I took the 1200D full spectrum and R72 IR filter for another walkabout. This time through the back of the churchyard and then across the street to Old Mill Lane. I took lots of photographs but for now here is the one I personally like best.
I have always liked this view with the trees standing out against their surroundings. I happened to take this shot just as a dog walker and his three dogs were approaching them. That, for me, put the finishing touch to the composition. I cropped out some of the insipid looking sky.
I case you were wondering - no it hasn't been snowing. The usual practice when taking photographs with an IR filter is to photo an area of grass and set the camera to use that as a reference for white balance. Hence grass and similar shows up as white.
How time flies. It is seven years since I purchased a Canon 1200D which had been modified for full spectrum photography. That means the IR cut filter which is normally installed on the sensor was removed and replace with clear optical glass. The camera now responds to light from near UV through the rainbow colours and into some of the IR spectrum. Previously I had used the camera as supplied, without any added filters. For IR photography it helps a great deal to add an IR pass filter to the lens. To that end I now have a R72 filter which passes light from about 720nm. The results? Great for producing B/W (grey scale) photos.
The photos are taken in RAW format and processed using Affinity Photo. First a photo which has had the colour saturation upped to maximum and clarity boosted:
The rest have had the colour saturation reduced to -100 and clarity boosted:
All taken along my lane today. Lots of Sunshine (needed with an R72 filter) and some decent cloud formations. The main problem when trying to frame the photos is the R72 doesn't let light through that the viewfinder can see so I cannot use the camera viewfinder. More a point and hope exercise. Once taken the photo can be seen on the LCD screen so a quick check can be made on the final result.
It has taken nine days but the flower on the Pitcher plant has gone from this
to this
Three of the petals fell off to expose the inside of the flower and its bright yellow pollen. What was fascinating to me was the part which looks like an upside down umbrella. The petals which fell off appear to have been 'guarding' the gap until it was fully ripe.
From the angle of the second new photo you can see this 'umbrella' is growing from the centre of the flower. I guess it leaves a gap just large enough for whatever insect pollinates it in the wild.
No - my spelling hasn't gone haywire. A pleasant surprise this morning when I was about to water my Pitcher plants.
I almost missed it as it was facing away from me ...
... a large red flower. I don't think it is fully open as yet but I just had to photograph it. In fact there are two flowers, the other hasn't started opening yet.
It is all much of a muchness hereabouts at the moment but one new flower is catching my eye. One of my small orchid plants is showing flowers, on last years growth! The plant is a Dendrobium hybrid - Pocket Love:
It is also forming lots of flower buds on the new growth which should give a lovely display in a month or so.
The weekend was a bit over hectic for my liking. Teatime Saturday I discovered my hot water cylinder had sprung a leak. Fortunately a call to my local plumber was responded to very promptly and the water soon drained off and things made safe. Ben, from ADrip Plumbing, managed to persuade a contact of his to open their shop and supply a new cylinder which Ben spent Sunday morning fitting for me. We are fortunate to have such a friendly and efficient business based in the village. All I have to do now is wait for the bill to arrive!
At least a new arrival at the bird feeders cheered me up. It is a few years since I last saw a Blackcap visit the bird feeders. Here are a couple of video clips I managed to take:
Blackcaps are medium sized warblers usually seen in wooded areas but they will visit gardens, especially when their usual food supply is in short supply. So far this male Blackcap has visited for two days running. The male has the distinctive black cap but the female has a brown top.
All the regulars continue to visit - Wood Pigeons, Blackbirds, Robin, Starlings and Collared Doves, with occasional visits by the Pied Wagtail. Hedgie is still visiting every night for his / her free meal and seems to be getting used to eating the soft food alongside its usual dried mealworms and 'Hedgehog Feast' dried food.
