Postcards from Berlin 2 - I should (ro) Coco

Day two. The weather forecast was set fair so we seized the opportunity for a fresh air experience and set off for Potsdam and the Palace of Sanssouci. the trip involved a 45 minute journey on the S Bahn and I have to say that the Berlin public transport system is just wonderful - so easy to get around. When we arrived a Potsdam the station was modern light and airy with great florists - I particularly liked these arrangements in jars.

Next it was off on the bus to Sanssouci where we were greeted by a flautist emulating the flute playing of Fredrick the Great who built the palace.

Fredrick commissioned the palace in 1745 because he wanted a place to live outside Berlin that was 'without worries" or 'sans souci'. It was to be a refuge from government and court life where he would spend time with music, literature and friends such as Voltaire. For this reason, although architecturally grand, it is a small palace with a mere dozen or so rooms.

Time to join the guided tour or rather tour with handsets for the different languages. Unfortunately they were the sort of handsets you have to hand hold which made listening to the commentary and taking pictures a bit of a challenge - but hey, I managed after a fashion.

This is a detail from one of my favourite rooms. I'm not usually very keen on too much gold but I really liked the gold and white here especially the spider's web

It worked for me in this room too. As you might imagine from the musical theme, concerts were often held here and the whole palace was bright and light

This room had a bit of a jungle theme going on and was, I think, the room (kept missing bits of the commentary due to taking photos) that Fredrick had redecorated as an insult to Voltaire after they fell out.

The last thing you see as you exit the tour is this portrait Fredrick the Great by Andy Warhol. It is based on one displayed in one of the rooms which unfortunately I didn't especially notice.

Back out in the garden it was time to explore the park and I have to say my absolute favourite things were these little pavilions,

first glimpsed through the trees

then come upon in their full glory. It took us ages to work out what these grey boxes dotted all over the gardens were, but we eventually twigged that they are winter sculpture protectors!

Next it was off for a walk round the gardens - Sanssouci is built on a hill on what was a vineyard. The vines are still there and make an impressive picture from the bottom of the hill. I used my iPhone and the XnSketch app to take this photo

Our walk through the grounds took us past the Chinese Tea Pavillion, unfortunately not open until May but a joy to behold.

It was decorated with gilded figures that carried on the musical theme from the house

Even the ducks were mandarin!

There is much more to see and do in Potsdam than we achieved in a fairly short day ( this break was not designed to include early starts each morning!) more palaces to visit, lakes and of course the town itself - I think it's Auf Weidersehen not goodbye!

Postcards from Berlin 1 - Willkommen

We have just returned from a five night break in Berlin, in some ways the most mysterious of European capital cities. It is a city where the traditional rubs shoulders with the avant guard, where art is king and above all it is a city that has to live with its past.

This is our second visit to Berlin. The first with our then 12 year old son was around 10 years ago. On that occasion we scurried around making sure we ticked off all the major sites: the Reichstag, the Jewish Museum, Checkpoint Charlie, the Pergamon Museum etc. This trip was to be less frenetic with time for art galleries, a trip out to Potsdam, and other attractions. with a main focus on the galleries. This however was not exactly what Berlin had in store for us.

The visit started according to plan. We had to get up incredibly early to catch our 6.30 flight from Gatwick, so after checking into our hotel we set off to have lunch in the food hall at the biggest and possibly the best department store in Europe, KaDeWe, which was just a short walk from our hotel.

Lunch at the grill counter was delicious and we felt up for a tiny bit of sightseeing despite our early start, so we visited the nearby Kaiser Wilhelm Gedachniskirche. Destroyed by British bombers in 1943 this crumbling ruin serves as a reminder of the destruction caused by war. Presumably it had gone one crumble too far as the scaffolding was up and we were unable to visit the remains of the nave as we had done previously.

The centre tower is the original church, at the front is the new campanile- not sure about the spire!

The new modern chapel with its stunning blue stained glass was open to the public however.

The floor was impressive too

When we came out of the church it was raining and we were feeling pretty whacked so we decided to go back to the hotel. Once there, that was it, and, unusually for us, we didn't even venture out for dinner!

If its spring again, birds sing again ..........

