if you go down to the woods today..., a photo from Down, Northern Ireland

Photographer's Note

its bluebell season again with the woods covered in a wonderful carpet of blue flowers. this picture was taken at tollymore forest park, near newcastle county down at the foot of the mourne mountains.

i parked my car in bryansford and went into tollymore forest to take these pictures. meanwhile, i was unaware that i had left the handbrake off my car, which then rolled down a hill crashing into a wooden fence. the police were called, and my wife was visited at home. no-one was sure if i has been in the car when it crashed, or if it had been stolen.

i was oblivious to all of this of course until i got back to the car, and it wasn't where i had left it. i had a bit of explaining to do when i got home too, as i couldn't be contacted by phone. i dropped my mobile in the woods and lost it.

not the best day.

copyright © all rights reserved.
the use or the reproduction of this photograph, on any media, for profit or otherwise, is prohibited without my written permission.
BMcC

dta, SnapRJW, PaulVDV, mmohan, PecoBud, delpeoples, delpeoples, Sonata11, annjackman, CLODO, Royaldevon, Kielia, timecapturer, tyro, mkamionka, maria-v1981, Noel_Byrne, ourania, chrislo, westcoastgirl1 trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

williewhistler (7229) 2012-05-01 12:27

Hello Brian.
Whoops!Sounds like a trip to forget!
Including the sawn off tree stump from a low POV adds interest and an extra dimension to the shot.
The abundant bluebells are nicely coloured in a good composition.
Best regards Les.

dta (51280) 2012-05-01 12:33

hello Brian ,
What a day ! Sometimes , te life of the photographer is very danderous :) . Despite of all thes disagrements , you've captured this day a splendid picture of the carpet of blue flowers . Excellent inclusin of the trunk in the FG . A fine light , too , and that is not so obvious to find in deep forests .
Regards

SnapRJW (18642) 2012-05-01 12:34

Oh Brian what an awful day, on a positive note though, the shot is breathtaking. I love the colours, the bluebells a stunning blue which contrasts wonderfully with the green leaves. The fringe of tree trunks with the sunlight streaming between them and the tree stump complete a lovely woodland scene. The magic of the countryside all in a beautiful image. Superb! Warm regards rosemary

PaulVDV (15017) 2012-05-01 13:05

Hello Brian,
So you have paid dearly for this beautiful picture.
When I look at the picture, I see beauty, new life, tranquility and serenity and walking there in the forest one can have no idea of the awful events happening elsewhere at the same time.
The contrast between light and shadow makes this picture very attractive. The sawed stump on the FG is important for the excellent composition.
Best regards, Paul

mmohan (738) 2012-05-01 13:16

Hello Brian,
Wonderful colours and the low POV works well too.
Regards,
Manoj

PecoBud (3778) 2012-05-01 14:09

Well I guess you can say this photo has many stories to tell. Excellent capture and beautifully presented, with stunning clarity and detail to colors and light. Fantastic POV and fine story you’ve shared with us. Great Job Brian!!

TFS...........Your Friend from California........Buddy

delpeoples (44888) 2012-05-01 18:36

Hi Brian

Jesus: the things we do for a photo! Your note reads like a Greek tragedy...(or maybe a comedy, when you think about it in a few months time, that is). I am so sorry for you, both in terms of what happened to your car but also for the bollocking you no doubt received on arriving home! I can titally relate. Your minds on what you're going to shoot, how you're going to compose it, the light etc. Not on silly things like putting the parking brake on! Anyway, for all your troubles, and I mean that, you got a great photo. The play of shadow and light in the BG is the icing on the cake for me, as is the old cut-off tree stump in the FG. The bluebells, well what can I say, they're stunning and so unusual to see. I bet you'll never be able to look at that type of flower the same way ever again.

Thanks so much for sharing
Lisa

Sonata11 (28209) 2012-05-01 21:00

Hello Brian,
Beautiful composition and framing of spectacular nature. Wonderful and amazingly executed image with fantastic POV and DOF too. The flower are so beautiful, the colors are stunning. Thanks for sharing. Perfectly well done. Love it. Awesome photo job.
All the best,
Barbara

annjackman (13171) 2012-05-01 23:01

Hello Brian,
Your day sounds like an episode from a TV drama! Glad you were safe and managed to get such a super photo. The image is very well organised so that you have used the various natural features very well. I particularly like the sawn tree trunk in the FG and the play of light and shadows.
Kind Regards, Ann

dkmurphys (36709) 2012-05-02 1:33

Hi Brian,
Charming capture with those beautiful flowers. I like the colors and the way you've composed the scene.

Daniel

CLODO (24672) 2012-05-02 1:36

Hi Brian

that's the good way to take pictures of these flowers: backlight! Good framing to incorporate the cut tree trunk at bottom right and the trees at the top of the image.
Regards
CLODO

Royaldevon (17713) 2012-05-02 1:45

Hello Brian,

What an awful day for you!
Curiously, bad things never seem to happen singly!

On a more positive note, your photograph lifts the spirit. It is beautifully composed with the tree stump providing immediate, focal attention before the attention moves to the superb carpet of shy bluebells. The distant tree trunks are essential to the overall effect, providing closure, the compositional third and shedding shadows, intermittently, across the flowers.
Beautiful!

