Across the World

 This is just a selection of shots from around Liverpool's Albert Docks and Chavasse Park on the last bank holiday. The city is gearing up for Eurovision 2023 and it is bringing people together from around the world in a celebration of music (not that I am in any way a fan of Eurovision) at a time when there is so much conflict and division around the globe.

It is 33 years since I first came to Liverpool and I have seen a lot of changes in that time, I like what has happened to the city and although as I say I am no fan of Eurovision I am pleased that Liverpool was chosen to host it this time round and I am encouraged when I see the way the city has embraced it (despite the disruption and inconvenience) just as it did as City of Culture in 2008.

Potty

 Having taken a break from shots around Venice recently I have now run out of the star light/star trail images. Even though I shot several hundred separate photos because of the stacking process I only ended up with 8 or 9 final images which I hope you have enjoyed.

For today I have chosen something completely different and you might think a little odd. I was walking around a public garden in Venice when I noticed this row of pots lined up on a wall tucked away next to a greenhouse. I knew straight away that it would create a nice, simple image.

It will probably come as no surprise that my favourite of the two is the black and white one. I do like the warmth of the colours in the second shot but I think there are better shadows in the first image.

Anyway my next blog will be something of a landmark so I am going to have to try and do something special, be sure to look out for it... 

Something Interesting Around Every Corner

There literally is something of interest around every corner in Venice. Whether that is the silver bust of a horned being in a window next to a bridge, 

a staircase in a hidden courtyard, 

a slot where you can anonymously denounce your neighbour or colleague, 

a well in a secluded street, 

or the apparent absence of  building codes in renaissance Italy. 

 

Around the Harbour

 Walking around any town there is always lots going on and lots of opportunities for a photographer. While I do like to concentrate on the architecture, the landscape or wildlife it is also fun to capture random moments and a seaside town like Whitby will offer plenty of those. Whether that is a seagull taking a rest on some lobster pots, visitors stopping for "fish n chips", a chimney pot or even a random box of tools on a market stall there are lots of things that will catch my eye. Many random images will get discarded either just after I have taken them or later when I get to review the days "catch", others will get through to a final edit and possibly even be shared here in my blog.

Of course just because I like these images and have chosen to share them does not mean they will be to your taste. They are a real mixture, too, so you may like one or more, or none at all. For me however they capture some of the essence of the town which is more than the iconic sites such as the harbour or the abbey and that makes the effort of capturing them worth my while.

Say What You See

Two more shots today to show off some of the beautiful shapes and patterns created simply by squeezing droplets of milk from a syringe .

You never know what you will get each time, whether it is a flying droplet, a sharp peak or a random ripple.

I chose these images today for the smooth textured shapes. The second shot looks rather like an inverted ceiling rose, I was amazed at the symmetry from something so random.

I love the first image too and apart from a random ripple I wonder what you can see. A bit like when you see shapes in clouds I think that when you look at images like this you can see different things. For example perhaps you can see a spoon, perhaps an eye or maybe a swaddled baby.

Around Firenze

Well today we have walked miles, about ten miles in fact and so it feels good to finally put my feet up at the end of the day.

I have captured a few random images on out wanderings around museums, cathedrals, parks and the streets of the city. Of course I have also captured some of the more iconic images of this most beautiful city.

The first two pictures link to one of the pictures I shared yesterday where someone has added a snorkeling mask to approximations of classic paintings, they appeared all round the city and so I thought I'd share...

The other two pictures are the sort of images you would probably expect to see. There's an imperfect panorama taking in the Ponte Vecchio, the Arno, the Basilica Di Santa Maria Novella and of course the Duomo of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore.

The last is a very soft image of a sunset and the Ponte Vecchio. Hundreds of people had gathered on the Piazzale Michaelangelo to watch the sunset, two couples got engaged and others were having wedding or pre wedding photos done too. It was a nice way to end our time here, as tomorrow we're heading off to Casale Monferrato, a place I know nothing about but hope to have some interesting things to share next time.

Mallards In Flight

Canon EF 24mm - 105 mm 1:4 L

ISO 100   105 mm   f/10   1/250 sec

This is a bit of a random post today as I had intended to carry on with my shots of Bluebells at Burton Mere but earlier I was sorting out some pictures of my daughter-in-law and her horse and I found this shot of two Mallard ducks that flew past and I just managed to capture.  I have to say I am quite pleased with this given that I hadn't set my camera up for this type of shot and I really didn't have the right lens. This is cropped from the original image and it is still quite sharp. 

This evening I have been down on the mud at Meols photographing some of the small boats at low tide with the sunset in the background.  It may be a while before I get round to posting them but be sure to keep coming back, I think I got some cracking shots.

Starburst and Tie Dye

Today I am posting the last of my selection of light pictures. I will have another go at this type of image in the future but tomorrow I will return to something from the natural world, I have something in mind but that will be reliant on the weather and light conditions tomorrow morning so wish me luck.

I like these two images the colourful spikes in the first and then the tie-dye effect in the second.

A Random Post

I couldn't decide on an appropriate post for today so I picked this one.

Splishing and a Splashing

A few more shots from Le Verdon following on from yesterday's shots.  I like the random shapes and patterns created after the rock hit the water