Today in pictures

[Margaret Pilkington]

Some beautiful shots there.
With the history thrown in....I like it....I like it a lot.
Do they come in colour as well Ryewolf?......I DO like monochrome though!

[Gremlin]

This is really for Margaret Pilkington.

My good lady's daughter makes bespoke cards and this is the one she gave me on my 80th anniversary of my birth.
Unknown to me she had looked up my website and found photos of the first tanker I drove at Gilbraith's and put a photo of it on the card and the actual registration number. The clock turns and its all hand cut. To say I was overjoyed with the card is an understatement.

Hope it is to your liking Margaret.

Oooops, it turned sideways for some reason.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by Gremlin

This is really for Margaret Pilkington.

My good lady's daughter makes bespoke cards and this is the one she gave me on my 80th anniversary of my birth.
Unknown to me she had looked up my website and found photos of the first tanker I drove at Gilbraith's and put a photo of it on the card and the actual registration number. The clock turns and its all hand cut. To say I was overjoyed with the card is an understatement.

Hope it is to your liking Margaret.

Oooops, it turned sideways for some reason.

Love it Russell.....It is the kind of thing that I make...as you already know from my Flickr pages.
I think cards such as these with such personal details are a joy to receive.


The folk who live near me know I make cards...and I frequently get a knock on my door with a request for something special.
I also write my own verses too and try to personalise those.


Most times any money that comes to me for my cards goes to Macmillan...but until July 2020 I am raising funds to send a boy on a volunteering trip to Borneo(it is my daughters boy).
He will be doing rainforest conservation work during the school holidays of that year.
An adventure for him...and pleasure for me making cards to help his funds.

[Ryewolf90]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Some beautiful shots there.
With the history thrown in....I like it....I like it a lot.
Do they come in colour as well Ryewolf?......I DO like monochrome though!

Thanks Margaret, I did photograph them in colour, but they lacked the punch that the monochrome conversion did, it was a fairly dull evening. Had the threat of thunderstorms and rain not been there then I would have probably tried to get some sunset shots.

[Margaret Pilkington]

I thought that there might have been some sunset shots....with the colours vibrant in the sky.
That said, nature does not always treat you to the pictures you would like to take.....so the conversion works very well, but then monochrome(in my opinion) always lends an edginess to pictures that might otherwise be a bit 'bland'.

I don't know about you, but I sort of have in my minds eye, the pictures I want to capture.
Sometime this works, but sometimes it doesn't.

[Ryewolf90]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

I thought that there might have been some sunset shots....with the colours vibrant in the sky.
That said, nature does not always treat you to the pictures you would like to take.....so the conversion works very well, but then monochrome(in my opinion) always lends an edginess to pictures that might otherwise be a bit 'bland'.

I don't know about you, but I sort of have in my minds eye, the pictures I want to capture.
Sometime this works, but sometimes it doesn't.

I know exactly what you mean, by the time I was taking the Broughton Hall shots yesterday (Sunday) it was already starting to rain a little bit.


A different day, with better light I probably would have gone for colour.


I pretty much know as I'm composing a shot just how I will process it....



When I first learned how to use a SLR camera, back in my art school days, it was almost always done using B/W film because that was the easiest to develop and process, plus Blackburn College didn't have the facilities to do colour film.

[Ryewolf90]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

But you do not want to be hampered by a batty old bird.(me)
I know that when I go out with the intention of taking pictures, it is best as a solitary pursuit.

It's no problem Margaret, bird watching is 90-95% waiting and 5-10% action.


This is for you, seen tonight...


I've sorta figured out it's habits/territory over the last few weeks, I've seen it on 3 days this week and 5 days last week, at all about the same time frame (between 6-8pm). Sometimes it lands, others not, but does seem to favour these spots.


I'll be going again on Saturday evening between 5-8pm if you want to come along....

[Ryewolf90]

I don't know what this is and I didn't have my macro gear with me but hopefully someone on a macro forum will be able to ID it for me...

[Ryewolf90]

Turns out my mystery bug is a Mayfly.... but it's June????

[Margaret Pilkington]

Thank you for your very kind offer Ryewolf.
I have a posh 50th Birthday bash to attend on Saturday, but I hope you have a very productive, and creative evening.

[Ryewolf90]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Thank you for your very kind offer Ryewolf.
I have a posh 50th Birthday bash to attend on Saturday, but I hope you have a very productive, and creative evening.

No worries Margaret, the Kingfisher seems to be a creature of habit, I saw it again this evening at around the same time...

[Ryewolf90]

Some from today butterfly hunt

1, 2, 3: 6 Spot Burnet Moth
4, 5: Skipper Butterfly

[Margaret Pilkington]

Wonderful detail in those shots Ryewolf....and although the subject matter is not to my personal taste. I DO recognise(and admire) your skills.

I went over to Beverley today and in the Library there they have an exhibition of natural history photographs....it is a world wide competition and there were some stunning pictures.....but believe me, yours would sit happily among them.

[Ryewolf90]

Thanks Margaret, I must admit I like photographing bugs and butterflies and that microcosm that's all around us that few people very rarely notice.... Plus there's the challenge of actually getting close enough to get the detail show in these, the front of the camera lens was less than 6inches away from the subject because they have flippin good eyesight....

So you can imagine there's a lot of frustration (and mumbled curses) going on as your subject walks, moves or flies away just as you are about to take the shot....

[Margaret Pilkington]

Yes....it must be frustrating to have in your frame a lovely butterfly...or interesting beetle....to then have it buzz off.

I think my dislike of creepy crawlies stems back to my childhood.
Having five younger brothers, they thought it hilarious to torment me with all manner of creeping and flying things.

I once came home from school to find they had collected every creeping creature they could catch....lovingly placed on my bed(and even some IN my bed).

So I do appreciate your pictures because they let me see what I would never see if left to my own devices.

But forgive me if I stick to Churches, views and things that are unlikely to lift off at any second....I feel safer with these.

Oh yes, there will be some of those static subjects later on today.....from my trip to Beautiful Beverley.