I Walk to the Forest Centre with my Camera

          It was not a day of brilliant sunshine, but it was not unpleasant, and it was definitely good to be outside, and in walking along the main road and passing by the main entrance to the Forest Centre, I headed along the footpath on the opposite side of the road, which in addition to the safety of the path, offered the opportunity to capture images from the front gardens of the houses alongside. As a result, I continued beyond the side entrance to the park, up until the end of the houses, before entering. The preliminary diversion had proved rewarding.
          As I walked along the path within the park, I also climbed the bank at each viewing area to see what the prospects were in the enclosure beyond; noting that the steps were being restored at two of them. I spent quite some time watching a fox family, and from that time onward, I chose to put the Sigma telephoto lens on the camera, in place of the 24-70mm with its macro facility I had been using up till that point. As the fox family appeared to be heading towards a corner and possibly out of my sight, I did not waste further time in adding a multiplier to the long Sigma, since it would reduce the time I had for any shots before they disappeared from view. Now that I know the fox family might be in this area, I will try to visit earlier, with that specific intention, rather than happenstance, even though it might mean no sighting at all!
          The rest of the trip covered the cattle in the same area, foliage I found of interest, billowing clouds of steam at the Waste Disposal site, and some interesting woodland housing structures at various stages of construction, and a fleeting view of a couple of horse riders. Altogether a very worthwhile but short trip with a camera again. Sadly, it would seem it maybe a while before we see the sun again. So, before the rains descend, I will be a mowing!

Sigma 60-600mm Lens Test II – Harold-Odell Country Park

  Having lost the Good Weather and the lens due back to Sigma, I paid a visit to the Harrold-Odell Country Park a bit north of me in Bedfordshire. What sunshine there was was on the milky side, and although Gulls and Ducks were the most prolific of the birds on the lake close to the restaurant, I started shooting from there but my first subject was a raven strutting its stuff and occasionally sounding off as if it was annoyed.

There were numerous gulls just moving lazily on the water, and occasionally diving, presumably for small fish, every so often taking to the air briefly before landing back again nearby. In the distance but on the bank on my side of the lake a heron was on the foreshore, so whilst moving past some of the grazing cattle, I gingerly made my way closer to it, and taking a shot or two before moving again – all the while it had its beady eye on me, obviously fairly cognisant of the focal length of my lens, because just before I came into a decent distance from it, off it flew to the far shore, but I had been going for quality so was using a low ISO, so once in flight it was not possible for me to continue shooting, bearing in mind it was increasing that distance with each flap of its efficient wings! – I was already at 600mm and also because it was the 7D MkII, was cropped too!

The cattle also seemed to be moving towards me all the time, and they had weight and numbers to their advantage, and discretion, a long lens that was not mine and the heavy tripod meant the decision was taken from my hands and was replaced by my gear! Also the clouds began to look more threatening and was definitely suggesting that I should continue in the direction I was now heading which was leading me back to my car, but nevertheless I still took a few more shots at the shorter focal lengths of the lens of the distant church and swans in the foreground – these two swans were also very much keener to preen than pose elegantly for me, so valuable time was lost by my waiting for the heads to be above water and hopefully displaying their elegant necks.

In both these recent Lens Test galleries I have therefore ensured that I use the full range of this lens in fairly real world scenarios, and though I had been warned that at the wider end there might be some slight Chromatic Aberrations, what I encountered was subtly different, and was not directly correctible – a shot of some branchless trees at a distance against the brighter side of light from the occluded sun exhibited a red edging either side of the silhouetted branch, hence being uncorrectable using the edge-shifting of the individual channels within Adobe Camera Raw. I do not think this is actually Chromatic Aberration, I think it more likely that the sensor is swamped and is overloading nearby Red photosites. However, it would be very wrong of me to highlight this issue as overall, I did not find any other major issues at the 60mm end throughout all the shooting I did with this impressive lens. Also, this is not attributable to the Sigma lens but the camera.