Have a much better day,
Bev :-)

Kielia (20411) 2012-05-02 3:27

Hello Brian,
an excellently composed impression of these fascinating flowers. You took a great advantage of this fantastic light that makes many details visible. Very beautiful colors. But what an adventure! I guess your wife had an awful day too.
My compliments also for the note!
Warm regards
Harriet

timecapturer (30190) 2012-05-02 6:12

Hi Brian
I have taken shots of bluebells in the woods locally and have always been disappointed with the results, but this is wonderful. Love the fg interest and the light is so delicious. A quality execution and stunning presentation. Bravo!

Regards - Brian.

tyro (13009) 2012-05-02 7:43

Oh, Brian, you poor, poor thing!

In fact, I've only now looked at this picture fully and read your terribly upsetting note. I saw the thumbnail first thing this morning and immediately took an idea into my head - so I'm just back from a trek around some woods down by the River Clyde near New Lanark where there are some wonderful patches of bluebells, but, unfortunately, I think I'll have to wait a couple of weeks before they all come into flower.

But what an awful day for you - and your wife too - she must have been really upset to have had the police arrive on the doorstep with no word of your whereabouts. I do hope that you've managed to get things sorted out by now.

I suppose every cloud has a silver lining and this picture must be it. A beautiful composition with the star-shaped tree stump anchoring the foreground perfectly against a beautiful carpet of bright bluebells against their green foliage and with a lovely background of shaded trees and distant woodland. The decaying leaves of autumn around the stump add more variety of colour too.

Perfect exposure, lovely vibrant colours and stunning detail and sharpness.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards and Heartfelt Sympathies,

John.

mkamionka (24455) 2012-05-02 13:22

Hi Brian,
a colleague of mine told me about the blue bell season and that people meet with families to have a walk in the blooming forests. It is a completely new habit to me. Looking at this picture I understand why it is a pleasure to wander through the carpet of wild flowers.
Very attractive capture, the cut tree adds a nice detail in the foreground as well.
I remember I have visited this forest but it was not in the blooming season...
M

yquem46 (32227) 2012-05-02 13:26

Hi Brian
Well a nice colorful and luminous shot of these spring flowers in the forest
Reading the story of what happened when you were quietly shooting this one, one definitely may say that it was not a good day
Hope you've recovered from your emotions
Best regards
Patrick

mesutilgim (67856) 2012-05-02 13:33

Hello Brian,
Good observation and perfect capture.
Many nice details creates a perfect graphism. Nice shadows.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

notrap (4672) 2012-05-06 12:15

Hello Brian,
very good photo of a difficult subject. And regarding the circumstances a perfect result on a very bad day.
I like the bluebells, but so far have never seen them outside a garden.
Kind regards,
Elvira

maria-v1981 (10403) 2012-05-06 13:29

Hello Brian,
Wonderful composition with strong colours and details. The root foreground is like clover. Excellent light management.
Warm regards,
Maria

drizzless (122) 2012-05-06 13:43

Hello Brian,
The natural beauty you have clearly captured here not at all sit well with your very eventful day. Let`s hope that these sun-lit bluebells will remind you of a happy silver lining.
All the best
Jin

siudzi (23831) 2012-05-07 23:51

Hi Brian,

Wow! What a beautiful place as well as your wonderful composition! It's a pleasure to me looking at such a stunning view. Excellent! Thanks for sharing.

Warm regards,
Malgorzata

Noel_Byrne (7209) 2012-05-16 5:51

hi Brian,
This is a fantastic example of Bluebells, and must at least give some heart to what sounds like a pretty terrible day. The affects of light and shadow playing across the beautiful blue carpet make this a particularly fine capture.
Best wishes
Noel

npecanhuk (53829) 2012-05-16 18:34

Hi Brian!
Wonderful blue flowers!
Very beautiful and attractive picture!
Special regards to the chosen pov, composition, colors and management of light! The presence of the tree stump with its eye-catching shape was pretty welcome!
Too bad you had a hard time while taking this photograph!
Anyways... it was worth!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

ourania (12249) 2012-05-24 10:32

Hello Brian,
what an adventure you've had that day!I hope your car is repaired now and all the consequences are diminished. The picture is mesmerising and has the power to take the mind off concerns and worries. You've captured the beauty of the blue bells in a wonderful way, enhancing the magic of the colours with excellent lighting. The capture of textures is very effective. The composition is very interesting and well balance and gives the opportunity to use the light in different ways. I love the light and shadows spreading on the blue bells from the side of the trees. Also, the brilliant and velvety atmosphere. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best,
Ourania

chrislo (2173) 2012-05-24 14:48

Hello Brian,
I picked this one because I'm a nature lover, and I find this picture really attractive and lovely. I like the way you composed it with the stump as the main foreground element whose shape reminds of a clover. These nodding flowers are very striking against all the green of the leaves, and the shaft of sunlight that lits them up makes it even more vibrant and appealing. I also like how the light filters through the trees, providing an interesting play of light and shadow. Very nice composition.
Best regards,
Christian

ines8 (5838) 2012-07-17 6:45

Hi, Brian,
Splendid wild flowers, lovely composition, I love it.
Best regards,
ines

westcoastgirl1 (660) 2012-09-03 10:22

Hi Brian

i love the low POV of this photo and the lighting coming through the trees in the bg is spectacular.
the blue bells add a nice contrasting color to the surroundings.
elegant scene :)
Take care
Tosca

PS - i just read the entire note. Certainly not to make fun of you, but thats a funny story! Seems like an interesting photo shoot!