Your R System Images - April 2025

We hope you enjoy creating memorable images this month!

(Two years in and still going strong - a HUGE 'Thank You' to all of the contributors from us both).

Have fun - but stay safe and well…

Phil and Karen

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Any R System images (stills or movies) can be posted. If you would like to say something about the subject, settings, or processing, that will be very welcome.

Remember, you don't have to only post things you took this month - sometimes people don't get around to processing/ editing images straight away. (Think of it more as an ‘images I’d like to post here this month’ thing). Images taken with non-R System lenses are also very welcome as this adds to the interest.

Images posted on this thread will also be available to view in the dedicated Monthly R System Images Gallery, which can be found Here.

Commenting on people’s posts is encouraged, as it keeps everyone interested and coming back. (Please aim to be considerate, thoughtful and constructive).

Service Announcement: Please note that owing to the imminent arrival of new serious tech Phil will be spiralling out of control into a self-inflicted server based nightmare. There is unlikely to be much, if any, signs of life coming from this direction in terms of feedback (if you spot a red flare please send rescue!). Normal service will resume once we are sure what 'normal' is. As usual, the lack of a comment from us is not a sign of disfavour! Thank you - and goodnight...

Finally, please post in accordance with the RF Shooters Community Guidelines.

Thank you!

Images from our recent visit to Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire, England.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite/ ViewPoint and Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels. Compilations feature Karen R7 and Phil R5).

You can find out more about the history of Canons Ashby by clicking Here.

Phil and Karen


1. Canons Ashby House is an Elizabethan Manor House. Built in stages between 1550 and 1710, it was the home of the Dryden family. (‘Canons Ashby’ is derived from ‘Ashby’ meaning ‘farmstead’ and ‘Canons’ from the canons who founded an Augustinian Priory here in the 12th century).



2. The Dining Room was created by Edward Dryden in 1710 and features various family portraits, including the poet laureate John Dryden (not shown).



3. The Book Room was added by Sir Erasmus Dryden in the 1590’s. Much of the original collection, which included a First Folio of Shakespeare, was sold at auction during the 20th century, however the National Trust has since reacquired many books associated with the house.



4. The Servant’s Hall was originally a private family dining room. When Edward Dryden created his new dining room in 1710, this room was repurposed as a dining space for servants (at which time the - only recently rediscovered/ uncovered - painted panels were whitewashed over... ).



5. During World War II, the London offices of 20th Century Fox films were evacuated to Canons Ashby House. After the war, the family moved to Rhodesia and leased the house to a succession of tenants. The property has been owned by the National Trust since 1981. During our visit a young lady asked if she might play the piano and, with permission, she selected and performed a historic melody most beautifully (we wonder when that piece was last heard here).



6. Canons Ashby Priory was an Augustinian Priory founded in the 13th century. In 1537, following the dissolution of the monasteries, it was greatly reduced in size with parts being taken away and used to build the Manor House, with the remains being used as the family church shared with the community. The Church of England parish church of St Mary is also owned by the National Trust.



(Sources: National Trust, Wikipedia).

Another amazing set. Wonderful photos and great history. Thanks Phil for the very short "vacation."

MikeZ said:

Another amazing set. Wonderful photos and great history. Thanks Phil for the very short "vacation."

Click to expand...

Hi Mike,

Cheers - very much appreciated!

P&K

PKM-UK said:

Images from our recent visit to Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire, England.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite/ ViewPoint and Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels. Compilations feature Karen R7 and Phil R5).

You can find out more about the history of Canons Ashby by clicking Here.

Phil and Karen


1. Canons Ashby House is an Elizabethan Manor House. Built in stages between 1550 and 1710, it was the home of the Dryden family. (‘Canons Ashby’ is derived from ‘Ashby’ meaning ‘farmstead’ and ‘Canons’ from the canons who founded an Augustinian Priory here in the 12th century).

View attachment 36004

2. The Dining Room was created by Edward Dryden in 1710 and features various family portraits, including the poet laureate John Dryden (not shown).

