Nature's Magic

Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.
Henry David Thoreau

On Saturday I went on a macro photography workshop at a nearby nature reserve Langford Lakes. It was a revelation. I have always enjoyed watching and photographing butterflies but had not realised how many other stunningly beautiful creatures there are out there vying for our attention. However before you can see you need to look, and in looking move slowly through the world. Our leader for the day was wildlife photographer Iain Green who introduced, what was for some of us at least, a new wonderland.

Fat-legged Garden Beetle on a Briar Rose

I love the iridescence of this garden beetle and the way in which it brings something new to the flowers it alights on

The day wasn’t perfect for this kind of photography. It was cold for June, we had to dodge the showers and worst of all it was windy. It turns out that winged insects really don’t like wind!

Thought this was a mayfly but having looked on the web not so sure!

I love the delicate tracery of the irridescent wings on this little one.

ladybird mating.jpg — Stages of the ladybird’s life cycle:
Mating

Something else I knew nothing about till Saturday! I included the picture of the ladybirds mating even though it’s not very sharp as I thought it would be fun to show the whole cycle.

I love his little face. when you look at the faces of moths, butterflies and damselflies close up you can really see where people got the idea of fairies from.

Finally to sign off, a plant that tries to fool you into thinking it’s an animal - the Bee Orchid. When I was a child there were fields full of them and pyramid orchids where we lived on the Isle of Wight. Sadly nowadays they are much more difficult to find. Apologies if any of the info about insects in this blog is incorrect. If you spot any mistakes please feel free to highlight them in the comments. In the meantime happy insect hunting!

December Month of Extraordinary Light

“Above the cloud with its shadows is the star with it’s light”

— Pythagoras

December was a month when I noticed beautiful light. Light is more precious during the winter when the days are so short and often, like today, so murky that it seems as if there is no daylight at all.

Three days shone out for me in December. On the first I visited the Christmas Tree Festival at the medieval church of St Thomas in the centre of the city. Different organisations and charities decorate trees in a multitude of ways and the results are stunning.

What absolutely made the whole thing was the afternoon light streaming into the church and casting a golden glow

The medieval 'Doom' fresco was rendered vibrant by the light

The second day of extraordinary light was just before Christmas. We had friends staying and took them on a trip to explore Cranborne Chase a little known but amazingly beautiful part of North Dorset. The weather forecast had been poor so we were delighted to find a sunny and slightly misty day which made the countryside look magical.

The village of Ashmore the highest point in Dorset

We ended the day in the Saxon hilltop town of Shaftesbury watching the sun go down

The final picture in this set is Gold Hill, made famous by the Hovis advert and the Oliver Read / Julie Christie version of Far From the Madding Crowd in the nineteen sixties.

For the the final set we're off to Brighton for our post-Christmas visit to my 94 year old mother-in-law. It was freezing cold and blowing a gale but I ventured down to the promenade to capture the sunset - and boy was it worth it!

The final photo of the post is a tad grainy but I like it because it shows both piers, The West Pier in the foreground and the Palace Pier now known as Brighton Pier. You can also make out the starlings that gather there every evening.

So This was Summer!

We spent our summer in the UK mostly at home or on the Isle of Wight with the odd day trip. The exception to this was a trip to Norway with my 94 year old mother-in-law to visit family.

I should like to share my favourite photos with you.

Dorset

“Rime Intrinsica, Fontmell Magna, Sturminster Newton and Melbury Bubb,
Whist upon whist upon whist upon whist drive, in Institute, Legion and Social Club.
Horny hands that hold the aces which this morning held the plough
While Tranter Reuben, T. S. Eliot, H. G. Wells and Edith Sitwell lie in Mellstock Churchyard now.

Lord’s Day bells from Bingham’s Melcombe, Iwerne Minster, Shroton, Plush,
Down the grass between the beeches, mellow in the evening hush.
Gloved the hands that hold the hymn-book, which this morning milked the cow
While Tranter Reuben, Mary Borden, Brian Howard and Harold Acton lie in Mellstock Churchyard now.

