Month: February 2020

  • The Komodo Queen

    The Komodo Queen

    This is a portrait of a Komodo Dragon, the largest lizard species in the world. Isn’t she pretty? What did this image teach me? I learned several things: That a Komodo Dragon’s bite contains poison, and that Westerners only encountered them in 1910, and (most importantly for me) the encounter with dragons on Komodo partly…

  • The Spread Eagle

    The Spread Eagle

    If you visit Stourhead National Trust house and gardens, you may find yourself having a bit to eat at The Spread Eagle Inn. What did these images teach me? The first known usage of the phrase “spread eagle” dates from 1550, and means exactly what it says – the depiction of an eagle with wings…

  • Big Red Car

    Big Red Car

    How often do you see a large, red, toy car attached to a side of a building? It’s a new one on me, for sure. What did this image teach me? This composition is all about the lines – left, right, up, down… every which way, and yet somehow (for me, at least) it works.…

  • Crocus Close

    Crocus Close

    Found in the garden, poking up to show that Spring is just around the corner. What did this image teach me? This photo was taken on one of my favourite old cameras, a Canon EOS 40D – it just goes to show that, even after all this time (and a LOT of usage) an “old”…

  • Dried Flower

    Dried Flower

    Even when dry and seemingly “dead” this flower is beautiful, set against the peaceful waters of the lake at Stourhead. What did this image teach me? That flowers make for interesting photography subjects, even “out of season”.

  • A Shock of Red Feathers

    A Shock of Red Feathers

    This is the unmistakable head of a Red-Crowned Crane (also known as the Japanese Crane), it is one of the rarest cranes in the world. What did this image teach me? Cranes feature in quite a few ancient far-Eastern myths, and the Red-Crowned crane was often a symbol of longevity and immortality.

  • A Gathering of Pink

    A Gathering of Pink

    Most of the Chilean Flamingos were fast asleep when I took this photograph, apart from this one particular bird. What did this image teach me? In researching the Chilean Flamingo I discovered not 1 but 2 interesting facts… firstly, the word flamingo is derived from the Portugese for “red goose”, and secondly the collective term…

  • Blue Coot | Green Coot

    Blue Coot | Green Coot

    This is the same bird, on the same pool of water, taken a few moments apart. The only real difference was my position. What did these images teach me? In photography, where you stand is as important as what you’re taking pictures of.

  • Darwin & The Monkey

    Darwin & The Monkey

    You can find both of these statues in the Natural History Museum, London. One is immediately obvious when you walk in (Darwin looks down on you from the top of the stairs), the other is less obvious. You’ll need to explore all of the columns around the place to find this particular monkey. What did…