Love Liverpool

 I have a little more time on my hands now and so there is a very good chance I will be getting out and about a lot more which can only be a good thing.

Earlier this week as the conditions were pretty good I decided to head into Liverpool for a couple of hours to see whether I could capture anything good. As you can see from the pictures above, the sky was crisp and clear, there was ice on the dock and a definite chill in the air (not quite the coldest day of the year but pretty close to it).

I firstly went down to the waterfront to photograph the architecture around the docks before heading back through town where I captured a few shots of people going about their business in the run up to Christmas, so I have a fair bit to work on and to share.

It is a while since I have been down to the waterfront and I had not realised how popular it has become for people to affix padlocks to the chain link fence around the docks. You can see from the above pictures that it has definitely become "a thing" here in Liverpool as it has in other cities all over. For the effect I think I like the locks in the third image as they go all along the riverside where I think the sheer volume of them has more impact. 

However, although there are currently fewer locks along the dockside fences they do create a fantastic frame for the buildings in the background. In these images the main building is the Museum of Liverpool which is itself a stunning building. I will be sharing some more shots of the museum in the coming days.

Love on The Bridge

There is so much that I love abut this image; the light highlighting the handrail  guiding you into the image, the beams of sunlight shining a spotlight onto the couple on the bridge, the way the trees appear to be leaning in to frame the sun and the fact that the sun is almost heart shaped adding to the romance of the picture.

From this position the couple on the bridge appear to be gazing down to the falls below when in fact they are holding tightly onto each other and looking down at their feet as they cautiously make their way on the icy path. 

Behind me is the larger falls and the spray from the waterfall is adding to the mist and creating the sunspots in the image as well as making the footpath almost impassable with ice.

Fero da prora

This is such an iconic image from Venice.

The fero da prora is the ornament on the prow of the gondolas and as well as looking nice it is truly functional and the shape itself is symbolic.

The Fero is there to act as a counter balance to the gondolier who stands at the back of the gondola. That surprised me because it doesn't look that weighty but as it curves around the whole front of the boat it is more substantial than it appears at first glance.

A little research revealed that the S shape represents the Grand Canal that flows through the heart of the city, the six prongs facing forward represent the six districts of Venice while the prong pointing backwards apparently symbolises the island of Giudecca and the curved top represents the Doge's cap, while the inner curve at the top is said to symbolise the famous Rialto Bridge

In between the six prongs there are three additional items which represent the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello.

So what I thought was just a nice ornament actually is so much more, I am glad I took a few moments to find out and hopefully you will appreciate that effort.  More importantly I hope you like this picture as much as I do

Spreading The Love

So it is Valentine's Day and in honour of that I am spreading the love with shot that I captured last week in Venice, well more precisely on one of the brightly coloured houses in Burano.

Love and Hugs XOX

Halfway Up The Stairs Is A Stair Where I Sit

I have been exceptionally lucky this year in that I have been able to travel a great deal and that means I have had lots of great photo opportunities.

For today I have gone back to May and the streets of Prague. During my roadtrip I tried to do a little street photography and here are a couple of shots that I rather like.

The first one shows a young couple taking a few moments to rest in the shade on some steps near the castle. I think it is a lovely scene, a romantic moment and a moment of calm away from the bustle of the castle precincts.

The second shot shows one of the many trams that work their way through the city's narrow streets.

I recently finished reading a novel set in these streets and having been there and walked the streets of the old town the narrative seemed more alive to me. It really is a beautiful city.

Roses Are Red, Pt 2

So like yesterday these flowers were in the Leif Erikson Park in Duluth a last splash of summer colour.

Red roses are typically seen as a romantic flower, given on valentines day or for special celebrations and they really are beautiful as you can see in the third image; but I prefer some of the more delicate, understated colours.

The Gondoliers 2

My last post about Gondoliers in Venice was really popular so I decided to share a few more pictures today.

Being a Gondolier seems like it might be a great job, after all you are working in a wonderful environment and meeting lots of people and helping to make their holiday. But there also seems to be a lot of down time. Walking around you would see them either sat alone or in small groups, mostly they would be people watching or doing something on their phones. 

Speaking of phones, did you notice the gondolier in the fourth picture? He is using his phone while navigating his way around the city while the couple in the boat are taking in their surroundings. 

Amsterdam Life

I have some great pictures from Amsterdam, of canals, bridges and canal houses but for today I wanted to share a few slightly different images of some of the city's inhabitants all of which reflect the character and charm of the place.

The first picture was taken inside the Westerkerk on Prinsengracht (which is the subject of the painting in the top right of the photo).  I am sure it is a wonderful place to work as an artist, the light was great and there was an organ recital providing a super soundtrack.

The seagulls in the second photo appear to have an almost romantic connection with each other which caught my eye and seemed really fitting given the setting.

The cat sunning itself on a bench was also a really fitting image for this relaxed and laid back city.

I hope that you enjoy these pictures as much as I do, feel free to leave a comment below...

The City of Lights

The final stop on the road trip was Paris.  I have been to Paris quite often and it is one of my favourite places to visit and I have lots of photos so didn't expect to take any pictures this time, however walking along the banks of the Seine I saw the statue in the first photo with the chair on its head and I thought it quirky and fun so couldn't resist taking the shot.

After that I took several other pictures.

The locks are just a few of the many thousands on one of the bridges, the main span of the bridge has been boarded up so that no more locks can be added and now they have been put on the side railings and fences in other spots overlooking the river. "Love locks" have been a feature in several of the cities we have visited on this trip but none so many as in Paris.  Although I like this feature in Paris I think I prefer the picture I took on the bridge in Heidelberg which I shared on 18th March so why not revisit that blog and compare...

The lamp post was in the square in front of Notre Dame and I thought it was an interesting detail.

Finally, I almost decided not to post the last two images but the Eiffel Tower is such an iconic site it seemed wrong not to and I think that with the illumination and the detail of the structure they make for nice pictures.

Something Festive

Merry Christmas!

As promised I have posted a few festive shots for today's offering.  I have been experimenting with my Christmas present, a 50mm f1.8 lens and trying to create a nice Bokeh effect with a wide aperture and the Christmas lights. I have to admit these are not great pictures but we have had a house full today and so I have limited time to play so for now they will have to do.

In the last photo I have tried a new technique (for me anyway) to get a heart effect with the lights.  I think that works well and I am pleased with my first effort.  I still need practice to get to grips with the technique.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for my special announcement.