I would have no insurmountable problems at all in the envisaged situations where I might encounter the need to be able to frame my windsurfing shots when the sailors approached closer, or racing cars and powerboats similarly forced me to widen my framing of the subjects.

By way of describing a typical situation I have on numerous occasions faced, has been that a Windsurfer has gybed coming towards me, the beginning and end of the manoeuvre are uncropped in relation to the full sail, but at their closest point midway through, the crop is severe both on the hull and the sail, because the subject is way too close at a focal length of 150mm, however with is extended range dropping to 60mm we are almost the equivalent of a Normal, Standard focal length lens.

Currently there is not a specific Lens Profile for this lens, but as a start point, I chose the Sigma Sports 150-600 profile without a major issue ensuing, except in the single somewhat ‘centre-jour’ situation mentioned in this narrative

Once Sigma Stock levels return to being available, I shall be making a purchase!

This is a full-width section of the 7D MkII file at 1024px wide. Note the red fringing of the two major  skeletal trees, it does not appear in the gallery, just here as a postscript to show the only issue I encountered, and one that is down to the camera's sensor, not the Sigma lens.

Cattle Take Priority

The idea was to visit a field in Lilley Bottom Lane to try to take shots of Red Kite, but no amount of patience was going to reward me that afternoon, so as the cattle neared me I poured my concentration into trying to find meaningful shots of them as they came ever closer to me. I was a little concerned that despite being on a recognised human-designated footpath, they may well have very different ideas about my continuing presence, but I stood my ground, taking shots of either small groups or single animals, all using the Tamron 150-600mm.

The light was milky sunshine at best and increasingly being given over to cloud, and the breeze stiffened and lowered the temperature, but steadily as the herd approached they migrated towards the lower slope, until the main body had passed and congregated at the water trough close to the kissing gate entrance by which I had come in. They had always looked far closer than in reality, through the camera lens!

The lowing of the cattle increased as they passed and took water, then they suddenly upped speed and returned in the direction from which they came, clearing a path to the gate, and seeing still no sign of my initial subjects – the red kite, I decided my purpose had been fulfilled, and I collected my tripod and camera and returned to the car. What had surprised me was just how many different breeds there had been in the one field.

Slapton Milieu

After a long spell of unusually cold weather for late April, warmth arrives, but still tempered with a strong wind, that in the shade still has a chill. Lunch over and desk cleared and telephone calls all made, I grabbed the opportunity and my camera and drove to the village of Slapton and on to the Grand Union Canal.

On the way, I stopped to get a shot of the church resplendent in its fresh coat of Portland or Magnolia paint; somewhat strange for a church, but it certainly stood out well in the milky sunshine!

I pulled in by the nearest bridge to Slapton Lock and did a limbo dance beneath the rails to get down to the towpath, not the easiest way with a camera and case, but certainly the shortest distance. As before I noted how well the lock keeper's cottage garden was tended, and noted it was appreciated by the bees, out for almost the first time in abundance this year. I had taken a look to decide which direction to take, and chosen that lock and cottage and beyond for a start, and later I returned and took the way to Horton Wharf Lock.

The sheep were quietly mowing the farm lawn amidst old and gnarled trees, some even venturing to the water's edge where the fence was broken, then beyond the cattle were also close to the canal side with the Whipsnade Lion cut into the chalk hillside of the Dunstable Downs beyond in the afternoon haze.

Sporadically the birds would come alive; there were swallows swooping low into the middle of the canal as were a group of common tern, pigeons and crows would also venture from the farm building roofs and off into the trees. I also spotted magpies, a robin and a chaffinch, and every so often the Mallard ducks would take to the air.

I met a couple from Kent on their houseboat, who had travelled from just south of Stoke Bruerne and were planning to stop the night here before continuing their ten day trip further south, they had been intrigued as to what I had been photographic, so I showed them some of what I had gathered by that time and we chatted a bit about what birds they had seen along the way this trip, before I left them to their tea, and the wife returned to her knitting, possibly for a male grandchild, judging by the colour.

On my later return by the houseboat the husband was inside, and caught sight of my passing and we exchanged waives.