Fading Memories#Take Two!

I hope you'll forgive me for posting the same image twice but whilst I liked certain aspects of the edit from yesterday something was bothering me.

It didn't meet my expectations, I had a vision in my minds eye when I took that shot. I was sitting having a cup of tea several hundred yards away, the memories were racing around my head and I could see the potential for the shot so much so that I could hardly wait to get over there. All in all yesterday's didn't have the quality of finish I had been expecting or wanting so I started from scratch this evening, came up with this and I'm much happier.

Please let me know your thoughts, if you'd be so kind, on this new version and your preference between the two.

Just a note on the title; My thinking was that the memories were still just as fresh in my mind as they'd always been but the evidence on the landscape was fading away. I hope that makes sense :)

CM2009

Fading Memories

I really can't seem to find the time at the moment to get these shots processed and posted.

It's something I feared would happen as soon as I backed off from posting every day. You get out of the habit, what with the lighter evenings and other things occupying my grey cells at the moment I'm finding it hard to apply myself!

Still it's not the end of the world I guess, it's just a tad frustrating because I've got quite a stock of images that I think will work out and I need to get them done before I forget they're there ;-)

This is another shot from Felixstowe in the mouth of the river Orwell. Those posts in the foreground used to have a small jetty on them, I can remember walking along it when I was five or six and now it's just these posts remaining. I can remember it so clearly, the smell of salty air, wind in my hair and the wide grin on my great uncle's face as he told me even more tall tales. I still miss him after all these years.

CM2009

Weeks End

It's been one of those days when all we've done is jobs around the house and garden.

I'm sure you know what I mean, pruning plants, fixing the gate, washing, ironing etc etc. It made me wonder after you've done all of these jobs when is there actually time to sit back and enjoy it all?

So in honour of taking some time out to enjoy life and I realise that Sunday is technically the start of the week but I thought I'd post this relaxing shot :)

CM2009

Going, Going, Gone?

I've been a bad blogger!

Life really has got in the way this week, parents evening, youth club and I've had some other stuff on my mind concerning work and some new stuff I'm working on.

I'm helping to choose the "Best Watercolour" today in a local art exhibition which we've provided some sponsorship for. I'm really quite nervous about it but I guess it'll be ok in the end, most things make me nervous!

The image today is from Panshanger Aerodrome and you might remember I posted some images from here a while back. It's again reported this week that it may face closure because of a proposed housing development. It's very wrong in my eyes, not only is this land green belt (and what is the point of green belt if it can be moved or changed?) but it's also historic. It will also mean the closure of a successful business training pilots. I'm not going to bang on about it here but if you care to you can have your say on the local authority website.

Right I'd better be on my way.

CM2009

Oh and you might have noticed that I'm beta testing Fotomoto which seems a good service for selling images. Not that I'm expecting to sell many or indeed any, you never know though!

Home From Home

Another glorious spring day here today, it would seem spring is the new summer!

Thanks to those of you that left comments on your increasing stash of images yesterday, it was nice to know I'm not alone. Some of you seem to be very organized though, not really acceptable, you're making the rest of us look bad!! ;-)

This is another shot from Languard fort. I tried to imagine it in its heyday, it must have been quite impressive. These rooms on the upper levels with large mouldings, arched windows and each with a fireplace I'm guessing would have been for officers but I don't know for sure. Some of the rooms on the lower levels with wash rooms and multiple showers seemed like the regulars soldiers quarters. I've some more images to come of those places, well if they work out of course.

I converted this to B&W but let the barest of colour back through on the opacity. Also, usually, I try to avoid symmetry but I think it suited this subject. I'd be interested in your thoughts on all aspect as usual.

CM2009

Northerly Aspect

Do you know (well why would you) that I've something topping 3000 unprocessed RAW files?

Some are multiples from slightly different angles of shots that I've already posted. Some are just rubbish, some just "nice" pictures that I might like to look at but will never blog. Then there's family stuff that I'll get around too at some point (so I tell myself) and there are those that I thought I might blog but then get buried somewhere. I come across them from time to time and think "oh yeah I was going to post that" but I always seem to be concentrating on the latest batch of shots.