Light’s abode, celestial Salem! Lamps of evening, smelling strong,
Gleaming on the pitch-pine, waiting, almost empty even- song
From the aisles each window smiles on grave and grass and yew-tree bough
While Tranter Reuben, Gordon Selfridge, Edna Best and Thomas Hardy lie in Mellstock Churchyard now.”

— John Betjemin

The first three images and the title image are Corfe Castle, the others are Lyme Regis

Oslo

“Until the Eighties, Oslo was a rather boring town, but it’s changed a lot, and is now much more cosmopolitan. If I go downtown, I visit the harbour to see the tall ships and the ferries, and to admire the modern architecture such as the Opera House or the new Astrup Fearnley Museum on the water’s edge.”

— Jo Nesbo

Åsgårdstrand

“Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye... it also includes the inner pictures of the soul”

— Edvard Munch

Isle of Wight

““Any man from America or Australia might take one glance at the Island as something on a map, and then decide to give it a couple of hours.

But you can spend days and days exploring the Isle of Wight, which, if you are really interested, begins magically enlarging itself for you.””

— JB Priestly

East Lambrook

“‘Nowhere in the world is there anything like the English cottage garden. In every village and hamlet in the land there are these little gardens, always gay and never garish, and so obviously loved. There are not so many now, alas, as those cottages of cob or brick, with their thatched roofs and tiny crooked windows, are disappearing to make way for council houses and modern bungalows, but the flowers remain, flowers that have come to be known as ‘cottage flowers’ because of their simple, steadfast qualities.’”

— Margery Fish

Photo Walk Extraordinaire!

It's been a busy couple of days. I have been up in London at the Blogtacular Conference being inspired and having fun. The main conference was on Saturday, but on Friday there was the option to go on a photo walk so I signed up. Imagine about 25 colourfully dressed women armed with phones and cameras charging though the streets of Chelsea and you'll get the idea!

The first place we stopped was a cake shop called Peggy Porschen - I really have to go back and try the delicious looking cakes!

Then we wandered on, following our leader, photographing anything and everything of interest!

It was a great afternoon, though I have to say at the end of a couple of hours pounding the pavements I was ready to go back to the hotel and have a rest!

If you would like to see more on the photowalk and Blogtacular, head on over to my other site ChequerCreative where I will be posting in a few days time. In the meantime have a great week.

Open to the Unexpected

I have just bought the book ‘Adventures in Seeing’ by one of my favourite photography tutors Kim Manley Ort. I have taken several of her e-courses and found them inspirational. The book suggests a series of challenges or ‘Calls to Adventure’ which can be shared through social media (there is a private Facebook group) or one’s blog. This challenge, which is adventure number three seems to call for a blog post. the challenge was to notice what surprises you and let the photographs come to you (of course there is a lot more about this in the book but for the purposes of this blog this captures the essence of it)

The photographs below were taken during the course of a weekend on the Isle of Wight, following paths I had followed many times before but with what you might call enhanced noticing.

The two images above are of water seen through holes in the wooden floor of a bird watchers hide on the Newtown River (we didn't see much in the way of interesting birds!). To me they look rather like planets.

the magpie and periwinkle I came upon the following day while walking on Headon Warren

These final two are from an evening stroll along the beach. A boat trailer half buried in the sand beginning to rust and early evening colours on sand still wet from the receding tide.

Wishing you all a week of 'enhanced noticing'!

By the Water Keralan Style

During our recent trip to India we spent a fair amount of time by the water whether the sea or the inland waterways. I am using this post to share a few favourite photos from each location focusing on Kerala.

First the 'Backwaters'. To quote our Lonely Planet guide these are a 900km network of waterways that fringe the coast and trickle inland. there are palm fringed lakes, narrow canals and isolated villages and farming communities. The photos below are of the community who live and work on the backwaters.

