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I just had to capture these two cheeky fellas whilst I was out and about in my local park. They began by charging past me at speed as I was walking through the woodland section and they really were on a mission,  disappearing in and out of the trees, undergrowth flying around as they scampered through the grass. Just as I focused my camera on them they vanished from sight, but reappeared travelling vertically towards the canopy, one on one side and one on the other! A high speed game of chase, equally matched in pace and each outwitting the other! Hilarious!

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……..Bloody photographers!!!

 

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In my last post I mentioned that it is snowing yet again! So,to keep the ‘white’ theme going I am posting a photo that I took some time ago. I took a simple shot and then using PS just inverted the image and then raised the level of contrast until I got a pleasing image in black and white. I really like the effect and may just have to try this again some time!

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So the weather has taken a turn for the worse again, snow snow and more snow…….Spring seems like it is frozen in time, held in a state of suspended animation. I was tempted to go out for a walk through the fields but just as I was about to leave the snow began to come down again, only this time really big wet flakes, floating earth bound on the icy wind. So, whilst wandering around the confines of my house I notes the bold shapes formed by a plant that sits in the bathroom window, acting as a temporary blind! Out came the camera and after a few different setting changes I had a really unusual bold print like image. I have put the image into PS and simply converted it to a black and white photo, and the result feels like a modern art wallpaper pattern! Something a little tropical feeling on a bitterly cold afternoon!

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As the header states, this year of photography blogging may just take me a little longer than I planned, but that’s just the way it goes. I started out with the intention that i would photograph something everyday, easy i hear you say, but then when you begin it becomes clear that you become more fussy about what you shoot and what you post! Well that’s whats happened with me, I wont settle for the quick shot of a sunrise, or a piece of fruit at lunchtime, I want the images that you only seem to see gracing the covers of magazines, shot by professionals who have then spent days editing the original into something it never was! Only I wont edit! Then there are the shots that you only see when you are driving, and you are unable to capture due to the other commuters around you hustling and jostling you on their way to work. Of course there is always that amazing shot that you couldnt get because at that moment you didnt have your camera…..but sometimes you know there is more to life than a photograph, sometimes you have to stop and look with your own eyes, and committ the image to your own photographic memory banks…..there forever, to be recalled at will wherever and whenever, un-blogged, un-processed, un-spoilt!

 

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For some time now I have been revisiting the past, looking at old photos. That’s the wonderful thing about a photo, it can trigger memories and feelings like no other media. In a split second you are right back at that moment in time, the energy of that moment still lives on. You smile at some old distant memory, you remember the good times, you lament the bad times, you pause for a second and today evaporates into yesterday. You are there, transported back in time, who said time travel wasn’t possible? Its right there in our photographs whether they are framed on the shelf of electronically framed in our computers, tablets and mobile phones…….taking us back down the paths of our lives. For many years I taught dance classes, children mainly but some brave adults too! My memories of those children, teenagers, young people will never leave me, their vitality, determination, and sheer enjoyment in their faces and in their achievements, the look on the faces of children who had never set foot on a stage in front of 800 people now applauding them loudly. The child who had  never achieved a high mark in an exam, now rewarded with a gold medal, even the child dragged in by their mothers who want to relieve their own childhood dreams of becoming a ballerina suddenly find a confidence and energy they never had and bounce out with a smile and a balletic leap learned moments earlier! Only I hold these memories, but the photos can be shared with you all, and give you a small window into a past that’s long gone but always there.

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This struck me as quite a comical moment, I’m sat at the car wash in town whilst the guy does the attended pre-wash bit, spraying the alloys and jet-washing the windscreen, I have the radio on even though I know at some point the radio will lose signal! He beckons me to move forward onto the bit that rolls your car through the automated car wash and advises me to engage neutral but leave the engine running, I haven’t seen him here before and so he does not know that I am a regular here and so know the drill well (after an incident where I automatically switched off the engine which resulted in losing the power-steering which in turn resulted in  my car being bumped along as the wheel were locked in the wrong position…..hmmm embarrassing!!)……anyway, just as the light goes green and the car lurches towards the huge rolling blue brushes and fluroescent purple foam the radio starts to play ”At The CarWash” by Rose Royce! So there I am, sat in my car in the middle of the car wash singing ”At the Car wash” at the top of my voice…….coincidence or what???

 

 

 

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Some years ago I had the fortune to stay at a fabulous Malmaison Hotel in Oxford. Some of you may have already looked at the image and guessed that this hotel was indeed a former jail and prison! It stands right in the centre of Oxford and alongside the actual hotel stands a museum which if you get the chance to visit you simply must go! I wont ramble on about the place but I have added a link below if you want more info as it really is a fascinating location. The rooms vary in size but the standard rooms consist of  two cells joined together, original features such as the prison doors and windows are all still in place, as are the walls and general layouts, but the rooms are sumptious! The sound the door makes when you close it behind you is really chilling and you really feel like you are locked in!  Upon walking through reception you enter the main hallway, and the view is breathtaking, two levels of cells with all the original railings and walk ways as well as the staircases at either end and the most fantastic view as you look up of the light coming through the ceiling. I can only imaging that the former occupants of this building were not quite so impressed about their surroundings and most definately wouldn’t have paid to visit! Visit www.malmaison.com/oxford  for more info……

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Its not often I’m stuck for something to photograph but the weather over the last couple of days has been wet and windy, not great for outdoor photography. So, whilst contemplating what to have for dinner, I noticed the chime that hangs from my curtain pole in my lounge, its actually a garden chime but as it was bought at the end of the Summer I didn’t manage to locate it outdoors! After photographing it from various angles I have decided that the straight on shot is most pleasing, the colour of the glass bead reminds me of the sun, glowing and fiery, a welcome distraction amongst all the grey gloom of late January!

 

 

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Now you may have heard of the saying ‘curiosity killed the cat’ (as a cat lover I’m not a fan of this saying!!) but have you ever heard of ‘curiosity killed the sheep’?? As a seasoned lover of sheep I just had to stop at the side of the road and take a photo of these chaps, all huddled together feasting on a recent delivery of fresh hay, bringing a little taste of summer meadows back to them. I was shooting from a fair distance as sheep are usually quite timid creatures, choosing to rush off in the opposite direction at the slightest movement, but these little guys decided that I warranted a closer inspection, bunching closer as they edged forward, safety in numbers, still on their toes and edgy but definately bolder than the average sheep. I just loved the contrast of their thick dark brown wool against the snow, they looked so warm and cosy, almost huggable (I dont think sheep hugging is an offence??) but what I loved was this particular sheep in the middle of the flock who seemed less interested in the hay and more interested in me, almost like he is playing hide and seek! Also note the various coloured ear tags…..a sheep fashion statement maybe?