Holocaust Memorial Day

Keep the memory alive

70th anniversay of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Auschwitz-Birkenau

http://www.hmd.org.uk/

http://www.hetireland.org/

Holocaust Memorial Day

http://www.hmd.org.uk/

Holocaust Memorial Day

Countdown to Cambridge Open Studios 2012

Once again I joined with my fellow Open Studio artists during the weekend, at the gathering that heralds the start of the run-up for our annual event. Over 200 multi-disciplined artists from in and around Cambridge, will be opening up their studios for anyone to visit during four weekends in July, as Cambridge Open Studios.

I'm pleased to announce that I will again, be opening the doors of my studio during the second and third weekends of July. Following on from 'Images of Africa' in 2010 and 'Aspects of West Cork' in 2011, I will be coming right in close to home with:

Local

We all pass the local familiar places but often we don't truly see those places or the happenings and life going on right under our noses. Over the last few years, I have been documenting such happenings and now wish to present my photographic and creative record to you. From people and events to places and wildlife, they will all put in an appearance - come and see how much you recognise, or not!

To those who have visited my Open Studios over the past couple of years, thank you and I hope you might choose to visit me again this year. To those who know nothing of Open Studios, click on the yellow Open Studios image above to find out more.

Meantime, there is much to do but I will be posting updates over the coming weeks.

Sculptural Delight

With the combination of the lingering snow and a clear blue sky, this snow sculpture, beit by chance or design, was there to be enjoyed.

Holocaust Memorial Day

Sun Dog

Image enhanced to reveal detail.

Yesterday ice crystals were the focus of my image. Today there are ice crystals in a very different form.

Whilst out enjoying my walk on another crisp, bright, sunny morning, I wasn't too surprised to see some cirrus clouds in the otherwise clear blue sky. However, I was surprised to see the feintest show of a rainbow next to a bright light, to the right of but at the same height in the sky as the sun. I knew that this phenomenon would be caused by the light catching the ice crystals in these clouds high up in the atmosphere, as back on 11 December I featured a moon halo formed by the moonlight passing through ice crystals high up in the atmosphere. So a similar circumstance, although this time caused by the sun.

I do recall seeing this occurrence before but had no idea until I checked it out on my return home, that it is known as a Sun Dog Details here. I was unable to see the corresponding spot to the left of the sun today, but was delighted to see this one none-the-less.

After a few minutes, the rainbow-light disappeared as the sun moved up in the sky, sending it's warmth the melt the frosty covering on the ground around me.

Now, This is Winter

Not that I'm complaining but surely more of this (as we had this morning) is what we really should be experiencing in January, rather than the 12 deg. temperatures we have been getting of late?

Winter Evening Landscape

The last few days have alternated between decidedly dull and superbly sunny.
Wednesday was the latter, with an interesting early evening sky making it worth pulling my little G12 out of my pocket for. It clearly can't compete with the 5DII but then I don't always want to carry my big DSLR around on a routine dog walk. However, carrying the pocket-sized G12 around means I don't miss the chance for a shot.

Puddles!

You are probably asking what am I doing taking pictures of muddy little puddles? If you really want to know, it is actually something to get excited about, as are muddy boots during the daily walk.

Why? Well, as some of you might remember from previous posts, this region has been missing out on rain for rather a long time. So much so that we are now officially drier than the Middle East! With this current spell of bad weather (foretold by the moon halo at the weekend) we have had a couple of nights of rain, and to keep us all happy, the days have turned out to be dry and sunny, if not a little windy. A few steady weeks of this is what we could do with to try and boost up the depleted reservoirs, ponds and streams.

To take the picture above, I was standing in the course of a stream that has been empty for months, so any evidence of a puddle is significant. A couple of years ago I certainly wouldn't have been able to stand in the same spot. This little stream was full to bursting, to the extent that the little wooden bridge was shifted a whole metre down stream.

It seems unfair that some regions of the UK have had more than their fair share of rain whilst others are beginning to worry about lack of water. However, we should be grateful as there are regions of the world who are suffering great hardships due to the lack of this basic requirement for life.

