Insignificant portrait

What is man, that thou art mindful of him?

These words came to mind when I looked at this photo of me taken by a friend. In the vastness of space, we are but insignificant creatures living on a tiny planet in orbit around an average star in one corner of a galaxy amongst billions of galaxies!

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At Heysham on Morecambe Bay in Lancashire, UK.

Lake Grasmere, Cumbria

The lake made famous by William Wordsworth, Lake Grasmere in the Lake District National Park is a mile long tranquil lake. I took this picture from a low perspective and attempted to capture the natural beauty of this place. In the distance, Allan Bank, a property managed by the National Trust can be seen. A small island in the middle of the lake was Wordsworth’s favourite destination while he was staying at nearby Dove Cottage. Click on the picture for more viewing options. Photo best viewed in large size!
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Wicken Fen #1

Wicken Fen is the oldest nature reserve managed by the National Trust. The nature reserve preserves some of the last remaining wetlands in Europe and is home to many species of plants, birds and insects. The following picture is of the Wicken Fen wind pump, the last surviving wooden wind powered wind pump used to drain the Fens. Click on the picture for a larger version on Flickr, and best appreciated in large size!

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Nikon D7000 with a Sigma 105mm, f/2.8 lens
Bracketed 3 shot HDR merged in Photomatix Pro and processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Audley End House, Saffron Walden

Audley End house is a magnificent example of a 17th century stately home near Saffron Walden in Essex. The property was also once a royal palace in the time of Charles II (1668) who purchased the property for £5 in order to be able to attend races at Newmarket. Audley End is now managed by English Heritage but all paintings and period decorations are from the original time and form part of a private collection. 

Audley End House. Essex
Audley End House. Essex

HDR composed of three bracketed shots at -2, 0 and +2 exposures and processed in Photomatix Pro. Please click on the photo for a larger version.

Birmingham Waterways

I’d read before that Birmingham was successful as a manufacturing site due to the canals that allowed the transport of raw material to and export of finished items from this city.

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In my many visits to England’s second city this was the first time I made it anywhere close to a canal. First impressions – I need to come back here again prepared for photography.