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May 2007
I was standing at a T-junction in the path. My camera was set up and I was deciding how to compose a tree that was at the edge of the field with some
small wildflowers at its base, when a couple of cyclists passed by. "Coming up to photograph the bluebell wood?" they called as they cycled around
the corner. "Yes, I am", I answered, wondering what they meant. I had walked passed several wonderful bluebell woods along the path to get to where
I was. Each one with a beautiful carpet of blue at its base, so which particular bluebell wood could these cyclists be talking about? Was there an even better
one around the corner that I was unaware of?
I quickly packed up my camera kit, threw my backpack over my shoulder and headed off up the path that the cyclists had taken. I walked passed another field
of bluebells which looked just as beautiful as some of the others I had been gone by, when I suddenly heard voices. A crowd of people. Were there lots of people
at this extra special bluebell field?
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Brocket Park, Hertfordshire. |
As I turned another corner, I knew straight away that this was where the cyclists had been talking about. There was a small picnic area where a couple of
families were sitting with children running around, playing with Frisbees and being chased by a dog. On the other side of the path was a bluebell field. But
this one was completely different to the others in the area. I had never seen such a density of bluebells in one place before. The floor of the wood was not
only blue, it was completely blue. A rich, dense blue with hardly any green or brown to be seen at all. It was hard to believe that so many plants could grow
in one place.
I quickly scoured the area and determined the best angle to photograph from where I would have the minimum disturbance from children and dogs running through
the viewfinder and set up my tripod. The view was truly amazing, if a little untidy. In front of the tree that I was using as my main subject, other than the
bluebells themselves, was a large branch littering the floor. I know that some photographers regard doing a bit of "tidying" as unacceptable
manipulation, however, I don’t look upon this as a problem. As long as the picture taken as a whole conveys an overall truth, then I don’t believe that it
is significantly different than when you change your viewpoint to eliminate or include elements in the picture that alter the message that is being communicated.
I started taking photographs, using various lenses of different focal lengths, picking out particular tree trunks as well as taking wide sweeping views of the
wood. Before I knew it I had reeled off two rolls of film. And I only had to wait while some children ran across the scene once!
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