Thursday 20th July - Wolverton Viaduct

This week we're all meeting up at Wolverton Viaduct to explore the area at about 7pm. Minimal walking is required, unless you fancy a nice walk west along the river.

Click here for directions to the parking spot

There's plenty of opportunities for landscape images here with the imposing structure of the viaduct and the river Great Ouse. Below is a map of the area with areas of interest marked out

1 - Please park here. Parking is free
2 - A large wooden curving ramp that takes you up to the road. Might be interesting!
3 - A tunnel under the road. Perhaps convince someone to stand at the end of it for interest?
4 - Quite a nice view of the river with reeds and trees
5 - A nice view of the Ouse with the viaduct in the background. Try and catch a train going by
6 - Under the viaduct. There's some graffiti here, not great, but you might be able to do something creative here.
7 - A nice little wooden bridge spans the Ouse here as the path heads north west. A nice place to take another image of the viaduct
8 - A working quarry features large mounds of small stones. Could be made into a peculiar landscape image? 

The sun sets in a north westerly direction at 21:10. If the skies are clear (looks like they might be!) we should be getting some excellent light from about 20:40)

Hope to see you all there!

Thursday 6th July - Campbell Park & Willen Lake

This coming Thursday, we'll be meeting up at Campbell Park (click here for directions to the carpark) at 7pm.

We'll explore a little around Campbell Park, the Grand Union Canal, then onto Willen Lake, finally looping back round to Campbell park via a short walk along the Grand Union Canal again. The total walk is approx 2.4 miles.

ALL are welcome, members and non-members alike. Bring a friend and come along and meet us :)

Below is an itemised map of interesting locations on the walk

  • 1 - Park here
  • 2 - Nice views across the pond with reeds in foreground and trees in background
  • 3 - Sculpture, "Head' by Alan Jones - Can you capture the sun in its eyes? 
  • 4 - Bridge over the canal - nice views of barges from a higher angle
  • 5 - Wakeboarding. If it's not going on, it's worth a return visit to this spot to capture some action!
  • 6 - A great spot to stop and feed the ducks
  • 7 - Birdhide. If you're so inclined, it's worth a visit
  • 8 - Medicine Wheel - A small standing stones arrangement
  • 9 - Posts in the water that often attract birds who need a perch. Can make an interesting shot.
  • 10 - The Peace Pagoda. Can be a wonderful location at sunset
  • 11 - The Prayer Tree - Lots of prayers tied to the tree can make for interesting detail shots.
  • 12 - Nipponzan Myohoji - The home of the monks. An oriental style building. Please respect their privacy though, telephoto shots only
  • 13 - Rejoin the Grand Union canal. Should be some nice images and light by this time
  • 14 - Some lovely trees on the side of the canal. They make a nice repeating pattern

From here, it's just a short walk back over the bridge and back to the cars.

Thursday 1st June : Caldecotte Lake walk and shoot

This Thursday, we are going for a walk around Caldecotte Lake in the south of Milton Keynes.
Meet at the Caldecotte Arms car park, Bletcham Way, Caldecotte, Milton Keynes MK7 8HP at 7:30pm.
Quick Link http://goo.gl/9UiDmq

Sunset is at 21:13 and sets in a north-westerly direction

 

North Lake

Approx 1.4 miles around the north lake. Use the map below to find interesting spots for photographs

  • A – Jetty. You may be able to use this to get a nice lead in line to the lake itself. Ry from either side of the jetty, perhaps with a long exposure
  • B – A bird platform, you’ll need a telephoto lens though!
  • C – A weir type thing. Water cascades down into the Ouzel river here. You can see it wind along towards Simpson from the bridge here.
  • D – More concrete, but it offers quite nice views across the lake to the south.
  • E – A higher vantage point over the lake. Use the Windmill as a focal point
  • F – Another clear spot offering views over the lake to the west
  • G – This area is often quieter and more sheltered. Here you’ll find ducks.
  • H – A nice little area here, tall reeds with views towards the west of the windmill
  • I – Another sheltered area with wildfowl and reeds with some steps down to the lake
  • J – A nice little bridge over the water. Ducks and swans are often seen here.
  • K – A nice spot for a sunset shot over the water looking west towards the windmill
  • L – Another little bridge with reeds all around
  • M – A great spot for sunset and it will set directly behind the windmill pub

What to bring

The most important thing is to bring yourself with whatever camera you have. Even a smartphone can capture some lovely images. But, if you have them…

  1. Insect life – You’ll probably want to bring macro lens. There should be plenty to see in this respect.
  2. Birdlife – Bring a telephoto lens if you have one, although there are quite a few goslings and small cygnet around at the moment. Careful though, mum and dad usually aren’t too happy about you getting close.
  3. Landscape – A wider lens would be most suited, something under 35mm full frame equivalent. A tripod would be advisable too if you have one. Also, filters to darken a brighter sky
  4. Portraiture – Why not bring along a few family members for some lovely sunset shots? A flash unit for some fill flash and a portraiture lens (between 50 and 200mm should be lovely)

Interesting facts
The place name is fairly common in England, and is Old English meaning "cold cottage". This refers to a resting place for travellers or other strangers on the road. The original Northampton to London road (modern Brickhill Street) runs nearby, just short of its junction with Watling Street (itself a major route in continuous use since Roman times). The village declined when the Northampton road was rerouted in 1728 through Broughton and Woburn to join the Watling Street at Hockliffe.

Did you know that the lake is famous for the huge skeleton of an Ichthyosaur discovered during the lake’s excavation? Thought to be 150 million years old, the fossilised dinosaur can now be seen at Milton Keynes Central Library.