Vesna Armstrong Photography

Peppers are one of my favourite summer foods. As I was washing some Romano peppers before popping them in the oven to roast, I watched their striking bright red, shiny, bumpy surface. I thought I'd leave them in my vintage colander and place them on the kitchen windowsill with a couple of garlic heads for an impromptu summer still life image. There are many delicious recipes with Romano peppers on internet, but for me a simple  one that I enjoyed in my childhood is my favourite.

Last month, after having been to Kirkstall Deli Market that takes place inside the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey the last weekend of every month April - November, I nipped over the road to have a look at the beautiful gardens of the Abbey House Museum , a delightful step back in Victorian time museum, housed in the gatehouse of Kirkstall Abbey. I'd noticed beforehand that the gardens were looking more colourful than ever at this time of the year and I thought I'd go over and have a good look around on this cloudy Sunday late afternoon.

Earlier this month I went for a walk around my beloved Haworth in Brontë country which turned out to be one of the most beautiful walks I have ever done. It was a lovely summer day; warm, but not too hot, with deep blue skies and puffy white clouds that now and again concealed and mellowed the summer sun. I set off early to avoid the midday heat and the unflattering light from a photographer's point of view coming from the sun shining directly above. From Brow road in Haworth I took the path that runs parallel with the railway and Bridgehouse Beck for about a mile and a half, all the way to the village of Oxenhope. I'd walked the path before, but at a different time of year, and on this morning it looked completely different and much more pleasing. In fact, the countryside around me was enchanting, and I walked deliberately taking the time to fully enjoy the summertime beauty of the nature. At Oxenhope my circular route back to Haworth took a roundabout way via the villages of...

Time for a seasonal theme still life, and my first subject this summer is cherries. I thought of creating a cherries still life previous years and wanted to make sure it does happen this year. As I was in the process of composing an image in my mind an uncanny thing happened: I came across a cherry tree while walking my dog in the neighbourhood that I didn't know was there. I had already bought some rather expensive cherries from the local supermarket, but they were quite dark in colour. I fancied some bright red cherries as I love splashes of real red in my photos, and the cherries on this tree were just the colour I was looking for. In truth, the ones I could reach were not quite ripe yet and therefore not of the best red, but it didn't matter as I could adjust the colour in photo editing; and including various shades of red seemed to me adding more interest to the image, anyway. I kept the props simple and went for my favoured dark, rustic country cottage look. It is an iPho...

Just a few photos of my dear in-laws' beautiful garden, taken on our recent visit, and a couple of us happy family who got to enjoy it together.