Distant lands, distant times – Lens Artists Photo Challenge #90: Distance

This weeks challenge from the Lens-Artists asks:

These days, everyone’s talking about and hopefully practicing “Social Distancing”. Since it’s something we should all be doing, we thought a challenge focused on DISTANCE might be an appropriate reminder of its importance. For today’s quotes I’ve chosen lines from Bette Midler’s 1990 Grammy-winning release “From A Distance”. Although the song is often attributed to Ms. Midler, who made it famous, it was actually written by Julie Gold.

So firstly thank you for not distancing yourself from my blog posts 🙂

I thought for this post I would just use a simple panoramic landscape shot, however as I edited the photos, it became so much more in my mind.

This shot taken last year in April, shows the Druids circle near Penmaenmawr, it is taken from a distance, and in the near distance we see a burial chamber, and further away glorious Welsh hills.

However this became not the only distances I was thinking about, the subject matter of the photo is of an ancient past, lost to us in the distant past, who were the people that built such structures, why did they build them, and were their thought processes so very distant from ours?   Our best guesses are they are to do with the cyclical nature of the seasons, for ritual, for communication with the sacred and profane, tied up with boundaries. of life and of death.  All these things tied into the need to survive, the need for hope, the need to believe.

Survival, hope and boundaries, at this time are we closer to our ancestors than ever?

Yet there is also a nearer temporal distance, it now feels so long since this event happened, the world appears to have shifted beneath my feet in such a short space of time, this was only 11 months ago, I like so many others find my self wondering how did this all happen?

And still there is the physical distance to this place, it is about 180 miles from where I currently live, and my father lives relatively nearer at only 30 miles, and thus lives a fair distance away from me.  Never before has this distance felt so great, so far, so troubling.  At this current time this distance fills my thoughts on a regular basis.

And then we come to the last portion of time we must address – that which lies ahead of us, we will get there, it may seem a great distance away from where we are now, but one day, in the not too distant future I will be walking this coastline, these hills, and amongst these stones again.

And for the present I can #stayingin and look at photos, close my eyes and imagine.

This one is a rather large 9 photo stitched panorama so clicking on the photo below links to a better image.

‘Distant lands, distant times’, Penmaenmawr, 2019.

Wishing you all the very best, take care and stay well.

Ken

Potential – Lens Artists Photo Challenge #89: A River Runs Through It

This weeks challenge from the Lens-Artists asks:

Some of you may notice that the theme title for this week is borrowed from “A River Runs Through it” by Norman Maclean.

Here is to hoping that the river of our inspiration continues to bring our virtual community together in these troubled times, and remind us of that which is common,  that which we share, and what we can continue to do for one another.  To bridge the differences and to see those rivers not as things which separate us, but as the the flow that brings us a varied life.

‘Potential’, Dartmoor, 2018.

It is more of a stream I would agree, but one day it will become a mighty river!

Wishing you all the very best, take care and stay well.

Ken

One flap – Lens Artists Photo Challenge #88: Chaos

This weeks challenge from the Lens-Artists asks:

Outside, the sun is shining and the birds are singing – it is a beautiful morning in my garden. For this week, I had already chosen Chaos, not knowing how well this would apply to what many of us are living in right now. Thinking about it this early Spring morning… it all feels unreal. But, the world is still standing, and the sun is still shining.

‘One flap’, Cornwall, 2019.

“Each smallest act of kindness, reverberates across great distances and spans of time . . . affecting lives unknown to the one who’s generous spirit, was the source of this good echo. Because kindness is passed on and grows each time it’s passed until a simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage, years later, and far away. Likewise, each small meanness, each expression of hatred, each act of evil.”
― Dean Koontz, From the Corner of His Eye

Wishing you all the very best, stay well.

Ken

Changed – Lens Artists Photo Challenge #86: Change Your Perspective

This weeks challenge from the Lens-Artists asks:

For Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #86, we invite you to break the habit of shooting photos at eye-level and change your perspective.  Instead, show us your photographs taken from a variety of perspectives–by getting down low, by looking up at the subject or looking down, or walking around the subject.  We’re looking forward to seeing your “new” perspectives!

Well I often take shots at interesting perspectives so here is one from a while ago:

‘Low and angular’, 2013.

However, how about another change of perspective!

‘Changed’, 2013/2020.

Possibly an album cover I feel! – it would have to have coloured vinyl inside.