View attachment 36005

3. The Book Room was added by Sir Erasmus Dryden in the 1590’s. Much of the original collection, which included a First Folio of Shakespeare, was sold at auction during the 20th century, however the National Trust has since reacquired many books associated with the house.

View attachment 36006

4. The Servant’s Hall was originally a private family dining room. When Edward Dryden created his new dining room in 1710, this room was repurposed as a dining space for servants (at which time the - only recently rediscovered/ uncovered - painted panels were whitewashed over... ).

View attachment 36007

5. During World War II, the London offices of 20th Century Fox films were evacuated to Canons Ashby House. After the war, the family moved to Rhodesia and leased the house to a succession of tenants. The property has been owned by the National Trust since 1981. During our visit a young lady asked if she might play the piano and, with permission, she selected and performed a historic melody most beautifully (we wonder when that piece was last heard here).

View attachment 36016

6. Canons Ashby Priory was an Augustinian Priory founded in the 13th century. In 1537, following the dissolution of the monasteries, it was greatly reduced in size with parts being taken away and used to build the Manor House, with the remains being used as the family church shared with the community. The Church of England parish church of St Mary is also owned by the National Trust.

View attachment 36009

(Sources: National Trust, Wikipedia).

Click to expand...

I was hoping for another one of your sets to start this month off. Excellent.

PKM-UK said:

During our visit a young lady asked if she might play the piano and, with permission, she selected and performed a historic melody most beautifully (we wonder when that piece was last heard here).

Click to expand...

Those are the best moments. Really bring a place to life.

A long time ago, we spent a couple of nights in Florence, and on the first evening, after the tourist hordes had got on their coaches and left, we (only a minor skirmish party) wandered the streets looking for somewhere to eat. We turned into a piazza, and there was a ballerina giving a masterclass to a student, accompanied on piano. A small crowd sipped their Aperols and watched the show. We joined them. Perfect.

Blustery Tailwind for a Pair of Curlew Sandpipers…

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---

The RAW truth…

(And nothing but the truth?)

The Curlew Sandpipers were quite a distance away (44 metres according to the metadata), so there is a good deal of cropping involved in the image above.

As the birds were slightly apart, not just left–right but also near–far, I had to blend separate images to have both in focus in the final image.

And it seemed more pleasing to have them approaching each other!

In defence of image blending, I should add:

• "Bird on Left" chosen because of its leg position — foot visible, rather than hidden in the water.
• "Bird on Right" chosen because of its head position — eye visible, because head had turned a little to the right; also bill slightly open.

At the ever-present risk of anthropomorphising, having the birds converging gives the impression that the bird on the left is 'eyeing' the one on the right.

The images were shot at 30 frames/second; therefore, with two rejects separating them, approximately 0.1 second apart.

Only RF said:

I was hoping for another one of your sets to start this month off. Excellent.

Click to expand...

Cheers - very much appreciated!

P&K

Bucolic Old Sir Henry said:

Those are the best moments. Really bring a place to life.

A long time ago, we spent a couple of nights in Florence, and on the first evening, after the tourist hordes had got on their coaches and left, we (only a minor skirmish party) wandered the streets looking for somewhere to eat. We turned into a piazza, and there was a ballerina giving a masterclass to a student, accompanied on piano. A small crowd sipped their Aperols and watched the show. We joined them. Perfect.

Click to expand...

Hi Gareth,

Fantastic!

P&K

David Berry said:

The RAW truth…

(And nothing but the truth?)

The Curlew Sandpipers were quite a distance away (44 metres according to the metadata), so there is a good deal of cropping involved in the image above.

As the birds were slightly apart, not just left–right but also near–far, I had to blend separate images to have both in focus in the final image.

And it seemed more pleasing to have them approaching each other!

View attachment 36025

View attachment 36026

Click to expand...

That’s pretty good. I have to crop often as well. As tech improves it gets easier to get these great shots.

PKM-UK said:

Images from our recent visit to Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire, England.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite/ ViewPoint and Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels. Compilations feature Karen R7 and Phil R5).

You can find out more about the history of Canons Ashby by clicking Here.

