Location, Location, Location... and Glorious Muted Colour

Ths subdued tones in Losey's "The Go Between" recreate a world long gone.

When this film came out in 1971 I was bewitched.

So many contemporary photos seem garish, even brash,
compared with the colour tones I was used to in the past.

"The Red Pony" was on TV yesterday and the colours were picture-book perfect.

This is the closest I have come recently to recreating a similar effect.




Taken in Yorkshire, not Norfolk, but somehow the countryside seems right.


The Go Between

How Not to Get in a Lather About Where to Take Photos

Most of the time photographers work away quietly and happily,
making images that document and entertain, that live to tell tales
of the immediacy of real lives.

Most work is workaday. Over a million images are uploaded daily to Flickr alone
without much of a to-do and without sending the Planet into a faster spin.

However, when it comes to practising as a professional
it is worth picking one's way through all the finer details,
in order to minimize stress, as well as to protect one's work,
which should express the freedom of spirit that
this wonderful medium expresses.

I am an amateur photographer.

I tend to play things safe.

Reading the threads on Boards.ie recently
it might be worth thinking about taking a few more
risks and getting out and about a bit more.

Ireland Is Not Britain, You Know...

Different laws apply depending on where you happen
to be within the British Isles.

Visitors from abroad might like to look at the very clear
advice for data protection and still photography in the UK
(found in the title bar link here).

It's worth finding out if buildings, in particular,
may be photographed. Some are protected.

After a tiring day of looking at all the legalities,
I'm off for a hearty stew.

Shan't have the energy to take photos, unfortunately.

Have a restful evening...

Better Safe Than Sorry

The question of public space and where photographers may or may not
take photos is increasingly well documented.

I have just read a sobering report from Australia where
a frighful fuss broke out when an amateur photographer was
asked to move away from a space that seemed public,
but was not.

"I am a grandma", her plea for understanding and acceptance
did not seem to wash.

I have to admit I smiled.

If I used my grandmotherly status daily as proof
of personal worth, I expect I would bring the house
down with laughter.

However the distress that can be caused when a person
is repremanded in public (even if that public space is technically private)
can be very real.

Study where you take photos.

It will save energy...
and prevent wrinkles so that
corrective filters of photo editing will not be needed...

Peachy Rose

Peachy Rose
Originally uploaded by rosewoodoil

Slide Film for a Walk Round Town

Somehow this photo expresses the warm
feeling I always get when I walk in
a Dublin street.



The old walls, the shoppers,
the thought that people have been settled
into a civic way of life here for
more than 800 years.

I used slide film for a few precious photos
recently.

It was worth the extra effort.

And... well... hang the expense...

Cinematography Goes Wild

"Into The Wild" was a very startling film.


The cinematography, combined with the energy of the main actor,
kept everybody in the cinema on the edge of their seats for most of
the viewing.

The story was so sad I actually spoke to the person sitting beside me,
just to break the spell that seemed to have fallen over the gathered
company, and to bring us back from the wilderness.

The scenes in the wheat fields, as giant harvesting machines bit across the landscape
were memorable.

The frantic journey down the Colorado River was truly terrifying...


Into the Wild

Herring Gull

Herring Gull
Originally uploaded by rosewoodoil

A Zooomr Moment

Autumn Anemones by maria.robbuck60@gmail.com on Zooomr

Cat on a Windowsill on a Chilly Day in Winter

Cat on a Windowsill on a Chilly Day in Winter
Originally uploaded by rosewoodoil

Narcissus Frilled

Narcissus Frilled
Originally uploaded by rosewoodoil

Seeing How a Diffuser Filter Works

I often don't need a diffusing filter to make soft focus photos.
Opening up the aperature seems to add a vagueness to many of my shots.

The article in the Title Bar has some useful examples of how
filters can add mystery to one's work.

I've become an avid filter fan and look set
to make a collection to add variety to mundane subjects.

Smoothing Out Wrinkles?

Filters, it seems, can do anything.

Soft focus, achieved with a diffusing filter,
is useful for portraiture,
as it gives skin a soft, unwrinkled smoothness.

A must buy?

Pathway in the Shade

Path
Originally uploaded by rosewoodoil

A calm walk in the Woodland Garden.

By George!

Not only have I got it,
it actually looks well.

I had almost abandoned my Wordpress blog
due to serious confusion and lack of
geeky enthusiasm.

Today, having found a page that allows me to
interact speedily between Flickr and Wordpress
I am uploading photos in a sensible size.

Up 'till now they burst out of their moorings
like overgrown visual Triffids that did not
know their place.

The system works with most blog platforms.

(Details are in the Title Bar above.)

Silver Tones

This photo continues to entertain me.



It was taken with great precision during a warm spell in the garden
in early Summer.
The Canon software allowed for some enhancement,
bringing out silver toning in the spider's
highly reflective body.

I'm now wondering if it would be possible to
repeat this exact effect, starting off with
a different subject.

Insects are not everybody's cup of tea...

Memories of Our Trusty Fuji e500

We invested in a point and shoot Fuji e500
just over three years ago.
It was great, while it lasted, but a card error
developed just after it had gone beyond the year's
guarantee cover.

Sometimes I link it up as a fun web cam,
as that feature is still fully functional.

However, I remember many of the photos we took
with fondness, as the colour tones were pleasant.