The Floods of 2014 by TJ

In the 15 months or so since we last tackled floods much has changed and not just The Brunnette becoming a mother! The flooding back in 2012 caused a lot of devastation, but fortunately although getting close the waters never reached my work estate. As I publish this post there is still a very real danger of us being flooded out and the units at the bottom end of the estate have been flooded. The landlords have pumps running 24/7 to try and keep the flood water at bay, and I have had to move some stock off the flood as a precaution. So this time I am taking and publishing a photo with the floods having much more of a direct impact.

The view in the photo is off what is normally a wheat field next to our work estate and where I can usually take the dogs for a walk. My unit is right behind the telegraph pole top right and these waters have spilled over from the River Thames which lies a few hundred metres further back. I have photographed the same scene as I did in 2012, but if you go and look at that photo by clicking here you will my different approach this time. I have gone with a natural shot taken at the waters edge rather than a panoramic view with a coloured filter. There is no editing except for the usual tweaks to the contrast and sharpness. I tried a number of different shots zooming in and zooming out, but felt that this photo captured the whole scene perfectly. The flood's made for a large expanse of water for the swans to enjoy, the blue sky with puffy white clouds provide a great backdrop and add to the reflection on the water. For me on a personal level it also shows the sheer magnitude of the water and yes although a beautiful scene it also shows the awesome power of nature. Click here to have a look at this scene from the harvesting of the wheat in this very same field in 2013 it's hard to imagine it could be the same field.

My other photos under consideration concentrated on the beauty aspect of the scene. I used the zoom on the camera to capture the swans and the tree in the two photos and then used a low key editing effect to create the under exposure effect, it's an effect I really enjoy using and feel it adds a lovely effect to these two photos.