Iconic.
Early morning on a bright sunny day.
Sun potion and height just right; weather conditions top.
First class vantage point.
The photograph. The shot.
London looks happy… and so does the rest of the world!
Dream, London, dream. If I had a dream / I would dream of…
!taste This ecclesiastical black and white desiGn.
Computerised monochrome in GOTHIC baron flavours. It’s All in the square – action.
Recommendation:
Try experiencing this image in a multitude of different ways — any which way you can. Let your imagination be the limit. Jump in and be immersed with thunderous organ music in glorious surround sound for the full effect — the louder, the better. Johann Sebastian Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor BWV 582 always reaches parts in other people — just try not to laugh — especially at concerts. Full-stop.
And here are the first few bars of the music to get you in the mood:
This poem came into being as a result of a theme that was set by a poetry group in Croydon, Surrey. The theme was sport, and I hadn’t a clue what to write until I was engaged in a mindless activity at home. So, during unfruitful mind activity, fishing surfaced. As I wasn’t too familiar about fishing, I visited a local angling shop to find out more… and the rest is history!
“Gone Fishing”
“It’s 3:15 am and I’ve just packed my lunch and kit
The predictive seaweed looks clammy as I check it
The shipping forecast confirms, rain is on the way
And hovering around minus two for most of the day…”
Naturally, ‘The Trout’ by Schubert leads up to the narration.
For the fist verse, click: Gone Fishing
This poem is a whistle-stop tour of Cumbria in the North West of England. All the places mentioned in the verses were part of my itinerary. As The Lakes were Wordsworth’s country, I felt inspired to write. Two other poems were also written here: Pennsylvania and Wrynose Pass (see above).
“Cumbria”
“I’m writing from Lakeland’s Ambleside
This holiday is making me tired
Lots to see, lots to do
(Quite comfortable at Hotel Vale View)
Lots more to do, lots more to see
Kodak is making a fortune from me!…”
The music that is before the narration is: Farewell To Stromness by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.
And here is a sample: Cumbria
(For more Information go to the ‘Books’ page.)
This poem is about a long, winding road journey with nothing but the cloak of night for company.
The scene:
The Lake District. It is sunset. I had just arrived at an isolated tarn miles and miles from civilisation. After leaving the car, I continue on foot. On the rocky, uneven path to capture the lake (about 1 km) my phone bleeps — it’s a welcome text message from _ _ _. Very odd. Is that a chill going down my back? There is something about the atmospherics here…! Anyway, after the photography I return to the car and set the SatNav. The night draws in…
“Wrynose Pass”
“I’m on my way back to my lodgings
Not long, I hope, ‘till I’m safely back
I set the SatNav and follow its commands
It’s getting darker and will soon be pitch black…”
The introductory music is a fantastical piece by Beethoven, aka the Moonlight Sonata.
Click here for the first verse: Wrynose Pass
An art house photography production that could be in the style of Lewis Carroll. Amongst the different hats he wore were: Photographer and Author. The title of this video, Alison — Daughter of Alice, is my original idea, and taken from Carroll’s two books starring Alice. My thought here imagines Alice as having not a son, but a daughter — hence: Alison. And, just to put the cart before the horse, I wrote a poem about these images before making the video — the poem includes a line about the Alison / Alice relationship and adventures.
All the photographs include reflections and have been processed to high-key. The music had to be heavenly, and so I chose Karl Jenkins’ In Paradisum, making the video uniquely atmospheric. As with the Penge video I posted two weeks ago, the music here was recorded and mixed by myself. The finished footage was processed to the lowest quality at high resolution which, paradoxically, had an enhancing effect giving the video an ethereal quality.
The images in this video are from the Anerley and Penge area of South East London, England.
Click here for the Alison — Daughter of Alice video
Oh, the wonder of what happens when you press that button: rich hues await in the unexpected world of inversions. One can never know beforehand what one will see — every one is purely unimaginable! Although kaleidoscope apps are available, the art is knowing where to crop — thin air… and breath.
Do you remember the days of cutting up photographs to the nearest micron and then putting the pieces back together again? Well, I did exactly that — and for my degree show images! In those days, 2004 to be exact, there was Photoshop 7.0. Although I had the software I did not know how to use it properly, saving everything as a psd! How times have changed! Today, I am shaking hands with the (almost) latest image manipulation software.
Some historical church buildings are so photogenic, and Holy Trinity SE20 is no exception. Once I made the capture with my DSLR, the image was transformed into a quadrature* using Photoshop. To finish, a painterly surround was added.
*Definition of quadrature:
NOUN
mass noun
Mathematics
The process of constructing a square with…
Origin
Mid 16th century (as a mathematical term): from Latin quadratura ‘a square, squaring’, from quadrare…
In 2017 I was staying in Ambleside, Cumbria. As the accommodation in the B & B was called the Pennsylvanian Suite, there was also reading information about this American State available. So, naturally one evening I wrote this poem.
“In 2017 I was sojourning in Ambleside. The American style B & B was named Compston House. I happened to be in the Pennsylvanian Suite which was well facilitated and included sufficient reading material — including information about Pennsylvania. From these facts and figures I extracted the following rhyming verse. (The second and third in the trilogy are ‘Wrynose Pass’ and ‘Cumbria’ respectfully.)
Pennsylvania
(The Keystone State)
With a population @ 12, 000,000
And total area over 46k square miles
Pennsylvania is really quite large
With many couples walking down the aisles…”
The first piece of music that came to mind has strong American overtones: Dvorák’s Theme from the ‘New World’.
And here is a sample: Pennsylvania
This is a poem based on my adventures in the world of photography. Although ‘Nikon’ appears in the title, other cameras are available. And, goes without saying, any similarities to my personality are purely coincidental!
“I Have A Nikon Camera
I have a Nikon camera
That captures photons new
The light sensitive sensor
Is sharp, accurate and true…“
The music is the Bourrée from Violin Partita No. 1 by J. S. Bach, played on the piano on this occasion.
For a flavour of what it is all about, click: I Have A Nikon Camera
Splashes of Ink