Autumn Series 02

These two Autumn images feature some more advanced colours than the Autumn Series 01 post, with reds and browns much more dominant before the wintry weather this December finally caused the leaves to drop.

The field maple, an early starter when it comes to Autumn, had already lost many of its leaves in the photograph above, yet the remaining leaves show beautiful shades of colour and a classic maple shape against the sky. I couldn't resist taking a photo of the beech tree in the shot below either, as the canopy displayed an extraordinary range of colours at once, and the very vibrant red leaves saw an echo in the rusty red lichens on the trunk.

With some gusty Winter weather now here (some parts of Britain could experience gusts of up to 144km/h as storms hit today and tomorrow), it seems that will be all for the Autumn series for 2013. If forecasters are right about snow warnings though, we could be in for a very White Christmas indeed!

Autumn Series 01

 

 Autumn is lingering this year; it is nearly December and there are still leaves on the trees, developing richer colours. The warm Summer and mild Autumn this year were reason enough to expect a spectacular display of Autumn colours (read more about why leaves change colour in an interesting Guardian article here), and it seems the trees have not disappointed. Trees such as horse chestnut, sweet chestnut and field maple led the way with some early yellows and oranges, whilst even the late developers are now getting into the swing of things. Between them the trees are displaying a dazzling variety of colours including golden, russet, amber and fawn.

The two photos featured here were taken in the beautiful Danbury Woods in Essex. The sweet chestnut tree in the photo above originally began with a juxtaposition of green, caramel and coffee coloured leaves, but later in the season the leaves are almost all a soft caramel yellow - the browner leaves falling away, whilst the green leaves have finally succumbed to Autumn. The vibrant chestnut tree is framed in the photo by the dead wood of an enormous fallen tree. This dead wood has incredible texture and subtle colouring, providing a pleasing contrast to the chestnut tree in the background.

The photo below shows the amber-orange foliage of a field maple, with sugars in the leaves beginning to develop red pigments. If we continue with Autumn sunshine and temperatures above freezing we should eventually reach the deep red colours that we rarely see in in years with wet and cloudy Autumns or after frosts.

Keep your eyes open for more pictures to follow in the Autumn series!

Serotinal Shots 2013

 

Here are two shots of late Summer that I have picked out to share. Autumn colours are coming to some of the trees already, such as the willows, sycamores and field maples. The Summer is still lingering in a few places however, and with some serotinal sunshine at the beginning of October I caught these pictures in the stunning Constable Country around Flatford Mill and Dedham Vale. This area sits at the edge of Essex and Suffolk, and has been popularised through the artwork of John Constable.

The flowers in the picture above, an unexpected splash of bright colour found lingering in the Cattawade Marsh area (between Flatford and Manningtree), are a yellow which recollects the easy sunshine of the high Summer months now past. These were more beautiful for their evanescence, as the cold weather would soon close in and cause their disappearance from the countryside.

The image "Oak and Granary" below sums up to me the pastoral beauty of the Flatford area, bathing in the afternoon light. The oak tree, a veteran full of character and cavities, looks yet Sumer-strong in its green foliage, and frames the fields and the 18th Century wool-store-turned-granary (now a bed and breakfast) behind it.

 

  To see more Heenan Photography pictures, please visit the picture gallery. You can also browse the Heenan Photography Shop to see prints and merchandise for sale.

Doing Our Bit

Here at Heenan Photography we believe in doing our bit. We will be donating a percentage of our profits to help protect the environment for everyone to enjoy. The natural world is important for many reasons, and of course it is crucial for nature photography too! You can find out a bit more about our donations, and the organisations we are helping to support, on the new Environmental page.

Photos from the 2013 High Beach Festival

Although the start of September has seen a change in the weather, luckily the rain held off for the High Beach Festival on Saturday! Below are some pictures from the Festival, including the Photographic Exhibition in the Church which featured one of the Heenan Photography photos, "Hyggelig Hornbeam".

Red ribbons led visitors through the Forest between Festival sites

Photographic Exhibition in High Beach Church

"Hyggelig Hornbeam" on display as part of the exhibition

The public enjoying the festival at High Beach Church

Festival-goers sit on straw bales on the green

High Beach Exhibition 2013

The Exhibition and Competition

Heenan Photography has been shortlisted for the High Beach Photographic Competition, and will be part of a display for the 2013 Exhibition at High Beach Church. The selected photo will feature at the second annual High Beach Festival, taking place next week in Epping Forest, Essex.

