Richmond, a charming town nestled in the southwest of London, is a treasure trove of history and natural beauty. It's a place where the hustle and bustle of city life meets the tranquility of nature. The town is perched on a meander of the River Thames, offering picturesque views and an abundance of parks and open spaces, including the renowned Richmond Park. This town is steeped in history, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century when King Henry VII built Richmond Palace. The palace and the town became closely associated with Queen Elizabeth I, who spent her last days there. The Georgian terraces that were built around Richmond Green and on Richmond Hill are a testament to the town's historical significance.

Parks & Gardens

KEW GARDENS

A colleague and I got tickets to Kew Gardens due to an upcoming cross-discipline and cross company Hackathon. We are both in the Tribal Spark Hackathon management team, and in order to get an understanding of the potential options at the very large very impressive Kew Gardens, we went down on a Thursday to see what was on offer.

After half an hour or forty-five minutes at best, a slight spattering of rain came down. We ducked into a cafe to have lunch and wait for the weather to clear up. It did not clear up. We were trapped in the cafe for an hour before gave up.

Disappointing as there were many macro opportunities.

Richmond Park

October 2012

Sunday, I went with some other photographers to Richmond Park to enjoy what may have been the last nice day of 2012. We wandered through the park, taking photos of whatever was interesting. It was more of a social, than learning opportunity, though it allowed us to test our bravery by moving closer and closer to the antlered stags that roam freely in the park.

I felt the frustration of only having a single camera body, as I was switching between my wide angle lens for landscapes and sky over to the zoom lens for images of animals.

I did take a few photos I'm quite happy with, a deer, mid call and the reflection of the sky in the water both came out nicely.

February 2015

As the day was bright, though somewhat cold, I headed up to Richmond Park with my camera, to see what I could find. When I got there I realised I'd forgotten to pack my zoom lens, so any close up work would be out. When I stumbled across a herd of deer, I knew that I was going to regret not having the zoom.

Fortunately, the Richmond Park deer, are very tame and used to people and so you can get quite close. Close enough that my 50mm gives a nice image.