Twilight in the Wild Wood

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What feelings this image engenders! The gathering night, the frozen, organic gestures of the trees, the subtle play of colours as the light fades... This very atmospheric moment was intensified by being taken on Halloween. Yes, it's the graveyard in Leicester, not the depths of some primal forest. I tracked up to exclude most headstones (there are two at lower right, and two others masked by the cloaks of ivy that have grown over them) and framed a spectacular sky amongst the ancient trees in this early winter scene. The sun is in the picture but there's no strength to its light at this latitude, and the time is around 4pm. The cemetery stands in the midst of a busy city but here the camera has captured what could be native woodland far from any human habitation. The image was mildly enhanced, a little gamma-correction to bring up medium tonal values, rebalanced with contrast, plus tweaks to colour saturation and sharpness, these functions performed in Irfanview software. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic. November, 2007. Image by Mike.

Halloween in the Graveyard

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An English deciduous woodland scene, with the autumn colours rich, the leaves falling in crackling carpets... Days growing short, chill winds stirring the thinning boughs. Then along comes All Hallows Eve and the time when the dead walk among us. I found myself in this 1850s cemetery on Halloween, 2007: it's Welford Rd Cemetery in Leicester, across the road from the University, and the rich colours of evening, the lowering sun full on this group of elaborate monuments from the late Gothic Revival period, had a remarkable atmosphere. The camera captured the flavour of the moment superbly, this image is barely enhanced for publication, simply sharpened. The exposure in the shadow areas is very pleasing, while the contrast areas are a perfect duplication of the warm light of the moment. It was a bit creepy to find myself wandering among the tombs as the daylight faded, and this image brings thoughts of Dickens and Victorian ghost stories, as well as memories of bonfires and fireworks: Guy Fawkes' Night was just five days later. Fuji FinePix S5600, automatic. Image by Mike.