Phil and Karen


1. Canons Ashby House is an Elizabethan Manor House. Built in stages between 1550 and 1710, it was the home of the Dryden family. (‘Canons Ashby’ is derived from ‘Ashby’ meaning ‘farmstead’ and ‘Canons’ from the canons who founded an Augustinian Priory here in the 12th century).

View attachment 36004

2. The Dining Room was created by Edward Dryden in 1710 and features various family portraits, including the poet laureate John Dryden (not shown).

View attachment 36005

3. The Book Room was added by Sir Erasmus Dryden in the 1590’s. Much of the original collection, which included a First Folio of Shakespeare, was sold at auction during the 20th century, however the National Trust has since reacquired many books associated with the house.

View attachment 36006

4. The Servant’s Hall was originally a private family dining room. When Edward Dryden created his new dining room in 1710, this room was repurposed as a dining space for servants (at which time the - only recently rediscovered/ uncovered - painted panels were whitewashed over... ).

View attachment 36007

5. During World War II, the London offices of 20th Century Fox films were evacuated to Canons Ashby House. After the war, the family moved to Rhodesia and leased the house to a succession of tenants. The property has been owned by the National Trust since 1981. During our visit a young lady asked if she might play the piano and, with permission, she selected and performed a historic melody most beautifully (we wonder when that piece was last heard here).

View attachment 36016

6. Canons Ashby Priory was an Augustinian Priory founded in the 13th century. In 1537, following the dissolution of the monasteries, it was greatly reduced in size with parts being taken away and used to build the Manor House, with the remains being used as the family church shared with the community. The Church of England parish church of St Mary is also owned by the National Trust.

View attachment 36009

(Sources: National Trust, Wikipedia).

Click to expand...

Who needs Brit-Box or PBS here in the states when we can have a tour of England's majestic homes right here!

I went down to River Grove Park yesterday afternoon just to see if anything was happening as far as wildlife to photograph. Saw some ducks and this hefty fellow floating on the edge of the long boardwalk.

Nothing to show scale but this cottonmouth was about 3 feet long and quite fat. Wonder if it had recently eaten something. I occasionally see kids swimming there in the summer which is a bit scarry. But in the end, it's their territory and despite the bad publicity that snakes get, they do serve a valuable place in the ecosystem and the food chain. "All God's creatures" as they say.

As you might see in the metadata, I shot this with my RF 200-800mm because that was what I had on the camera, didn't even bring my phone along or I might have used it. I was only about 5 feet away! It was all I could do to not crop some of it out.

Only RF said:

I was hoping for another one of your sets to start this month off. Excellent.

Click to expand...

Hi Only RF,

We aim to please! It's good to get round to shooting some different subjects as we were in danger of becoming a little zoo'd out.

(Having said that, we're off to Chester Zoo tomorrow for a members preview of their new 'Heart Of Africa' zone, which officially opens the following day).

P&K

Chris Summers said:

Who needs Brit-Box or PBS here in the states when we can have a tour of England's majestic homes right here!

Click to expand...

Hi Chris,

Cheers! It's very rewarding to know people are enjoying watching our travels.

P&K

Signs of life emerging - and the reason why Karen has made me wear a dribble bib...

There's what you know, what you don't know and what you don't know you don't know - but so far, so good. (Probably).

Phil


Welcome to the family...

PKM-UK said:

Images from our recent visit to Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire, England.

Compilations feature Karen R7 and Phil R5).

Click to expand...

….so, is using Canons at Canons appropriate or redundant?

PKM-UK said:

Built in stages between 1550 and 1710,

Click to expand...

…makes me feel a lot better about my unfinished siding and deck projects…

PKM-UK said:

3. The Book Room was added by Sir Erasmus Dryden in the 1590’s.

Click to expand...

…if anyone needs me, I’ll be in the Book Room. Just slide a pizza under the door every once in a while.

TwoWheeler said:

….so, is using Canons at Canons appropriate or redundant?


…makes me feel a lot better about my unfinished siding and deck projects…



…if anyone needs me, I’ll be in the Book Room. Just slide a pizza under the door every once in a while.

Click to expand...

Hi TwoWheeler,

Now you mention it, we don't recall seeing anyone using a non-Canon camera...

P&K