Two little birdies and why I take photos

Two little birdies came to the birdfeeder next to my window on Sunday afternoon. The pics are grainy because I shot at 800 ISO (flash would scare them off and it was getting dark out) but otherwise pretty pleased with them.

They got me thinking about the reason why I take photographs. I want to record my surroundings... to document the everyday and the special in my life. As a result, I'm not after the best shot or seeking perfection... but I'm all about the moment.

If I get the best shot or that elusive perfect shot when documenting the moment then that's great... but the moment is what I am after.

I believe excellence is habitual... that if we do something enough we become (or have the potential to become) excellent at it. As such, I see my obsession with the moment having an additional benefit... as I seek out life, I will get better as a photographer. Think about it. The more moments I capture, if I have the humility to learn, the better I will get.

Every photographer I know has a different reasoning for what they do. I'm not saying my rationale is the right rationale... its just right for me... but I do believe each one of us should ask ourselves why we do what we do.

Tx


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Lovely :: Silent Night :: Foy Vance and Duke Special

My thanks to Estelle Blake for giving me the heads-up to this awesome rendition of Silent Night.

Tx


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alight here vol.0005 ...in celebration of cousin silas

alight here #0005 - 1hr47mins - 147mb - 192kbps

To celebrate the release of Cousin Silas' latest album :: Complex Silence vol.9 - Fresh Landscapes :: I have dedicated the whole of an extended alight here #0005 to his wonderful ambient electronic soundscapes.

My intention with this mix was twofold:
1) To showcase the music of Cousin Silas... who is an independent musician, and
2) Bring together my most favourite tracks into one continuous mix.

But... to up the coolness... when I ran this idea passed Cousin Silas, he offered me some previously unreleased tracks to include within the mix... which is beyond-belief awesome.

So what you'll hear (and hopefully keep returning to) is a continuous mix of unreleased tracks and my fave soundscapes.

I really hope you like it. Please download it and tell your friends. The more people who know about Cousin Silas the better, in my book.

Tx

1. Warlock Hill (original version) *
2. Engines Of Solitude *
3. Abandoned Paddy Fields from Ballard Landscapes
4. newscape5 from the snow imposed silence
5. The Forest of Evil Cacti from Abominations of Yondo
6. Moss from The Resting Bench Remix Project - Volume 1
7. Burning Wreckage by Ballard Landscapes 2
8. Olympus Mons from Portraits and Peelings
9. Arriving Home from Canaveral Dreams
10. M. R. James (The Ghost Of) *
11. Three chimneys with ladder from Uncertainty
12. Fresh Landscapes from Fresh Landscapes
13. Humber Sea Fort from Geographics
14. Golden Contrails from Fresh Landscapes
15. Lizard Point from The Melting Static
16. Soggy Toast from Relic Once Lost
17. Sunrise Behind Strange Hills *
18. Strathclyde Park Loch from Uncertainty
19. Crane at Train Station from Canaveral Dreams
20. Nightside *
21. Cara Paints no3 *
22. Room 50 Hotel Ereso from 50:50 An Earth Monkey Productions Compilation

* Exclusive Track
All tracks by Cousin Silas except "The Forest of Evil Cacti" by Abominations of Yondo


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Snowed in

The we'ans' school didn't open today... so I worked from home and kept an eye on them. I am so grateful to have an employer that celebrates diversity and encourages family-friendly flexible working. My boss sent an email round yesterday instructing his team to take their laptops home "just in case". I'm glad he did and I'm glad I did.

Inbetween bouts of endeavour, I was able to snap a few pics of the snow... and more specifically birds and Pippin in the snow.

I worked with my dad's Canon EOS 350D and the 70-300mm zoom. I think I did OK... albeit I did redo the pic below because the original version was rather flat and washed out.

The rest of my pics are available here.

Tx



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A Food Court Flashmob sing "the Hallelujah Chorus"

I love these flashmobs... they seem to get more inventive with everyone I see.

Genius. Thanks to Neil for the heads-up.

Tx

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Win a copy of So Elated's latest EP :: peace, here

My friend Ben Thomas with his band So Elated have a three track EP out now on Bandcamp for Christmas... entitled "peace, here".

I've been a huge fan of Ben and So Elated's since I got their first album - the bewildering light - for free on noisetrade. This EP is a fantastic continuation of their sound... but somehow more joyful and vibrant, and less downbeat... maybe its that time of the year?

