2008 - My Year In Pictures

Title: Sunny Stock
Location: Stock, Essex
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 17-85mm EF f/4-5.6 IS USM
Notes: A lovely day to be out and about. I made sure I had the camera on board, and managed a few minutes to take an image in Stock as I was passing through to a meeting in Billericay.

Title: Autumn Skies
Location: Stock Church
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: Just time for a quick trip to Stock Church on my way home from a meeting. The light was better earlier on, but I wasn’t able to get out then. Ah well.

Title: The Miller’s Window
Location: Stock Windmill
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 17-85mm EF f/4-5.6 IS USM
Notes: Paid a visit to Stock Windmill today as they had the mill open for viewing this afternoon. The three floors could be accessed via rickety stairs. It was pretty dark inside, with the exception of this lovely window with a few ears of wheat propped up on the sill. It made a nice found still life image. And for those of you familiar with my previous frustrations, yes, the sails were still pointing in the wrong direction for a good picture!

Title: Up & Under
Location: Stock Windmill
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: Another meeting in Stock today, so afterwards I took a detour to the Windmill to see if I could get some pictures. It’s a terribly difficult building to photograph well - the sails always seem to be pointing in the wrong direction, and the mill itself is jammed up against the boundary of a pretty small field. The best view is from the neighbour’s garden, but this is up a private driveway, so unless you know the locals, it’s a bit hopeless! Anyway, I thought I would sneak up and under it’s nose and see what sort of picture that made. Had to wait a few minutes for the sun to come out, but I think it was worth it in the end.

Title: After Hours
Location: Stock
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: I had a busy day and still hadn’t taken a picture before going out for the evening, to a meeting at a local village hall. I took a few other shots, but wasn’t really happy with them, until it came time to clear up at the venue - this was the image of the back room where the ghostly glow of the sodium lights in the car park flooded through the windows.

Title: If You Go Down In The Woods Today…
Location: Swan Wood, Stock
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: I took a walk in Swan Wood today, looking for Bluebell pictures. Quite a few of them have passed their best by now - I think they would have been lovely while I was away. But I eventually found this patch of flowers in a clearing towards the bottom of the wood. I wanted the contrast between the purplely blue of the blooms and acid green of the leaves. Somehow, the photo doesn’t do the scene justice, despite my best efforts at a little bit of dodge and burn with Photoshop. Anyway, it was a lovely cool place to visit in the heat of the day. Didn’t see any teddies having a picnic though!

Title: Hedgerow Sunset
Location: Stock Road
Camera: Canon EOS 30D / 24-105mm EF f/4 L IS USM
Notes: Sunshine and heavy showers all day, but I was busy at home for most of the time. The sun hadn’t quite set as I headed out for an evening meeting, so I was able to get a quick shot as it dipped below the hedgerow on my way to Stock.