My 2024… April
I have reviewed my photos taken over the course of 2024 to pick out my favourites (and am taking my time uploading..!)
I have taken it month by month, picking my favourite 5 images from each month. Some months were harder than others to narrow it down; some months were hard to choose 5, as there were only 5 ones I really liked! Once I worked my way through each month, I was then be able to choose the top 5 for the entire year, titled ‘My 2024’
Next is April and the images are ordered from least favourite to most favourite. The top 3 images (bronze, silver, gold) go into the ‘My 2024’ final.
'Jumping for Joy’
April, 2024.
FIFTH PLACE. I had great fun throwing the ball in my parents’ garden for the dog to jump and catch - this particular shot I like because it doesn’t show the ball and I feel makes it look more as if the dog is leaping into the air with a smile on his face. It took a lot of time to get something that was in focus and frozen as wanted.
'Resting Gold’
April, 2024.
FOURTH PLACE. I spotted this little fella whilst taking pictures of the flowers and vegetables and fruit in the vegetable patch at Calke Abbey in Derbyshire. I don’t know what type of bug it is, but it was very delicate and beautiful. I was very into macro photography at the time but rather than use a dedicated (expensive) macro lens, I use an extension tube.
'Casting Rays of Sun on a Patient Dog’
April, 2024.
BRONZE. As part of an Open University Microdential I was taking part in at the time, I was trying out landscape shots atop Beacon Hill in Leicestershire. It is one of my favourite dog walks, starting at the upper car park and walking through woods and along streams and past livestock to pause at the bottom car park, where a cafe serves coffee and cake. Then I head back up the hill to the top, through a pine forest and trail overlooking North Leicestershire, before ending up at this rocky outcrop shown here. The dog was super patient with me. He must have waited at least 45 minutes before the walk began! I’m sure in return for patience, I would have treated him to a good game of stick.
'Retiring Tornado’
April, 2024.
SILVER. I really like the hints of colours and calm light and symmetry of this shot of a late 20th century Tornado swept-wing jet, and its contrast with the WWII era hangar door backdrop. I took this at Imperial War Museum Duxford, which had a huge range of planes from multiple eras.
'Acrobatic Dog’
March, 2024.
GOLD. My favourite photograph of the month is this shot of the dog about to catch his ball. The technique to get the focus and timing correct took some time, with a super fast shutter speed and manual focus. If anything, the ball could be sharper, but the position of it in mouth agape is perfectly what I was looking for from the shot.
