Stowe Gardens (NT)
FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS - 74mm - 1/100 sec - f/8 - ISO 100
Stowe Gardens is a new National Trust site for us, situated just outside Buckingham, near Milton Keynes. It’s a more dedicated trip than our typical local National Trust sites, a journey of intent, perhaps. A trend that seems to be forming for our NT trips is that we love to walk the grounds and gardens, but the house is a secondary consideration. This was one of those times, wandering around the Georgian landscape gardens, from one delightfully unconnected structure to the next, taking a quick peek at the big house on the hill, and then back around the loop to find another treasure around the next corner.
FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS - 76mm - 1/200 sec - f/4 - ISO 100
Armed with the trusty FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS, nothing would be able to stop me from capturing some truly special images, for me at least, in the setting sunshine of this March afternoon. The 1st shot was a deliberation, just how much grass and sky do I need to balance this out, what angle do I need, and what focal length works best? There were a few options and images taken, and this is what won, near the classical 70mm, a little more sky than grass, and resigning to the fact I couldn’t make the trees on the sides match up with the symmetry of the building itself. When I did, I lost the right-hand side of the building. Make it make sense.
The next image was a great opportunity to capture the light hitting the bridge, as well as the splashes across the Gothic Temple. I’m yet to decide if this works or if it is just emotion that makes me like it so much. I mean, the leading line of the path disappears behind the tree, which isn’t the subject, but is centered in the frame, and then there’s the monument over the back right tucked behind the tree branches, which don’t have enough foliage to begin to hide it. However, I still love it, and it is a great memory to have of this day.
A Hidden Gem?
This Gothic Temple was hidden behind that tree to the right for so long after we entered the gardens, my partner pointed it out in shock as it magically materialised, apparently out of nowhere. I tried to use the bank of the Octogon Lake as a kind of leading line, with the reflection on the water bringing your eye up, and the trees framing the Temple, and keeping some space at the top of the image to let it breathe. Is this a landscape shot? The swans were unpaid actors, hence the lack of pose.
Upon reflection, the colours could do with a little more work, and maybe a CPL would have been a good choice to tame the reflections and give the sky a little definition, but I certainly wouldn’t have had the CPL at this time, or the forethought to use it. I should revisit this with this in mind and see how it can change things.
FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS - 74mm - 1/125 sec - f/13 - ISO 100
Building detail.
Something I am having fun with is noticing intersecting lines and details on buildings. The image here is a bit.. busy.. but there are some nice details and the colour in the bricks, I just think there could be less, and it would have a little more room to breathe. Something to work on.
FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS - 90mm - 1/60 sec - f/8 - ISO 100
FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS - 24mm - 1/80 sec - f/10 - ISO 100
A rare moment where the main entrance to the National Trust site is deserted, and I can get the image I wanted. There is a little light play here, but I could do with waiting for the sun to move around a little more, which may give me a slightly more pleasing outcome. As it is, still a lovely image that can jog the memory.
The image below is a favourite, though. My son and I were playing with the echoes in the empty room when, upon turning to leave, I spotted this beam of light streaming through the window and creating a lovely image in the corner of the room. So happy with how this turned out! I like how it isn’t quite symmetrical, but still seems to work anyway, and the colours are muted and calming.
FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS - 26mm - 1/60 sec - f/10 - ISO 100
These mushrooms were begging to be captured! That light was made for this shot, and the holly leaves add depth and colour to what would have been a more monochrome colour palette. The depth of the field on this lens was impressive. I wasn’t sure exactly how it would turn out, but everything fell into place just lovely.
FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS - 105mm - 1/40 sec - f/4 - ISO 500
Altered Perspective.
This is essentially the same or similar to the image below, but it was my first foray into the transform tools in Lightroom, where I tried to adjust the perspective of the building using the guided tool, picking vertical lines for it to follow, and bringing the rest of the image into line. I believe this is after catching a video or two on architectural photography and the obsession with perspective and straight lines.
It isn’t perfect, however, especially in comparison with the image below, you can see exactly what I was going for, and it doesn’t look bad! I think more work is required, but failing to be able to hover at mid height to get the vertical lines where they should be, this will be a tool I can use more often, and hopefully, perfect the technique for future works.
FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS - 30mm - 1/60 sec - f/10 - ISO 100
Perspective.
As a comparison to the image above, this is a little more natural to the eye, with the wider base and narrow top, more in line with what I see with the naked eye. At 40mm, the building fills the frame a little more, and gives this a powerful feeling. Loving the way the light has hit at this time too, but I do wonder if I can do more with an intersecting luminance mask to get some more contrasty pop going on? ( something I have only picked up in the last week, time for some experimentation).
For anyone wondering, or a note for myself in the future, this building is for hire, Gothic Temple party anyone?!?!
FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS - 40mm - 1/60 sec - f/10 - ISO 100
This final image was a wonderful find. We were looking at it, just a rock jammed into a moss-covered stump, but my partner said it looked like a small landscape, and from there, I tried to capture that exact feeling. We aren’t looking at a small rock in a stump, It’s a huge rocky feature in the middle of a forested mountainscape!
Stowe Gardens is earmarked for a return visit, and who knows, maybe we will take a look inside the house this time?
FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS - 40mm - 1/80 sec - f/4 - ISO 100
