Yelly Snaps

Depth of field

I’ve always loved taking snapshots.  It’s always a joy when you point and shoot a camera and you capture the nicest scenes.  Lately though, I’ve been trying to take photos properly.  I’ve been learning techniques on a bridge camera, not quite a DSLR but a good enough one to practice the photography techniques on.  Mind you, I’ve got a long way to go because I constantly confuse what the AV mode does (something about the aperture) and TV mode (which controls the shutter speed).

One of the exercises was depth of field.  Now I can’t, for the life of me, explain properly what depth of field is so I’ll use Cambridge In Colour’s definition: “[It] refers to the range of distance that appears acceptably sharp. It varies depending on camera type, aperture and focusing distance, although print size and viewing distance can also influence our perception of depth of field.”

I think I managed to show depth of field successfully on the rose and everything else in the distance is blurry.

The Rose and the Treadwheel Crane

I love photographing birds and I seem to have a gazillion photos of seagulls now, courtesy of Harwich Pier.  I do love this photo of this huge seagull with the Port of Felixstowe in the background.

Seagull

More snapshots to come though.  I’ve got a lot to learn!

Yelly Snaps

The ruins of St Botolph’s

It always amazes me how much history is around the corner.

I live in Harwich which is the town where the captain of the Mayflower, Christopher Jones, lived.  There are so many little corners that have little historic references that satisfies the history buff in me.

Quite nearby is the historic town of Colchester which is the oldest recorded town in England.  Colchester boasts a Norman keep and quite a chunk left of the Roman wall, the remains of a Roman chariot track and, my favourite, the ruins of the first Augustinian priory in England, St Botolph’s Priory.

The Ruins of St Botolph's Priory

I love where I live because I am literally living and breathing in history!

Yelly Snaps

Leake Street

I, like the rest of the human race, have a very active sense of self-preservation.  I’d like to think I’m street smart (you wouldn’t think so by the way I now seem to always have my smartphone in my hand though!) and aware of my space.  You wouldn’t see me walking down a dark alleyway…but that wasn’t what I did yesterday afternoon.

Leake Street, London

Alan and I have started paying attention to what we see on our London jaunts.  We’ve looked up and down (and probably around) at the buildings, watching out for street art.  But today, Alan convinced me to go down to the Leake Street Tunnel.  There are 2 ways into the Tunnel, one is via one end that comes out on the side of the Waterloo Station, and the other end opens to York Road.

It was dark, damp in patchy places, a little smelly (mostly from paint fumes, to be honest) and very daunting.  I had visions in my head of us being mugged by the shadowy figures moving in the tunnel.  But boy was I ever wrong!  Going down Leake Street was amazing.  The shadowy figures I was afraid of were actually a couple of street artists working on their latest masterpieces, wielding their spray paint cans!

Artists at work

I got a couple of snapshots of street art by the artist called Dopeismdesigns.

Dopeismdesign 1

Dopeismdesign 2

I also found another Space Invader at the York Road end of Leake Street.

Space Invader

It just goes to show that sometimes, dark tunnels aren’t so bad!  Leake Street is constantly changing because the street artists will inevitably have to paint over other artists’ work to create their canvas but I’m excited to go back to find out what new things have been created!

Creativethinkin

 

Yelly Snaps

What a roof!

Every time, it gets me.

Every time I go into the British Museum in London looking up makes me smile.

British Museum ceiling

Yelly Snaps

The Art of the Brick

Do you know how painful it is to step on a LEGO™ brick?  It’s painful.  No.  Actually, it’s very painful.  And I know.  Because I’ve done it.  So many times.  Of course this was during my childhood.

It’s funny how a small, plastic brick could transport you to worlds you’d never known, make you more creative than you had ever imagined you’d be and entertain you to no end.  For hours.  LEGO™ has never lost its magic for me.  Anything connected to it excites me, makes smile, makes me giggle.  Because it brings me back to the carefree days of my childhood.  If you think about it, LEGO™ was the most amazing toy, if you were fortunate enough to have a set.

Nathan Sawaya is a New York-based artist who creates three-dimensional sculptures made completely out of LEGO™ bricks.  He has a touring exhibition called The Art of the Brick featuring his most popular LEGO™ creations.  I had the good fortune to be able to go and see all his sculptures.  And it was amazing!

The Art of the Brick

The taking of photographs was highly encouraged so take photographs I did!  I can’t really say which one was my favourite although his 3D version of Gustav Klimt’s Der Küss is a forerunner!  I’ve posted all the photos that I have on my Pinterest board, so feel free to have a look-see!

Gustav Klimt's The Kiss by Nathan Sawaya

 

Yelly Snaps

Tea with Audrey

Tea with Audrey

This is probably the closest I’ll ever get to sitting with one of the most beautiful people in the world!

Yelly Snaps

Happy 2014!

2014 New Year

May Light always surround you;
Hope kindle and rebound you.
May your Hurts turn to Healing;
Your Heart embrace Feeling.
May Wounds become Wisdom;
Every Kindness a Prism.
May Laughter infect you;
Your Passion resurrect you.
May Goodness inspire
your Deepest Desires.
Through all that you Reach For,
May your arms Never Tire.
~D. Simone

Yelly Snaps

I saw the sign!

Sometimes, it pays to check one’s spelling…even if it’s in another language!

Un bistro et une boulangerie?!?  Vraiment?

en francais