A spot on the River Windrush

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While I was over at my favourite place on the River Windrush for a sunset shoot not so long ago, and it occurred to me it might be interesting to see a collection of my images taken over the past year or so, gathered together in one place, to see how the seasonal tides shape the landscape around this small river.

So that is what I did, and here are selection of my favourites, mainly taken at sunrise or sunset, when the best light is to be had. Even though they were captured within a couple of hundred yards of each other, along the same stretch of peaceful water, the diverse qualities of the light, and the time of year they were taken, makes each image different.

Taken in January 2014, this is probably the most atypical of the shots, as the river had burst its banks in quite a spectacular fashion. This dawn photo is looking towards the spire of St John The Baptist Church in Burford, one of the large Cotswold 'wool churches' built between 1160 and 1475. So named because they were founded by the wealth of the local wool merchants.

Again looking towards Burford, this shot, from May 2014, was taken in rather more bucolic conditions, and is more in keeping with the pastoral image the Cotswolds has developed in recent years.

On the same day as the last shot, this one was taken slightly later, as the weather was starting to close in. But the fresh spring green of the rushes that line the banks of the river, as it follows it's drowsy course towards the confluence with it's larger sibling, the River Thames, look particularly lush in the flat light.

It's now August 2014 and the vegetation has been growing all summer, hiding a good portion of the waterway behind its scrappy flanks. The rushes have been joined with various other plant life, making the most of the long sunny days. Much of the river's forty mile journey is lined with rushes, which of course is where it gets it's name from.

A beautiful September sunset shows how much the sun has moved across the sky in one month. In the previous image, even though the sun had disappeared below the horizon, you can clearly see the brightest part of the sky is located to the right of the single tree that punctuates the skyline. In this image it's well to the left. 

A November shot, taken a good time after the sun had set, leaving behind a wonderful blush to the clouds, which are reflected perfectly in the river below. The form of the river is now much more visible now that the vegetation has begun to recede.

The most recent image, taken in February this year, shows the distended river, full of winter rain, 

along with a legion of lifeless rushes, as they are half submerged in it's swollen clutches. This was captured just before a particularly violent hail storm, and the tempestuous clouds and sunset light conspired to cast an other-worldly hue across the whole landscape.

I'm looking forward to, hopefully, getting some more unique photos from this peacuful spot throughout the rest of the year!