Winter hedges

Winter hedgerows are nowhere near as bare as one might think. I put an SMC Pentax-A 135/ 2.8 on my K1 and took it for a walk. This lens produces a really nice bokeh that can vary between soft and a bit dreamy to Trioplan-like bubbles depending on the severity of the light. All of these were taken wide open to capitalise on it.

1 Snowberries are abundant this year and it's easy to see how they got their name.



2 They are peculiar looking things seen close up. Click on it to see a full sized image with all the detail.



3 The alders alongside the brook were covered with immature catkins, making the distant trees look purple.



4 Overhanging beech trees can retain their dried and wrinkled leaves all winter. I tried to get these with the sun behind them but the flare was too much so I had to compromise.



5 These two male blackbirds are likely siblings. Unfortunately, come spring they will quickly become enemies!



6 At least they won't go hungry since this year has furnished lots of fat and juicy berries like these hawthorns.



7 There are a variety of other cherry-like fruits to be found too. Note the quite pleasant bubble bokeh - a more severe version appears later.


8



9 One particular shrub that can be found is Spindle which is an indicator of a very old hedge!



10 As I said, the bokeh can be quite severe but, in its place, with backlighting, I think it is quite acceptable. This tangle of honeysuckle was just as dripping wet as everything around it as the early fog dispersed. The wide aperture rendered the water droplets behind the rim-lit stems as bokeh bubbles - some of which (see the top middle group) produced the most amazing lensed effects of whatever was right behind them!



This lens is rarely seen on here (like its Takumar cousin) but I can heartily recommend either of them.

Beautiful set

Agreed.
I do have a soft spot for the 135mm focal length, probably because it was the most affordable tele lens when I started out
I still have a copy of the Pentax A 135mm, but along with my other A and M series lenses it probably does not get enough camera time.

Very nice David. Pictures #1 & 2 are the berries of Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus, aka 'Snowberry' - one of the whitest whites in nature I'm told.

Thanks, a lovely collection of images.

Spindle is a new one for me, I'll have a look for this in the Devon hedges surrounding our village.

Mike

I do like to learn new things - thank you for that.
And I'm very pleased that you like them.

Agree 110%. There are always lots of interesting things in a good hedge, the older the better. And as you've shown so effectively, the interesting things provide plenty of photographic opportunities.

Steve

Lovely set and a reminder to self to use the 135mm focal length more.

Totally agree - on both counts

All, I think, could be described as "spot on"!

Right up my street! An excellent set.

As jvs writes, 'spot on'. I must admit to smiling when I read, 'I think it is quite acceptable'. Ahem, quite acceptable is a bit of an understatement. To quote jvs further, 'An excellent set.' That's putting it mildly. The last image was stunning.