Stuart’s Photography

At its northern end, Bute Park gets squeezed down to a narrow avenue of trees, standing guard over the Taff Trail cycle route. This park of the park is a bit far for the Cardiff lunch crown to manage; it’s a quiet place during the week, with only the occasional jogger and cyclist to break you out of your own contemplation.

To the immediate west runs the River Taff, and to the east runs the former route of the Glamorganshire Canal before it disappears underneath the retail park at Gabalfa.

Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).

Bute Park is a great place to escape to during your lunch hour, although even the most determined of walkers will struggle to walk the whole length of the park and make it back in time for the afternoon stint behind a desk. Much nicer to find one of the benches dotted around the park to simply sit, break out the sandwiches, and recharge for a few minutes before heading back to the rat race.

Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).

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If you’re reading this in the RSS feed, my original blog post also includes a Google map showing where this photo was taken. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to get the map to appear yet in the RSS feed, so for now you’ll have to click through to my blog if you want to see the map. Sorry.

Although most visitors to Bute Park in Cardiff may only really notice the wide open spaces of the playing fields, or the gorsedd stones left by a previous eisteddfod, it is the trees where the beauty of Bute Park truly lies. As well as the arboretum (which contains some of the finest examples of trees in the UK), the playing fields are ringed with trees, casting their cool shade down onto anyone walking or cycling by who needs shelter from the sun.

Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).

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If you’re reading this in the RSS feed, my original blog post also includes a Google map showing where this photo was taken. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to get the map to appear yet in the RSS feed, so for now you’ll have to click through to my blog if you want to see the map. Sorry.

Download the full-size picture to use as your desktop wallpaper.

One of the great legacies from the age of coal that gave Cardiff its wealth before the First World War is also one of the great gifts made to the people of Cardiff. Originally flanked by Cardiff Castle to the south, the River Taff to the west, the Glamorganshire Canal to the east and Western Avenue to the north, Bute Park was begun in 1873 by the 3rd Marquess of Bute, and handed over to the people of Cardiff in 1947 by the 5th Marquess.

It is a fabulous place to roam, especially for the many thousands of office workers in Cardiff’s busy city centre who need somewhere to escape to on a lunch time. As well as open playing fields and the arboretum, there are quieter, shaded areas under the trees and by the river banks where you can go and hide with a book for a bit of peace and quiet.

Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).

Download the full-size picture to use as your desktop wallpaper.

As the end of the week approaches, and time runs out to pick out HDR shots in tribute to my Nikon D200, it’s getting harder and harder to pick my wallpaper choice, I don’t mind admitting! But there was no way I could leave this shot out of my selection. For me, like my Calanais At Dusk shot that’s sadly the wrong aspect to ever be a Daily Desktop Wallpaper (but, do try it on an iPad … it’s the wallpaper for the lock screen on mine!), this shot is an example of what HDR can really achieve when it all comes together. The end result looks more like a painting than a photograph, and I could happily stare at it all day.

In fact, that’s exactly what I’m going to do! At least until tomorrow, when I’ll be sharing my last choice from the D200 HDR archives.

Oh, and tonight I’m planning on working on the shots for next week’s wallpaper theme. Mrs H has set me a photographic challenge. I’ve no idea how it will go, but I’m looking forward to doing something a little different (for me). If there’s a photographic challenge you’d like to set me for a future wallpaper theme, drop me a comment on my blog and I’ll certainly consider it

Copyright (c) Stuart Herbert. blog | twitter: (photography) (all) | facebook: (Merthyr Road project) (all).

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If you’re reading this in the RSS feed, my original blog post also includes a Google map showing where this photo was taken. Unfortunately I haven’t managed to get the map to appear yet in the RSS feed, so for now you’ll have to click through to my blog if you want to see the map. Sorry.