Photos from a range of photographers will go on display in High Beach Church from this afternoon (Sunday 1st September), and will stay on display throughout the following week, as follows:

Monday 2-4pm
Tuesday 2-4pm
Wednesday 2-4pm
Thursday 2-4pm
Friday 2-4pm
Saturday (High Beach Festival Day) 11am-3pm
Sunday 2-4pm

"Hyggelig Hornbeam" will be featured in the Exhibition.

"Hyggelig Hornbeam" has been shortlisted for the 2013 Photographic Competition, and visitors are invited to vote for their favourite photos from the exhibition. Just write down the number of your favourite photo from the exhibition and pop it into the ballot box. People will also be able to make bids to purchase the prints on display, in order to raise money for High Beach Church. So why not go along to see the photos, and vote for your winner?

High Beach Festival -Saturday 7th September

A festival to celebrate and enjoy local heritage, in an excellent forest location. The High Beach Festival takes place from 11am-4pm, with FREE entry. In addition to the Photographic Exhibition, activities include:

• Pond dipping and mini-beast hunts at Epping Forest Field Centre (regular half-hour sessions). 
• Wildlife and sporting activities on High Beach Green, including cricket, golf and riding.
• A dog show, also on High Beach Green (register at 11am, show at 11.30am, judging at noon). £1 per entry. 
• Children's fun races (3pm- 4pm) on High Beach Green. 
• At High Beach Church try playing the bells, brass rubbing, flower arranging (11am-3pm). 
• The City of London and Friends of EF will provide information on cycling, walking, and running in the Forest.
• Lunches, hot and cold drinks, and home-made cakes will be available at High Beach Church.
• Prom in the Forest concert takes place at the Church at 7pm. Tickets are available, priced £10 each, available by ringing 07510 195877 (or on the door) 
• Refreshments will be available at the Church, King's Oak, Duke of Wellington, Forest Tea Huts.

 For more information about the event visit http://highbeachchurch.org.uk/high-beach-festival/

Clothing Launch

Clothing is now available online through the store!

You can now buy the Epping Forest Grid design T-shirts, which were launched at the 2013 Epping Forest "Working Woodland Day" event, by visiting the clothing shop page.

To find out more about buying from Heenan Photography, visit the buying page.

Successful Event

Many thanks to everyone that came to say hello, and showed an interest in the Heenan Photography stall, at the Working Woodland Day event on Saturday 17th August. Tom and Natasha gave out flyers and sweets, talked to visitors about Heenan Photography, and offered both photographic prints and the newly-designed T-shirts for sale at the venue in North Weald in Epping Forest. The event as a whole was very successful, with an estimated 1,250 people attending on the day, which luckily turned out fine in spite of the forecast (which mentioned a chance of rain!).

Heenan Photography are donating 25% of money taken at the Working Woodland Day event to Trees for Cities, a charity that works with local communities on tree planting projects in urban areas.

August News

Well, things may have seemed quiet on the website lately but we have been busy behind the scenes with a few different things.

You may notice that web shopping has arrived! After much coding, recoding and head-scratching by Tom (thanks Tom), ordering your Heenan Photography artwork should now be a doddle. You can browse the shop by clicking here or using the "Shop" option in the top menu, and there is a nifty little shopping cart which should pop up so you can keep track of things. Payment can be completed through the shopping cart using a variety of methods, including Paypal. If you do have any issues with the new system, please get in touch so we can fix any last bugs!

The Working Woodland Day event is tomorrow (read more about it here), and a lot of work has also gone into preparing for the Heenan Photography stall. This includes getting products ready for selling, such as the brand new T-shirts. The "Epping Forest Grid" design is being launched at the Working Woodland Day, which means the event will be an exclusive first chance to buy your very own Heenan Photography T-shirt featuring 25 different images of Epping Forest. Not only this, but to celebrate the launch of this new product the T-shirts will go on sale at a discounted price - £14 (S M L) / £14.50 (XL+) just £12.00 each if you buy them at the event. Bargain!

And, as always, keep an eye out for new pictures on the site, such as the Summer photos in this blog post. Thanks for listening!

Images of Summer

A selection of 2013 Summer pictures, from those taken so far (in spite of the weather which has been decidedly indecisive). Some feature flowers, some insects, and others just luxuriate in the glorious Summer sunshine. Here's hoping there will be more Summer weather to come!

