<Insert all sorts of poetic stuff about how life is cyclic, and how the seasons perfectly represent human life, etc., etc.>

Once Spring hits England, all hell breaks loose and everything goes a truly fantastic, citrusy shade of green for a few months. The winter months (basically, October through April…) on the other hand are rather dull. As you’ve seen from my photos of Sussex, the most excitement we see is the occasional frost or, if we’re very lucky, some snow. The sunsets are OK too I guess, but really all we have (down South at least) are a few hills, some fields, some trees… and that’s about it really.

So, not to be defeated by the grey drizzle of England, I reached for my uber lens of telephoto doom (as featured in this photo) and wandered around underneath some of our lovely oak trees taking photos. Macro photos. Everyone loves macro photos, right?

Well I hope you enjoy these two; I like them! (Truth be told, I don’t do a lot of macro stuff but I’ve been told I should do more…)

(They’re large, but you should make space in your browser window to look at them in full-size, they’re quite pretty!)

When I started taking photography seriously I shot, almost exclusively, night-time landscapes. Believe it or not, I actually learnt around Washington D.C. — back in 2002 I could be found tramping around the US capital at two in the morning trying to catch the perfect photo. I took a killer photo of the Watergate complex — one of my favourites of all time! — but about 3 years ago I lost it. My hard disk died. Sucks.

But anyway, for about 2 years I took lots and lots of at-night landscapes. Some industrial (check this one from university), some urban, but mostly very-long-exposure shots of trees and fields to bring out the stars, or give the clouds a dreamy, smooth appearance. And then one day… I stopped!

And then last night, after 5 years… I started again, afresh! You can see the results below. A little note: I’m not going to give away all the secrets, but the colours in the photos are ‘true’. When you play with long exposures you can achieve some pretty startling effects! To the naked eye the colours would be no where near as intense. But the point is: they haven’t been altered; it’s just the magic of photography!

(If your monitor is setup correctly you should be able to see the shadow of the tree, thrown by an almost-full moon! Also, there are many more stars in the full-size version (if you bought a print you would see ALL of them).)

(Really, I’m not cheating with the colours. Note the stars — is that the Big Dipper? And would that make it Polaris at the top of the frame?)

Silver (and orange and gold) Birches & Skirts, Knitwear, Coats

(Click each photo for a larger version)

Seb: I told you I’d be photographing Autumn (Fall)! I tried some oaks, some beeches… but none of them were quite autumny enough! The silver birches were the first trees to go truly ‘autumnal’ in our garden; beautifully golden and yellow, every gust of wind blowing yet another handful of leaves fluttering from bough to ground.

I almost took a photo from the ground up, so you could see the leaves amongst the grass, but this angle worked better. I love how the very bright sun is just dappled enough to make this photo possible (though you can see a gap where the leaves didn’t quite block enough sunlight to prevent overexposure… damn!) — and of course, once the light passes through the yellow leaves… the ambient light is GOLDEN!

England — at least the south — is beautiful right now. It’s warm, but the nights have an edge of chill just to remind you of what’s coming. I’ve started wearing socks again! And most importantly, it’s blustery. If you’ve never been in a British forest in the Autumn with the wind blustering all about you, head hunkered down into your jacket to keep your ears warm — if you’ve never done that, you really ought to.

Abi: Skirts, Knitwear, Coats: The last days of Summer. The colder months are just around the corner… I hate to say it but lately the air has been all “back to school” cold in the mornings and I have stopped wanting to sleep naked, covered only by a white sheet at night. Soon the leaves will turn and fall and we will be no stranger to socks and practical footwear. But I’m OK with that, I like Autumn.

I took this when I was out and about yesterday. If ever you wondered where “Women of a Certain Age” go to get their clothes, then I think this is it. I am not sure if this type of fashion emporium cater for seasonal change.. nor am I certain of the approximate age when women are supposed to offer these places their custom, but the handpainted sign got me and seemed somewhat appropriate for the coming season.

* * *

Seb’s Flickr Stream — Abi’s Flickr Stream — you can comment here, or there!

Autumn Bursts Forth & Twister

Seb: Hey, guess what, it’s AUTUMN. If last week didn’t make that clear, hopefully this does. I’ve never actually seen chestnuts still clutching onto the tree like this — normally they’re scattered about underneath the tree!

I was actually out to take some photos of the trees themselves — there’s a beautiful avenue of ancient chestnuts nearby which I thought would look good at sunset. We’re talking proper, thousand-year-old gnarled and twisted trees that have been around since England was invaded by the Normans. I’ll upload another one tomorrow, so that you can see what they’re like.

But anyway: I looked up, as I always do, being tall and all, and I spotted some chestnuts glinting in the warm, yellow sunset. That ‘golden hour’ has never been more obvious!

This photo is an attempt at staying true to my ‘landscape soul’, while still catering a little more for those that like interesting detail in their photos. And those that like bokeh, of course.

