Welcome

I am Rod Wynne-Powell, and this is my way to pass on snippets either of a technical nature, or related to what I am currently doing or hope to be doing in the near future.

A third-person description follows:
Professional photographer, Lightroom and Photoshop Workflow trainer, Consultant, digital image retoucher, author, and tech-editor for Martin Evening's many 'Photoshop for Photographers' books.

For over twenty years, Rod has had a client list of large and small companies, which reads like the ‘who’s who’ of the imaging, advertising and software industries. He has a background in Commercial/Industrial Photography, was Sales Manager for a leading London-based colour laboratory and has trained many digital photographers on a one-to-one basis, in the UK and Europe.
Still a pre-release tester for Adobe in the US, for Photoshop, he is also very much involved in the taking of a wide range of photographs, as can be seen in the galleries.

See his broad range of training and creative services, available NOW. Take advantage of them and ensure an unfair advantage over your competitors…


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Saturday 30 October 2021

Another Walk Within the Woods

          I headed to the Marston Centre for a walk around the woods, and as I took to walk anti clockwise around the central reserved area, I came across a couple of possibly volunteers, who were hacking back some of the longer branches surrounding the wide, outer grassy avenues encircling the lakes. They were certainly facing a lengthy task ahead if two was the entire task force!
          During the course of the day’s walk, the most striking aspect was the abundance of berries this year, so it is no surprise that they feature extensively in this gallery of images. Is this a portent of a hard winter to come? Another observation was I felt there was a larger preponderance of black-spotted and other leaf damage. Although I do visit these woods with some frequency, it is some time since I had seen any horse riders, which is probably down to Covid.
          I am always attracted to the constantly evolving stages in the lifecycle of plants through the seasons, and this day was no exception. This season’s Teazels is such an example, so it is hardly surprising my eye and thus my camera has featured their heads, one particular image of three heads really caught my eye as it was as if the three were in competition for intricate curling! I award the central one of the trio for special mention! Later, I spotted a brown, wind-blown leaf had become entangled with a lower leaf in an earlier stage of decay, still with rich red colour. To my surprise I spotted a complete cluster of ripe blackberries, and later a couple of funghi, but the strangest shot from the afternoon was a teazel that had completely lost its central core, yet the outer curls were intact!
          Two very large Mistletoe balls also caught my eye, but sadly they were hid from the sun, so their full splendour was not captured, but the second of two attached to the same tree was the largest I have seen — at least twice the diameter of a soccer ball! I was coming to the end of my trip around the woods, but I spotted one last sight of note, where a branch had formed almost a complete circle to host a cluster of its golden-brown seeds with its encircling branch! I left the woods still bathed in sunshine, and high clouds, and buoyed in spirit and spent the day since preparing these words and images with no regrets for a dull day and overnight rain.

Wednesday 27 October 2021

Milton Ernest - Riverbank Garden

          I recently spent a restful afternoon in and beyond, a friend’s garden — taking photos of the plants, flowers and other life that caught my eye. It was impossible to miss the most abundant colour after green and, normally after golden brown, is one of the natural features of the Autumn season — red berries — which were cascading in profusion from the branches of several trees.
          The stone wall dividing the gardens from the grassy walk to the river’s edge was draped in ivy whose trailing tendrils were seeking to find moisture further afield than dry stone. My eye was caught by a lone bee patiently ignoring my close proximity, that was single-mindedly intent on searching for nectar from the wild roses within the hedge; spending some time attempting to prise apart, the protective petals to reach its precious cargo.
          Is there some significance in this year’s large number of red berries? Are we destined for a cold, long Winter? Or is this feature a result of simply the preceding seasons’ affect on the soil constituents?

Answers on a postcard… Meantime I will revel in the opportunity given me, to capture fine detail of the lone, patient bee as it spent time on wild rose blooms.

Friday 22 October 2021

Calm, Warm Afternoon

          Another Autumn Day with promise and warning. There are high clouds, but my untutored eye reading was that these were a view of the present, as their power hinted of a less benign future. I was not considering a distant location, but a walk towards the nearby Forest Centre. Potentially, the distance involved, could take me a not inconsiderable distance to head home should the heavens open!
          Fortune favours the brave — at least on this occasion, for though there was a suggestion of possible rain, it remained within the clouds, and I spent the afternoon capturing a relaxed view of autumn colours and with the aid of the sun, textures of leaves, especially where the wind had turned and sometimes trapped them upturned to reveal their undersides. Not only was I treated to Autumn golds, but also vibrant reds that sometimes only formed a border to the earlier lush green. This season treats us to a grand finale with a curtain closure of as rich, but a different palette of colours to that of Spring.
          Getting out with a camera, and being able to gather the images together to illustrate the narrative of an afternoon’s activity is currently one of the ways in which I can exercise my ‘little grey cells’ and fill the void created by my overall lack of fellow human contact and interaction. I was pleasantly surprised by the overall variety of subjects that filled my time whilst exercising my legs and eyes. I hope others can share and enjoy the results of my efforts.

