Oak IV

Milvus 35/1.4 @f1.4 (Photomatix fusion Natural 5 exp/6 EV range), Nikon Z 6 Late afternoon early May Surrey Hills

The Tree

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @70mm, f2.8, (Photomatix fusion Natural 2 exp/1.3 EV range), Nikon Z 6 Evening sun; the messenger tree. Threes like this spread all over the Earth. Buckingham Palace

Wild Garlic

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @43mm, f2.8 (Photomatix fusion Natural 3 exp/2 EV range), Nikon Z 6 Noon; flowering garlic under a lime tree - https://tinyurl.com/first-leaves-in-March It will take time to restore ash populations in Europe with hopefully ash dieback resistant types. The tree is being devastated in the UK. I am looking at an ash tree in prime condition, among other trees, straight out of my window. The lime is another vital element of a healthy functioning European woodland that, in its natural state, is one of the Earth’s most impressive wonders right there with natural forests we admire and demand to be protected by others from Borneo to Amazon. The European woodland was predominantly reduced to manufacturing facilities and pseudo-woodlands in a spectrum of landscape architecture of various forms and purposes. But the term “recreational” seems to indicate that there may be specific disbalances in the primary approach to life. Today we increasingly recognise the reach this has and that the shift towards that type of life was simplistically naive, in essence primitive take on the genuine realisation of human needs and ambitions that has been backfiring in many (unexpected) ways. Surrey Hills

Wild Garlic ; Flower

Milvus 35/1.4 @f1.4 (Photomatix fusion Natural 2 exp/0.7 EV range), Nikon Z 6 Surrey Hills

Greater Stitchwort

Milvus 35/1.4 @f1.4, (Photomatix fusion Natural, 3 exp/2.7 EV range) Nikon Z 6 Current days, early evening; the fragrance in bluebells-covered forests turns fruiter and sweeter as they fade and other flowers pop out of the pastel milky green vegetation in moister parts of the chalk forest. Shot not far from the Mill Road named after John Stuart Mill, a politician who knew about the value of these fragments of woods. Born over two centuries ago, one would be forgiven for feeling our world would benefit from the moral clarity and principles he stood for and represented. Surrey Hills

Yew Tree ; Spring

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @60mm, f2.8, (Photomatix fusion Natural 4 exp/2.7 EV range), Nikon Z 6 Midday; a yew tree on a ridge in the early second half of April. The cool spring makes the flowering stage of bluebells gradual and long. At this time (1st May), the flowering is in its climax; the woods are filled with the most pleasant flowery fragrance for weeks this year. Surrey Hills

Bird Cherry

Sigma 100-400 OS C @200mm, f7.1, Nikon D750 Late afternoon, April's early second half; large cherry trees in the upper canopy starting to bloom. As young boys, we used to climb these to reach the small, almost black cherries. The taste is aromatic, distinctly bitter-sweet. Surrey Hills

Surrey Hills III

Sigma 100-400 OS C @120mm, f10, Nikon D750 Late afternoon; temperate mixed forest spring (yew and pine for needle-leaf trees). Transparent, leafless forests and the whole landscape start to bloom with swollen buds, sprouting leaves and flowers, and in the course of weeks, all-shades greenery gradually fills the space in one of the most impressive (annual) events on Earth.

Hawthorn

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @33mm, f2.8, (Photomatix 3 exp/1.5 EV range), Nikon Z 6 Early evening in an early spring yew forest; this ragged, age-old, moss-covered tree is still full of life; further to the right, there is a robust leading branch off the horizontal branch outside the framing (by some 25 cm) forming a symmetrical shrub in perfect health. Surrey Hills

The New Forest

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @49mm, f6.3, Nikon Z 6

Oak III

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @70mm, f2.8, (3 exp over 1 EV, Photomatix), Nikon Z 6 Side-backlit (late sun glow, October) Ebernoe Wood