I suddenly got this tune from my childhood into my head - it's Tulips from Amsterdam sung, if I recall correctly, by Max Bygraves ( just checked it was Max Bygraves). And it led me to reflect on what spring means to me. I think it's the flowers first and foremost, to begin with the aconites and snowdrops, followed by the daffodils and all the flowering trees that have burst on to the scene in the last week.

Even the wild flowers have got going

The second big thing that heralds spring for us is the opening of our tiny place on the Isle of Wight. The first trip of the season is always exciting, checking if there have been any cliff falls and if our favourite shops (especially the fishmonger) are still there. The cliff falls were fairly minor (given the weather we've had) although they were rebuilding some of the beach huts that had been damaged by the storms.

After doing all the chores we went for a drive round - first stop Freshwater Bay where there was a stiff breeze with spray catching the sun over the sea wall

and there was a family having fun laughing at grandpa who was jumping in and out of the waves in his dhoti

Next it was off to Totland where we noticed that this sky above the land was much bluer than the sky above the sea, which was still a bit misty

and there was a fabulous view of the evening sun on the old lifeboat house with the gulls wheeling around it

It was good to be back and breathe in the spring sea air! And just in case you are way too young to have heard this

Photo Heart Connection February

It's time to join in with Kat Sloma's Photo Heart Connection for February.

I have been severely challenged in taking photos this month due to a combination of the appalling weather conditions and the fact that I've been very busy at work so when we have had good weather when I've been working, I haven't been able to get out.

I could of course have set up some shots to take indoors using props but although I really like the results when others do it, It doesn't appeal to me as an activity.

So as you can see I was a little stumped by what to choose as my photo heart connection, until Thursday that is, when I looked up from my desk to notice the light and reflections of a string of metal leaves I have hung up in the window - everything changed!

I took a number of pictures zooming in and out and was surprised when I found I had a triple reflection which I had not noticed just looking at the leaf

one of the original images with just a bit of touching up in lightroom

I thought it would be good to pop across to Photoshop and experiment with blend modes and textures - these are some of the results

I have also just started Kelly Rae Roberts Hello Soul Hello Mixed-Media Mantra's course, which is about painting rather than photography, but the first part of the course is about coming up with mantras which are personal to us - so of course I couldn't resist including some of them on these pictures which seemed the perfect vehicle for them.

Experimenting was really fun

and it's hard to choose a favourite

But I think this is the one that most makes my heart sing and therefore is my Photo Heart Connection for February

I think what I really love about this one is the way the original leaf shines out in silver with the lacy reflections behind.

I'd love to know which is your favourite!

This post is part of Photo Heart Connection - click on the icon below to check out more fabulous photos with a connection to the heart

Little Ladies and Other Animals

Little ladies, white and green,
With your spears about you,
Will you tell us where you've been
Since we lived without you?

You are sweet, and fresh, and clean,
With your pearly faces;
In the dark earth where you've been
There are wondrous places:

Yet you come again, serene,
When the leaves are hidden;
Bringing joy from where you've been
You return unbidden--

Little ladies, white and green,
Are you glad to cheer us?
Hunger not for where you've been,
Stay till Spring be near us!

Laurence Alma-Tadema

I have a tune in my head that goes with this so I think we must have sung it at school! Moving swiftly on, I did not intend to do another post about the snowdrops at Welford Park having majored on them last year. But we went again as I wanted to see them in the sunshine, rather than in the rain and sleet, and amazingly it was sunny last Sunday.

The scent was amazing, so sweet and woody - if you think snowdrops don't have a scent think again!

Snowdrops are not the only thing to be seen at Welford Park though, there are aconites,

bright reflections and Pussy Willow,

dogs,

big and small!

and wonderful wellies!

These were my favourites!

See you next week to welcome in the spring. Yay!

Texture Time

Extreme weather seems to be the norm almost all over the world this year. Here in the South of England our problem is constant rain and gales, causing flooding both on the coast and inland. Many people have been flooded out for weeks, and major rail and road networks have been disrupted. I am lucky in that I have not been seriously affected by the flooding, but I am oh so sick of the constant wind and rain.