After our night on a converted rice barge like the one above we headed off to Marari Beach for some R&R staying at the beautiful Marari Villas accommodation right on the beach. While there was always something of interest to see on the beach, the highlight of each day was the return of the fishing fleet and the subsequent fish market

We would love to go back someday and explore further!

Why India is Hell for Photographers

Why would India be hell for photographers? Some might argue it is one of the most photogenic countries in the world. Therein lies the rub, practically everything you see in India seems deserving of a photograph. Potential themes are endless: transport, notices, traditional crafts, wildlife - I could go on. But how to discriminate? do you choose an area to focus on, or do you snap indiscriminately at everything that catches your eye and hope to theme them later? I chose the latter route and am now busy post-processing 2000 + photos. I have themed a few for you to give an idea of the scope, but in doing it this way I am very aware of the lack of place and context.

What works best? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Transport

Bullock Cart on the road from Ooty to Coimbatore

Elephants used for transport Bandipur Tiger Reserve

Traditional Crafts

Lighting a cow dung fire to put with bananas in the 'banana cave' to ripen them Madurai Banana Market

Wildlife

Signs

Notice seen on station while riding the 'Toy Train'  from Ooty to Coonoor — Notice seen on station while riding the 'Toy Train' from Ooty to Coonoor

This is a tiny selection of the pictures I took and the themes explored during my travels in South India. I would love to know about your journeys and how you decide what to focus your camera on.

Can Photography Enhance our Experience of Art?

Yesterday I visited Hauser & Wirth Somerset to see their Subodh Gupta 'Invisible Reality' exhibition. It was absolutely stunning and you can find out more about both the exhibition and the artist on their website. I took my DSLR and came back with lots of captures. The question that intrigues me though - and I am not sure if this is just going to sound like pretentious twaddle or whether it will herald the start of a meaningful debate - is can photography enhance our experience of art?

As you approach the Banyan Tree (and it is the first thing you see on arrival at the gallery) it twinkles at you in the sun. As you draw closer you see that its leaves are made out of pots and pans and other kitchen utensils, all make from shiny stainless steel.

Closer still you can identify individual items then, using the camera, you can isolate one piece from the whole, focusing and concentrating on a particular aspect, in this case set against the bright blue of the spring sky and white fluffy clouds.

Closer in again, far closer than I could get with my naked eye, certain objects stand out whilst others fade - yet another view. If this is at all how the artist intends you to view his work - I have no idea, but I do find the differences fascinating.

Looking from one direction like a giant gong this actually represents a giant cooking pot whose dimensions have been somewhat compressed. A real feature was the impact of light on the sculpture which shimmered and gleamed depending on the sunshine entering the room.

Looking at these pictures I see something different from what was seeing when I was actually in the room with the installation. There I could not focus in on the colours within the metal and the way the light fell. There were distractions, the sun in my eyes, other visitors, the sheer scale of the work when viewed as a whole. As those of you who have followed my blog know I prefer the small view to the panorama and the opportunity to use the lens to interact in a different way with these pieces feels like a blessing.

This is one of the Pressed for Space series using found objects and fabric compressed into a rectangle. Again the photographic process allows you to experience these pieces in a different way by focussing intently on a small section of the work

Looking close up connects me more fully with the spaces and textures of the individual components of this piece in a way that wasn't possible at the exhibition and my overall feeling is that the photograph complements the original experience in ways that enhance the overall experience of the exhibition. What do you think? I'd love to hear.

Cuba Colour

Cuba is a stand out location for street photography - everywhere you look there are colourfully dressed people standing by colourful buildings, which they often match so well you could almost think they had been professionally placed by an artist.

Even the sea seems to compliment the colours worn

and I love this blue and white combination

The stalls at the farmers market look colourful too.

Despite my love of colour I am going to end this final post about our Cuban adventures with a couple of desaturated pictures. Why? because I like these particular images better like that, and I wanted to include them! Enjoy!