So I was just wondering if any of you are in this position? Do those files just keep mounting up? Or are you very good, being ruthless with those shots you know you probably will not use? It'd be interesting to know.

As for today's image, it's nothing special I guess but I departed from my usual method of B&W processing. It's looking north along the Suffolk coast line.

CM2009

Smile

So there I was, just minding my own business, having a day out. I look up and this guy's pointing a camera at me! I mean the cheek of it, you can't just go pointing your camera at anyone you like you know, the audacity!

My tongue is firmly in my cheek of course and I couldn't resist seeing who was quickest on the draw, I mean shutter. I wonder If I'm on his blog? lol ;-)

This image means nothing other than it made me smile and if it raises a smile with you too then that's all the better.

CM2009

All At Sea

We were picking our youngest son up from his guitar lesson a week or so ago. (You can skip to the end now if you wish)!

We were chatting with the shop owner whilst we waited and remarked that he seemed quite busy. He surprised us by saying that a couple of years ago he would have had five members of staff plus him and had to let them all go as trade decreased. He went on to say how the supermarkets and not just the internet are killing retail shops, especially those that are small independent ones. They're selling goods like Cd's and DVDs for less than retail because it draws you in. Once they've killed the competition of course they can charge you what they like and you can lump it.

I know I've banged on about this before so I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself but ask yourself how many shops (especially small locals) and doorstep services have disappeared in your lifetime? Do you still have a milkman? They're few and far between, I walked by my local dairy a couple of months back, it's empty, closed and that dairy employed around twenty workers. I can remember having a baker deliver to our house, we weren't affluent, it was just normal! We had a local butcher, greengrocer, hardware they're all gone.

I'm a drop in the ocean but I continue to buy my goods locally if at all possible. You might see signs in the supermarket telling you the goods are produced by local farmers but how much did they pay the farmer? The shop owner told us about a documentary on the subject, they pushed the price of a lettuce down to one penny-grown, picked, washed, wrapped and boxed ready for the shelf, they make 6000% profit at least and when you understand this you begin to realise how they can sell you other goods at a loss.

He's asked the local council to hold a farmers market once per month but they say there's no demand (despite the fact a neighbouring town has one) well I'd rather give my money to the farmer. Every little helps as they say, you just have to think about who it's helping?

The above all stemmed from this image, believe it or not! There were lots of closed down places along the seafront and it seemed a sad shadow of what it used to be which drew my mind back to that conversation.

I'd struggled with this image, processing it three times before I arrived at anything near something I liked. Still I wasn't happy and passed it to a good friend for advice. He pushed it further than I had the confidence too, I think I have a problem in as much as I try to preserve all the little details. So I took his advice and applied it in my own way, so thanks pal, something learned again.

Let me know your thoughts as always and sorry for ranting on ;O)

CM2009

From The Deep

Back to work after the Easter break today, enough said really eh?

I've been deliberating between two shots to post this evening and then two versions of each shot to boot!

So as you can see I chose this one, you've got to admit that piece of wood does seem to have a face doesn't it? Or is it just me?

CM2009

Within These Walls

A rather frustrating day all in all. With half of the day seemingly wasted away doing very little we decided to take a walk along a nearby canal.

Simple enough you might think but having not actually been before and following completely ambiguous footpath signs it took us quite a while to find the path we were looking for. This left me with a thumping headache but it was pleasant enough in the end and the day was rounded out with a nice Jambalaya cooked by my good self :-)

This is a shot from Languard Fort which I mentioned the other day. Other than that I don't think I have much to say about it other than I like it-for the moment!

Your thoughts are most welcome as always.

CM2009

The End Of Felix's Foot

I've been absent for a few days again. I've been lacking inspiration, I've probably got quite a few bloggable (real word?) shots still but I didn't feel like anything was worthwhile.

