The Page for Binka of England's Photographs!
Binka's February 2008 Submissions!
Here are my fotos for February. I thought that the theme of "shadows" was a good one and it inspired me to take some fotos, so, now I am back taking fotos again and enjoying doing so.
For the first two fotos I put an old biscuit tin lid onto my cooker with the inside face up and put some evening primrose capsules onto it, but cod liver oil capsules would probably have worked just as well. Then I had to find a light source that would give me the effect that I wanted. I had thought that a torch would be the best thing to use, as it would give a concentrated beam. After trying two different styles of torch I found that this was not the answer as it did not give an even enough light. Then I put a table lamp onto the work top, next to the cooker and I thought that the effect was just what I wanted, with it casting good shadows of the capsules. I suppose it could be arguable whether the effect is caused by shadow s or whether they are reflections, but, as the effect is on the side away from the lamp I think that it will probably be OK to be considered as shadows.
The third foto that I am sending is of some candlesticks. I went into a charity shop and saw some candlesticks and I thought that they might cast interesting shadows for this months topic of "shadows". Again I was a bit stuck for a light source that would give the desired effect and I tried a few things without success, neither the torches, nor the desk lamp were suitable, and daylight was also unsuitable. Then, one evening last week I lit a scented candle that I had bought and noticed that it gave fairly sharp shadows on the wall behind, so, I decided that this would be the right thing to use. I pinned a strip of greaseproof paper to the wall behind a table and laid the other end of it onto the table. Then I put the candlesticks onto the greaseproof paper on the table and put the candle in front of them and manouvred them so that I thought that the shadows were in the right place and then took some fotos. I took a few before I thought that I had it right, but I am pleased with the result.
Binka
Binka alway comes through with a novel idea!
Binka's March 2008 Submissions!
Yesterday I went to a wind farm, which is being built on a hilltop near to where I live and I thought that I might get some good fotos. So far there are eleven wind turbines on the hilltop, but it looks like they have laid the foundations for some more and maybe there will be about twenty when it is finished. Hopefully it will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and help, if only slightly, in the fight against global warming. I thought about going in the morning, but, when I looked outside the sky was perfectly blue, which was not what I wanted and I was hoping for a somewhat stormy sky to have as a background to the turbines. The afternoon sky looked ideal and I set off to the the wind farm. On the way I drove through a hailstorm, though, and thought that my wish for a stormy sky might have gone too far. However, when I arrived there the hail had stopped and the weather was dry but cold and windy.
When I looked at some of the fotos afterwards I was quite pleased with what I had. I was struck by how some of the close up pictures of the turbines looked a little like crucifixes, and, as it is Easter at the moment I thought that they might be a topical addition to the clubs fotos.
The picture with three turbines on it only had two on it when I first looked at it, the one on the left and the one on the right. I copied the turbine on the right into the centre, so that there are now three turbines and as well as filling a huge gap in the middle of the foto, it seemed more in keeping with Easter, as it could represent three crosses on a hilltop.
The picture looking up at the single turbine, from the ground, also looks a little like a body on a cross, I think, as the wire mesh ball on the front of the turbine could represent a head.
Binka
Binka's May 2008 Submissions!
Hello cats,
I didn't take any photos last month and I thought that I might be losing interest in photography, but, when I took some yesterday I realised how much fun photography is, and when I start it is difficult to stop.
When I took a look at some of the members photos this month of the beautiful flowers I thought that I might show you some of the wild flowers that are around here in north west England at the moment. These are two photos that I took yesterday afternoon in a meadow.
The first photo is of a dandelion clock. What dissatisfies me about this is that the out of focus yellow flower in bloom, behind the seeds, is a bit distracting and if I had noticed, at the time that I took the photo, I think I should have moved it a little to one side whilst I took the shot. However, I am pleased with the focus on the seeds and particularly how the individual seed on the right came out on the photo. The dandelion clock was incomplete, most of the far side of it having blown away in the wind.
My second photo is of what local people call a mayflower, it may not be the same everywhere, even within the UK, I think. It comes out along with buttercups in the meadows around here in May, seems to grow about one foot high and I have never seen it in any other month. I took a look on the web at some American mayflowers and they seem to be a little different. It is a very beautiful little wild flower and it is my favourite of them. I think it is what the Pilgrim Fathers ship was named after, I can see why, and can't imagine that anyone would have thought of calling the boat “The Dandelion”. Since then, of course there has been a lot of selective breeding of plants and many garden plants are much more showy, but maybe it was one of the most beautiful of those days.
Purrs,
Binka
Yesterday I went to a wind farm, which is being built on a hilltop near to where I live and I thought that I might get some good fotos. So far there are eleven wind turbines on the hilltop, but it looks like they have laid the foundations for some more and maybe there will be about twenty when it is finished. Hopefully it will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and help, if only slightly, in the fight against global warming. I thought about going in the morning, but, when I looked outside the sky was perfectly blue, which was not what I wanted and I was hoping for a somewhat stormy sky to have as a background to the turbines. The afternoon sky looked ideal and I set off to the the wind farm. On the way I drove through a hailstorm, though, and thought that my wish for a stormy sky might have gone too far. However, when I arrived there the hail had stopped and the weather was dry but cold and windy. When I looked at some of the fotos afterwards I was quite pleased with what I had. I was struck by how some of the close up pictures of the turbines looked a little like crucifixes, and, as it is Easter at the moment I thought that they might be a topical addition to the clubs fotos.
The picture with three turbines on it only had two on it when I first looked at it, the one on the left and the one on the right. I copied the turbine on the right into the centre, so that there are now three turbines and as well as filling a huge gap in the middle of the foto, it seemed more in keeping with Easter, as it could represent three crosses on a hilltop. The picture looking up at the single turbine, from the ground, also looks a little like a body on a cross, I think, as the wire mesh ball on the front of the turbine could represent a head.
Binka
Binka's May 2008 Submissions!
Hello cats,
I didn't take any photos last month and I thought that I might be losing interest in photography, but, when I took some yesterday I realised how much fun photography is, and when I start it is difficult to stop.
When I took a look at some of the members photos this month of the beautiful flowers I thought that I might show you some of the wild flowers that are around here in north west England at the moment. These are two photos that I took yesterday afternoon in a meadow.
The first photo is of a dandelion clock. What dissatisfies me about this is that the out of focus yellow flower in bloom, behind the seeds, is a bit distracting and if I had noticed, at the time that I took the photo, I think I should have moved it a little to one side whilst I took the shot. However, I am pleased with the focus on the seeds and particularly how the individual seed on the right came out on the photo. The dandelion clock was incomplete, most of the far side of it having blown away in the wind.
My second photo is of what local people call a mayflower, it may not be the same everywhere, even within the UK, I think. It comes out along with buttercups in the meadows around here in May, seems to grow about one foot high and I have never seen it in any other month. I took a look on the web at some American mayflowers and they seem to be a little different. It is a very beautiful little wild flower and it is my favourite of them. I think it is what the Pilgrim Fathers ship was named after, I can see why, and can't imagine that anyone would have thought of calling the boat “The Dandelion”. Since then, of course there has been a lot of selective breeding of plants and many garden plants are much more showy, but maybe it was one of the most beautiful of those days.
Purrs,
Binka