One of the effects of the weather is that it has been very difficult to get out and take photographs, so I have fallen back to playing with the ones I've already got, in photoshop.

With the help of some textures from 2-lil-Owls this box of flowers was transferred into this

And by adding textures and a filter the national gallery takes on a painterly look

Which do you like best? before or after?

Because of the weather I've spent more time painting and less time taking photos, but I am really enjoying taking photos of my art work and digitally enhancing them by adding texture, effects, or combining them with other pictures.

This version just has the usual Lightroom enhancements

This has had textures added and been combined with another photos

and this one has had a severe crop! which is your favourite?

This is one I finished painting today and have been playing with ever since!

The original with Lightroom adjustments

with a combination of bought and home made textures

Using different blending modes and a filter - this is my favourite, which is yours?

Finally one of the few pictures I managed to take this week!

The original and one with added texture and a Valentine's message from me to you!

A Trip to the Theatre

““The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.”

— JM Barrie

Last weekend we went to Stratford upon Avon to see a performance by the RSC at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The Theatre has recently been completely refurbished and extended and this is our first visit since it reopened. I like what they have done and how they have kept the shell of the original Art Deco building with its distinctive brick work and doors.

In front of the theatre are a series of sculptures of what are probably the best known characters in Shakespeare’s plays

These first two are Falstaff and Lady Macbeth. I'm not so keen on him, not my conception of Falstaff at all, but I think she looks suitably menacing, not to mention cross-eyed!

I much prefer the two princes - the tragic Hamlet and the triumphant Prince Hal.

I also love this new sculpture of swans - I think the lines are amazing

So, you may be asking, which of Shakespeare’s works did we grace with our presence? Well actually none of it! we went to see Peter Pan or more accurately ‘Wendy and Peter Pan’ a new play based on the original novel told from a feminist perspective.

it worked brilliantly! The script was witty and amusing, engaging adults and children in the audience alike and the set was amazing including the best pirate ship I have ever seen, and I am in a position to compare as I have seen Peter Pan on a number of occasions.

I think one of the reasons I have a soft spot for Peter Pan is that it was the first live theatre I ever saw. It was 1960 I was 8 and I saw what I think must have been the pre or post West End run at the Streatham Hill Theatre - now long since turned into a bingo hall. The all star cast included Julia Lockwood as Peter (always played by a girl in those days in true Pantomime tradition, no dame in Peter Pan though), Juliet Mills as Wendy and Donald Sinden as Captain Hook / Mr Darling a part that was traditionally always doubled up. I found the whole thing completely magical and practiced flying by jumping off my bed for the next few weeks (sadly to no avail).

Julia Lockwood daughter of Margaret Lockwood and Juliet Mills, daughter of sir John Mills and sister of Hayley Mills

The next version I saw was in 1965 when I was invited to go to a performance with my friend Bonnie whose grandmother was taking all her grandchildren. The whole thing was quite an adventure, Bonnie’s mother took us, together with Bonnie's much younger brother Geoff, over to Portsmouth on the ferry and from there we were put on a train to Horsham in Sussex where Bonnie's grandmother would join us on the journey to London (first time on a train without an accompanying adult). We then went to the matinee at the Scala followed by tea at the Grovenor Hotel (another first) before going back to Horsham where we spent the night at her grandmother's returning to the Island the following day.

That year Peter was played by Sylvia Sims and I felt the magic as before, although I had given up trying to fly!

My next outing to see Peter was in 1997 when my son was 5 years old. This time we saw it at the National Theatre with an all start cast led by Ian McKellen as Captain Hook - Mrs Darling was played by Jenny Agutter currently of ‘Call the Midwife’ fame but then still very much associated with her role of Bobbie in the Railway Children (you can imagine how old this made me feel!) Again a magical production. Patrick sat through the 3 hours as mesmerised as I had been all those years ago, giving the lie to his teachers who said he had a short attention span!

Some time after this, and I can’t track down the year, we saw a production at our local theatre the Watermill, again an excellent production but due to the limitations of the venue my memory is there was no flying.

