Tales of the riverbank…..

I have not had much time to start another project apart from the on going ones which involve film and will take a while to get developed. So yesterday I decided to go down to the river initially thought might be a good subject for my pinhole camera. While I was there decided I’d take some shots with my “proper” camera.

These landscape photos with smooth running water always look effective even though they are common place now. So having looked at the photo I took yesterday I thought perhaps that might just lift a mundane photo. Had a couple of attempts there and then but couldn’t get the shutter speed down. People who know me know how bad I am at the technical numbery stuff. Just couldn't get my head around it. So went home and had a read.

  Attempt 1

To cut along story short I went back again today armed with a bit more knowledge.

Attempt 2

In the past I have tried to take a photo of fish statue as well but never got one so tried that too was about to change view point slightly but the heavens opened so I packed up. This is the result I will try again I’m sure there's a photo there somewhere.

Photo Project 1

After wandering photographically through virtual stagnant porridge I came across a book called  “50 photo projects” by Lee Frost and it made me look at things differently. The projects varied a lot and some of the ideas I had seen before but had never got around to doing, things like just going out and looking for subjects of a set colour or looking for patterns. Others involved some financial layout such as investing in one of the many toy cameras out there or digging out your old film cameras. I also had a look through Chase Jarvis’s book “The Best Camera is the one that's with you” . Taking the two together I decided to use just my Iphone  and any software I can use on it and spend a week using nothing but that phone. I had originally decided to post from phone too, but I upgraded OS and things have slightly changed to poo so using lappy instead . Anyway here are the images I took.

This was this sky that gave me idea just to use phone.

A pleasant evening at the pub perhaps.

 

A gate on my way into town .This is a place I had some ideas for an image. I will be back with “proper” camera to take some shots for that image. Watch this space.

Abstract images top is my PC mouse and moving camera

bottom one is taking shot of pavement as I walked.

The now peaceful ginger monster who had just spent the morning killing my bare feet. An attempt at colour popping using phone software.

View from window at work. Very grainy and pixely but I done care I quite like.

A moth and a flannel in a measuring jug!!

What's that all about then?

Answers on a Postcard.

 

Chairs

Window

I can be cute as well

 

I learnt a bit from these exercise its fun to just go out and shoot.  Phone photos can be fun although I need practise to free my mind from convention then i may get some thing more worth while. 

Now what shall the 2nd project be?

Mary had a little ….. rabbit

This week I have been house sitting at my daughters in York and feeding Barney bunny. Not that he needs much looking after really but has been quite entertaining allowing him out of his cage a little while each day. His main hobby it seems is chewing wires so before he’s allowed out cushions are strategically place around the room before the big opening and then Barney charges madly around then settles  some what . The first night he seemed fascinated with my left leg and at one point got so excited and bit my ankle, not so sure if he actually bit me but I did get a crack to my ankle. At the time  The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog  from Monty Python and the Holy Grail came to mind. But a friend of mine asked if he was a weir rabbit. So its his own fault he may find himself as a character in my next comic book.

This is Barney sniffing my foot just to establish if I would taste good.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to take full advantage of been within walking distance of this beautiful city as I have been at work as well. But as I didn't start work until Tuesday night I did manage to walk into town in the morning which I really enjoyed . It was dry for once even if I had had the chance the weather has been rubbish the rest of the time.

 

entering the city walls

Minster

get a quite rest here no noisy neighbours

……. went to market

Some asked a while back if that was a real street name so here’s a pic of sign and most of the street too as there isn't much more of it.

The shambles

Hoping it will get warmer to eat outside.

Well my week in York is about at an end what a lovely place

I’ll be back. 

New for old two

The title of the last blog reminded me of Aladdin the panto I wrote about a few weeks ago. That in turn reminded me of my childhood and as I was messing about on my phone I started doing something else I liked doing as a child that was finger painting this time it's done on my phone with fat fingers at least it's not as messy as it used to be. Lol I ain't gunna give up my day job but it fun.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Old for New

A few years ago I restored an old photo of my granddad and as I was fairly new to Photoshop I was chuffed with the result.  The photo was one of three that were found when we cleared my Granddad’s house out. They were on a card type material and were in frames at the back of some religious pictures such as the “sacred heart” and pictures of the Virgin Mary. They nearly went straight on the fire but the frames were good so I pulled them to bits. All three were bigger than A3 size and so had to scan in three pieces and then stitch together.

Looking at it again now I can see joins and the oxidizing is still there so going to redo it soon and have a crack at the other two which are of my great grand parents.

Old family photos are strange this one struck me because I never knew him at 18 which was roughly his age here but when I first saw his face I saw my son looking out at me. Don't know why that should surprise  me as they share the same gene pool.

What brought this back to mind was talking to a friend who was telling me he had an old photo of his Mum Dad and brothers and sisters (he’s not on it as he wasn't born) Anyway it is the only one he has of his Dad who died about four years after this picture was taken. He told me it was very badly damaged. So I heard myself saying “I’ll repair it for you “. I didn't realise how bad it was but hey will keep me out of mischief for a while.

This is the photo I have to work on. I’ll post again with the results in a day or two.

This little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home

A few months ago as I mentioned in an earlier blog, I got an i phone. This has changed they way I do a lot of things. How? I hear you gasp. Well I rediscovered the “podcast” in the past some friends had made some which I had dutifully listened to but not really found the context interesting enough. Not particularly boring but not so I wanted to take with me on my mp3 player (yep yer don't need an iPod to listen) and listen to. Before Christmas this all changed.

One evening I was browsing through i tunes looking at the various apps and contemplating putting an audio book on my phone. The reason being that I had heard Stephen Fry saying how he lost weight by walking and the way he did that was to listen to a book. I already have a few audio books but being the lazy so and so I am could be bothered with the hassle of transferring them to my phone. I looked at the podcast section and there was an intriguing free audio book podcast. This was “ One among the sleepless” by Mike Bennett It had me hooked straight away. From the start its feels a little bit creepy and has you wanting to hear what happens next. I started walking more just so I can listen and even slowing down so I can finnish an episode before I get where I am going. Has got me some concerned looks as I pass someone in the semi dark and giggle. Oh did I forget to say it is brimming with dark humour. Mike Bennett reads it himself and his voice pulls you in wonderfully. check it out here

http://www.mikebennettpodcast.com/?q=one_among_the_sleepless

episodes can be downloaded from there too.

I was so sad when it finished but the day was saved the “Hall of Mirrors” is his next series of podcasts. This time its a collection of short stories equally entertaining if not more so. I’m not to far into them yet but the few I have listened to have some brilliant twists and turns just the right balance of chills and humour , read in Mike Bennett's unforgettable style.

http://www.mikebennettpodcast.com/?q=hall_of_mirrors

I'm so pleased that there is life after “Hall of mirrors” http://underwoodandflinch.com/ cant wait. Although it might be nice to drive straight to work rather than go the long way round so I can hear more. Yep as well as walking I plug it into car radio as well.

Well if you fancy having a listen and the horror type thingy doesn't appeal there are lots more on http://www.podiobooks.com/

Neither of the pics have anything to do with the books mentioned above but thought the blog looked bare and this are the only images I had made that had a “horror” type theme.

Old Hoss and the Minster

Another couple of goes at using what I have learnt in Painter. One is of "Dick" the horse belonging to Leeds Morris. Done using the impressionist clone brushes.

The other one is of York Minster this time the exercise was using Textured backgrounds and Chalks.

So far they are a bit paint by number ish but I can see some potential.