As I write, the UK is experiencing a record breaking heatwave, the last of which occured in the mid 1970s. With lawns blanched a shrimpish yellow, and greens wilting beneath an unrelenting sun, my woodland walks have likewise highlighted colours shifting towards the sepia end of the scale. The bluebells are now rustling crowds of dessicated stalks, their hollow seed heads dusting the woodland floor with trundling gusts of wind. Each is a pale and faded skeleton of spring. Beside the woods the fields of corn have matured into golden slabs that sit brilliant and warm beneath bright blue skies - it's all rather dry and lovely.
As already mentioned, we live across the road from a National Forest (more of a wood really, but whatever...) and regularly hear the deep, as-if-shouted-through-a-traffic-cone, hoots of owls. 10pm is when they usually seem to gather to bellow bawdy remarks at each other. Despite all of this audible owlish action, I've never seen one of the locals, that is, until yesterday, when I just happened to look up from my work and out of my window to see a huge tawny howl alight in one of the connifers that mark the boundary of the woods! I say "alight" but truthfully this massive feathery beast landed with the kind of precision you'd expect of someone trying to throw a pair of soggy jeans into a tree. I didn't have a camera ot hand, but it struck me as odd to see an owl in broad daylight, perhaps also struggling with the heat.
These photographs were all snapped with my Canon T90 35mm, which is quickly becoming my go-to option. The 35-100mm macro lens is also now a firm favourite, allownig me to jump easiy between close-up and mid-distance shots. The downside is the reduction in light through the lens, which does make some shots more challenging in the shadows of the trees. I've also been experimenting with my developing times, slightly reducing the time for the warmer weather, which sees tap water running at 24 degrees. At the washing stage I also left the wash aid in the bottle and simply allowed the tap to run into the tank for 5 minutes like a print washer, and then left the negatives to dry without touching them in any way. The results are most pleasing, and devoid of any scratches.