So when, quite by chance, I came upon the reviews for 'Wendy and Peter Pan' I simply couldn't resist and don't forget if you want to visit Neverland it's “Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning. ”

“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust. ”

— JM Barrie

Photo Heart Connection January

This month for the first time I am joining in with Kat Sloma's Photo Heart Conection. The idea is to 'Deepen the connection between your photos and your heart and soul by participating in this monthly review of your images, to find the one that best connects to your heart.' after much thought I choose this image of someone I saw on the tube in London.

I got on the train at the terminal ( where it is not underground) and noticed this man sitting in the corner opposite me - I thought he had the most amazing face somehow full of humour and wisdom. I reminded myself that my word of the year is courage and asked him if I could take a picture - he agreed and though you can't really see it ( I had my 50m fixed lens on) made a kind of Jazz hands gesture. In that moment I felt a real connection with this stranger here on the London Underground where our our paths intersected for a brief, (he got out at the next station), moment.

Welcome February

““The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.””

— Gertrude S Wister

The old rhyme goes 'February fill dykes'. Well in the South of England December and January have done that so we are hoping that February won't make a significant contribution! That said we are beginning to see the first signs of spring. The dogwood though, reminds us that winter is still very much with us

But wait, there are definite signs of spring around, in the shops there are daffodils,

in the garden, snowdrops,

The Christmas Roses - late as usual!

and even a shy very early violet peeping through giving a splash of colour

Last February we went to see the snowdrops at Welford Park, it was a horrible sleety day but somehow magical, so I am reposting the short film I made of that day - enjoy1

Welford Park from Barbara Evans on Vimeo.

Festival of Imagination

“Can you imagine what I would do if I could do all I can?”

— Sun Tzu

Yesterday I attended an event at the Selfridges 'Festival of Imagination' which is a programme of 'interactive lectures, debates and workshops' held in a specially designed space called the Imaginarium at Selfridges Oxford St store. Award-winning architect Rem Koolhaas created a space full of mirrors and possibilities with a central feature amphitheatre.

The event I attended was 'Eureka! Moments' with Cathy Haynes from the 'School of Life' and was about exploring ways of boosting your creative confidence. The time was short, only 90 minutes, but she managed to pack a lot in.

Haynes discribes a 'Eureka! moment' as being a moment when 'something we couldn't think comes thinkable' or when the 'impossible becomes possible'. She also talks about combination and connection and things not just coming out of the blue. We should use and expand what we have. As an example of this she cites the creative process of the poet WB Yeats in relation to his poem the 'Lake Isle of Innisfree'. You can hear him describe this in his own words and read his poem here. This is a poem I am extremely familiar with, because as well as being in our poetry book at school, we had to sing it!

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee;
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15529#sthash.Sc4xr08G.dpuf

“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it) but ‘That’s funny ‘ ....”

— Isaac Asimov

The session was broken up by discussions and exercises to get us thinking. One of these was design your own muse, where you thought of real or fictional figures who have / represent qualities or attitudes you would like to develop and then put them together in a kind of 'mix and match' approach. I'm still working on mine but it's an intriguing concept!

Well done to Selfridges for putting on the Festival of Imagination! I was very impressed when I left, to notice all the shop windows had an imaginative theme like these maraca toothbrushes and punk taps, rather than being stuffed full of things for sale .

I especially loved this plant watering umbrella!

See you next time and happy imagining!

Exploring With My 50mm Lens

This week most of my photography times has been spent on class assignments for Kim Manley Ort's 50mm class. I was particularly excited by this weeks themes of street photograph and portraits. The former though is especially challenging with a 50mm lens as you really have to get up close to people, whereas normally I zoom in on people with my 55- 250 lens. In order to resist temptation I put this firmly in my camera case and left it at home.

The first part of the weeks assignment was around street photography. This was a bit of a challenge as I had a very busy week at work and not much time to take a break. On Tuesday however I had half an hour between meetings and rushed into town for 10 minutes intensive photography.

The first challenge was to get some interesting shots with in the time frame I had. The short time meant I couldn't go right down the High St where there were likely to be more people but had to stay at the top of town which is more sparsely populated. This caused another problem in that it was difficult for me and my camera to blend in to the crowd and it was pretty obvious that I was taking pictures of people. my first attempt at overcoming my discomfort was shooting through a shop window, in this case a nail bar / beauty salon.

