Gavin Johnson's photos

Another image I found reprocessing files in my archive. This is a close shot of a galsswing butterfly. It's not in its natural habitat, though, it's in a glasshouse in the botanic gardens in Copenhagen; taken on a trip a few years back. I've always felt that butterflies are some of nature's prettiest creations, but these, with their transparent wings, are particularly special.

HWW - this mural adorns a wall in the middle of Cheltenham, just off the Promenade, on the tiny "County Court Road". The courthouse sis a Grade II listed building, constructed in an Italianate style 1870, but closed in 2005 and is now a restaurant that retains some of the building's original internal features.

An experiment with macro focus-stacking in the camera. This one turned out pretty well, but the slightest breeze is enough to make the stacked result blurry. Our local woodland is a blue wash of native bluebells at this time of year. A lot of gardens have the Spanish bluebells in bloom (larger, more upright flowers) and the woodland edge has a mixture of both varieties, and their hybrids.

HFF - a local scene of horses peacefully grazing in their pasture. The landscape isn't quite as peaceful as it looks... about a kilometer behind the horses is the busy M5 motorway, always filled with traffic moving between Devon in the south west and the West Midlands.

A photo from about this time last year. I was testing out my big telephoto lens in the back garden and noticed this pair of pigeons showing courtship behaviour. I noticed that the female bird on the right had leg rings, suggesting she was a lost / escaped racing bird. Over a sequence of photos I was able to read the letters and numbers on the rings (it's a very good lens!) and contact the Royal Pigeon Racing Association, who gave me her owner's phone number. He was sorry to hear that his bird wasn't coming back to her loft in Bristol - about 60km away - but pleased that she had found a mate and settled down!

HWW - here's a section of wall that has seen a few uses over the years. Behind this 18th Century building is the precinct of Gloucester Cathedral; in particular Miller's Green, so it is likely that the bricked up archway used to provide access to the mill and other abbey service buildings. This old structure is relatively 'modern', as there are records of a mill, bakery and brewery here in 1222. The access door above the more modern garage doors suggests that the building next to the arch was originally a storehous of some sort.

The sun is shining, the bluebells are almost at the peak of their display, and the birds are singing with all their might (Merlin Bird ID spotted 20 different species). A wonderful day for a woodland walk in Gloucestershire.

HBM - this one seemed appropriate for Easter Monday. In the grounds of the Benedictine Prinknash Abbey there is a small dell with a statue of the VIrgin, tended with fresh flowers and candles sheltered from the wind. A perfect spot for quiet contemplation for the devout and unbelievers alike.

Happy Easter everyone. Our woodland walk took us through the walled monastic garden of the Benedictine Prinknash Abbey (pronounced “Prinnish”, because we Brits can be weird with words sometimes). The pear trees forming the arch are breaking out into blossom, and at their base, the tulips are a rainbow of bright colours.

An old working boat falling into disrepair in Gloucester Docks. This looked better in my mind's eye, but I wanted to contrast the old and the new by desaturating the boat and leaving the vibrancy of the modern surroundings.

Another one from the archives that made me smile when I saw it again. At a spot on the waterfront in South Carolina, we came across this man feeding the local gulls. I loked the contrast between the two birds on the ground waiting patiently and the absolute mayhem above!

Mute swans nesting at the base of a Gloucester apartment block. This pair has been resident for a few years, and used to have a nest site at a secluded spot nearby, on the water's edge, but in recent years they have been flooded out and lost most of the eggs. Hopefully suburban life will suit them better.

HWW! This is a fairly dull wall, on a bland apartment block by the canal in Gloucester. Look at the bottom, though (PiP - click on the seated swan) and there's an unusal sight: a pair of mute swans have decided that the base of the wall, next to a well used path, is a good place to raise their young. This pair has been resident for a few years, and used to have a nest site at a secluded spot nearby, on the water's edge, but in recent years they have been flooded out and lost most of the eggs. Hopefully suburban life will suit them better.

A display of origami suggesting leaves and blossoms cascading down a staricase at the National Trust's Croome Park mansion, looking up from underneath.

HBM! One from my old home town of Dartmouth. A nice spot on historic Bayard's Cove to sit and watch the river flow by for a while... before having an evening drink in the Dartmouth Arms; just behind the photographer!

A snatched shot from last night in Cheltenham, where a temporary 36m observation wheel has been set up in the town's Imperial Gardens. Silhouetted in front of the wheel is a statue of the composer Gustav Holst, who was born in the town in 1874.

An image of a field of rapeseed flowers from a few years ago that I originally took in my "HDR" phase, which now looks a little wrong to my eye. I've reprocessed the middle frame of the the three exposures with modern Lightroom to get a more natural look. Sadly, I can't recreate the hum of the field full of industrious bees! Update: I asked an AI to critique the image, and I'm interested in what people think of its assessment. I've documented it here: www.ipernity.com/blog/gavin.johnson/4746678?t=108320

HFF - An aerial shot of that traditional but highly contraversial pastime of the British gentry, hunting with hounds. No foxes were harmed in this hunt... it's a small scene in the amazingly detailed Bekonscot model village in Buckinghamshire. Very definitely worth a visit if you like model villages and are in the area! (https://www.bekonscot.co.uk)