When I tried to understand ‘refraction’, this weeks wordpress photo challenge, I got into what, to me, looked as complicated maths. As maths is not my strongest side I looked for illustrations and then it became easier. I know that light behaves in a funny way when it passes through different media. Without the need for a mathematical explanation. So there!
Dreaming of (or having nightmares of?) what’s awaiting us up here in the North soon enough
Room with a view to rural South Australia, somewhere between Cowell and Cleve on Eyre Peninsula.
The window is in the one and only room in the former Crossville school. It was operating from 1909 to 1946. Nearby is a ruin which I presume was the teacher’s house but it could also have been a farm house. It was, as I understand, common for the rural teachers to be lodged with a family on a local farm nearby the school house.
Stockholm marathon was held last Saturday (31 May) in good conditions for both runners and spectators. The track was a circle (of sorts) through the city and the runners did 2 laps to complete the run. I had a bit of time to cheer the runners on and to do a bit of photography. I stayed at the 12 / 36 km mark and caught the tail end – and the front end.
Was this really a good idea?
One of the last runners. At a leisurely walking pace, perhaps contemplating what went wrong with the training strategy. Perhaps the decision to run was based on memories of youth and how fit he was? Or was it a bet? Middle age crisis? This split-second story is a riddle with many possible outcomes.
Ailsa’s travel theme this week is cities – and the yearly recurring marathons are certainly slice of urban life:
An attempt to help an ailing building by acupuncture? Black magic? Voodoo? An installation? The building seemed to be in pretty good nick; if it was acupuncture it apparently worked. Perhaps it is white magic?
But then, the building is found in Barcelona, and therefore I recon it’s an art project. Isn’t it a bit of a twist to it though? And isn’t it a bit of an odd ball thing to do to a facade?
The image is ridgy-didge black and white, tri-x you know, no layers, no masks, no conversions, no filters, no nothing.
Let Gaudi loose and you could get chimneys like this. Or at least you could have gotten chimneys like this a century ago if you had the money to commission him to design your building and if you lived in Barcelona. The whole building – Casa Batlló, is a work of art.
The colours are no mistake or result of post processing. I went all analogue during a weekend in Barcelona and had loaded the camera with Revolog film when we went to Casa Batlló. I rather liked the result – it sort of went well with the subject.
More Gaudi:
This is under the roof though – captured inside Sagrada Familia with my home made pinhole camera laying flat on the floor for about a minute or so.
Tough Vikings – or nuts trying to prove something? Whatever, the race was called ‘tough vikings’ and a meetup event was scheduled in the photographer group. It was a cold and bleak day but never the less a good turnout of contestants and audience. A good time was had by all – and me. The images are from the finish – after some 7 km of nasty obstacles.
These guys were on the move allright. So it’s also a contribution to WPC weekly challenge ‘on the move’.
Krak des Chevaliers sits strategically on the south side of Homs Gap, the valley leading from the Mediterranean to Homs. Since time immemorial, traders and invaders have used Homs Gap as a route to the Syrian interior. The Krak was home of the Knights Hospitallers from the 1140ies until the capture by Mamluk forces in 1271. In its time it must have been a formidable stronghold.
The Krak is, or at least was until the Syrian war, one of the best preserved medeival fortifications in the world.
Had this castle been in Western Europe, there would have been a whole tourist industry built up around it, complete with festivals, re-enactments, lots of tourist kitsch, fast food joints and queues everywhere. When I visited in 2003, there was – practically nothing. A few guys from a nearby village lurked around the park lot and posed as guides. We hired one of course, and as it were, he was pretty good. As I recall, there were 2 other small groups visiting at the same time I and my buddy were there.
Weekly Photo Challenge: on top
‘time goes back’ according to the sign to the right. Hmmm… This image is from somewhere in or around Xian, China. I did not make any notes as to what it is. It was shot back in the dark ages when I just had gone digital and a 2mpix digital camera was top of the line and when GPS in a camera was science fiction. A whopping 14 years ago that is.
Over the threshold there’s qi (energy) warmth and friendship, just waiting to envelope you, don’t hesitate, take the step into the light. What is there to fear?
Posted for Weekly Photo Challenge: Threshold
Freddy's Photo Project 