Then I tried shooting from the other side of the street - what I most love about this image is the pipe, you don't often see them nowadays and it reminds me of my grandfather who was a great pipe smoker.

Finally from a bit of a distance away which meant I had to crop a fair bit, and even then I think if those two had been at all awake they would have noticed me!

That was it, time was up and I had to head back to my meeting!

My next opportunity came on Friday when I headed off to London - I had a bit of spare time so I headed down to the South Bank near waterloo Station to see what I could find.

I started off with a cafe shot

Then I found theses kids in the skate park, they seem to be practicing for some kind of show and were being filmed.

The next picture is a bit of a crossover between street and portrait - this guy was sitting opposite me on the tube I thought he had the most amazing and happy face so I asked if I could take his picture - happily he said yes!

Next was the portrait assignment and I was wondering how to find model in the short time I had available to me. I was beginning to think I would need to fall back on my husband which would have been OK but not ideal. Then I had a brainwave! I have my hair cut by the daughter of a close friend who has a hairdressing salon at a small department store. Her daughter who is a singer / songwriter often helps our when she hasn't any other work on, so if she was there maybe she would model for me.

She was there and agreed so once my foils were on we repaired to a stairwell at the back of the shop where there was natural light and not a lot of people. As well as having a fabulous face she has a lot of fascinating tattoos and I couldn't resist taking some closeups

Her eyes are also particularly dramatic

but my overall favourite is this one which shows off her lovely smile

Contemplating Life Without a Camera

“The camera makes you forget you’re there. It’s not like you are hiding but you forget, you are just looking so much.
”

— Annie Leibovitz

Not long before Christmas I broke my camera. it was in its bag on the kitchen bench and somehow toppled off. I though it would be OK as although the bag was open it had padding and the camera didn’t fall out. However when I looked through the view finder I couldn’t see properly. It was impossible to compose a picture accurately and I couldn’t see the guides. It would take pictures, which was helpful in the short term, but I couldn’t see using it in its current state as a viable long term solution. It was going to have to go back to Cannon which even if it was reparable could take up to six weeks.

I panicked, aside from the cost, how was I going to survive for up to 6 weeks without my camera? It was at this point I realised how important my camera was to be and how much I dislike taking more than the occasional picture on my phone.

I realised that for me photography has become a spiritual practice rather than simply an interest. If I am feeling a bit down getting my camera out, even if only in the house or garden, never fails to lift my spirits. It make me look outside of myself in a positive way and enables me to notice the miracles around me.

Back in the spring I fell flat on my face while running for a train, smashing my glasses and cutting my face slightly. This all healed quite quickly but had the longer lasting effect of damaging my confidence especially crossing roads when I would have kind of mini panic attack concerned that I would fall over ( I had previously tended to skip across roads quite fast and I didn’t feel safe doing this any more). However If I was out with my camera I had no problems with any of this, it was as if my attention was absorbed in something other than myself that was more important than worrying about if I was going to fall over or not - my attention was fully engaged with seeking beauty in the ‘sparkling moments’

So I decided my camera was essential to my wellbeing and I couldn’t really mange without one for six weeks - what to do? an additional problem was that I was in the middle of one photography course with a local photographer and was due to start an e-photography course in January.

I went into work next day still wondering what to do and then I remembered that the shop I had bought my camera at had a second hand department. I quickly looked at their website and discovered an old Cannon body an a price that was just about affordable. Fortunately I didn’t have a meeting so was able to take an early lunch and high-tail it down to the shop as quickly as I could. Success! I returned to work with a new camera body (and anyway I reasoned it would be useful to have a spare for emergencies)

My camera is now with Cannon and is repairable at a cost that is just short of my insurance excess! It may not take the full 6 weeks to fix.

in the meantime I am using my new body to practice with the 1.8 50mm lens I got for Christmas (which I used to take all of todays pictures)

Enjoy your day!

Brighton or Bust!

