The Fourth Day of Christmas; lighting up time!

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Rachael

Cartier store decoration, 2009

This post is a brief history of Christmas lights, chronology taken from Christmas: A Very Peculiar History by Fiona MacDonald. Photos, as always, by me.

Window display at Richard James, Saville Row, London 2008

Macy’s department store in New York, USA, pioneered special Christmas window displays in the 1870s.

Display at Richard James, Saville Row, London, 2008

Edward H. Johnson, of Edison Electric Light Company, USA, was the first to decorate his tree with electric light bulbs, in 1882.

Shopping Arcade, London

In 1904, Christmas lights were first used to decorate outdoor trees, but they were not yet electric.

Claridges hotel, London, Christmas 2009

In 1927, the first organised outdoor Christmas light displays were held in the USA, called ‘Festivals of Lights’.

Christmas floodlighting at RHS Wisley, Surrey

In 1956, electric lights were first used to decorate outdoor Christmas trees.

Millennium glasshouse at Wisley

Despite the relative safety of electric lights over their predecessors, the US Fire Prevention Authority reported that between 2003-7 fire-fighters were called out to around 250 Christmas tree fires every year.

Millennium glasshouse, Christmas 2010

Christmas light displays have become ever more spectacular over the decades but, with concerns about global energy supplies growing, perhaps their days will soon be numbered?

Spooky Christmas lights at Wisley

The Third Day of Christmas; the robin

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Rachael

The British or European Robin, erithacus rubecula

The North wind doth blow and we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?
He’ll sit in a barn and keep himself warm
and hide his head under his wing, poor thing.

– traditional nursery rhyme

The robin is particularly associated with Christmas and is a popular image for Christmas cards. This is probably because the robin is one of the few British birds to sing all year round. Its song from mid-December into spring is particularly strong, as males seek to defend territory and attract a mate.

The Second Day of Christmas

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Rachael

Scandinavian Christmas tree decoration

There are several different theories or branches to the story of the origin of the Christmas tree tradition. One is the ancient pagan custom in Scandinavia of propping a pine tree, stripped of its bark, outside the door of the house, to keep the family safe from witchcraft or the devil. The practice of some early settlers in America of erecting decorated Christmas trees was denounced by Puritans as ‘a pagan mockery’. By the early 1800s, however, the tradition was well established.

More Christmas traditions tomorrow.

Winter abstracts

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Rachael

When winter closes in and the bare bones of trees are revealed, I like to create abstract images using ‘intentional camera movement’, or ‘panning’.

This technique is very easy. Simply select a slowish shutter speed and move the camera while the shutter is open. It helps to start the movement before pressing the shutter and to finish just after the exposure, to avoid jerky shapes in the image, unless that is what you’re after, of course! I also find the results generally much more pleasing if you move the camera in the direction of the dominant shape in your view, so vertically for trees.

Trees are not the only subject for this sort of technique. I have also panned landscapes, although there I move the camera horizontally rather than vertically. But winter forests do seem to be particularly suitable subjects.

I couldn’t resist including a mysterious figure in the last two images. The final one is for my son’s horror film project.

Do you ever play around with this technique? Please feel free to share your panned/camera movement images or other winter abstracts in the comments below; I would love to see them!

A dusting

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Rachael

Actually, there was post today, but very few trains!

Winter arrived this morning with a dusting of snow. Really, we had no more than the merest of sugar frostings (not even as much as in these shots from 2009-10) but it was enough to freeze the train network. Commuter chaos ensued. Oh dear.

Two swans wisely ascaping the commuter chaos.

Two swans wisely escaping the commuter chaos.

Blue hour on Bournemouth beach

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Rachael

Still enjoying the memory of a peaceful, understated sunset on Bournemouth beach last Friday. After the sun had settled below the horizon, the colours subtly shifted towards blue, mauve and the gentlest, lingering pink.