Hasta La Victoria Siempre

The words Hasta la Victoria Siempre translate as 'always faithful to victory' and the Cuban people have been. As a visitor there is a sense that the revolution is still ongoing, and in one sense it is. In the other communist countries we have visited the ( Vietnam and Cambodia) the revolution has been and gone, leaders dead or deposed. In Cuba, however, the Castro's, Fidel and Raoul, are very much still in charge.

Everywhere you go in Cuba the revolutionary heros stare down at you, usually, but not always, in their younger incarnations

you can find them on houses, as street art and on the front of garages.

Even on doors.

Che, Fidel and co are also to be seen imortalised in metal in the more formal setting of the Revolutionary Square in Havana

While Che and Castro are fathers of modern Cuba, the man looked on as the founding father of the nation is Jose Marti. Marti founded the Partido Revolucionario Cubano which united Cuban forces in favour of independence. He died in battle against the Spanish in 1895 and is buried in a mausoleum in the cemetery of Santiago de Cuba ,where an armed guard is maintained ceremonially changing every 30 minutes. Marti is the only individual or institution in Cuba so honoured.

and finally this is how the Cubans show the American base at Guantanamo on their maps

Everybody Salsa!

“The roots of Cuban music are in my head.”

— Compay Segundo

Music and dance is everywhere in Cuba, on the streets, in the restaurants to the the Casa de la Trove set up following Fidel Castro's degree that every town in Cuba should have its own Casa de la Trove where the troubadours were to be given regular wages. You couldn't escape it even if you wanted to - most don't!

most of the music played in Bueno Vista Social Club type salsa

Then of course there is the national song 'Guantanamera' or literally 'farm girl from Guantanamo Bay'. I have to admit that I, along with others in the group, had not previously associated it with Cuba but with Mexico! If you are trying to remember the tune here it is in a version by Compay Secundo of the Bueno Vista Social Club.

Company died back in 2003 and has been awarded the accolade of being buried in the cemetery at Santiago de Cuba near to the Cuban's founding father Jose Marti.

On one of our nights in Havana we went to see the band that had evolved from the Bueno Vista Social Club incorporating a couple of the original members it was chaotic but great fun with fabulous music and a fair number of Mojitos.

The music on the streets was the best

whether single musicians of larger groups, in this case discussing what to play next

or in the evening in Trinidad in the Casa de la Musica

so come and and join in!

Hola from Cuba

“Cuba has become a symbol of courageous resistance to attack. Since 1959, Cuba has been under attack from the hemispheric superpower”

— Noam Chomsky

It seems a long time since I posted here. The principle reason for this is that blogging and builders don't go well together. We had builders, of one sort or another, in for most of 2105 and it felt like a year when art or artistic endeavours were constantly interrupted by life. Hopefully things should be calmer this year and I shall probably spend some time refreshing my blog and website - but for now I will just say 'Hola from Cuba' in what will almost certainly be the first of several posts as Cuba was a bit of a photographer's dream!

Cuba is a country of colour music and dance. It is also a country of poverty, hope and pride. I know a lot more about Cuba than before I went and from a different perspective. There is much that is good and much that is not so good. The country faces huge challenges in the immediate future as the old revolutionary leaders pass on and the US embraces the nation. I don't feel qualified to comment on any of this, though I am so hoping for a positive outcome for the Cuban people, so I am just going to share with you some of the colours and sights of what is a very special place.

In order to make some sense of what I saw I am going to theme the posts starting with transport. To start off with there are those wonderful classic cars, many of them used as taxis

Few have many of their original parts and most have been mended and remended over the years - but they still look stunning

Next come the vans and lorries - just as attractive in their own way

Next up is two wheeled transport, with cycle rickshaws much in evidence

as well as bikes for individual use

The further east you go in Cuba the more horses and mules you see. Horses pulling commercial vehicles, taxis and ridden by cowboys - we actually saw someone lasso a steer on the motorway between Havana and Santa Clara! there were also oxen and buffalo carts but unfortunately I didn't manage capture any of those.

Different sorts of horse drawn taxi abound

This picture also features our state owned tour bus of which there are hundreds whizzing round the Island

Here are plenty of more commercial horse drawn vehicles too

I'm not sure if these speakers work or if they are just painted on!