I was hoping my first post of the New Year would be something profound and inspirational, you know the sort of thing - my dreams for 2014 - how I choose my word of 2014 and its meaning to me (it's 'Courage' by the way), or other grand designs. The fact is, however, I've been stuck at home since before New Year with the worst cold and cough I've had in years and while I'm managing to remain generally quite positive my brain really isn't functioning anything like well enough to do profound and inspirational. So instead I'm going to show you one of my favourite bits of Brighton, where we were staying with my mother-in-law just after Christmas.

For most people I suspect Brighton conjures up images of the Pavillion, the Seafront, the Pier ( or possibly piers though that's a mute point) but for me its the North Laine shopping area. Brighton's Lanes have been well known for decades sporting expensive shops and antique emporia, but within the last 30 or so years an different shopping scene has appeared full of alternative shops and well, fun.

There's fabulous graffiti

Great Signs

Brightly coloured shop fronts

And a host of ethnic, vegetarian and vegan cafes to choose from

Amazingly the sun was warm enough and the street sheltered enough to make sitting outside a positive choice even if you weren't a smoker - and of course here is always a story to tell

Then there are the goods - a huge variety and these are only what you see on the street

The shops are all quite small inside and many were crowded so I thought twice about taking any pictures

and finally the people - the Balloon Man

The Busker

The inevitable mobile phone user

The stall holder

and of course the shoppers

The reason I really like it here is because it's vibrant and varied - and that includes both shoppers and shops. At a time when our high streets (if they still exist), are full of clones and the shopping malls are even worse, it is a real pleasure to see individual enterprises flourishing - and who could resist these feminist, empowered legs?

Photographic Simplicity - Take 2

“As I have practiced it, photography produces pleasure by simplicity. I see something special and show it to the camera. A picture is produced. The moment is held until someone sees it. Then it is theirs.
”

— Sam Abell

Well I did it! just posted day 31 - athough I have to say I don't think I could carry on for another month. The days just after Christmas were the greatest challenge as I could only upload via my iPhone which I found very frustrating.

The weather has been pretty rubbish here heavy rain and gales so it was a bit tempting to keep photographing the Christmas decorations and lights!

though I did come across this little tableaux in the garden which I think of as 'essence of oak'

“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.
”

— Lao Tzu

This stick on the dots calendar seems to embody a combination of simplicity and style

Just as this Michelin Man I spotted on a vintage truck at the Christmas Market embodies a simpler bygone age.

Back to the Christmas tree lights, before going outside again to see the leaves under the rose bush

This Buddha was the only picture where I "arranged a set"

The following day I was struck by the light on this hand blown glass ball hanging up in the window and I took a series of photos during the day with the different light and looking in slightly different directions, I chose the simplest to post in the Flickr group

But thought you might be interested in seeing some of the others

“Progress is man’s ability to complicate simplicity”

— Thor Heyerdahl

This one I prepared earlier and sent to my phone so that I could post it on Christmas Day

And this was our Boxing Day walk in the woods

I thought our Norwegian Christmas Cake met the criteria because of its simple shape and simple ingredients; almonds, egg white and icing sugar.

Almost there now, next up was some brollies in Brighton although I don't seem to be able to access the picture I actually posted so this is a similar one

“I am completely attracted to the idea of simplicity, or at least removing things that seem unnecessary when trying to get an idea out there.
”

— Demetri Martin

An almost abstract steamy window - followed by party dresses on a street stall

And finally this is it! Todays post for 31st December 2013 (with a few added words) huge thanks to Kim Manley Ort for setting this challenge and a very happy 2014 to you all - take care and see you next year.

Deck the Halls

“Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly”

— Anon

I love Christmas decorations especially lights, so it was a treat to go up to London last week and have the opportunity to see some of the street illuminations and store displays.

I arrived at Waterloo Station and looking down on the concourse from the new shopping level I was struck how Lowryesque the scene was and couldn't resist adding a filter to emphasise this look

Then it was off to Oxford Circus for some Christmas shopping, I was particularly struck by these robins in Carnaby Street

Where this shop looked a veritable Aladdin's cave

Then it was on to Liberty's which has been my all time favourite shop since I was a child - you may still be able to catch the documentary that's just been shown about it.

