to tell us where to go.
The control tower, part of the RAF Ibsley airfield.
Now a home for bats and all bricked up.
Most of these shots are in pinhole camera mode with arty vignetting - hours of fun!
Mark doing his Photo Schnizzle Thing.
View from the control tower.
Me eight feet tall.
Photographing me photographing you.
Do Not Enter.
Mark doing his Rugged Thing.
Shadow Girl
Oh I do love my new wellies ;)
Mark reviewing his photographs.
Me as photographed by Mark
Me by Mark.
Now he's making me giggle .....
The Perfect Couple outside their Dream Home, photo by Mark.
(Do you like my wellies?)
"Where are my bloody glasses?
Oh, they're on my head" (ahem, cough)
Viveca photographed in some confusion by Mark.
It's not Proper UrbEx unless there's
a bit of barbed wire in there somewhere.
Photo by Mark
More fab photos from Mr Blunders.
Photographed through the gate, looking into the control tower.
Spotted on the drive back, this horse whinnied in delight
as I went over to say hello,
it was very gratifying to be so welcomed!
as I went over to say hello,
it was very gratifying to be so welcomed!
Friendly horse :)
