Just back from a short break on Anglesey. On the way we stopped, as usual, at a National Trust property for a break. This time it was Penrhyn Castle. The castle itself is well preserved, as are so many in Wales, and this area of North Wales is renowned for its slate. Penrhyn has a slate splitting demonstration on site. Hopefully you can see from the photo, this guy managed the seemingly impossible, splitting a slate which was already only about 3mm thick.
Sometimes it is worth a play with an image to get somethnig different. This was one we used as a Christmas card a couple of years ago, one of the deer at Wollaton Park and a smattering of path blur from Photoshop. It almost looks natural – depending on your definition of natural I guess.
For those on the other side of the pond, that is checkered skies – only spelt correctly…
As previously mentioned, the Miroir d’Eau in Bordeaux creates a really nice mirror (would you have guessed from the name?) once the spray stops and the majority of the water drains away. The Bourse creates the perfect backdrop for an ad hoc meeting of friends.
One of the attractions of Bordeaux is the Miroir d’Eau. It makes an interesting sight when the water spray creates a misty cloud, and a perfect mirror when the spray dies down. Add to that a fairground, just beyond, and you have to go for a walk at night. Daytime reflections also work, but you will have to wait for that image…
Going back to the theme of minimalism, I took this image a few years ago whilst on a wine tour of Bordeaux. After the tasting, the empty wine glasses on a white tablecloth were irresistable. I have a couple of other images from Bordeaux that will find their way on to the blog until I get my backside in gear and go take some new ones.
I am annoyed with myself. One step to the left would have made a huge difference, but I am not sure it was possible. Anyhow, as mentioned in the previous post, at sunset there was an art display projected on to the Opera House. The display was called Water Light, by an artist called Badu Gili.
An iconic location that I cannot believe I didn’t post before. On the evening we were at the Opera House there was a colourful display being projected to the structures. When I took this they had not started, and the dark sky and illuminated shells lent themselves to monochrome. One second, obviously hand-held – who needs a tripod when they have an OM Systems camera? I might post a colour image from the display. I might not…
St David’s is a city in Wales and is the smallest cathedral city in the UK based on population count. I thought it was really kind of them to name a city after me, so had to visit. Normally I tend to go for the stained glass windows, but this suspended sculpture caught my eye. I really liked the contrast between the cold wall framing the warmer interior, caused both by the lighting and the warmth of the wooden sculpture.
Another year has almost passed where I have not taken advantage of the shorter day to get out early for some sunrise shots. So, as we hopefully draw to the end of winter, this one is a reminder that I am actually capapble of getting up early.
I see a lot of mono images that take monochrome to extremes – just shades of grey, with no contrast. That is why I prefer black and white as a term. So the image today is a bit of a rebellion against grey. Contrast prevails, thanks to a flooded river Trent.
