Gordon Black Photography

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Gordon Black Photography An enthusiastic club photographer who is trying not to be defined by convention.

This isn't so much a presentation of my best images, but more a diary of my voyage of discovery !

The intricate architecture of a Nigella plant with its lovely baby blue petals (aptly named love-in-a-mist) photobombing...
15/06/2026

The intricate architecture of a Nigella plant with its lovely baby blue petals (aptly named love-in-a-mist) photobombing a poppy. Taken at Highdown Gardens on the South Downs (I was actually trying to capture Hummingbird hawk-moths in flight, without much success !).

This is a 20 image hand-held focus stack which Photoshop got right & Canon DPP didn't (this time). No idea of the settings as I deleted the originals 🤦‍♂️. June 2026, Highdown Gardens

A last trip to see the poppies above Steyning as they are on the wane. Was inspired by the moody skies so risking all, I...
09/06/2026

A last trip to see the poppies above Steyning as they are on the wane. Was inspired by the moody skies so risking all, I pottered down to the field as I really like well lit foregrounds with brooding skies behind ! Started raining (hard) just after I got back to the car. This is pretty much how it came out the camera with just minor tweaks on the Lightroom sliders.

Canon R5.1 + RF 16mm f2.8, f16, 1/100s, ISO 100 (auto off), manual mode, hand held. June 2026, Steyning.

A male thick-legged flower beetle on knapweed (not sure which one). The thick rear thighs indicate it is a male. Last ti...
08/06/2026

A male thick-legged flower beetle on knapweed (not sure which one). The thick rear thighs indicate it is a male. Last time I photographed one, it was also on a knapweed so they clearly like them. Up this close with a macro lens required a 20-image focus stack as the depth of field is so small. Whilst it obligingly stayed still for a few seconds, it's antennae were twitching hence the blurriness of the left one.

Note that the plural of antenna is antennae for insects but don't ever go to a satellite station like Goonhilly Down and call their dish aerials that. They are antennas !

Canon R5.1 + RF 100mm f2.8L Macro. No idea what the camera settings were as I deleted the originals after I stacked them ! June 2026, NT Nymans.

Just a small part of a really large field of poppies above Steyning on the South Downs Way. The potential for lovely ima...
07/06/2026

Just a small part of a really large field of poppies above Steyning on the South Downs Way. The potential for lovely images abound, even in the high wind that has made the foreground here a bit blurry. Rain and hail is another matter ! For me, this is about finding the right composition to add interest to what could otherwise just be a homogeneous image of red dots ! Might be better without the track on the left though as it walks the eye out of the image ?

Canon R5.1 + RF100mm f2.8 Macro, f14, 1/100s, ISO 100, manual mode, hand held. June 2026, Steyning.

My favourite line of trees - at NT Nymans in Handcross, West Sussex. Taken in infrared hence the dodgy false colour in t...
06/06/2026

My favourite line of trees - at NT Nymans in Handcross, West Sussex. Taken in infrared hence the dodgy false colour in the sky. There was also a slight pink hue from the processing, and it didn't look bad, but I removed (by changing the tint). I love the textures in this image - the leaves are like elderflower blossom and the grass is like a fluffy sheepskin rug. Goodness, is there a poet in me somewhere ?!

Canon 350D converted to 720nm IR + EF 28-135mm, , f5.0, ISO 200, manual mode, hand held. June 2026, NT Nymans

At first sight, it looks like caterpillars caught in a spider's web but certain caterpillar species spin webs for protec...
02/06/2026

At first sight, it looks like caterpillars caught in a spider's web but certain caterpillar species spin webs for protection, and these can sometimes cover whole trees. This image is of the larval phase of bird-cherry ermine moth (had to seek help finding that out !). As a moth, it is silver/white with black spots. It is partial to cherry trees ! Found in the butterfly meadows of the Green Circle in Burgess Hill, West Sussex.

Canon R5.1 + RF100mm f2.8L Macro, f8, 1/60s, ISO 320 (auto off), manual mode, hand held. May 2026, Burgess Hill.

The Path from Malham CoveCouldn't find Hermione Granger's tent, and resisted the cheesy shot of the lone tree on the lim...
29/05/2026

The Path from Malham Cove

Couldn't find Hermione Granger's tent, and resisted the cheesy shot of the lone tree on the limestone pavement, but as ever, tried to find something different. So much texture and craggy imagery around. Great place.

Canon R5.1 + EF 24-105mm f4L, , f11, 1/250s, ISO 200 (auto off), manual mode, hand held. May 2026, Malham Cove

An old barn just above Haddon Hall car park in Derbyshire. The buttercups first attracted me but once I'd revived the im...
28/05/2026

An old barn just above Haddon Hall car park in Derbyshire. The buttercups first attracted me but once I'd revived the image in Lightroom and seen the textures and contrasts on the barn, I felt the sky called out for some treatment to counterbalance it. So ... I thought I'd go a bit arty and really darken it. Apols to my camera club pals who will spot how badly it's been done (& the OCD who will comment on the rogue dandelion totally ruining the foreground - which I left in to annoy them 😁 !).

Canon R5.1 + EF24-105mm f4L, , f6.3, 1/320s, ISO 400 (auto off), manuial mode, hand held. May 2026, Haddon Hall, Derbyshire

Haddon Hall 2of2: The Bridge from the HallActually, it's a different bridge from where 1of2 was taken albeit just round ...
26/05/2026

Haddon Hall 2of2: The Bridge from the Hall

Actually, it's a different bridge from where 1of2 was taken albeit just round the corner, but still a great view ! They even put a step in the corner of the garden so you can see over the wall to this view.

Canon R5.1 + EF24-105mm f4L, , f10, 1/100s, ISO 100, manual mode, hand held. May 2026, Derbyshire

Haddon Hall 1of2: The Hall from the BridgeI love moody skies over well lit landscapes. Haddon Hall in Derbyshire is a gr...
26/05/2026

Haddon Hall 1of2: The Hall from the Bridge

I love moody skies over well lit landscapes. Haddon Hall in Derbyshire is a great place to visit altho a tad expensive in my opinion (£29-50 standard entry). Started 900 years ago (there's a bit of wall this old) it's mostly a fortified manor house with Tudor & Elizabethan architecture. Lovely gardens too. So much to photograph 👍. I had fun ... and a fabulous bacon bap !

Canon R5.1 + EF24-105mm f4L, , f16, 1/200s, ISO 400, manual mode, hand held. May 2026, Derbyshire

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