Ken

Sunset seas – Lens Artists Photo Challenge #85: Treasure Hunt

This weeks challenge from the Lens-Artists asks:

This week we’re going on a Treasure Hunt! The challenge is to search for specific items – either from your archives or newly captured – from the list below. Extra credit items are a bit more challenging. Focus on quality over quantity and hit us with your best shot(s)!

Challenge Items: Sunrise and/or sunset, Something cold and/or hot, a bird, a dog, a funny sign, a bicycle, a seascape and/or mountain landscape, a rainbow, a church, a musical instrument, a boat, a plane, a waterfall
Extra Credit Items: An expressive portrait of one or more people, a very unusual place, knitting or sewing, a fish, an animal you don’t normally see, a bucket, a hammer, a street performer, a double rainbow, multiple challenge items in a single image. My opening image, for example, includes a sunrise, a seascape and birds in a single shot. See how easy it is?! 😀

So here is a shot from the archives, warm sunset over a cold Cornish sea, and there might even be a hint of a boat out toward the horizon.  Taken on an old 2mp Dimage Z3, but still a lovely photo at this size I feel.  Well if I get chance this week I am going to go on a hunt for some of the other treasured items, but for now . . .

‘Sunset seas’, Cornwall, 2007.

Ken

Boats – Lens Artists Photo Challenge #84: Narrow

This weeks challenge from the Lens-Artists asks:

Travel has taught me that once we go through a narrow path, alley, and/or road with a little patience, at the end it always opens up to pleasant surprises. The experience certainly has broadened my horizon allowing me to see the world through different eyes. Thus, I choose “narrow” for this week’s theme.

‘Boats’, 2013.

Ken

Letters from a past future – Lens Artists Photo Challenge #83: Future

This weeks challenge from the Lens-Artists is from Leya:

This week the challenge is Future – Show us what you will paint on Your canvas!

I have to admit I was a bit stumped at first with this one, I quite often use photos from my archive, which exists in a state of the ‘past’.  Ok, so perhaps I need to take a new photo, hang on, even though I am thinking of taking it in the ‘future’, my very act of taking it now consigns it to some sort of ‘past’.

Hmmm, what about the thought of post processing? no, that although not yet happened will soon transition into a time that I will move on from, and by the time you read this will be passed, the photo indelibly ascribed to this post, and as far from a future as can be.

So what to do. . .

As a birthday present to myself this year, in December, I bought a 3d printer, surely this is a thing of the ‘future’, a machine that the childhood me would of thought of as existing only in Star Trek.

Well I have made a number of small objects, fixed things around the house, but now we get to, ‘The Future’.  Where does this sit with my photography, I do want to make some ‘lithophanes’ of my photographs, if you do not know what they are a quick google search will enlighten you (other search engines are still available – just!).  However even before I had got the printer I had been thinking of combining this ‘Modern technology’, with a ‘Past technology’, as we also own a small letterpress.

So to the Future, watch this space!

Inspired by Leya’s rather beautiful photos of double exposures of flowers, here is my own double exposure (not as beautiful) of a seed of a thought for the future.

‘Letters from a past future’, 2020.

Ken

Copenhagen Street – Lens Artists Photo Challenge #82: cap·i·tal

This weeks challenge from the Lens-Artists is – guest hosted by Viveka:

My topic is Capital . . . It doesn’t have to be about capital cities – however, you want to interpret it – all up to you.

Well I did go with a capital city, and as I have never been to the guest hosts own country, I will one day I promise, just so I can have had a polska in Sweden if nothing else, so I decided to get as close from my visits as I could!

‘Copenhagen Street’, 2017.

Ken

On the Desk – Lens Artists Photo Challenge #81: Find Something Red

This weeks challenge from the Lens-Artists is:

For this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, we’re inviting you to a photo scavenger hunt to find things that are red.

I did not have to hunt very far! Though all that red with black and white, is suddenly very early 80’s.

‘On the Desk’, The study!, Brynna, 2020.

“Red lips are not so red as the stained stones kissed by the English dead.”

― Wilfred Owen.

Ken

Wild lines – Lens Artists Photo Challenge #80: Leading Lines

This weeks challenge from the Lens-Artists is:

This week, our challenge will explore a key compositional element, Leading Lines.

‘Wild lines’, Brecon beacons, 2019.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

– Dylan Thomas

Ken