Fisheye at Fordingbridge!

My local town when growing up, by the River Avon, at 7 a.m. this morning.

The bank (Lloyds) where my late father (RIP) - and much later me - banked for at least fifty years has now closed.  Always reassuring though is that the very first book I bought (or had bought for me?) from the independent Fordingbridge Book Shop (there's original!!) is still alive and kicking and well worth a visit, with an excellent stock of local books and of the New Forest too.

I'm in the "Rec" (recreation ground) where the views of the wonderful graceful 7 arch medieval stone bridge are by far the best (I've Blipped this before and images of which can easily be found courtesy Mister Google) but unlike most visitors, I've gone through the gate at the end of this area and walked along the bank within inches of the silent, silky slightly swollen Avon, with its marvelous willows newly draped in their fine lime green tendrils.

This was the sort of shot I was after and exactly what I got. Better viewed LARGE.

Being fisheye, some ugly distortion crept in as I had to point the camera upwards a little, but I leveled out the left side to make the river flat - AND - there was an ugly if faint cyan blue flare spot that could not be cloned out, as it had too much surrounding detail under it. So, I changed its colour and adjusted the other levels to bring it up to the rest of the image.

Unlike generous Mister John Gravett, I won't tell you how - it's all part of the learning curve that only comes through sheer experience. Good photos are very seldom just "Click and Go" 

Samyang DX 8mm f3.5 CSII fisheye at f11.