“May is green and pink and red.” – Richard L. Ratliff
Music Score – Above the Clouds
Millwall Place – Sandwich – Early Morning
Welcome to Best of the Month
Although l have been interested in photography since l was a youngster, there is a difference l think between wanting to take quick pictures with a camera when out with the family and wanting to create photographs.
So with that definition of the two styles, l was happy to ‘just take pictures’ for most of my life; however, in more recent years and more so as l have aged. I have taken a keener interest and developed more of a love and passion for photography through the eyes of an amateur.
I like to take more time working with the creativity and beauty of a moment and trying to convey that to the viewer.
No longer do l simply point and click. Now l observe and watch and understand the story behind what l am looking to photograph, l learn the behaviours of the wildlife, research the growing seasons of plants, and so on and read to understand more. I want people to see what l was witnessing at that moment.
We can all pick up a camera, press the button, and click away to produce a picture, but with photography, you are trying to display the emotion you experienced when you were in that moment.
I have a camera of one sort with me every day, whether out walking, or working when l volunteer, or in the garden or even when just out and about about town. I want to improve my photography, so l take thousands of images every month and practice and hone my craft.
Now l take pictures of all sorts of things and moments and observations, quirky, weird and unconventional, under different weather conditions and times of the day, different seasons and from different positions and angles. I try to capture a moment in time that my eyes saw, and it fired my imagination up.
A friend of mine once said, “Rory, you can never take too many, but you can take too few, so don’t be afraid, especially now when the world is digital, to go out and take as many as you want because the truly wonderful shots are never ten a penny, but you’ll not know that till you have taken thousands to compare.”
Every month l will have taken hundreds of good photographs, but l might only have captured a handful that l consider to be genuinely excellent or uniquely unusual.
This is what the Best of the Month gallery is about – it holds images that l consider excellent or different, charming or just symbolic for that month, and l wanted to share them.
Sunrise behind Black LovageA Hint of GeraniumA Splash of Pink!Peeking Bengal RoseCherry Plum apeeking!Stinging Nettle IntimacyCommon Gum CistusSt Mary’s SnapdragonsGladiolus on the wild sideAll Yellows are us IrisRed-valerian being coy …Orchard Grass in your face!Iris – oh so blatantly bold!Foxglove and German Iris in sermonGiant onion with no scentOh la la French Marigold!
Flora Gallery
Should l ….Just a quick sip then …Me? No, it was just a sip!
Pondering Pigeon
A quick drink by the water’s edge …I am a figment of your imagination …Keep staring, l might do tricks!Left? Right? Choices, choices!Ruffled? Me? Rough night with the kids …One, two, three, shake your body down!You can’t see me, BUT l can see you!I love the swim in the morning feeling …Watcha looking at mum?The Drake and Lily ….Dunking Ducks Line UpLaughing Seagulls
Fauna
Low Tide River Stour
Pruned Willow Trees
The Sun Rises over the River Stour
Sun rising on Stour Woodland Walk
The Dawn Seagull There were many favourites for me in May, but l loved the beauty and simplicity of the dawn seagull whilst taking sunrise photographs on the River Stour.
Earthly Comforts is a wildlife journaling scrapbook focusing on the countryside, wildlife biodiversity and environmental conservation, flora and fauna volunteering projects, gardening, composting and vermiculture, inspiration, poetry and photography.
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7 thoughts on “Best of the Month”
Those Sunrise pictures are stunning, but I agree… top award to Georgie’s UK cousin! That picture captures our land-bound wish for the joy of flight. Especially with all the beautiful colors. Well done JB!!
You might enter some of these really great ones into photo contests. Your hobby could earn you a little prize money😉
Oh, Rory, how wonderful ! I loved your opening shot, though they are all fantastic. The captions and music added so much flavor. Very nicely done! I enjoyed this very much and will certainly be looking forward to this feature every month! Thank you so much for all your effort and ingenuity and for sharing your time with us all! How important that is and we most often never even give it a thought – all the time and effort involved in such work. What a beautiful gift! 🤗💞
Earthly Comforts 
Those Sunrise pictures are stunning, but I agree… top award to Georgie’s UK cousin! That picture captures our land-bound wish for the joy of flight. Especially with all the beautiful colors. Well done JB!!
You might enter some of these really great ones into photo contests. Your hobby could earn you a little prize money😉
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Glad you enjoyed it – that was the prototype post for May, end of month episode is out this Saturday for June 🙂
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Oh, Rory, how wonderful ! I loved your opening shot, though they are all fantastic. The captions and music added so much flavor. Very nicely done! I enjoyed this very much and will certainly be looking forward to this feature every month! Thank you so much for all your effort and ingenuity and for sharing your time with us all! How important that is and we most often never even give it a thought – all the time and effort involved in such work. What a beautiful gift! 🤗💞
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That’s a lovely compliment Betty, many thanks – makes it all worthwhile 🙂
I really am enjoying this blog, l loved the Guy, but we were drifting apart.
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I loved the Guy Blog, too and hated to see him go, but now that he is being resurrected in a new and expanded version, I am content. 😊
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Yes me too 🙂
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😊
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