Maybe the word needs translation for non-British English speakers, as well as those who valiantly struggle on with English as a second tongue:
Amusements - Games, rides, and other things that you can enjoy, for example at a fairground or at the seaside.
But it can just mean anything you find amusing, of course.
Even in English English it's rather fallen out of use in recent years, and if you see it nowadays it'll most likely be found in connection with vintage fairgrounds like this example found on one of the elderly lorries seen at the Bedfordshire Steam Rally last week.
But when I've collected my raw materials I can assemble them (given sufficient time and patience) into a picture like the one above.
But what are my amusements when I'm confronted by the old tractors which I've photographed many times before?
I might try something like this. A photomontage composed of various nameplates, some more battered than others. Or I might like to compare the different tractor engines....
It only works, I think, because there are so many colours available.
So could I make a collage from just one old traction engine?
It seems to work. Then I had another, more complex, idea as I photographed one of these....
They went to a great deal of trouble painting the wheels of the great traction engines, using many different designs. My plan was to incorporate the best of them into a single image.
As visually appealing as all this freshly painted metalwork is, I often find myself on the look-out for the battle-scarred veterans. Like this old stationary engine. These could be hitched up to any piece of farmyard equipment, but had to be hauled from place to place by a team of horses. Then one day it dawned on someone that it could be made to power itself. This realisation spelled the end of the stationary engine and was another nail in the coffin of the farm horse.
These are some of the interesting textures I collected.
Like the fairground amusements, you can spend far more time on these than you really intended to. Especially as I like to do everything from scratch rather than use a ready-made app. More time consuming, but more rewarding.
Take care.
I am awed at your skills. And patience. And yes, my partner often wanders away as I take photos of things he thinks unnecessary...
ReplyDeleteLol, my wife is always taking photographs (as am I) but she forgets to tell me she has stopped, so I wander on and have to come back looking for her. Lovely photos
ReplyDeleteI had that problem from the photographers angle....you see the shot, if you pause to tell your other half, you lose the shot....
DeleteI am very happy that you amused yourself so well at The Amusements, perhaps to the amusement of Les, and now we in turn are being amused. C’est très amusant, n’est-ce pas?
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely keeping yourself amused!
ReplyDeleteThose are an incredible collection of collages. I can't even think how you do this without an app.
ReplyDeleteDitto, Marcia's comment.
ReplyDeleteYou're an artist, John! These are terrific!
ReplyDeleteI might be doing the up close and personal shots like you to get the finer details, but I don't think I would ever have thought to do this with them. It s a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed by your skills, John. These are great.
ReplyDeleteYour collages are well done, and compile a lot of information in one place. But I don't quite find them amusing. And there's the rub. Amusements don't really have to have anything amusing to them, do they?
ReplyDeleteAmuse has several meanings, doesn't it? Like when a child is able to amuse itself, meaning it can find something to do even when there's nothing obvious on offer. In that kind of way I was able to amuse myself with my camera with subjects I'd seen many times before. According to another source (I've just looked this one up) in the 15th century it meant "to stare stupidly" - I've certainly done some of that!
DeleteHa! That made me laugh. Done my fair share of "staring stupidly"!
DeleteThese should be framed, John. You could easily sell them, you know, as postcards, etc. But I expect that would be a lot of work. Maybe no more than creating them though! They are amazing (afraid to think what the old meaning of that word is).
DeleteLove all of your photo montages resulting from your visit to the Amusements.
ReplyDeleteNo tengo dominio del inglés y recurro al traductor, para leer tus escritos. Me gusta las imágenes que ilustra tu reportaje.
ReplyDeleteYou are not often bored, are you? Your amusements amuse all of us.
ReplyDeleteWonderful collages, John. That does take patience but look at your result, they are amusing to see and thanks for letting us see them. :)
ReplyDeleteYour photography skills are outstanding! Beautiful collages and interesting subjects. Sure enjoyed looking at them.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting here is the old technology.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone says wonderful photos. The primary colours of an earlier age stand out shouting look at me. All the fun and excitement of the fair for children.
ReplyDeleteLove your collages. As to the word 'Amusements', it is odd how words go out of fashion. Our local trains have a voice-over that exhorts you to 'Please take all your belongings with you' upon leaving the train at your destination. 'Belongings' is one of those words I rarely hear in any other context.
ReplyDeleteOn our trains it's always "personal belongings" - as if there are any other kind!
DeleteVery creative, John. I think you chose your subjects well (tractor engines, wheels, cracked and peeling paint). It would be hard to create these collages without an app, but like you said, definitely more rewarding!
ReplyDeleteYou've been having fun with your camera haven't you? Love the AMUSEMENTS collage. This weekend is Markham Fair weekend (I'm in Ontario Canada) and there will be a full working display of old tractors and steam engines, winnowing grain and making miniature hay bales. I'll try to take some pics.
ReplyDeleteJohn, sometimes doing things the hard way, as you put it, may take more time but your results were wonderful to see. My favorite was the Amusements collage and the wheels within wheels was just plain fun to see!
ReplyDeleteYou certainly know how to amuse yourself playing with photos and very cleverly done too. Old machines are very photogenic.
ReplyDeleteI love your wheels within wheels, you're very clever.
ReplyDelete