 

Working Woodland Day event

FREE event on Saturday 17th August 2013, 10.00am - 3.00pm

Kiln Road, North Weald, Epping, Essex CM16 6AD

Heenan Photography will be attending the Working Woodland Day event on 17th August, at GreenAcres Woodland Burials Park in Epping Forest. This will be a chance to see some of the photographic prints up close, have an informal chat about Heenan Photography, or get hold of some artwork of your very own. There will also be an exclusive chance to buy some of the brand new Heenan Photography designed T-shirts, before they appear on the website for sale! These feature a selection of 25 images of Epping Forest on a black cotton t-shirt, selling at £12 each. These have been specially designed for the event, but will become more generally available afterwards. More options and designs will also be available soon.

The Working Woodland Day offers a whole day's entertainment. There will be a range of other exhibits, stalls and activities for all the family, with everything from Archery, and Birds of Prey, through to Children's Yoga, Den Building activity, and a Hedgelaying demonstration. Groups such as RSPB, Essex Amphibian & Reptile Group, Epping Forest Conservation Volunteers and more will be there with Heenan Photography, making sure the day is an exciting and interesting experience!


Come and enjoy a day out in in the countryside with woodland photography, wildlife, crafts and activities. Hot food and drinks are available all day.
 
For more details on the event itself:
www.eppingwoodlandburials.co.uk
info@eppingwoodlandburials.co.uk

Hedgerow Damsel

This Large Red Damselfly (the species name, not just a description!) rests on a thick stem of hawthorn, in a traditional hedgerow at the Roding Valley Meadows nature reserve in Essex. This nature reserve, although only a mile and a half long, contains almost ten miles of thick hedgerow. The value to wildlife of so much habitat is incredible. Hedges make good Edges, I like to say. The Large Red Damselfly is one of the first species of Damselfly or Dragonfly to appear in the Spring. Damselflies can be distinguished from Dragonflies in a number of ways, primarily by the way they hold their wings at rest (Damselflies hold them in line with their body) and by the way their eyes are set (Damselfly eyes are separated, on either side of their head).

The vibrant, rich red of the damselfly's body is reflected by russet tints in the bark of the hawthorn. Set against the backdrop of vibrant green foliage and creamy white May blossom, this makes for an attractive palette. This macro shot highlights the beauty of some of our invertebrate species; it is certainly worth the time to explore hedges and long grass to find some of the mini-beasts that are making use of these habitats.

"Damsel" arrived in our language via Old French, and meant "a young lady". It still hangs on in the English language in archaic expressions, such as "a damsel in distress". The damselfly in this photo looks far from distressed however!

Spring Blues in Epping Forest

Native Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) in Epping Forest

We're starting to see that beautiful sign of Spring: bluebells are popping up in old woodlands, hedges, and other spots in the countryside. With the lush greenery clothing the trees and flowers lighting up the countryside, it's easy to get enthusiastic about the change in season. Spring is the thing! These photos were taken while walking from the southern-most end of Epping Forest (near Snaresbrook), through Walthamstow Forest and Highams Park, on 11th May (after attending the BNA Conference - read more about it here). UK woodlands have half of the world's bluebells, so ancient woodlands like Epping Forest and Hainault Forest are really crucial to their persistence. We're lucky in South-West Essex to have so many valuable habitats on our doorstep!

Ancient woodlands such as Epping Forest are a common
haunt for bluebells, which do well in shady places

But the peak of bluebell flowering is late this year - The Guardian were certainly worried back in April when they hadn't appeared! The late arrival of bluebells is attributed to the weather we had in March, the coldest March since 1962! According to a recent Guardian article, the bluebells have flowered four to five weeks later than last year. There may be a silver lining to the poor March weather, however. "There is a really good link between late springs and very good summers" says Matthew Oates, nature expert at the National Trust (read the full article here).

There is an imposter in the countryside however, a blue alien. The imported Spanish bluebells have been very successful, hybridising with the native flowers and spreading to many of our gardens and other green spaces. It's even invading the woodland strongholds of the native bluebells, and I found some suspicious bluebells on my walk! How do we tell the two types of bluebell apart? The Guardian offer a few tips, and there is a very useful page on the Natural History Museum website which explains how to identify your bluebells, but some of the basic differences to look for are: Spanish bluebells have paler flowers, no scent, and an upright stalk; native bluebells are scented, they arch or droop over, and their leaves are rolled up.
  

 

Spanish bluebells are paler and more upright, and these specimens on the edge of Epping Forest seem to fit the bill

Native bluebells have a stem that
arches over at the end

The bluebells may have arrived late this year, but they are here now - so why not go explore your local countryside to see them! Talk about your own sightings and favourite bluebell spots, or discuss other signs of Spring! Post on our Facebook page or  tweet to #SpringIsTheThing!

