Virginia Water Part 3

We thought that it was about time to get our cameras back in action, as they had been gathering dust lately. So, on Sunday May 11th 2008, we decided to venture out. I had heard good reports that Valley Gardens was looking particularly nice, so as we couldn't come up with a better suggestion we headed there. Ed picked me up around 7-30am, and we were early enough to get a space in the usual layby on the A30. Must say that the car park has been much improved, and when we came home around lunch time it was full to capacity.

The weather was glorious, with the sun out, and we had delusions that summer was well and truly on its way. As we had been to Virginia Water on numerous occasions we resisted the temptation to venture down to the lake and set out for Valley Gardens instead. We wanted to see if we could find something new and interesting to photograph. That lake did look tempting though, and with dogged determination, that would have pleased Paul Mckenna, I resisted the urge to cave in to my water photography addiction.

My sources were right and the flowers in Valley Gardens were tremendous. Not being a flower person, and never really setting out to take pictures of them before, I found it a real challenge to start with. I carried on though, with my macro lens and tripod pressed into service. This is more Ed's cup of tea, so I did what all good creative photographers do, I followed his every move! Still struggled with the Macro lens and its amazingly small depth of field. Just got things into focus when the pesky breeze, started to shake the flowers about. I thought it was a calm day, but it only takes a fly to breath hard in the vicinity to shake the blooms about, like a cork in a stormy sea!

The thing that I did learn though is that you have to slow down a bit and engage your brain before your shutter finger. I am more used to the machine gun technique of taking photos, but with the breeze blowing, I had to take a bit of time out and think what I was doing for a change. It really is a case of more haste, less speed in these circumstances, and the slower pace made me try and get things right in the camera for once. I must say this is reflected in that I have had to do very little to the photos of the flowers, in Photoshop afterwards. Although the macro lens does show in crisp detail, every bit of dust that you have nestling on your sensor.

As it was very hot, Ed was sporting a very fetching hat, to protect his delicate scalp from the suns rays. Of course when I say hot, I don't mean as hot as it was in Rome where Ed went for a holiday, as he will tell anyone who cares to listen that it was very hot in Rome. It did begin to warm up considerably, and more and more people came out to enjoy the gardens. That is the trouble with Joe Public, always trying to get into your pictures, where you don't want them. Don't think most of them could work out what the two weird blokes were doing laying down to take pictures of the underneath of some green leaves, I did wonder what we were up to my self at the time. As it got hotter and busier we decided to call it a day and head home.

It was while we were heading back to the start, that something caught my eye in the little pond up near the totem pole. It was one of the cutest little ducklings you could wish to see. I had an Amy Whinehouse moment, and needed a quick fix. So off to the water I ran, and you don't see that very often, me running. So on with the big lens, drive set to high speed and the AF set to servo, and the shutter finger firmly planted on the little button. Oh bliss, camera rattling away, everything happening very fast, no time to think. This is more like it I thought.

As if to make my addiction worse the ducks started flying around and making a fuss. The water had some fantastic reflections on it from the green trees around. Could it get any better than this? You bet it could. A couple were out walking their dog (a spaniel I think it was, although I can't be sure as I know even less about dogs than I do about flowers) innocently, when the dog decided it wanted to have a swim in the water. No matter how many times they shouted for Alfie (I presume that was his name) to get out of the water, he took no notice. He was having far too much fun chasing the ducks around. This in turn meant even more pictures of flying ducks for me to take.

I never thought it would happen. I have found a dog with a similar addiction to water. Me and Alfie are now 3 weeks into our counselling course. Should I contact Jessops I wonder and ask them to stock a remote control Alfie, just the thing to get the ducks moving about a bit on a quiet day?

Anyway back to reality, Ed and myself thoroughy enjoyed ourselves once again at Virginia Water, and one of these days we will walk all the way around the lake as we keep promising to do. Only problem is that there is so much to photograph, we keep running out of time!

-- DaveMundy - 02 Jun 2008