Tuesday 12 October 2021

Autumn 2021-Forest Centre

 
          It is immediately apparent when you look through this latest gallery of images from a walk I took in the Marston Centre Park, which I am lucky to have, almost on my doorstep, the woods do have some greens. But, there is a vast preponderance of reds, russet and gold, and pale yellow. It is therefore no surprise that my eye and camera feature these colours predominantly; I was lucky in that the sky was a rich blue with only wispy, high level clouds. Although the sounds of birds was underwhelming, the insect life did not disappoint, and I was soon alerted to the short darting flight of a Dragonfly; it was very unsettled and would land, then leap into the air within seconds before returning to almost exactly the same spot it had just left! Bees were equally restless as they rarely alighted for long on the abundant orange and pink clusters of flowers in one garden close to the main building. 
          I suspect that this spell of clear skies is due to close as the mornings are beginning to take some time for the mist and overcast to dissipate, and reveal the wispy, high-level clouds. I was therefore making the most of the current colour palette before the golden tones and russet of Autumn take over, the abundant red berries are already beginning to show signs of dying back, so I did my best to capture them before the coming frosts took their toll.
          I was pleased to find the end of my walk passed a cluster of high pale gold reeds and some wonderful roses in good condition and lush red bloom.

Friday 8 October 2021

Bedford Park - Warm Afternoon

            
Warm sunshine in early October is certainly an invitation to be outside, and is an invitation I find irresistible — so I head for a park I have not visited recently, and the beauty of sunshine lies as opposed to light from an overcast sky, is this casts shadows, and enhances texture and detail. A single teazel separated from its blurred background is therefore an ideal start point. Intricately patterned leaves either obliquely lit from above or through from behind are too good to miss! The leaves and sharp thorns of brambles, or the breeze lifting their leaves to display the rubbing beneath are always aspects of nature that will catch my eye, and entice me to record them. For the next several minutes, I found myself fully absorbed by the textures and colours I found all around; some so abstract they might well have been shot from above by satellite! And, as if to emphasise the beholder, as I panned towards what lay immediately beneath me, I grabbed a shot of my own silhouette, before taking a couple of rippling reflections that were accentuated by the original uniformity of the protecting rail, by the Canoe Slalom Course.
            A nearby bush was alive with bees and butterflies eagerly feasting. Rushing water within the pool by the lock gates, and the contre-jour but now somewhat forlorn remains of the spiders’ labours also caught my eye, as did the Mallard ducks being tossed by the turbulence of the water, then the frantic aggression from one male towards another (possible suitor?!) After this, the chasing male spread its wings to dry them, for the next encounter, perhaps?!
           A pair of swans found there was far more interest below the surface than above — but no! One at least had found a tasty morsel of reed upon which to feast. The predator Mallard ignored the passing feather from the previous fracas as it drifted past and the duck continued to paddle against the current. On the shores other Mallards relaxed in the warmth and swans dried their wings, or simply displayed their plumage as a mark of power. Overhead, gulls were gathering, and occasionally swooping to gather morsels of bread being thrown by children onto the water by the shore. This provides me with the chances to capture the gulls as they hover. In sunshine, it also gives me a better chance of capturing detailed images of the birds in flight; that is until some careless dog owners do not control their charges, and two dogs frighten the assembled birds! That irresponsible behaviour is a disgrace, and shows a callous disregard of the owners’ responsibilities!
            There were several Cormorants in the lake on this occasion, and I was intrigued by one which had something in its beak, but it was too distant for me to see exactly what it had in its beak, but after it had played with it awhile, I was unsure whether it had eaten it, or dropped it back in the water. The Grebes sadly kept their distance from the shore on this occasion, because it is a species I enjoy watching. The ravens I encountered on this afternoon seemed to accept my presence as unthreatening, and came reasonably close, and it was interesting that one pair was so different in their personal grooming - one was immaculate without a feather out of place, the partner: the complete antithesis! Unlike the male Mallard which was washing itself all over! While it’s partner watched calmly from the shore. The subsequent display seemed to justify the male’s behaviour, as they both snuggled up to each other — a display I have never ever witnessed before! I suppose you must admit, that definitely should be a feather in its cap!
           One of the Finger Lakes must be especially shaded from the wind as its surface is almost entirely covered by a layer of green algae, but the birds on it seem undeterred by its coverage, and their passage through closes behind them, as they paddle further. As I head back to my car, I stop to take shots of a Magpie that heads in my direction, entirely unfazed by my presence, but eventually, far less so with a couple of men heading towards me from behind the bird, as they licked their way through ice cream cornets. I resumed my pursuit of leaf textures, dying leaf structure, and berries — the Magpie flew off, and I captured a few more varied leaves and berries on the last stretch before returning to my car, and home, ending a satisfying and enjoyable afternoon’s exercise of limbs and brain. Enjoy!

Monday 4 October 2021

Warm and Sunny, Occasional Wind

          The present situation is a constant concern when in close contact with others in confined spaces but when outside, tensions recede and those stresses disappear, and when I last visited the lake at Brogborough, the wind was more apparent, but the urgency to be out on the lake was less apparent; ironically it had a calming effect! At first few were actually out on the water, but activity on shore was building as the boards were rigged and sails were tautened, and soon sailors were heading offshore. Sam soon was shedding his cloak, and making his way from the grassy foreshore and out onto the lake with his wingsail and, taking to the air. I am fairly certain he was very much aware of my presence and the camera, so I was soon grabbing sequences of his abandoning the water for the air.
          The sky began to darken, and the clouds began to look threatening, and a few drops of rain seemed to fall, but then seemed to simply darken though less threateningly, then to dissipate. Sam continued to jump — with occasional calamitous endings. The lake began to fill with more taking to the water, and the clouds receded and were replaced with higher wisps, which had a calming effect upon the sailors, so my subjects changed to those of leaves and their shapes and colours, and I headed into the woods with the intention of choosing a different background beyond the sailors. It seemed as if I had turned off the power to the wind, by my walking into the woods, because when I emerged further down to the shore, few sailors ventured in my direction, and when I returned the lake was emptying of sailors and their craft.
          Perhaps this short Season is closing.