Then there are the cowboys

and after a run down of most, if not all, of the Cuba's methods of transport I will say adios for now!

Once upon a Time on Lake Maggiore .................

Once upon a time there was a scotsman called Neil McEacharn who spotted an advert in The Times for the Villa Taranto. He bought it in 1931 and spent the next 30 or so years creating a rich a varied garden with plants from around the world, the most surprising feature of which was, in my view, the dahlia maze

Dahlias have never been one of my favourite flowers but this display caused me to think twice! Alongside the Dahlias were many more exotic plants such as these giant amazonian lilies

and an amazing field of lotus blossom - one of my favourites

There were also beautiful vistas

and some other visitors

McEacharn died at the Villa Taranto in 1964 and is buried in a mausoleum in the grounds decorated with his beloved flowers

close to these spectacular views

Saturday at Spitalfields

Last Saturday I attended a street photography workshop at Photography Course London. The practical part of the day took place at Spitalfields, one of the places to be in London on a Saturday. We were asked to pick a theme and I started off with couples

I began quite well taking a wide view of what might constitute a couple - could be either friends, lovers or friends of the four legged variety.

Then I got kind of distracted by things or people I just found interesting

not normally a huge fan of back an white but this lady came already colour co-ordinated making it a no brainer!

I was also hugely attracted by people who were dressed slightly unusually or doing something out of the ordinary and really couldn't resist these fabulous ladies

or these guys

But back to the challenge, couples! A bit later I saw some different couples some of whose members were canine, like this pampered pooch here who travelled her own cushion.

But this was my absolute favourite couple

That's all folks, join me back in Italy next time!

Ode to Orta

We have just returned from a holiday to Italy where we stayed on Lake Maggiore - stayed tuned for a future post about this - but for today I want to invite you to to visit lake Orta with me and in particular the village of Orta San Giulio.

The joy of this place and of its accompanying Island of San Giulio out in the lake (which unfortunately we didn't have time to visit) was the fact that there was nothing to disturb the harmony of the buildings

no monstrosities of the sixties or seventies to spoil the flow of the architecture

no jarring colours to spoil the predominance of earth tones that softly blend into the landscape

rather, an ancient square with frescoed houses

roads along the lake that once may have led to Rome,

or just back to the central square

and little jetties where you can enjoy a drink or an ice-cream overlooking the lake

In all just perfect!

Its not the Leaving of Liverpool ........

My trip to Liverpool last month was my first time in the city and I absolutely loved it! only problem was that my reason for being there at all was to attend a 3 day art workshop led by the wonderful Orly Averini. The down side to this great opportunity was that there wasn't a lot of time to explore the city. But these were my highlights

I loved the docks with their mix of ancient and modern, topped by the original Liverbirds

no time to take a 'ferry cross the Mersey' though'

or even paddle ourselves across

We did make it to the Tate though!

Liverpool provided lots of great opportunities for Street photography

I loved that there were pianos provided for the public to play

One of the best things apart from the great food in some fabulous restaurants was our visit to the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

We hit it at just the right time in early evening with the sun streaming though the windows and turning everything jewel coloured - just fabulous!

All just fabulous we were so sorry to go and definitely mean to come back!

“Farewell to Princes’ landing stage River Mersey fare thee well
I am bound for California, a place I know right well
So fare thee well my own true love
When I return united we will be
It’s not the leaving of Liverpool that grieves me
But my darling when I think of thee”

— Traditional

A Walk Round Yarmouth

At the beginning of the month we had a week on the Isle of Wight. With hindsight and considering what it has been like since, the weather was very good. Indeed we had two near perfect days. On one of these we had a lovely walk round Yarmouth, one of my favourite places on the Island.

We headed off past the old station that has recently been reimagined as a cafe

through Rofford Marsh

and down to the sea where we saw a couple of cormorants fishing together, and a man walking his dogs along the shore at what was one of the lowest tides of the year (usually no beach visible here)

Back through the town, the cottage gardens were looking pretty,

then on to the pier, reputedly the longest wooden pier int he UK.