The EP contains their wonderful cover of Radiohead's "Creep" that has a wee Christmassy feel to it.

I would recommend this EP. Go here to download it for $3.

That said, thanks to Ben and the band, I have THREE download codes to get the EP for free. The first THREE commentators who answer correctly the following question (and leave their email) will win.

The question is...

Where was "the Bewildering Light" recorded... in six short days?

Please check out this release and support independent music.

Tx

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More snow in Motherwell... pt2

I got the photos from my Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim developed today and am delighted with the output.

See the rest of the set here.

Tx



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More snow in Motherwell

I walked up to Motherwell's shops to get some penicillin for Olly. I took a few pics with my iPhone4 and my Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim ... the film hasn't been processed yet but the ones taken on my iPhone came out nice.

See the rest of the photos here

Tx

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My thoughts on "Complex Silence 9 - Fresh Landscapes" by Cousin Silas

Complex Silence 9 - Fresh Landscapes by Cousin Silas is now out there for you to download and enjoy.

I have been so eager for this release... having worked on the artwork and had a pre-release to listen to for a few months... it truly is an awesome album and I am so proud of Cousin Silas for the work he has put into it. I'm also proud of the artwork and photos that accompany the release... some of my best work to date, if I do say so myself.

When I was working with Cousin Silas I sent him some initial thoughts on the tracks. I think its appropriate to post them here... to give you a flavour for the album.

1) "... and memories fade" - just like drips of rain after a rainstorm... memories fade. Beautiful Eno-esque ambience at its very best. Simple but effective. This track makes me think of the morning after a horrendous sleep... a sleep punctuated by terrible nightmares. You are slowly wakened to sunlight and the realisation that it... whatever "it" is has gone.

2) "Fresh Landscapes" - the idea that we can see something new in the ordinary. Wonderfully melancholic electronica (melancholica???)... lush synth waves that remind me of the bittersweet sensation of climbing a hill or finally arriving at an anticipated space... you have the elation that comes with seeing the new space but you also have that sense of it being over and you will have to find something new to chase.

3) "golden contrails" - I love this track. The sequencer really stirs my soul. I find it so uplifting and bright. This track is full of anticipation... the yearning of nearly being there. I see an open top jeep driving in a hot, barren landscape... the people in the car share the excitement of nearly arriving at their destination... their holiday home in the middle of nowhere. The passenger looks up and sees the contrails, bathed in sun, of the plane they were on leaving the island. The anticipation builds.

4) "Pollards Moor" - subtle and melancholy synths... reflecting the barrenness of an open moor, sparsely populated with trees. The sense of freedom and openness pervades... a quietness that is only interrupted by birds. A genuine sense of wonder.

5) "Stanedge Tunnels" - a well executed sound picture. Underground exploration. The stuff I dream about doing with my camera. Finding something abandoned and full of abandoned decay. The soundscape evokes the claustrophobia of an underground space. It is sparse... almost hidden... with sudden shocks of sound. Love it.

6) "Star Nursery" - there is a real sense of hope in this tune. a wonderful freshness. it reminds me of morning and of new life. I love when the sequencer comes in then goes almost as quickly as it arrives... almost like birdsong. Beautiful. My kind of ambient.

7) "The Tarn Cairn" - is another wonderful sound picture... very desolate and windswept. A real sense of isolation. That said... I don't feel hopeless isolation. More solitude. More well deserved space.

8) "Complexities in silence" immediately grabbed me for its haunting ambience... my kind of ambient music... lovely!

9) "Northcoates Point" gives a sense of place... a sense of being somewhere... a thin place... a place of mystery.

10) "Something landed in the forest" is just pure joy... a soundtrack to a sci-fi film. Very Delia Derbyshire in places. The atmosphere created by this track is wonderful... and a fitting last track, if indeed it is the last track.

I truly hope you will gain as much as I have from this album.

Tx


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December 2010's calendar

December's calendar is based on this pic that I took and processed today. I really appreciated the snow today... helped with the whole winter theme for December.

As before... the flavours are as follows:

• 1920x1080 (left) :: (for my dad's iMac)
• 1680x1050 (left)
• 1280x800 (left)
• 1024x768 (left) :: (for my dad's iBook)
• iPhone4
• iPad
• PSP

If you have any other sizes that you would like... please give me a shout.

Stay curious.

Tx

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