11.11.11

The Rot Sets In

What with the tiny drop of rain that came yesterday, coupled with the mild temperatures, it has finally coerced another Autumn spectacle to begin its show.

These particular clusters of fungi appear each year on an old rotting tree stump that I pass regularly. I have been waiting for their re-emergence this year as another photo opportunity. They start off looking like either a minature chrysanthemum or a cross between a perfectly baked confection and a nicely toasted coconut teacake. But however appealing they might look, I certainly won't be tempted to eat these, as yet, unidentified fungi. Instead I will just watch and wait for the next display to make a magical overnight appearance.

Cluster. Each approximately 20mm in diameter

Larger, more developed flattened fruit about 60mm across

Identification welcomed.

Forces of Nature

When the ground around splits and moves,
those on this earth can be so small, insignificant and helpless against
the forces of nature.



Our thoughts are with those caught up in the recent earthquake

Bottling Out

The morning walk with mutt began as routine. That was, until she encountered three unknown ramblers on the footpath. Her reaction was, as it normally is on occasions such as this - stop, stare and grumble. Following an empty response from the path-blockers, she huffed, trotted past and continued along the sunlit path as if nothing had happened.

I, on the other hand, took pity on these lost Russian, Chilean and French visitors, who had clearly spent a cold night out in the open, having been abandoned by their jocular acquaintances of the previous evening. Assembling this little party, I opted to escort them to the town gathering place for exhausted party-goers, seeing as countless other passers-by had already bottled out from this act of salvation.

Nature's Clock

As nature's clock keeps ticking away, it is still not time for this dandelion to release its seeds even though the whispy clouds in the blue Autumn sky mimic a breath of air sent to dislodge them.

Why...

...does it always seem to be a beautiful day outside, when I'm tied to my computer processing the images, taken on the day out, when the weather was not so favourable?

Water Under the Bridge

Since this time last week, so much water has passed under the bridge.

Let us hope for calm on the other side of this narrowing.

Regular Little Looter

I want to expose an habitual looter.

Having picked up the habit some number of years ago, this unstoppable creature will cruise the wet and murky border between two very different areas, ensuring that those who 'did have', definitely become the 'have nots'. The 'did haves' choose not to visit this underworld in a bid to recover what was theirs, instead, finding it simpler just to replace the items that have gone astray.

Showing off the haul from this morning, the looter was reluctant to reveal her face on camera.


(PS What does this say about the local golf club?!)

Calm and Reflective

During this troubled period, let us take time to reflect.

Changeable Weather

After the 30 degrees of yesterday, came the rain of today, and with it a frustrated mutt and me. Mutt because she really wanted a walk but refused when she realised it was raining, and me because I couldn't get out to play with my new toy.

Finally this evening though, the rain eased off just long enough for us to take a stroll around the park but in the process finding ourselves stepping over myriads of rain-loving gastropods. Here presented an opportunity to test out the theory that the new camera could take an image just 1cm from the subject. Following a couple of aborted attempts due to the snail recoil mechanism being triggered by the camera twitching the grass blades, I resorted instead to a distance of around 5cm from the subject. Reviewing this image in processing, it was possible to see an interesting reflection of the grass blade showing up in the water droplet on the shell. Clearly a good indication of what might be possible with a little more time and finesse being employed.

With an HD movie function as well on this little bundle of joy, it was the next thing to play with. Anything would be better than the offering of the weekend, and whilst that slow camera was trying to cope with a fast subject, this faster camera was of course having no problem with this slow subject.

Crouching so as not to put my knee onto the wet grass, I didn't act as the best tripod from which to record the action, but for a first attempt, I am amazed at the clarity in comparison with the last offering. I will obviously have to practice my cinematography skills and I will definitely have to get to grips with iMovie but it is all exciting stuff.
(Sorry, uploading seems to compress the file here which makes it less clear than the original)

So, exciting possibly isn't how some would describe our weather; hot one day, wet the next, but if it didn't change like it does what on earth would us Brits have to talk about? Or for that matter what would a photographer be able to choose as a subject?