John Leech's Photoblog
Topiary hedges, Levens Hall, Cumbria
Posted by John Leech (Grange-over-Sands, United Kingdom) on 4 March 2009 in Landscape & Rural and Portfolio.
Levens Hall has a magical fairytale garden filled with amazing topiary hedges. It is right on the edge of the English Lake District - most visitors to the area will not even know it is there. I'd love to photograph this in mist to bring out the layers and depth of the subject, or maybe at night when the buildings are floodlit - though the gardens are then closed!
I'm sure most visitors to my pages will be familiar with Ian Bramham's photography Ian Bramham. I've followed his emerging talent since he first bought a DSLR - not that his talent took long to emerge. I'm sure any viewers who have not seen his work will appreciate this link.
Mike from Lichfield, United Kingdom
Very nicely composed and I like the way the overhanging branches fill the area of sky.
4 Mar 2009 6:43am
@Mike: Thanks Mike, overhanging branches are a recurring theme in a lot of my shots. I find it interesting how slight movements in the camera position change the composition.
Suzanne from Huntington Bch, California, United States
Those topiaries have a sort of fairy tale quality about them. Beautiful scene...even without the fog or nightlights.
4 Mar 2009 6:50am
@Suzanne: Thanks Suzanne. I thought the gardens were closed on the day that I took my previous photo, otherwise I'd have been down there. The topiaries are a great subject in any light, but I'd love to see them looming out of the mist. They also floodlight the main house at night - but there is no public access so all we see is the tops of the building and the tops of two of the trees silhouetted against it.
Ian Bramham from Manchester, United Kingdom
It's great to see these photos at this larger size immediately instead of having to go through the thumbnail size first as at Flickr...it really adds to the impact of your photos.
I love the overall feel of this photo and those subtle tones in the 'greenery' of the topiary really add to it.
4 Mar 2009 8:59am
@Ian Bramham: Yes, I think that's the weakest part of the flickr interface, not being able to navigate from one large view to the next. The slide show facility sort of gets round it. I reckon this is my best single shot of Levens for showing the overall feeling of the place. Its such a complex garden, I'm not sure that there is a definitive view that shows both the content and conveys the mood. I wondered on your Grasmere shot whether it was a polorizer shot - something they need to work on for exif!
Scene by Sharon Photography from Kingston, Ontario, Canada
beautiful capture - I look forward to seeing more of your work!
4 Mar 2009 11:09am
@Scene by Sharon Photography: Thank you Sharon
Cheryl from Texas, United States
beautiful composition with lots of interest and nice light. looking forward to seeing more!@
4 Mar 2009 1:03pm
@Cheryl: Thanks Cheryl. Tomorrow's image is a bit predictable, but I'll be interested to see what reaction I get to the one after that!
hugo poon from hong kong, Hong Kong
Some gorgeous buildings to start with... that grace of the overhanging branches and elegance of the topiary hedges help heighten the atmosphere... What a delicate composition and artistry! Enjoy this so much... Thanks for sharing, John!
4 Mar 2009 2:10pm
@hugo poon: Thanks Hugo. This is one of those special locations, it is my fave garden in the UK - I don't know of any other quite like it.
Anna.C from LA ROCHELLE, France
nice composition and BW tones ! I particularly love the branches above.
4 Mar 2009 2:54pm
@Anna.C: Thank you Anna. the lens I used on this shot is great for fine detail such as these fine twigs. Looking at it afresh, I feel I've darkened the sky a little too much, in my current frame of mind I think I'd try it much lighter.
Nikon D300
1/200 second
F/8.0
ISO 200
20 mm