This week’s theme of silence has left me with an earworm to “The Sound of Silence”… the Disturbed version though.
As for a photo to match the theme – this is a portrait I took a couple of years ago and is still one of my favourites. He’s actually a pretty smiley guy but I asked him to look melancholy and despairing which he happily did. Listening to the lyrics from The Sound of Silence just seems to fit with this portrait. What do you think?
How fortuitous that this week’s photography challenge came in my email the same day I got an message from STV (a Scottish Television Channel) asking my permission to use one of my photographs in a programme about doors. Yes, sounds rivetting, doesn’t it? But it’s still nice to be appreciated, even if it is only watched by 50 or 60 people in the country.
Newmilns Keep is a fortified tower and the oldest building in the town – built in the 16th century c1530. It was in the possession of John Campbell of Newmilns, who was summoned to appear before King James IV as one of the Lollards of Kyle. In 1685 it was being used as a barracks for dragoons and a prison for Covenanters when it was attacked by local men who succeeded in freeing 8 prisoners. It has been used as a grain store, a doocot, a band hall and a beer cellar and is now a private residence.
Weathered
Sorry I’ve been MIA from the Weekly Photo Challenge. It’s all down to work – I have so much of it that I don’t get as much time as I would like to mess about on the internet, which is good as I work free-lance. Anyway I’m in it this week with one old photograph (the butterfly) and two new ones (the Praying Mantis).
I found this beauty lurking in a folder unedited in my bugs and beasties folder on my PC (I’m currently clearing out my folders as I’m eagerly awaiting a new PC being delivered this week) Anyway a quick levels and sharpening and we have a lovely butterfly.
This not so pretty beastie has decided that the back of my bench is a good place to live. Now I can no longer sit on the bench… He flew (jumped?) onto my hair the first time I saw him so I think he thinks we’re friends now. He’s wrong.
But I did name him Eric. Don’t you think he looks like an Eric? No, just me?
Scale
For the past 7 years since I moved to the USA I’ve become ever so slightly obsessed by hummingbirds. They’re absolutely amazing! They’re so small, fast, squabbly (is that a real word?), colourful, noisy and un-afraid. I saw one take on a titmouse the other day!
Anyway this weeks WPC of structure is a good excuse to use my weekend shots of the hummingbirds and in particular their wings and the structure of their feathers.
Technical jargon if anyone is interested: the shutter speed I needed to capture these shots was 1/3000 of a second with an ISO of 1600 at F6.3. I was using an 18-300mm Sigma lens on my Pentax K5 at full zoom and when editing I used a huge crop as well. I’m pretty pleased they turned out as sharp as they did (not counting all the binned blurry efforts btw).
I love how they fly right up to you and look you in the face as if to say “Hey giant thingy, what are you?” Now if I could only get one to perch on my finger.
They took all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum….
And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em.
This week’s theme of ‘Unusual’ and all I could think of was the song ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ and the exhibition we had quite a few years ago at my museum (of course it wasn’t MY library, museum and art gallery… I just worked there)
Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
Unusual
A Chicago collage. It’s a mixed-up-muddled-up-shook-up-world except for Lola…. no, wait a minute that’s the Kinks (and one of my top-ten favourite songs y’all) I should be singing a Queen song….
A few wee snaps thrown into a collage from a couple of days I had in Chicago this weekend for this week’s Weekly Photography Theme.
Fat bottomed girls we make the rockin’ world go round!
Collage
This weeks theme is ‘bridge’ but rather than trawl through my archives finding pics of bridges (and there are many many pics of bridges!) I decided to head out and re-photograph one of my favourite bridges in this area.
The Jackson Truss covered bridge is located just west of Greenup, Illinois and is a re-creation of a bridge built in 1832, which legend says Abraham Lincoln helped build along with his father and cousin.
The original wooden span was constructed in 1832, but was washed out in 1865. Ferry service provided crossing until a steel replacement was constructed in 1875. Unfortunately, that bridge was also washed out in 1912. Again, intermittent ferry service served the area until 1920 when a 3-span girder bridge was completed. In 1996, the eastern pier was severely damaged due to flooding. A grant was applied for to construct a historic looking covered bridge to replace the damaged one.
The recreation was designed to carry modern day vehicle loads, including semi-trucks, this 200 foot single span structure is reported to be the longest covered timber bridge in the US without posted restrictions.
Costing 2.8 million dollars to construct and funded by Federal and State funds, the old structure was demolished and removed in November of 1998 and in spring of 2001, the new bridge was commemorated.
A patent from the original bridge truss aided in the design of the new bridge. Walking inside the bridge one is astounded by the size of the large timbers and the visible construction techniques used.
The new bridge has a story board and observation deck on the west bank and is open to both vehicle and foot traffic.
And as all that information is far too serious (I hope you’ve been paying attention – there will be a quiz later!) here’s an added bonus of a photograph of an orchard I stopped at to buy peaches on the way home.
Bridge
I wasn’t sure if the topic for this week was ‘Delta’, ‘Change’, ‘Transition’ or what…. but the thing that got stuck in my mind was Delta and of course what is the biggest Delta in the USA but the Mississippi Delta. I haven’t actually been to the Delta of the river as such, but I have crossed the Mississippi several times going to Memphis and also up in the Quad Cities in Illinois and when it merges with the Ohio on my route to Nashville and of course it’s part of the culture in New Orleans, which I was fortunate enough to visit a few years ago (I even paddled my feet in it). Anyway this week it’s a few shots of the Mississippi I’m showing y’all from N’awlins (like my accent?)
The first is a shot of the Creole Queen Paddle Steamer which I had played around with in Photoshop to give it an aged feel.
This next shot was taken from the City of New Orleans train window somewhere in Louisiana. I also aged it in Photoshop to give a bygone-effect. 16 hours on a sleeper train to N’awlins, playing ‘Phase Ten’ card game with friends and watching the scenery pass by. Good times.
Transient: Lasting only a short time. Impermanent.
Some old photographs (again) but sums up my idea of transient. Isn’t nature wonderful?
A moment of love
A dream
A laugh
A kiss
A cry
Our rights
Our wrongs
A moment of love
A Dream
A laugh
A moment of love
A dream
A laugh
Lyrics: The Temper Trap, Sweet Disposition
Not that our family is competitive or anything…… but there can be all out fights if someone uses the triple word score square for a silly wee 3-letter word like ‘and’. We take our gaming seriously here in the Alba household!
Yahtzee…. only becomes fun after a glass of wine!
Pool. Not something I’m very good at unfortunately. Being honest I just like breaking.
Poker. I like to play poker, but only for fun. My sister once told me that when I have a good hand it’s so obvious; if I was a dog my tail would be wagging.
