My Blog posts can be accessed chronologically by clicking the above link or by a category listed below. The Collections page contains samples of my photographic images displayed in "theme" galleries.
These images were inspired by the RyanPhotography weekly challenge Photo for the Week #15 – Paths.
Five years ago we walked the Cotswold Way in the west of England. We hiked the route at a leisurely pace, taking 13 days to travel from Chipping Campden to Bath. The footpaths were varied and undulating and there were some great vistas along the way.
I have added some enhancements to these photos using my ON1 Photo Raw processing software to evoke the mood of each day.
I have been waiting for an opportunity to post a couple of images that include people and columns. Columns are obviously an essential element in the design of structures. In classical and neo-classical architecture, decorative columns were used to identify the main entry to a building, which was usually raised above street level, requiring steps to reach the entrance. The steps and the spaces beneath and between the columns have become places for people, who are often dwarfed by the scale and immensity of the columns. These are great places for people to gather and people-watch.
Today’s post was inspired by the Photo for the Week Photography Challenge, posted by RyanPhotography, on the topic of columns.
This morning I caught a view of some snow flurries in action. I think that I was able to capture a wintry mood in the image that I am posting today in response to Paula’s latest Lost in Translation Thursday’s Special. Adding some extra grain to the snowflakes makes my vision even more wintry.
This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge inspired me to experiment with some “other world” treatment of a recent image. There is a new pedestrian bridge connecting the Eaton Centre with the Hudson’s Bay store in downtown Toronto. The architectural design of the structure has a space-age look, and adding some blurring to the image gives it that final touch.
Out of This World
I have been working on some images from a walking holiday along the Scottish Borders almost three years ago. By coincidence, these tie in nicely with this week’s Lost in Translation theme of Traces of the Past.
Paula Borkovic posted an image of Melrose Abbey in Scotland. Just downstream along the River Tweed lies Dryburgh Abbey. The abbey is located in a secluded area and is somewhat off the beaten track.
Dryburgh Abbey was founded in 1150 and it was occupied for over 400 years. It was established by a group of canons from Alnwick Priory in Northumberland, and became the mother house of the Premonstratensian order in Scotland [also known as the Norbertines or the White Canons elsewhere]. The abbey was closed following the Scottish Reformation, and the site remained abandoned until it was purchased in 1780 and converted into a landscape garden. The novelist Sir Walter Scott was buried here in 1832. Parts of the abbey are well preserved, and the daffodils are plentiful in the spring.
Further to the south lies Jedburgh Abbey, which is in the centre of Jedburgh and located along the Jed Water. The abbey was founded by a group of French Augustinian canons at about the same time as Dryburgh Abbey. It was established in a prominent location in order to be close to the local king’s palace. This abbey also fell out of use after the Scottish Reformation of 1560, and it was partially dismantled for other purposes. A significant portion of the abbey church remains and is the most visible feature today.
I have been experimenting with the use of textures and other techniques in Photoshop to create a vintage look for these images. I hope that you enjoy them.
There is no more iconic location to celebrate the winter solstice than at Stonehenge in southern England. This is my contribution to Paula’s Lost in Translation Thursday’s Special for the week of December 21, 2017.
Although this photo was not shot in December, it was taken at sunrise. The special effects were mostly accidental – while experimenting with a variable ND filter – which resulted in the red flaring. The blue hue was accentuated using a DXO filter preset. The overall impression – mysterious.