So given the long weekend I planned a trip out to look at something different and we went off to the Suffolk coast. The weather looked dubious but we took a chance and we were lucky, had great weather all day long whilst it rained all day at home!

Felixstowe was the destination, not an obvious choice I suppose but this old place holds many happy memories for me. Many a weeks holiday was spent here staying at my great uncle's house. Some of my earliest memories are sitting in the garden, still in my pyjamas, and eating my cereal at the garden table. He'd have me going that his job was to put the plug in and out so the tide could rise and fall, you'll believe anything when your five eh?

I also wanted to visit because Languard Fort has been opened to the public, well has been for some time but I haven't been back for some time! A really interesting place and you're left free to roam around all the rooms, passages ways etc. If you're the area it's well worth the visit, some images to come from there.

After this we went for a walk from the docks, along the shore and onto Languard Common and I shot this along the way. I deliberated hard over this one as to colour or B&W but the latter won over.

Let me know your thoughts as always.

CM2009

4am 1909?

I thought the 4amproject was a new concept but going through an old shoe box I found this. It seems my great Grandfather was taking part 100 years ago, so I thought I'd scan it to show you.

OK I'm just pulling your leg! This is the last shot that I'm posting from the 4th and whilst the straight shot, which you can see here, was ok I thought it rather plain and boring lacking the atmosphere of the first shot I posted on the 4th. So I played around somewhat and came up with this. I realise it's not to everyone's taste but I like to produce a textured image once in a while and on top of that it summed up the way I was feeling at this particular time.

Let me know your thoughts, good, bad or ugly.

CM2009

Bear Necessities for 4am

I was getting my gear together for the 4am project. I wanted everything set up so I could just grab my gear and be out of the door as quickly as possible.

Being paranoid I thought I'd test everything was ok and play around with long exposures before I went. Winnie here sits on the bedroom window sill, he's one of many bears that have infiltrated the house. He looks cute and fluffy by day but every night his shadow look sinister against the wall, sometimes if I wake in the night I'm sure I see that shadow move................... :-/

Ok, Ok, it's a silly post, I was goaded into it, honest I was guv!

CM2009

4am Project

So I was out and about in the wee small hours and I wasn't the only one!

I was taking part in the 4amproject you'll remember from a few posts back and the above is my effort. I do have a couple of others that I may post in the coming days but for today that's about all because I'm really, really tired!

CM2009

Outstanding In His Field

So not long to go until the 4am project, have you got your subject picked out?

Keeping away from tone mapping today, I shot this last weekend whilst out walking with Tez. I didn't intend to go through this field but living where we do there were lots of bangs going off and the little fellow was so scared he started heading for home.

Now most of these bangs are these new bird scarers that fire off a "shot", have you seen any? Powered by gas and timed to go off twice every so often they make a pretty substantial noise. Now this year we seem to have a new model, the things look like canons from a war ship and you can actually feel the shock wave in the air. What was wrong the old fashioned scarecrow eh?

Not only that but the field I saw this new model in (not the field in the image) seems to be growing Brussel sprouts this year, now we all know that these are only for use by evil school cooks just to get their own back on children! They serve no other purpose if you ask me, why do they need protecting? ;-)

Let me know your thoughts as always, whether that be the image or your views on evil veg!

CM2009

Try & Try Again

You know I've hardly slept for three or four nights in a row (I'm so tired I can't remember how many). That bug I had left me with one of those irritating coughs that start up every time you lay your head down. I'm just whinging of course, there are people far worse off that don't moan about their lot.

I've posted a very very similar shot to this before. I worked on this one over the weekend not really intending to post it. I opened it back up this evening and tweaked a couple of things and saved it, whilst doing so I looked at the older one, it was pretty awful now I look back. Do any of you do that? Post something then look back and wonder what you were thinking? I do, quite a bit!

So I thought this one worked out ok, you can see the completely uninteresting original here of today's shot.

You honest thoughts and opinions are welcome as always.

CM2009