Update to the Gallery pages

The Gallery page of the website has been organised into separate pages, of varying themes. So far, there are pages for Winter, Tree, Macro and Monochrome photos.

Please take a look at the new layout, and also spot the photos that have been added to the gallery!

Ferns & Forest Encounter

This branch of bracken shows some lovely autumnal colours. I remember taking this quite vividly; a damp morning last October, very quiet, in Epping Forest. As I was focussing on the ferns below me and getting some photos of their colours, a sound caught my attention. A fallow deer had trotted along the path, then skidded to a stop as it must have caught my scent - yet surprised and unsure of exactly where I was standing because I was wearing greens and browns as is often my wont! I was just as surprised, and with my camera focussed on the ferns below me, unprepared to take a shot of the deer before it dashed off again. So, I was left with just a shot of the bracken to remind me of the encounter!

Exhibition Officially Launched

Exhibition Launch: Tom Heenan and Cllr Gavin Chambers

The exhibition in Buckhurst Hill was officially launched last night with an evening event at Buckhurst Hill Parish Council's Information Centre, which went very well indeed. In addition to the photos of Epping Forest featured in the exhibition, there were some additional photos and a slideshow for the event, and flyers with more information about Heenan Photography.

Council chairman Gavin Chambers welcomed the guests and introduced the art project, and then I spoke a little about my photography. It was excellent to see so many people at the event in support of the exhibition, with perhaps 35 to 40 guests in attendance. Many thanks to everyone that came along, and also thanks goes to Everything Epping Forest who covered the event - their article about the launch event is featured at www,everythingeppingforest.co.uk/news.htm. For the evening event, and for the exhibition itself, the final thanks of course go to Buckhurst Hill Parish Council for making it all happen.

The photos will be on display at the Information Centre in Queens Road until June. This won't be the end of the story though; the Council are hoping to build upon the project and give other local artists the chance to exhibit their work. This will make a real difference for artists, encourage more art in the area, and make good use of existing wall space. This could be the start of something beautiful.

Guests at the Exhibition Launch Night

A slideshow of photos plays in the background

Woodland Miscellany

 

Just some assorted woodland pictures from the far corners of my hard drive, while I plan the updates to the Gallery section of the website. The woods are all bursting into life at the moment, with Bluebells springing up beneath the trees, and lush herbage such as Garlic Mustard and Cow Parsley crowding the edges and roadsides. Ah, woodlands are fantastic! The following photos are a bit of a mixture, but are all from the woodlands - certainly one of my favourite places to be on a sunny day like today.

 

These two images above were both taken near Zell am See in Austria, on a misty morning climbing the mountain Schmittenhöhe. If a ten-hour hike to the top of the local mountain and back doesn't sound like fun, then perhaps it's best to avoid holidaying with an ardent walker and photographer like myself! The morning started off with a thick mist floating through the evergreens, creating an ethereal atmosphere and interesting lighting for these two photos when the sun blazed through. The mist thinned and finally burnt off around noon, leaving some stunning views over Zell am See and the adjacent lake, and surround countryside too. Myself and Natasha attained the lofty heights of Schmittenhöhe at 1,965m above sea level - around 1,200m above the town where we began, with temperatures reaching 23 degrees Celsius. Strange to think that the mountaintop was covered with a heavy snowfall just two days later.

 

This image was taken on the shores of Loch Lomond in Scotland, while walking the 96-mile long distance footpath "The West Highland Way" from Glasgow to Fort William. The lacustrine woodland petered out here, with one lone outlier tree standing in the very waters of the lake and taking pride of place in this shot. The lighting was very soft for the time of day (midday) giving this picture a very calm aspect. Wood and Water here both contribute to my favourite image from this eight-day hike.

Spring Clean - Winter photos

Spring is most definitely here in the UK, and we might be forgiven for hoping that the last of Winter's snow is behind us. I have been looking back over the photos I took over the Winter 2012-2013, and there are a few more that I'd like to share. Think of this as a kind of 'Spring Clean' now the warmer Spring weather is here! I also plan to expand the website Gallery in the near future, adding much more content and organising it into different themes, so keep your eyes open for updates.

A fractured Oak tree, catching the sunrise at Fairmead Bottom

 

Ancient Hornbeam Pollards by the wintry Ching Brook

 


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