Yew Tree

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @24mm, f2.8, Photomatix merge (4 exp., 4 EV range), Nikon Z 6 Late afternoon (November); 75 degrees of ultra-wide-angle view (horizontal, 24 mm) includes most of the ground under the tree’s canopy Kingley wood

Ebernoe Wood II

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @70mm, f2.8, Nikon Z 6

Kingley Wood II

Kingley Wood II Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @50mm, f2.8, Photomatix merge (4 exp., 2 EV range), Nikon Z 6 Afternoon, November sun

Yew Forest II

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @40mm, f2.8, Photomatix fusion (2 exp., 0.7 EV range), Nikon Z 6 Evening, Kingley Vale

Yew Forest

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @36mm, f2.8, Photomatix merge (3 exp., 2 EV range), Nikon Z 6 Late afternoon, Kingley Vale

Ebernoe Wood

Milvus 35/1.4 @f1.4, Photomatix merge (3ex. over 2EV) Nikon Z 6 South Downs NP reserve Morning fog (sky). This may not seem like a typical scene for challenging dynamic range but the small bright spots (leaves etc.) vs the deep shadows of the damp forest pose such a challenge for both the DR and tonality of the image. Especially if the noise is to be kept in check. The Milvus foreground bokeh is more what we call photographic bokeh. The term is flawed, but we still use it to contrast painterly bokeh, something the lens is a prime example of for its background out of focus rendition. By the general standard, the former is inferior to the latter. But the answer to that is not clear cut because first, the bokeh of lenses is far more nuanced and can’t be lumped into two bags, and second, because of the subjective nature of this. The ‘photographic’ bokeh then reminds of those potential and theoretical flaws and features the painterly bokeh doesn’t have - and the other way round.

Oak II

Sigma 100-400 OS C @150mm, f5.3, Nikon D750 Morning, Frame Wood

Oak

Milvus 35/1.4 @f1.4, NDG filter, Nikon Z 6 Frame Wood, southern England

Frame Wood

Nikkor 24-70/2.8 S @45mm, f8, Nikon Z 6 Late morning, diffuse light southern England

Honey Bee

Crop (more than APS-H), morning,; nectar feeding on bramble flowers South East

Eurasian Skylark

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 450, Nikon Z 6 First sunlight; apart from its camouflage, the skylark is known for singing when hovering in the air. It also sings from adjusted spots on the ground and a low shrub. Neanderthal kids were walking past sights like this. Over past 30 years the skylark population declined about 90% in the UK. Phylogenetically it’s a genus some way from proto-corvids and closer to warblers (rather than to sparrows and finches). Over 25 MY ago the genus (8.5 MY old) had common ancestor with African Nicators and about 17 MY ago with sparrow(looking)-larks. Nature reserve, South East

Meadow Brown

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 220, Nikon Z 6 Slight crop (less than APS-H); male feeding on bramble flower nectar. The genus contains seven species, but molecular data based analysis (University of Vienna) suggests six or five of them are regional variations (subspecies). This is typical Eurasian meadow brown, the variety occurs in the Mediterranean (the origin of the genus was confirmed to be Africa). Though not the rendition of a dedicated macro lens, the versatility of the 200-500 VR/TC 1.4 also means it is a very decent lens for closeup image quality-wise - with the bonus of a long working distance which is just as effective as it is at normal ranges. South East

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 220, Nikon Z 6 Morning, crop (APS-H); Bumblebees are a tribe of colonial bees that have a common ancestor with honeybees and stingless bees tribes from about 90-100 MY ago in the dinosaur age. Their evolution converged with the expansion of dense leaf venation flowering plants. The current data strongly indicate that the other tribe of pollen gathering bees, the orchid bees, are a separate branch (mostly solitary non-parasitic bees tribe). Unlike their close relatives, the bumblebees live in simple colonies and are quite hardy when it comes to low temperature (body hair and muscle action help). The worker on blackberry flower is searching for nectar. There is stiff competition from butterflies, honeybees, wasps and other insects. You can see the slightly curved proboscis, relatively long with this bumblebee. The sucking is done by interval dipping using the energy-efficient capillary action it seems. South East