Abi: The fair has come to town- and when I say fair I mean a selection of rides manned by neanderthals, underscored by a lingering smell of fried onions and a soundtrack limited to dance tunes from the mid 90s.

I rarely take any photos at night, I set out this week with a vague idea of capturing light and movement (maybe some people) with no clear idea of what I was really doing. This is a bit of a departure for me so things can only improve.

When I was at school this fair was something approaching a big deal. It has dwindled in recent years but the sounds and smells are just the same as they always were. Only instead of cider the kids are most probably on Ketamine or something. Probably.

* * *

Click the images to visit our Flickr streams. You can comment either here or there!

The Leaf Ninja & ‘Yes, they’re real’

Seb: Oh, look, it’s a… a… er… SOMETHING! Hiding in the trees!

The original concept for this photo was to have me laying on the ground, my face covered in leaves, with just my eyes visible.

Turns out the big-leaf trees aren’t shedding yet. And covering a head the size of mine in beech leaves is pretty hard…

So I did the only thing a man can do in such a situation. I rubbed leaves into my hair and torso until I looked like a tree! I’m topless, but sadly you can’t see — you’ll have to trust me that I looked very ‘Tarzan’.

And ta’da… stealthy, leaf ninja!

The ‘look’ is meant to be kind of ‘I could kill you with just my thumbs.’

But Abi thinks it looks more ‘creepy stalker in the garden’. Hmpf.

If you’re bored with the tree theme: I have a feeling that next week will be wildly different.

* * *
Abi: I remember seeing makeup similar to this on a fashion shoot a while ago and always think about it. This is a play on nature versus natural beauty and how we try to emulate what is natural, often by the most false and synthetic means.

Incidentally, my eyelashes are really quite freakishly long. They are the first thing people comment on when they meet me and probably the most commented upon aspect on all my flickr photos.

In the words of Sir Walter Scott: “What I have to say is far more important than how long my eyelashes are.”

* * *

Click the images to visit our Flickr streams. Feel free to comment here or there!

Newton’s Apple & Shoe Porn

Seb: I’m in two minds about whether I’m going to make this something deep and meaningful, or if I’ll just let it stand for what it is.

This apple is the fruit of a direct descendent of Newton’s apple tree.

Someone obviously scrumped an apple from his garden and planted another tree at the Cambridge Botanical Gardens. I then scrumped this apple and brought it back home to photograph. The actual tree from which Newton’s apple fell from died, so these stolen progeny are all that remain!

I didn’t want to do ‘yet another macro’ of the apple, so you get an experiment in ‘landscape still-life’. It works! (Though it’s a shame the tree is not alone in a field, eh? But I love the colours on the trees behind!)

As for the deep and meaningful bit, you’ll have to check my blog. It’s about Newtonian physics and racism — not for the faint of heart.

* * *

Abi: I find myself in London this week sans chocolate sauce, so very little thought went into this shot. I visited the V&A museum and saw these shoes as part of the History of Fashion exhibition. Although I am not really a “shoe girl” I think we can all appreciate this sexy pink and gold encrusted pair…

* * *

Click either photo to visit our Flickr streams.

(Click for larger)

Ho ho ho!

…

Everyone else seemed to be doing Christmas cards so I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon. It being Thursday, the last sensible blogging day before Christmas, I tried to be festive and fold in the too-much-information thing. [Obligatory link to Lilu, The Queen of TMI's blog]. Did I succeed? You can hardly tell the cat’s been composited in, right? I tell you, I’m never doing cat photography again. I thought it was meant to be easy! Damnit, I’m a bona fide PEOPLE PHOTOGRAPHER now! She kept scarpering ‘neath the tree with her tail ‘tween her legs. No amount of coaxing would get her to play ball: she just wouldn’t eat the fucking tuna. So yeah, the cat was there in spirit, but I did cheat a little; sorry. (That really is tuna in the bowl, incidentally — I do have some integrity.)

So, Merry Christmas to you all, or a happy and festive winter holiday if you don’t do Christmas. I’m not meant to do Christmas, being a Jew and all, but… well… it’s very close to Hanukkah (which was last week) — what’s a few days going to matter? It’s not like our calendar is anywhere near accurate after 2000 years anyway. It’s just religious scripture mumbo jumbo; where’s the spirituality in fixed dates? I think we humans just like organised, predictable holidays… makes our life more tangible, secure, safe.

I think I can squeeze in a few posts next week, before the New Year. They’ll probably take the usual, banal ‘review’ format — I might, if I have one of those rare, sentimental moments, even ask you about how your year has been.

Have a lovely few days anyway. Eat too much! Don’t drink too much! Relax — properly, deeply, wholly — and enjoy the holiday. You’ve earnt it (probably).

P.S. My mother also wishes you a Merry Christmas! She bubbled most effusively at the idea of her festively-dressed living room being on my blog. It does look rather nice!