This year their decoration theme was the successful family musical 'Matilda' although I have to say I couldn't always see the connection!

The windows were a bit less glittery than last year with fewer rich colours than usual but the decorations inside were fun.

Then out into Regent Street where it was getting dark by now - difficult to get a good capture without getting mown down by a passing bus!

Having said that I love the lights reflected in the bus windows

Fun though these are they are not the most important decorations in my life, those are on our own tree and have been built up over the years. Some decorations remind me of a particular year, place or event like these pewter mits that I bought while visiting relatives in Norway about 15 years ago.

This nativity in a seed head was given to us by my Austrian Exchange visit friend - we are still in touch after nearly 50 years!

I will be signing off now until after the festivities but very much hope you will

Barbara x

Photographic Simplicity

“Simplicity is the most difficult thing to secure in this world; it is the last limit of experience and the last effort of genius.”

— George Sand

This month I have joined a Flickr group called 'Photographic Simplicity' It is the brainchild of Kim Manley Ort and is a public group so you can all join in!

The aim of the Group is to 'remove unnecessary and distracting elements to get to the essence of your subject'

sometimes this seems quite simple, other times you realised you have posted a picture because you just took it and you really like it but it doesn't really meet the criteria. Which I think is true of this next one.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

— Leonardo Da Vinci

Back on track with this though!

I usually fail fairly early on with an of these post a picture a day challenges so I am really proud to have reached day 14 without missing one.

I have to admit though I have cheated just a little bit! I find it really hard to take photos every day especially when I am at work and its dark most of the time when I'm not - I sometimes manage to get out at lunchtime but not always. Also I much prefer taking pictures with my DSLR that my iPhone or iPad.

though sometimes I just spot something that seems to fit the bill and capture it with what I have to hand!

So somedays I take more that one photo which I then use on subsequent days if I don't manage to take one - all photos are new though and taken within the last few days so I hope I can be forgiven.

“Simplicity is the glory of expression.”

— Walt Whitman

The garden has been a great source of inspiration with a few blossoms braving the December chill

I don't particularly plan what to take things just catch my eye like the girders at Waterloo station that I spotted yesterday when I was trying to photograph the crowds and the Christmas tree (which worked well in the end but definitely didn't pass the simplicity test though it could turn up as next years Christmas card!)

Doing this has really made me really think more about the essence of photography - I am often naturally drawn to complex subjects and bright colours so this has given me the opportunity to rethink, and appreciate the simplicity of the monochrome or muted colour.

It's also got me really thinking about light

“The spirit’s foe in man has not been simplicity, but sophistication”

— Georges Santayana

both natural and artificial

so 14 down 17 to go - my feeling is that the challenge will get more difficult as the run up to Christmas gets more hectic, so fingers crossed I manage to keep going!

A Salisbury Saturday

Last Saturday we headed off to Salisbury for the day - one of our favourite places! First stop was Fisherton Mill ,a local craft centre, for lunch,where we saw this sculptor at work.

This was my favourite of the set of pictures

Then we headed off to the cathedral, passing on the way this wonderful old tiled shop front.

and this vibrant scooter - you could almost imagine you were in Italy!

I took lots of photos of the cathedral in the wonderful afternoon light - these were my favourites

Especially this one!

On the way back to the car park I noticed these young people hanging out (am wondering if that is a very dated expression?)

I loved the light on this girl's hair

and on the way back to the car park, what else but Christmas lights!

Hope you have a great week!

South Bank Saturday

Last Saturday found us on London's South Bank. We were up to go to the theatre, twice! Once at the Young Vic and once at the National, great performances but maybe something for another post.

We arrived in time to have a wander round and for me to practice my newly found street photography skills.

To give a bit of context for those of you who haven't visited, London's South Bank is a huge arts centre with the National Theatre, Royal Festival Hall, Hayward Gallery, British Film Institute and more huddled together next to Waterloo Bridge. The first buildings including the Festival Hall were erected to celebrate the Festival of Britain in 1951 which was supposed to cheer everyone up in the face of ongoing post-war rationing and shortages. Researching the Festival of Britain I came across this mini documentary that was just delightful and I would urge to to give it a try. It's interesting to compare the visitors then and now!

