Excitement to test out the new (second-hand) Bigma lens (interesting page here) took me to the Aquadrome on an unusually dry but cold winter day. This winter has taught me not to take the sunshine for granted and I was keen to make use of it, or more so the absence of bad weather (not unlike how we confuse an absence of suffering with happiness!) A long walk with this behemoth certainly gave my arms a workout, but after enjoying the 50-500mm range and seeing the results it was certainly worth it.

Technical details: Sony a850 with Sigma 50-500mm (Bigma) lens.

A small selection of macro photos taken in the wintery weather.

Technical details: Sony a850 with Sigma 105mm lens.

Write-up by Dan (I can take no credit):

There are few green spaces left in London that quite retain an air of secrecy and other-worldliness like Holland Park. Nestled between Kensington High Street and Notting Hill, at first sight the park’s walled exterior seems almost to shield it from the inclemency of city life. Inside, the footpaths meander around dense thickets of bush and woodland. Even in the icy grip of winter – when we visited – the park was dubbed with a marvellous mix of birdsong. To the untrained ear, bird calls probably resemble little more than a cacophony; but with patience and mindfulness they begin to unveil a world that still dances to the rhythm of the seasons and beats to a tune before time. At the heart of the park is the little known Kyoto Peace Garden – a sanctuary for silence-seekers and a fine example of a traditional Japanese water garden. The garden and surrounds are also home to a flock of peacocks which add to the sense of exoticness unique to the park.

In the afternoon we paid a brief visit to the Natural History Museum. As impressive as the extent of its collections is the museum’s architectural splendour. The front façade and entrance hall is perhaps one of the finest of any building in the UK – and a fitting monument to Victorian extravagance. Highlights of the visit included the life size replica of a blue whale spanning 30m in length across the museum’s mammalian hall. 

Technical details: Sony a850 with Tokina 19-35mm lens.

A very belated Happy New Year everyone. Apologies for the delay - I've got a several exciting 2013 posts coming very soon!

Wanted to share some highlights of the year in an end-of-year collage.Actually, I've only included the second half of the year (1/2 / 2012 ?) since the blog was started in July. Looking through, I feel privileged to have had so many stunning opportunities to attempt to capture this variety of visual beauty. Click on the images to take you to the relevant posts from earlier this year. Unusually, photos are square-cropped here so not in original shape. Alternatively you can see the images in their normal form in the slideshow below.

Comments / feedback welcome - just click on the "add comments"  text at the bottom on this post.

Slideshow of above photos. Hover over the photo and click "play".

More wide angle photos taken at the Rickmansworth Aquadrome. The second photo shows the extent of flooding on some of the paths - fortunately this young cyclist seemed to enjoy the new challenge.

Technical details: Tokina 19-35mm lens, photos shot in raw with minor colour / white balance / vignetting edits before conversion.

A selection of photos taken with a new macro lens - somewhat challenging in the lower light of an overcast, breezy winter day and playing with an incredibly shallow depth of field. The combination of a (slight) telephoto focal length, large apertures, short focal distances and a full frame sensor are all factors affecting and reducing the depth. The small branch shoots in the third photo of tree bark are approx. 3mm long.

Technical details: Sigma 105mm lens, photos shot in raw with minor exposure / colour / white balance edits during conversion.

A combination of heavy morning fog, frost and icy daytime temperatures set the scene for some beautifully cold and eery winterscapes... Warmed only slightly by the meek winter sunset. My hands were frozen through thick gloves after half an hour!

Technical details: Tokina 19-35mm lens, all unedited  and  straight  from the camera.

Below are a few photos taken at Aldenham Country Park on a beautifully chilly winter's day, testing out a new wide angle lens. The last photo shows a flock of relaxed Canadian geese on the ground.

Technical details: Tokina 19-35mm lens, all unedited  and  straight  from the camera.

I felt lucky to witness this truly vibrant sunset at the Rickmansworth Aquadrome, just at a time when I felt like going for a wonder with the camera.

Technical details: Tamron 28-75mm lens, photos shot in raw with minor colour / white balance / vignetting edits before conversion.

Despite news warnings of further flooding, we decided to continue with our travel plans to Draycott, a small village near Cheddar, Somerset. Following a day of expected heavy rain, Sunday morning gave a chance to capture some of the unusual scenery.

Technical details: Tamron 28-75mm lens, all unedited  and  straight  from the camera.