top of page
ABSTRACTS
The Ice of Monacobreen
The ice in this image is glacial ice, and over 3,000 years old, and seen at Monacobreen up on the northern west side of Svalbard. I love the way the wind has carved translucent, polished scallops into the side of the ice. I love the incredible turquoise light illuminated through it and the cocktail of silt and sand from the surrounding mountains causing the most beautiful and intricate designs within. All this makes it one of my favourites from that afternoon.
Looking at glacial ice, at first it is just fallen snow. The snow is filled with air bubbles and as it gets buried and squashed under new snow on top of it, the snow below compacts, reducing the air bubbles and creating ice. Hydrogen in the atmosphere bonds the shifts of ice together. Over many years the lack of air bubbles and the hydrogen together mean that light can penetrate more deeply into the ice. This combination means the ice absorbs all red and yellow light, reflecting the stunning blue light we recognise. Glacial ice also moves through rock and soil as it carves its way down the slopes towards the sea, so have a lot of other ingredients adding the soft greys and browns, that add to their beauty.
Looking at glacial ice, at first it is just fallen snow. The snow is filled with air bubbles and as it gets buried and squashed under new snow on top of it, the snow below compacts, reducing the air bubbles and creating ice. Hydrogen in the atmosphere bonds the shifts of ice together. Over many years the lack of air bubbles and the hydrogen together mean that light can penetrate more deeply into the ice. This combination means the ice absorbs all red and yellow light, reflecting the stunning blue light we recognise. Glacial ice also moves through rock and soil as it carves its way down the slopes towards the sea, so have a lot of other ingredients adding the soft greys and browns, that add to their beauty.
Iris
I enjoy the intricate beautiful shapes and details of the iris flowers. While photographing down low at their level I imagine being so small that i can go for a walk amongst their sumptuous petals. The Greek goddess of the rainbow was aptly named Iris and they also have a long association with English and French royalty thanks to their symbolic Fleur-de-Lis shapes.
Mallard feathers
The stunning, flash of iridescence within the feathers of a female mallard.
Frozen in ice
A big freeze happened overnight and the next morning the water in my shallow, yellow-tiled bird bath had frozen solid with some fallen oak leaves set in the middle. Wind must have whipped up the water, creating hundreds of tiny air bubbles that also became trapped in ice on their way to the surface. It was so cold out, but I could not ignore the warm colours and textures seen as one beautiful image before me.
Autumn leaves
On a chilly autumnal walk along the riverside, the dense leaves to the side of the footpath created alluring spaces through their rich, warm colours.
Frozen pond water
A big freeze happened overnight, and the next morning my small pond was completely frozen over. There had been a big storm and the high winds must have frothed up the water leaving the most beautiful geometric shapes as it froze.
Ice scape
The morning after a big storm my small pond had completely frozen over. The high winds must have frothed the water as it solidified, creating air bubbles and shapes that became frozen in time. Looking down on the pond in the early morning light, the patterns and colours looked to me like a scene from outer space.
Ice on the pond
A big freeze happened overnight and the next morning my small pond was completely frozen over. There had been a big storm and the high winds must have frothed the water, whipping up air bubbles of many different sizes that then became frozen in time as they journeyed upwards towards the surface. A scene that looked to me like something from outer space.
Canon R5 and 100mm macro lens (I think)
Canon R5 and 100mm macro lens (I think)
Poppy
While photographing down low amongst the poppies I imagine being so small that i can climb up inside the petals using the fine hairs up the stem as a ladder.
Pigeon feathers
Appreciating the many subtle shades of grey and incredible iridescent collars of pigeons. Often seen as pests, we also have much to thank them for. They were first domesticated over 5,000 years ago for their homing abilities, they have also been praised as heroes during war for their ability to deliver messages across the battlefield.
Swan's back
I am fascinated by the way birds can live on water, yet keep themselves warm and dry. Their daily preening ensures miraculous waterproofing, enabling every droplet to roll like a bead of mercury before falling back into the water.
Swan neck
The incredibly long and strong neck of a mute swan.
Spider's web
Taken in a shady wood, a shaft of sunlight shone through directly on to this web. The spider's web is strong, intricate and delicate all at once, and I think very, very beautiful works of art too. I see them as natural works of art. The strength-to-weight ratio of the material is quite remarkable, and spiders seem to be able to weave a web anywhere - often reweaving them daily. The webs have incredible properties, from attracting prey to letting the spider know when and exactly where prey is trapped.
Jewel of feathers
The soft grey wings of this hybrid mallard create a jewel-shaped frame, revealing the exquisite, iridescent aquamarine feathers below.
Blackbird belly feathers
This blackbird had been dead for a short time so I could bring my lens very near, close enough to see the pastel beauty of its soft and creamy under-feathers. Their exquisite fluffiness and lightness allowed them to flutter, weightless in the breeze. Taken on my patio early one morning. Five minutes later a crow carried it away.
Water off a duck's back
The way birds can live on water, yet keep themselves warm and dry fascinates me. This image shows the intricacy of a falcated duck's feathers, impervious to water. Their miraculous waterproofing enables every droplet to roll like a bright bead of mercury before falling back into the pond. Taken at the Slimbridge Wetland Centre, Gloucestershire.
Illuminated leaves
Plants under one of the biomes at the Eden Project in Cornwall. I was there on a Shadows and Light evening where they illuminated the biomes with coloured lights that created mysterious shapes and patterns within the plants.
Secret ice cave
We floated by icebergs of many shapes and sizes, each beautifully lit by the stunning midnight sun. This iceberg was solid but a change look through a small crack in the ice revealed a beautiful flat area in the middle of it that looked to me like a magical stage, set within another world altogether. I asked if we could go round a few times so I could try to photograph the inside. Unable to get too close for fear of our zodiac being sucked in and underneath, i had to use a long lens and hope for the best. I was lucky with this image as it describes to me the secret and magical world hiding within this white bulk of floating ice.
Just under the edge of the floating ice
Being out on the water at sea level, bobbing about amongst icebergs in the beautiful light of the Midnight Sun is without doubt a nature photographer's dream.
The arctic breeze blew frothy white waves complimenting the deep blue sea and the pastel blue sky. At times the sun was in-front of us and at other times behind, yet each way revealed sophisticated and exquisite patterns within the icebergs as we floated past them. Each iceberg seemed to create its own currents and tides, strongly pulling water underneath it, meaning much as I'd loved to have gone right inside one, we couldn't get too close to any or we'd be pulled underneath too!
The arctic breeze blew frothy white waves complimenting the deep blue sea and the pastel blue sky. At times the sun was in-front of us and at other times behind, yet each way revealed sophisticated and exquisite patterns within the icebergs as we floated past them. Each iceberg seemed to create its own currents and tides, strongly pulling water underneath it, meaning much as I'd loved to have gone right inside one, we couldn't get too close to any or we'd be pulled underneath too!
Frozen water
The pond had frozen overnight, and with the sun low in the sky the next evening, the light was bright creating the perfect opportunity for some creative photography.
next
Pond ice
Geometric pond ice
A big freeze happened overnight, and the next morning my small pond was completely frozen over. There had been a big storm and the high winds must have frothed up the water leaving the most beautiful geometric shapes as it froze.
POPPY
POPPY STEM
bottom of page