{"id":1697,"date":"2010-08-19T00:08:39","date_gmt":"2010-08-18T23:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.permuted.org.uk\/photography\/archives\/1697"},"modified":"2013-11-10T16:19:47","modified_gmt":"2013-11-10T16:19:47","slug":"light-and-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.permuted.org.uk\/photography\/light-and-dark\/","title":{"rendered":"Light and Dark"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

The title refers to the subject matter of today's post as well as to the general issue of 'light'. Early morning is generally a good time for light (the sun is lower and contrasts are less intense), so I'll start with a few taken this morning when the light was indeed 'good'.
<\/span> Common darter, some distance from the nearest pond<\/span><\/p>\n

The whitethroats were hyper-active (feeding young?), but weren't willing to hang around to be photographed. it was a matter of watching their perching points, and hoping that they didn't dive behind a stray branch.
<\/span> <\/p>\n

This next one is a touch 'dark' in that the harlequin ladybirds are an invasive species and competing heavily with the small native ladybirds. The light was good though!
<\/span> Harlequin showing the distinctive white inverted 'm' at the top of the head<\/span><\/p>\n

Now for a couple of other contrasts: of nature and the other invasive species, humans…
<\/span> Kestrel and relay mast<\/span><\/p>\n

The light had all but gone by this afternoon, but I just had time for a shot of another urban\/nature contrast.
<\/span> Egret at Saltdean<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> Lifeguard post against the darkening skies<\/span><\/p>\n

I'll close with a short extract from a sequence taken tonight. A spider had caught a large moth and was in the process of wrapping it for 'storage'. It was fascinating to watch (I took about 40 shots in all, as it carefully laid its webbing, spun the moth to wrap it, and then tethered it carefully beneath its web).
<\/span> The beginning… note the slight spread to the moth's wings<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> The middle… trapped and wrapped<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> The end… lardered for later<\/span>
\"Nature<\/a><\/span>
Camera note: all shots takaen with the Canon 40D. The daytime shots were all taken with the EF 100-400mm f\/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens, with the exception of the ladybird. That, and the spider\/moth sequence, was taken with the EF 100mm f\/2.8L macro IS USM lens.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[980,991,1003,1009],"tags":[33,232,1132],"class_list":["post-1697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-birds-2","category-insects-2","category-landscape-2","category-spiders-2","tag-birds","tag-insect","tag-spider","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t