Welcome to Dunge Valley - I think...

Last time we visited Dunge Valley Hidden Gardens near Kettleshulme it was on a cold, bleak and windy Mothering Sunday, so it was quite apt that the next visit should be on a warm and sunny Father's Day. So much more welcoming - or so you would think! First stop was the loo - Abigail emerged from it and insisted that I accompany her back inside to read the sign. I was somewhat baffled until I saw the piece of paper stuck above the sink, with the words "Because some idiots..." printed in capital letters at the top. We laughed about this and sympathised with the £350 cost of unblocking the drains because of said idiots. However, this turned out to be just the first in a series of very bluntly worded and belligerent notices around the garden, demanding that we MUST have a ticket, keep to the right, don't have picnics, continue straight through if we are hikers and informing us that there would be "NO DISCOUNT!". I met a very nice couple who were also bemused by the nature of all the notices and we all agreed that somehow they added to the charm and personality of the gardens. We envisaged a Victor Meldrew type who lived for his gardening and very begrudgingly opened his gates to the great unwashed.

And we are so glad that he does! From the manicured lawn in front of the house narrow paths lead off steeply to the Rhodendron Dell, the Woodland and the Waterfall. Visitors can choose to go around following the numbered system or just explore and see where the paths take them (although I was a little nervous, expecting someone to jump out and berate me for missing out number 12 and going the wrong way through the dell! It was a hide and seek paradise for the kids as they could get a little lost but still be within shouting distance. As you climb upwards, away from the house the steep wooded sides of the valley are lush with ferns and late flowering rhododendrons and azaleas. A stream runs through the valley with occasional short cascades, so there's a constant sound of water, not to mention the bird song. I can't identify any bird calls but can foresee the inevitability of evolving from keen visitor and photographer of gardens to twitcher as time goes by. Do twitchers tweet?
Anyhow, I digress. The view from the top of the garden down the narrow valley and back to the house was breathtaking and you can understand why the owner guards this slice of Eden so jealously and probably would like it to remain Hidden.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

Make photos while the sun shines

 This sunny weather is fantastic but it doesn't half make photography tricky! Have a look at a few of my simples DO'S and DON'T'S of sunny day photography.

DO... Use your flash if the sun is high in the sky when photographing people who are in direct sunlight. Chances are they will have dark shadows across their faces which will look even darker on the photograph. make your flash fire by popping it up or switching it to "Forced flash on" depending on your camera type. (Don't forget to switch the flash off afterwards as your next shot might not need it). In the shot of Abbie and Sam on the statue at Kew I used the flash.

DON'T... make your subjects squint into the sun. Get them to turn sideways slightly.

Do... look for shady areas - umbrellas, shade of a tree etc and get your subjects to pose in the shade. You don't need the flash for this and your pictures will look very natural. In the ice cream pic and the tunnel one the kids are in natural shade and the light is nice and even.

 

DO... take photos in the late afternoon / early evening (or early morning if you're mad as it would have to be about 6am currently!), as the light is fantastic - the sun is lower down and the shadows are less harsh. In the photo of Abbie on the beach it was late afternoon - you can tell from her longer shadow. No flash was required and the colours are lovely and saturated.

Although mid-day can be a tricky time for portraits DO take landscape shots as the blue sky / green grass / azure seas etc lend themselves to picture postcard shots - no flash required and make sure your horizon is straight. Many cameras have a grid display on the LCD viewer that you can switch on, or you can straighten the shot up easily in PICASA and other software.

So, go enjoy the sunshine, put your suncream on and try out all these techniques. Meanwhile I'll be mostly found in my hammock with a chilled glass of wine!

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

Up close with a creepy critter

We came across this hairy beast on the boardwalk by Pickmere Lake - I'm amazed that Daisy didn't spot it and it therefore survived her passing by. The light was great - sunlight filtered by the high reeds and also bounced back up by the bleached wood of the boards. My first shot is a bit typical and although in focus and correctly exposed, it is, well, just boring!! So I decided to try another angle, which involved me lying down. The caterpillar wasn't going anywhere - frozen to the spot in fear of a strange giant - so I thought I'd play around a bit with camera settings. These shots are all taken with my compact camera - Panasonic DMC-FS12 - so no fancy lenses or kit. I set the camera to its Macro setting for a close up shot - just select the flower setting to do this. I then put the camera on the boardwalk, rather than hand holding it. This was partly to get right to eye level with my hairy model, but also because I was lying at an awkward angle and wanted to ensure I didn't get camera shake i.e. blurred picture. Then I took picture 2. This has started to look quite interesting but the point that is in focus is the middle of the caterpillar's body (where the + is).

When you select the flower / macro setting it gets your camera to start doing some quite clever things. Wherever you focus with the little square in the middle of your screen will be in focus but other areas will be out of focus - this can be a really nice effect and is called "shallow depth of field". But you really want to think about which bit of your picture is going to be in focus and which bit is blurred. In this case it would look better if the caterpillar's head were in focus. I decided to change my angle again for picture 3, looking along the length of the caterpillar and making sure I focused on its head - I actually wasn't sure which end was which so I may have focused on its bottom by accident! I still put the camera on the ground and just pressed the shutter to avoid camera shake. This is a much more interesting shot and I really love the blurry grey of the boardwalk and green of the reeds.

So next time you meet a hairy critter that is willing to model for you have a little play around with your macro / flower setting and don't be afraid to get up close and personal!

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!

Look for a different angle

Give your photos a bit of interest and add some quirky humour by shooting at a different angle. In this shot I lay on the ground at Abigail's feet and shot up through the tree branches. The tree in question is a Canadian Redwood, a baby admittedly, as these can grow spectacularly high and I wanted to emphasise the height and the fact that the kids were fascinated by them. I also made sure the flash would fire so that Abbie's face wouldn't be in dark shadow. The flares across the picture are from the high sun coming through the branches. If this had been coming directly into the lens it would have ruined the shot and I would have changed my angle. As it is I quite like the effect here.

By Jane Burkinshaw. Share this post by clicking on one of the Share buttons on the right hand side. I'd love to hear your comments too!