(You can click either to get a larger, zoomed-in view… if you really want that…)

First, I just wanted to clear up some issues. Yesterday, when I ‘leaked’ (sorry) the first picture on Twitter, I had a lot of responses questioning the colour (and consistency?) of my urine. No, I do not have anything wrong with my kidneys. I’m not taking any vitamin supplements. I did not drink a lot of orange juice. That’s just the natural, slightly-radioactive hue of my urine. Sorry. That’s just how it is.  [And if you want more too-much-information, hit up Lilu's blog. Can girls write with yellow snow as well as boys...?]

Would it make it any better if I said my entire family were out and about enjoying the snow on our estate today, as I defaced our lawn? I think my sister’s off to the left somewhere, making a snowman. Also, after I had done up my fly, we made snow angels. My mother’s up the drive, shaking snow from the trees. I think my dad was off in the other field making a ramp to practice his snowboarding.

Anyway, it’s still snowing here in the UK. It’s really, really crazy. It’s easily the most snow I’ve ever seen — apparently it’s the most we’ve had in 50 years! The first half of it fell during the Christmas holiday, but this latest batch has effectively shut down the country. Really, really crazy.

Ta’da & Snow Drama

Seb: Believe it or not, it’s 4:15am in this photo. That’s not dawn either — that’s light from a city about 10 miles away. The colour itself is light pollution I think (though remember, this is long-exposure, so it wasn’t THAT orange, but definitely a bit orange). Look how still I held my arms for 30 seconds! (I’ve had a lot of practice over the years…)

I’ve been waiting all week for the perfect conditions for this photo. I bet you’ve never seen a landscape like this before… and neither have I!

The snow continued after this photo, and we’re currently under about a foot (30cm) of snow. There’s been snow on the ground for two weeks now — the coldest and snowiest winter in history I think, or certainly since I was born. And get this, our heating is broken because oil doesn’t flow well when it’s cold. Wonderful.

* * *

Abi: Whenever I look at this I am forcibly reminded of one of those Greenpeace ads involving a clubbed baby seal. Maybe it is the Panda hat, it gets a fair bit of attention and not in a good way.

Anyway, as you may have gathered, the UK is experiencing conditions which we as a nation are simply not equipped to deal with. Our transatlantic chums must bear in mind that when it snows, or excessively rains, or gets a bit warmer than we were expecting, our entire country grinds to a halt.

We simply don’t get much practice in dealing with any extreme weather and so, when it does happen, we either pretend it is not happening or battle on with the kind of camaraderie last seen during the war years. That’s what we Brits do, we queue and PANIC BUY.

The original concept for this shot did not involve me at all. Put simply, my friend flatly refused to lie in the snow for any length of time which is why I ended up doing it. This project may just kill me yet.

* * *

For smaller versions, but with the addition of usually-hilarious comments on Flickr, click the photos.

This is my house, just before we moved into it. The photo was probably taken in 1995.

I’ve almost forgotten what grass looks like. What the sun looks like. What frickin’ daylight looks like. Europe is currently the land of eternal twilight. Admittedly, I wake up around 2pm so I’m not doing myself any favours, but the cloud coverage is so thick, so ever-present, so OPPRESSIVE that it just stays DARK. The only patch of sunlight was a few days ago — you saw the photo of me and my sister right? — and the photos I’m sharing with you today are a few hours after that, just before sunset (though when isn’t it sunset in the Arctic Circle of England…?)

These photos are from all around my estate. I don’t think I’ve really showed you where I live before, other than my immediate garden. I live in the coach house of a Victorian estate. The estate itself totals about 300 acres (150 hectares?) — small fry by American standards I guess, but quite big here in the UK. There’s a manor (photo below), and a farmhouse (no photos, but it’s not as pretty as the manor anyway), and a bunch of smaller lodges and ancillary buildings.

[So, this is where I had a power cut yesterday... now I'm going to continue!]

If you look at the photo above, that middle section is ‘new’. Originally there would’ve just been an arch there. The brown/red bit is cobbles — they extend behind the house too. Lords and ladies would’ve left their coach and horses behind the house (there are iron hoops on the wall to tie horses to), and then walked up to the manor, probably through the orchard (which is on the corner of our land). I live on the left side, in the oldest part of the house (the right side is extended and modified).

Behind the camera is the swimming pool (which I think I’ve shown you?), and way off to the left is the formal garden (which I recently used for 52 weeks).

Anyway, have a look through these photos. I’ve made a few notes where necessary! Incidentally, it’s finally starting to thaw. And it’s only one and a half months until Spring!! .. ..

I’m not sure if this is my new favourite landscape… or if the next one is…

This is the one I ‘leaked’ exclusively to Facebook. It’s a lot prettier here on the blog without Facebook’s shitty JPEG compression though. Look at the PINKS.

If you’re trying to get your bearings, my house is to the left of this frame, and the farm is to the right (a long way away)