From the pier we spotted children taking advantage of the low tide and glorious evening to go crabbing

All this in a gentle stroll lasting around an hour - we are blessed!

In Dublins' Fair City ......

Last month I had a very last minute and unexpected opportunity to visit Dublin. I had just two days looking around by myself while my husband was at work - the weather wasn't great but here of some of the things that stuck me.

Of course the pubs

Trinity College Library containing the Book of Kells which I wasn't able to photograph

The Georgian houses - I particularly enjoyed this one, celebrating Dublin's year as European City of Culture

and this one with the fabulous door furniture

As I approached Dublin Castle I heard a volley of gunfire. This was shortly after the devastatingTunisian beach attack so I felt a momentary frisson of fear which was quickly allayed when I noticed a crowd of people watching something. It was, of course, filming for a TV programme on the Easter Rising of 1917

Near St Patrick's Cathedral I found trees with hand crocheted socks!

There were plenty of statues

and opportunities for street photography

Lunching leprechaun in St Stephen's Green

and finally I was intrigued / amused by these Edward V11 letter boxes still in service but painted green!

“In Dublin’s fair city, where the girls are so pretty
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow through streets broad and narrow
Crying cockles and mussels alive a-live O! ”

— Traditional

Another Place

On Monday we visited Anthony Gormely's installation 'Another Place' on Crosby Beach just outside Liverpool. It consists of 100 cast-iron, life-size figures spread out along three kilometres of the foreshore, stretching almost one kilometre out to sea.

When we arrived the tide was on its way in and the weather was pretty murky with outbreak sof squally rain, but somehow the scene didn't call for bright sunshine.

The figures - each one weighing 650 kilos - are made from casts of the artist's own body standing on the beach, all of them looking out to sea, 'staring at the horizon in silent expectation'. The figures are really spaced out and some were already underwater when we visited. We walked to a couple of the nearer ones which were textured with rust, sand and barnacles.

According to Antony Gormley, as quoted on Visit Liverpool , 'Another Place harnesses the ebb and flow of the tide to explore man's relationship with nature. He explains: The seaside is a good place to do this. Here time is tested by tide, architecture by the elements and the prevalence of sky seems to question the earth's substance. In this work human life is tested against planetary time. This sculpture exposes to light and time the nakedness of a particular and peculiar body. It is no hero, no ideal, just the industrially reproduced body of a middle-aged man trying to remain standing and trying to breathe, facing a horizon busy with ships moving materials and manufactured things around the planet.'

As we watched and waited the tide rolled in and more figures began to be underwater, it gave a slightly erie feeling. I guess the visit would have been entirely different if it had been a bright summers day with the beach crowded with people. As it was, it seemed to represent the human condition, how we are buffeted by the time and tide of life, marked by its vicissitudes but gaining a strange beauty as we age.

“Happiness, not in another place but this place...not for another hour, but this hour.”

— Walt Whitman

Post Card from Chelsea - Two

Together with the show gardens the big draw was the Great Pavilion. Photography was, if anything, more difficult in here; not least because of the crowds who, like ourselves, had rushed in to avoid the rain. The pavilion is full of amazing displays of plants of all colours shapes and sizes. I particularly loved these aliums both on their own and with amazing displays of Amarylis (?)

Looking up was amazing

Not all the exhibits were natural however, with a ceramic tulip installation by Paul Cummins who was responsible for the poppies at the Tower of London last year (see previous post) His new collection Tulipmania references the rise of popularity of tulips in 17c Holland where they became a national obsession. The tulips are available for purchase on Paul's website

Also impressive was the large stand of carnivorous plants - especially to someone such as myself who went to see the Little Shop of Horrors only a couple of weeks ago. ( I now just call them all Audrey!) Here is a selection for your delectation.

I really think this lot are talking to each other!

Signing off with this image of some of our fellow flower show attendees - I think we may have been underdressed!