The debate about UKIP has gone on so long that the probability has reached 1. Unfortunately, I don’t think this will be the end of the debate.
Photos
Guggenheim Bilbao, Iberdrola and ‘Tall Tree and the Eye’
Anish Kapoor’s ‘Tall Tree and the Eye’ sculpture sits strikingly outside Bilbao’s iconic Guggenheim museum. While gazing at its many orbs, I thought I could get a nice shot of Guggenheim reflected in the balls that make up the sculpture. While composing the shot, I noticed that I could also capture Iberdrola’s (huge Spanish energy company) headquarters.
When visiting the museum, it’s immediately notable that the two striking and dominant buildings in the area are Iberdrola’s HQ (a tall tree) and the Guggenheim (very much for the eyes).
The connection between the sculpture and its surroundings struck me as interesting, so I took the snap and here it is.
It’s all a blur
One year on from the wonderful 2012 Olympics, London is hosting its anniversary games. In a bid to build a lasting legacy, events are being re-run and, as hoped for by organisers and sponsors, capturing the public’s imagination.
Last year, I posted some snaps of the men’s road race. I was reasonably happy with the outcome but one thought lingered: clear, fully-focused images of cyclists speeding by might capture what happened, but they don’t capture the moment. The camera captures events with a level of detail that people do not. For us, everything whizzes by in a blur.
So this year, I was determined to try and capture the moment and not the facts. I staked out a place on a simple, straight stretch of road conveniently located right by The Angel.
Having found a comfortable spot, I decided the best way to capture the sheer speed of the cyclists was to use blur. The technique is simple in theory and hard in practice. Essentially, all you need to do is move your camera at the same speed as your subject. Obviously, panning a camera lens at the same speed as a cyclist is tricky and you only get one shot.
Fortunately, the amateurs went first – they’re not that fast and there are loads of them so plenty of opportunities to get my eye in before the pros arrived.
This image of a competitor, who’s not going super-fast, was an early attempt to get the effect I was after.
Trying to use the same effect with multiple cyclists was a bit more tricky – they’re travelling at different speeds so only one can really be in focus. Also, the panning appears to warp straight lines a touch (see the road markings).
A while later, having crossed the road (and after a drink or two), the pros came. Preceded by police outriders and heralded by a helicopter, they flew past in the blink of an eye. This is one of the early riders who was ahead of the pack but not leading. It is my most technically accomplished image of the day (make of that what you will).
Then it got a lot more tricky. When the main group hove into view, I’d set myself the task of picking out one rider and getting them in focus. I opted to capture a Team Sky rider. All technique went out of the window. Nothing was straight, everything was blurred, including most of the Team Sky cyclist. This shot has been cropped and had some dust spots cloned out but is otherwise unedited. For me it really does capture the moment, and the amazing speed and the determination of the riders.
There is a house in Old Town Prague
I was very fortunate to be in Prague over the weekend and even more fortunate to find myself with some time to myself. It’s a beautiful city and a wonderful place to wander around, to reflect and find little details that make you think.
Only a few minutes from the high-end stores on Pařížská Street, down a little side road you’d only walk down if you were visiting someone who lived there, was a house that really did make me think.
- The house in Old Town Prague
I only noticed it out of the corner of my eye, but its elaborate and decaying front door grabbed my attention. I had to take a closer look.
- The door up close
The door, flaking, warped and studded with iron is beautiful. Although run down, it’s still imposing. It feels strong. How old could it be?
- The plaque
Slightly to the right of the door, sitting worn away in the crumbling façade is an iron plaque. I don’t know what the words say, but the number 1890 is clear. Could this building with its beautiful door have lived through world wars, Communism and revolutions? What must it have witnessed?
- Crumbling plaster and roughly cut stone
The crumbling plaster on the exterior of the building has exposed the brickwork underneath. The bricks appear to be roughly cut stone. They’re uneven, crumbling. There’s a warmth to their colour. Like many of the buildings in Prague, the plaster is made to look like stone. So an old house, built of cheaper stone, plastered to look like fine stone and with a grand front door. What is it like on the inside?
Well, this is where it gets really interesting. Walking down the side of the house, past more crumbling plaster, I looked through a window with rusting iron bars and smashed-through glass and a decaying frame. What did I see? I saw a room with a lovely, arching ceiling and I saw another window directly opposite. An open window, that appears to have glass in it. And through that window, a luscious, green courtyard of some sort. Is this a building decaying only on the outside? Is it the garden of a neighbouring property? How did this fine building come to be in this state?
- Through the window
This house inspires so many stories in my head. It really makes me think. I know nothing more about this building, but I do know this: there is a house in Old Town Prague, it has many stories to tell and I wish I knew them.
Lomo-instant!
My adventures in the world of Lomography continue. I’ve recently procured an instant back for my Diana F+. It provides all the retro, light leaking fun of a Lomography but also provides instant gratification in the form of a credit card sized photo. There’s a certain element of magic in watching an image slowly appear on what looks like a plain white piece of paper.
You can have all the usual fun with coloured filters and double-exposures, etc., so definitely worth playing with.