Tuesday 16 September 2014

Take Five

Much as I like planning day-trips to locations where I know that I'm going to find historically interesting and photogenic subjects, it's even better when I unexpectedly stumble on an odd visual surprise. So here are just five examples.....


PAINT  JOB


I always have half an eye open for post boxes which, incidentally, can all be dated by their royal ciphers. So this George V box dates from 1910 to 1936. But what really attracted me were the brightly painted walls which set it off to such great effect. Everything, even the wheelie-bin in the passage, seem to be conspiring to make a picture from mundane objects.


AGAINST THE LIGHT


In amongst the grandeur of historic buildings lurked this single flower which made me stop and take a photo. I love the curving stem as well as the light shining through the petals.


OLD  GLASS


Sitting on the windowsill of an old mill building was this arrangement of old glass bottles. I don't even think some are particularly old but I liked the colour and texture.


GEOMETRY


This is glass too and similar colours to the old bottles, but there the comparison ends. It's a rather striking spiral staircase in one of Cambridge University's more modern structures.


COLLEGE  GARDEN


And not far away from the previous picture is this scene leading out into one of the college gardens. If you have a retentive visual memory you may remember those pillars; I photographed them from a different angle but didn't notice the door through to the garden till I revisited. Maybe the door was shut first time. 


Take care.



17 comments:

  1. Some great photos here John. I love the red offset against the blue.

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  2. Great photos! My favorite is "Geometry".

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  3. Great stuff! I think one of those jars was for "paste" - what treat that was in the '50s! I still think you should upload them to Flickr - it's a good way of making an online album.

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  4. Beautiful, John. You have such a good eye.

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  5. It is always fun to get the mind and eye to focus on the bits and pieces instead of the whole picture. I like the strong colors in #1.

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  6. I enjoyed your "miscellany" post. One of these and one of those. Your red mailbox really grabs me.

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  7. Your photos are very interesting! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. :)

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  8. Lovely photographs. I get great pleasure from the little unusual, beautiful scenes I see in everyday life. It seems that you do too!

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  9. That first image is cracking - I like these kinds of "found sculpture / pattern" types of thing.

    Hope I will be allowed back to Norfolk after the wordy post!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  10. Brilliant collection of unexpected finds John, love them all but j'adore the old bottles.. i have a 'thing' for old bottles :)

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  11. Love all the sots, but particularly No 5. And is that a Shippam's paste bottle I see...?

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  12. Sorry, that should say, "Love all the shots". Of course, I like sots too.

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  13. Lovely white cosmos. The beige columns remind me of the colour of beach sand- very restful. First photo: an extra big mixed media collage. Accidental, but eye-catching nonetheless.

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  14. You are a marvelous photographer. What a great eye you have for unusual angles and light -- becoming pieces of art. I always enjoy visiting your blog -- barbara

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  15. You have developed a photographic eye, noticing interesting things in the environment.

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  16. Unexpected finds are often the best. And these are all wonderful examples of what a great photographic eye you have.

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  17. I like the juxtaposition between the old glass bottles and the glass blocks in the stairwell, love that photo ... interesting architecture makes for interesting photographs/

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