England | What's (in) the Picture?

Angel Gate Guildford

The old Posting House in Guildford now the Angel Hotel.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Blue Belled Graveyard

Near the High Street of Guildford is a St. Mary’s Church with an old graveyard. The Church where Lewis Caroll used to preach under his real name.

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Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Blue Sunrise

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Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Caught in between

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Exploring Guildford: The Surrey Scholar

England, Guildford – April 2025

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #350 (congratulations!) is ‘zooming’. A zoomlens gets you nearer to the subject, and can be used for lots of creative effects. The brief for this LAPC is to be creative, but in this photo I used the zoom just to get closer to a section of the ‘full picture’ of the Surrey Scholar on High Street in Guildford. The zoom puts the statue in a different light, taking the context away.

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Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Standing Out

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Mini & Maxi: Nostalgic Reflections in Photography

The weekly Lens-Artists Challenge #349 is ‘the first thing I thought of (when I saw this)’. For me this is about association, and the thought that pops up seeing a scene. Frankly this feedback of an image is why I shoot photos.

Two trees, a short and slightly taller one, an image that reminded me of Mini & Maxi, a small-art comical duo that consisted of Karel de Rooij (Mini) and Peter de Jong (Maxi). The duo performed under this name from 1969 to 2017. (there is no Wikipedia in English, but you can translate the Dutch one if you are interested to know more).

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Discovering Bluebells in Surrey: A Spring Adventure

The brief for this weekly Lens-Artists Challenge #349 is ‘the first thing I thought of (when I saw this)’.
Bluebells are famous. But I never saw one with my own eyes in the wild until this Spring.

This Spring I saw them flowering in the woods of Surrey. Beautiful.

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Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

The pros and cons of Tree Risk Management

Lately I have not participated in the weekly Lens-Artists Challenge, but here is one that fits the brief of #349 ‘the first thing I thought of (when I saw this)’. For me this is about association, and the thought that pops up seeing a scene can be the reason for taking the photo. Sometimes a thought that brings a smile, sometimes a thought of a type of despair or frustration: why? As it was the latter in this case.

In The Netherlands, all trees are bi-annualy inspected for risks, like falling over during a storm, to prevent calamities and discomfort. Its aim is to prevent and control future situations. In a way this makes sense, if you can prevent accidents, what is not to be liked about that? On the other hand you are never sure when they come down, but you do know that it will happen! At times with severe storms, trees tend to come down on roads and motorways or train tracks. C’est la vie, say the French. Luckily, in England one can enjoy the odd dead, broken, fallen over or not too healthy tree like this one. Let nature be nature, enjoy the ride.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Exploring Monty Python’s Flying Circus: A Sheep’s Perspective

Lately I have not participated in the weekly Lens-Artists Challenge, but here is one that fits the brief of #349 ‘the first thing I thought of (when I saw this)’. For me this is about association, and the thought that pops up seeing a scene can be the reason for taking the photo. As it was in this case. A peaceful arcadic scene of a green, lush valley with grazing sheep in the distance, made me think of a sketch.
One of my first introductions to Monty Python’s Flying Circus was the sketch ‘Flying Sheep’. In which dim sheep are trying to be like birds, led by the most dangerous of all animals, a clever sheep (Harald). After that introduction I was a fan forever, of Python, and sometimes lamb.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Rusper Church

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Creating Fisheye Effects with iPhone’s Panorama Feature? (a view from a hill)

The iPhone has a cute panorama feature. The result of a pan shot is the above. I wonder if you could ‘turn it around’ so that it looks more like a wide angle/fisheye shot. That would look more natural to me. Anyone has any ideas? Now it looks like a view from a corner.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Breakfast in Harwich: A Ferry Arrival Experience

Coming off the night ferry, breakfast at Starbucks.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Morton Main Street

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Southwell Minster Window

A window of Southwell’s Minster.

Shot with Nikon Zf, edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Sam

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Black and White

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version.

Dusk

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Restaurant Toilet With A View

England, Fakenham – Binham – January 2025

Right next to the Binham Priory is The Parlour. A working dairy farm with a monumental breakfast.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Restaurant Toilet

The Maltings – The Grain Store in Weybourne. Sometimes a toilet is worth a photo.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseedand Marksta Click the picture for a larger version.

Queen Elizabeth II bridge

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Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta. Click the picture for a larger version

Holt Shops at Night

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Eric’s at Holt

A visit to England without fish and chips?

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Blakeney Sunrise

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Through The Hedges – A Morning Walk in Blakeney

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Morning Walk Blakeney

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The Grain Store at Weybourne

The Maltings – The Grain Store in Weybourne. A beautiful restored barn, and great ambiance to enjoy good food.

Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

All Along The Watertower

England, Manningtree – Horsley Cross – December 2024

Ending the year in the UK, a roadside view from the car over a foggy Essex countryside. Hence the sharpness is not optimal.

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Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Capturing Road Side Views: The Sun Also Rises – Colchester

England, Colchester- Little Bentley – December 2024

Ending the year in the UK, a roadside view from the car over a foggy countryside. Hence the sharpness is not optimal.

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Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Capturing Road Side Views: Fakenham

England, Fakenham – Pensthorpe – December 2024

Ending the year in the UK, a roadside view from the car over a foggy Norfolk countryside. Hence the sharpness is not optimal.

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Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Capturing Foggy Countryside: We Stand Alone – Stowmarket, Suffolk

England, Stowmarket – Little Stonham – December 2024

Ending the year in the UK, a roadside view from the car over a foggy Suffolk countryside. Hence the sharpness is not optimal. This is another one I used GrainLab to put in an analogue grain feeling. It softened the darks and gave the photo a more balanced view in the highlights. Snapseed tends to distort big surfaces in the sky, and this is a nice retouch effect to repair that.

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Shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max edited using Snapseed, GrainLab and Marksta Click the picture for a larger version

Capturing Foggy Countryside: England Roadside Views – Stowmarket, Suffolk

Ending the year in the UK, a roadside view from the car over a foggy Suffolk countryside. Hence the sharpness is not optimal. This is the first time I used GrainLab to put in an analogue grain feeling. It softened the darks and gave the photo a more balanced view in the highlights. Snapseed tends to distort big surfaces in the sky, and this is a nice retouch effect to repair that.