On Bournemouth Beach

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Rachael

What a wonderful afternoon I spent on Bournemouth Beach on Friday. You have to love the British seaside out of season; gorgeous expanses of pristine sand (Bournemouth is a Blue Flag beach) and hardly a soul about. I set myself a challenge and went equipped with only my wide angled lens (16-35mm on full frame).

It wasn’t the most spectacular of sunsets but gentle, beguiling, like the lapping waves. When I came to process these images, they seemed to demand a naturalistic approach.

With the horizons more or less in the centre of the frame, these images break the rules. I think that composing with the horizon on a third often works well as the photographer thereby communicates clearly what he or she is most interested in, the foreground or the sky. However, here I found myself wanting to efface the photographer from the landscape. And, truth be told, I just couldn’t bring myself to crop out any of that view. Half is the new third?

Artist of the Week at The Shed

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Rachael

This will be a slightly different week on Focused Moments as I am honoured to be Artist of the Week at The Shed Gallery. I first came across this gallery when I stumbled upon their summer exhibtion at The Malthouse in Lyme Regis. Entitled Albion, the exhibition featured art celebrating this island nation of ours. It was a topical exhibition for 2012, a year when we have celebrated being British more than any other.

The Cobb at Lyme Regis

Although largely an on-line community, The Shed differs from other internet photographic and art communities in that it has a permanent real gallery space in Barcelona plus seasonal exhibitions in its second home, Lyme. Furthermore, next February, Albion will be coming to London, to the Cock ‘n’ Bull gallery at Shoreditch. I hope they will include something of mine!

Inside La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

The Shed is only in its second year, and relatively expensive compared with other sites, but I like it that it is still small; one feels more part of a real community than one does on the impersonal mega-sites. Direct contact between individual artists and the Shed Team is as frequent as the artist requires and hopefully there will be an opportunity to meet many of the other artists at the London exhibition.

Detail from Gaudi’s beautiful church, La Sagrada Familia

As Artist of the Week, I am writing some posts for the Shed’s Blog. The first one is an introduction to me and my photography and the images will be familiar to anyone who has been following along here for a while. But I would be hugely chuffed if you had time to pop over and say ‘hi’.

Summer evening, Lyme Regis

Dunstanburgh Castle

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Rachael

Today I thought I’d share some images taken at Dunstanburgh Castle on Northumberland’s beautiful Heritage Coast. The castle is the largest in Northumberland. In 1313, Earl Thomas of Lancaster, cousin of Edward II of England began construction and John of Gaunt added to it later in the century.

During the Wars of the Roses, the castle was badly damaged and it slowly fell into decay. The castle is now owned by the National Trust and in the care of English Heritage. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunstanburgh_Castle

This beautiful and evocative ruin can hardly fail to inspire, perched on a rocky outcrop above the coast and the plain below. Some great painters have immortalised it, including Turner and, one of my favourite contemporary artists, Michael Morgan.

Lilburn Tower, the most intact of the castle buildings, seems to demand a moody black and white treatment. Can you imagine a knight riding along that path, perhaps to rescue a princess from the tower? I kept thinking instead of Macbeth, riding to meet the three weird sisters, perhaps because Roman Polanski’s film, Macbeth was shot in the area.

Dunstanburgh Castle is reached via a footpath from Craster, a sleepy fishing village to the South. Or via the beautiful sands of Embleton Bay to the North.

I chased down a rainbow there on our visit, only just managing one hasty exposure before the colours faded, from which I made this, rather more painterly than usual, image with a little help from Topaz Simplify:

For all that I enjoyed the, admittedly rather over the top, colours of the last two images, it remains, for me, the black and white images that suit this location more. If you get the chance to visit this atmospheric ruin, I thoroughly recommend it.

Still Autumn, just…

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Rachael

Today the leaves have begun to fall in earnest. Flurries billow under the wheels of passing vehicles and the windscreens of parked cars are patterned with a tapestry of gold and orange. Although the season is nearly over, I thought I might share some more Autumn shots, taken during my recent visit to Painshill Park in Cobham, Surrey.