This is an edited version of the 1952 film in which Sir Hugh Casson and Patrick O'Donovan look back to the Festival of Britain on London's South Bank. We have cut descriptions of the architecture and how it would help design Britain's new towns.

Looking out over the river from the South Bank you get a wonderful view of St Paul's

There are always lots of people at the South Bank on weekends

people chilling, eating, out with their dogs.

Even more than usual because of the Christmas Market

I have a soft spot for anyone with pink hair for obvious reasons!

People are dressed in a variety of styles, there are families

and couples.

And around the back of the Festival Hall away from the river, a 'Real Food' market

Something for everyone on the South Bank on a Saturday afternoon!

Street Photography the Hows, Whys and Wherefores?

Last Thursday I went on a street photography workshop run by Photography Course London - it was fab. The day started with a review of the history of street photography and some tips on staying safe and legal - then we were out on the street!

Luke the tutor gave us lots of hints and tips and succeeded in making me see things / people / places in a different way. In particular, I began to notice things I just wouldn't have noticed before, like people's faces lighting up as they entered little patches of sunlight.

This guy was beautifully framed by the shadow

We also looked at the possibility of developing series of images - I saw an awful lot of people with mobiles!

Another possible theme was people through steamy windows - I took a few, this was one of my favourites

And this one with the legs - had a bit of a play in Photoshop here too

Some pictures have more of a story than others

and I wonder where people's journeys will take them?

In amongst taking all the photographs I have been pondering the ethical issues of street photography. Should you ask permission? I have sometimes, but the downside can be that subjects may start to pose rather than look natural. Most of the photos I took on Thursday were of subjects walking towards me. Sometimes they were aware I was taking their picture, sometimes not, it certainly didn't seem appropriate to stop them in their tracks and ask them if they minded. Maybe intention is a key issue? Is there any intention to exploit in any way? absolutely not! The final question I asked myself was would I mind if someone took photos of me and put them on their blog? I really don't think I would unless the photos seemed disrespectful in some way , which I hope none of mine are. Anyway I'm going for it!

Autumn Colours - Town and Country

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower”

— Albert Camus

I have been busy photographing the autumn colours over the last week or so, they are just about at their peak now and really rather wonderful this year. It's not the same every year, some times the leaves just seem to dry up and fall off the trees with out really turning properly, others they get whipped off the trees by a gale before they reach their full potential.

I am going to share some pictures I took in our garden, in the local woods and finally in Winchester. The home and woods photos have had textures added to them; these are from 2 Lil Owls and I downloaded them on a great deal from Design Cuts

These pictures were taken on a dull, drizzly day, but I have to say tha although I really love the beauty of the muted autumn colours, they are much harder to capture successfully . The top photo here has been popped through Lightroom so is not just as shot; the bottom one has had textures added which have really lifted it.

The contrast is much less marked with these next two and I really like both versions very much.

Off for a walk in the woods now and this time its a bright sunny day, with mid afternoon light and the sun blazing through the leaves.

I really like both versions of the sun on these ferns, the bottom one is the original, which do you like best?

The final photo was taken on the way home as the sun twinkled at us through the taller trees.

This next set of pictures were taken in Winchester last Friday when I popped out for a quick lunchtime photo walk (a rare treat). These have just had my usual Lightroom adjustments - no textures this time. I headed down to the cathedral thinking the trees on the approach would look gorgeous - not so, they had't really changed in colour and had lost many of their leaves. I headed round to the back of the cathedral to see what I could find there. What I found was a hive of activity in preparation for the Christmas Market.

Further on though I noticed something I hadn't spotted before, a Barbara Hepworh sculpture apparently done as an homage to Joan Miro, I thought it look rather fine against the backdrop of autumn leaves.

I also loved the bright blue of this door

Heading back to the office I was struck by this memorial to one of the Riffle brigades emblazoned against the blue sky with the poppy wreaths still at its foot

Nearly back at the office, my final photo opportunity of the day was the Elizabeth Frink Horse and Rider which was in the embrace of a waterfall of brightly coloured leaves.

Hope you have a great week - see you next time X