racketman
20th of October 2006 (Fri), 16:17
Off work with virus this week but felt well enough not to go to work today and make sure of a full recovery with a trip to a site I read about in my Dragonfly Guide, namely The Cottonmill Dragonfly Sanctuary just NE of London :
http://http://www.leevalleypark.org.uk/en/fe/page.asp?n1=3&n2=10&n3=66
I wasnt expecting much as their own site urges you to visit in high summer. In the event I only saw one species, the Common Darter, but lots of them and another chance to try and capture them in tandem flight, this time with my 300mm. No great shots but getting more practice.
Nobody seemed to know where it was but the very helpful people at the Waltham Abbey tourist office pointed me in the right direction (about 200m from where I had been asking in fact). The entrance is not the most welcoming but there was a mum and her two cherubs bringing up the rear:
http://i.pbase.com/o5/33/541333/1/68881081.CELARzLa.Cornmillmdwsentrance.jpg
and you are soon in Dragon country:
http://i.pbase.com/o5/33/541333/1/68881123.LJTfJm9x.LeeValleyDragonflysanctuary.jpg
bl**dy Jes** Chr*** its full of f***ing swans and things!
Fortunately the six year old who made this observation and her clan turned back - "too f***** muddy darling, let's go".
Me, I like a bit of mud.
Useful info and this is where the nervous flies hang out:
http://ct.pbase.com/t6/33/541333/4/68881093.IgcCf4Cc.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/racketman/image/68881093) http://ct.pbase.com/t6/33/541333/4/68881092.87oaf4Ys.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/racketman/image/68881092)
anyway this is a macro forum I have digressed:
even the 300mm hasnt isolated the BG at f7.1
http://i.pbase.com/o5/33/541333/1/68881089.nD2zudej.IMG_0005.JPG
lay in the wet for this one, 1/1000 f7.1 iso 400
http://i.pbase.com/o5/33/541333/1/68881095.aubuabEt.IMG_0033.JPG
maybe you need the AF of the Mk2n but I could only use manual with the 20D, not easy when they dance up and down
http://i.pbase.com/o5/33/541333/1/68881098.MMdUYUjA.IMG_0041.JPG
http://http://www.leevalleypark.org.uk/en/fe/page.asp?n1=3&n2=10&n3=66
I wasnt expecting much as their own site urges you to visit in high summer. In the event I only saw one species, the Common Darter, but lots of them and another chance to try and capture them in tandem flight, this time with my 300mm. No great shots but getting more practice.
Nobody seemed to know where it was but the very helpful people at the Waltham Abbey tourist office pointed me in the right direction (about 200m from where I had been asking in fact). The entrance is not the most welcoming but there was a mum and her two cherubs bringing up the rear:
http://i.pbase.com/o5/33/541333/1/68881081.CELARzLa.Cornmillmdwsentrance.jpg
and you are soon in Dragon country:
http://i.pbase.com/o5/33/541333/1/68881123.LJTfJm9x.LeeValleyDragonflysanctuary.jpg
bl**dy Jes** Chr*** its full of f***ing swans and things!
Fortunately the six year old who made this observation and her clan turned back - "too f***** muddy darling, let's go".
Me, I like a bit of mud.
Useful info and this is where the nervous flies hang out:
http://ct.pbase.com/t6/33/541333/4/68881093.IgcCf4Cc.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/racketman/image/68881093) http://ct.pbase.com/t6/33/541333/4/68881092.87oaf4Ys.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/racketman/image/68881092)
anyway this is a macro forum I have digressed:
even the 300mm hasnt isolated the BG at f7.1
http://i.pbase.com/o5/33/541333/1/68881089.nD2zudej.IMG_0005.JPG
lay in the wet for this one, 1/1000 f7.1 iso 400
http://i.pbase.com/o5/33/541333/1/68881095.aubuabEt.IMG_0033.JPG
maybe you need the AF of the Mk2n but I could only use manual with the 20D, not easy when they dance up and down
http://i.pbase.com/o5/33/541333/1/68881098.MMdUYUjA.IMG_0041.JPG