For another ‘Silhouette’ theme on another social network – recovered and posted here.
Original Post: July 26, 2012
Gull Gathering, Hall’s Harbour Rooftop
Silhouetted against the mauve sky in the light of the setting sun in Hall’s Harbour. This picture was one taken as a possibility of posting for my daily 366 project, but it narrowly lost to the post that I put up last night. #creative366projectouttakes . I thought it was worth posting today for the theme it suits so well.
The detailed and meticulous work that goes into one of Steven’s boxes is sometimes not easy to imagine when you see the polished finished piece. Here I went into the workshop to capture a stage of the box he is making. This is the Hat in a Box. The original finished piece can be seen here: Steven Kennard Turned Work
Steven is forming the top of the ‘legs’ of the box, but you can also see the metal rods that will connect the legs to the body. The legs are snakewood, while the body of the box is African Blackwood. The bowl in the base is also snakewood. The hat is African Blackwood turned and textured.
I loved the colours of this landscape on that overcast November day, I remember. The colours always seem so much richer, deeper, stronger and at the same time gentler when the sun is not brightly showcasing them. That November afternoon there was a storybook quality about the scene, which made me stop the car on a busy road and get out to capture the moment. At any given moment, no scene ever looks the same as at any other time. The elements change, the light changes and suddenly you are seeing a different view altogether to the one you passed only yesterday, or even 10 minutes ago. That was surely the case here as I have passed this scene hundreds of times since then and never seen that same special quality in it since.
Original Post:This would have been post #312/366 for my Photo a Day 366 project in 2012.
Unfortunately the original post is lost. But the photo is not and it is one of my favourites from that year. But… that’s not the first time you have read that here, I know! Okay, I admit that I have more than a few favourites from that time. I only hope you all enjoy seeing them through the eyes of my memories.
Alfie is another fun find in going through my archives. Those eyes just get you, don’t they?
Original Post: March 10, 2012 – 70/366 – Alfie – “Here’s lookin’ at You Kid!”
Alfie is a miniature Shar Pei, with a bear coat. This coat is the least common, though it was the one favoured by the Chinese aristocracy. The peasants had the short haired ones. The bears were the ones first targeted in the cultural revolution, being a sign of great decadence.
Alfie belongs to our good friends and when we called on them this morning I had my camera with me. He is a gentle young dog and he mostly lay at my feet until I spoke to him. This was the look he gave me. They don’t always like pictures of him, so I hope they like this one. Such gentle eyes.
I was so pleased to find this soft image when I was searching for macro images for today’s theme. This reminded me of how interesting it can be to see a photograph by another photographer and try to produce the same effect. This shows the tiny detail of a fluffy downy feather as displayed by a macro lens with a life-size converter.
Original Posting: March 4, 2013
I saw a photograph, posted today by John Wade , of the filaments of a black swan’s feather. I loved the light airy feel he had achieved in this photograph and it inspired me to try to produce something similar. I did not have a black swan’s feather (or any swan’s feather at all as it happens) but had a grey downy one that I used instead. Thank you for inspiring me to try something out here, John.
I used my macro lens with the life size converter to get this as I wanted.
Original Post: March 02, 2012 – 62/366 – BMW R75/6 Vintage Memories
This bike has such a wonderful history with us. Steven Kennard bought it in 1981 and used it in England as a second vehicle when I needed the car for a new job I had just started. He drove it 30 miles into work and back every day, all weathers. We also biked down to the South of France on it together and I can still remember falling asleep while riding pillion and waking up as we were going around a roundabout. It was truly a relaxing ride.
There is nothing to beat the wonderful smells as you drive through the warm French countryside on this open transport.
When we moved to France the bike came with us. Then Steven was seduced by a newer bike – another BMW of course – and we sold it to friends of ours. That new flashy bike was sold a few years later and we bought this bike back from the friend. It had only done about 79 miles in the few years he had owned it.
It has come with us to Canada and now sits in the workshop, a loved relic and source of wonderful, vintage memories.
Another rescue post from the past – seemingly an idyllic scene, but a storm was brewing… in more ways than we imagined at the time.
We had done quite a bit of research into the food we were eating, out of concern for our health. First of all, within 6 months of posting this, we decided to become vegetarian, with very little consumption of dairy/eggs. In time, we stopped eating all animal products altogether, in the winter of 2016. We both began to reverse our serious health conditions from that point.
It wasn’t long before we began to find out about the cruelty involved in the dairy, meat and egg industries and realized that what had been doing our bodies so much physical harm was also causing so much in the way of cruelty to these beautiful animals we share our planet with. That was the storm that was brewing – for those cows you see there, they are quickly spent in the dairy industry and are sent for slaughter at a young age, as they are no longer considered productive. They will have had their children taken from them so their milk can be consumed by humans. Their “idyllic” lifestyle is one that begins and ends with sadness and suffering. The other storm that was brewing was one that would start in our minds shortly after this, and end with the feeling of sunny bright skies that comes from eating no animal products, saving suffering to these beautiful creatures and feeling healthy and full of the energy derived from plants.
Original Post: June 28, 2012 – 179/366 – The Perfect Storm
I love Cows. And Farms. And Dramatic Skies. Getting them all together this afternoon was The Perfect Storm for me
Update on the post below: Sadly the Future is now the Past as the chain has closed down and the site is filled with a tacky Dollar Store. Chris has moved on. Such are Futures.
A bit of fun for today’s post!
Original Post: Things are looking up!
December 27, 2012 – 362/366 – Things are Looking Up
This man should be in the stock exchange, glancing up at the figures appearing along the banks of monitors, concerned, hyped, tensely waiting for just that right moment to make a fortune for his clients. But no, he is just in Future Shop, having been there since 5:30 am today, for the Boxing Day Sales. He has already done far more than a day’s work by now, but still managed to stay calm (despite his appearance, as I had asked him to pose for me), friendly and polite, in the mad frenzy of buying. It could have been the stock exchange and he would surely have done it justice. I just loved the way the lights hit his fabulous hair. Thanks for being a willing model, Chris!
When we lived in England, I spent a number of years working in the town of Ipswich, in Suffolk. In those days (1980’s) we tended to park a vehicle and walk around the friendly little town, both during the day and at night. The last time we were there, however, in September of 2018, we parked our car (at a very expensive rate) to walk to a restaurant in the town at night. There were 3 of us including my husband Steven, but even so we all felt so uncomfortable, so unsafe, that I resolved never to enter the town on foot again at night. The streets where we walked were in the same part we had known so well. But they were so different that it was as if we were in an entirely unknown town. Where was my friendly, familiar Ipswich?
As in this reflection, my perception of Ipswich was turned upside down. This photograph was taken during our visit of 2016 when, even then in the friendly daylight, I was marvelling at the fact that it looked totally unfamiliar.
