Hello to all and welcome to our first blog of 2022.
Now this first rambling of mine comes from our sister page LGP Imagery please take a look if you haven’t already. Think "The Ring" or Stephen King or a modern Gothic Novel, maybe even a bit "Stranger Things". This is just a couple having fun on a jet ski on the Menai Strait (last year’s holiday in Wales, we both love Wales). However when I started this edit I wasn’t sure what direction I was taking but as I progressed it got my mind going. Not just the Jet Ski in motion, how is that possible in a still image? Also though, how on earth has he managed to look at us? Spooky, or is it just my warped imagination again? Over Christmas we watched the Mezzotint by MR James on BBC 2. Obviously this horror about an image that changed must have filed itself somewhere in my subconscious. I also keep imagining the old fashioned Zoetrope which gave movement to static images. The one with the horse galloping comes to mind.
So as you can see this really is a journey through my thought processes, for which I humbly apologise. I guess that you could say I have a penchant for the macabre (only fiction I might add) as well as my liking for all things Sci-Fi, which you will already know about if you have read some of the previous blogs.
I have put the original image here that kick started this whole thing so that, maybe when you see the two side by side with my ruminations above you might get it. No? Just me then, well that’s embarrassing. I think at this juncture it would make sense to move on then.
Our next piece brings us straight back to normality.
You may have already seen this on our PTP Facebook page, but it is always worth a second mention. The family here were confronted with a rather large puddle at the bottom of the bridge due to flooding. This was at Fishers Green, Mr had already made his way, rather successfully through the water. Sadly no images are available as I had not yet gained permission and no one wants to start pointing a camera at a complete stranger, as he traverses the landscape in front of him, without permission. It could be perceived as rather strange, equally as could gaining permission and then excitedly shouting “do it again do it again”. So as I said no images of Mr are forthcoming. Anyway once permission was gained the resulting images ensued. The young girl seemed to be hesitant to pedal, maybe fearing that the resulting waves would splash higher and with greater force and so getting her wetter. Therefore she coasted into the deep puddle with gusto, however the momentum was not quite enough to propel her through completely, resulting in a soggy foot down in the waters edge. No real harm done though. Mrs, then proceeded to pedal as though her life depended on it. With a big smile and a plume of spray behind her, she quickly made it through.
It was a lucky coincidence and a chance to capture a slightly out of the norm (for us at least), brief moment in time. We did have a quick chat but did not exchange any details hence the need for the terminology used. To be honest I wasn’t even sure if we would get any usable images in the matter of seconds it took for all this to happen. However it is with some regret that we can’t directly show them to the family in question. If you read this and know them please tell them about the images. One positive to happen from this is we are having some new cards made with our details to hand out in a similar situation. 
Still here? Well thank you for sticking with it. Here are a few more images taken on that day in way of recompense for my mumblings.
Now does anybody else have a backlog of things to do, artistically I mean?
As I frequently tell absolutely anybody that will listen, no really I do, I already have enough digital negatives that have not been processed to last me well up to my three hundredth birthday. Yet I still keep taking, making and creating images. You never know when the one will arrive that becomes an overnight social media sensation or is bought by a famous person, anonymously of course, and makes our fortune. Once we have, in the immortal words of Del Boy, become millionaires, “oh mangetout Del, mangetout”. 
We will of course carry on taking, making and creating images because we love it. Yes of course we may well update our antiquated cameras and lenses to new ones with all the bells and whistles. Canon, Sony, Nikon etc. are you listening? We could do with some upgrades and we really will love you forever. Our car cost less than most of the new equipment out now! Anyhow talking of cars, let’s steer this back on track. (Did you see what I did there, I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I’m wasted truly wasted). Now where was I, yes, we will continue to create because we love it. Shall I let you into another little secret? What we create, we create for ourselves and then we hope that you also like it. In fact we very much hope that social media or that rich person takes a liking, because our camera equipment really is getting old don’t you know.
All joking aside we love to create and will continue to do so, and if I get to my three hundredth birthday it will mean we have acquired a lot more hard drives, cloud space or whatever technology is around by then. I am guessing cognitive brain storage and telepathic viewing or maybe an even smaller screen that I will see even less detail on. I still never understand the connection between 75 inch televisions in the house and a 6 inch screen in your pocket. You wait until these young whippersnappers that design all this stuff see as badly as people of a certain age do (I am including myself in that figure). Then they will know all about it hey. Could be time to go before I fall off that soap box of mine. A few more images you may not have seen, as way of a final apology.
Do not despair if you too would like to take photographs. Half of the images here were taken with a Canon 550d and the other half with the Canon 70d back in 2016 when we visited Pompeii. I checked yesterday on Park Cameras (not sponsored, we wish. I have used them though and they were very good). A used 550d body in excellent condition was £179 not bad for a work horse of a camera. If your budget won’t stretch to that (let’s face it times are getting harder), then you probably have a smartphone which will have a camera. Start with this and see how it goes. There is a great quote “the best camera is the one that you have with you” So whatever you have just keep practising with that, who knows what might happen.
Now I am off to find a large magnifying glass to see how much battery is left on my phone! (Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to work we go).
And Finally
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Alternatively: A quick waffle by me, shared with friends.
Hello to all.
It seems like yesterday was only June. Ah, June do you remember the days were long and warm. Anyway now it’s nearly Christmas the days are shorter and it’s a little bit cooler. A very good excuse to stay in, stay warm, get cosy and snuggle up. Maybe even with a small libation to keep the cold chill away from those old bones, whilst warming by the fireside (sorry the Dickens got the better of me again). I guess the romanticist in me hasn’t disappeared yet and the thought of snow and loved ones at this time of year, in a very Charles Dickens, snow globe, way, still makes me smile. As I type, the film Jack Frost is playing in the background. A classic although slightly odd Christmas film, comedy, romance, sadness and happiness all in one moment. It’s a little bit like life’s journey as we wend our way down this mortal path, which is probably why we like these kind of films so much. Or is it just me again? The older I get the more relatable the topics of the film get. Oh and Michael Keaton, what a good actor, in my opinion anyway. So many good films he is in that I have grown up with. Oh yes, it can also be said that I will also fall deeply in love with the Christmas dinner, Christmas pudding, Christmas sweets, Christmas chocolate, possibly a Christmas chocolate cake and a Christmas coffee cream drink or two. (A quick two hour break from the blog for Christmas chores – well we all have to do our bit) Please note that if you put “Christmas” in front of the food or drink item you are about to eat, it contains no calories at all! I read this on social media so therefore it must be true. So, it has been so busy yet again and if I am honest, I am not sure I have kept up all the time, but hey there is always next year. I could mention the new wave of Omicron, it really does sound like a Transformers Decepticon, but you all know about it by now. So enough said about that! With everything that is going on, why on earth is art still important? Let’s face it we still have wars, famine, covid and much more going on around the world, so why? Well in my opinion and only my opinion art is important, it can record events in time, making history come alive. It can make relevant comments about important topics both then and now. It can also make you think, make you question and just make you smile. That great tune you like (music is also art), the artistic impression of say for instance the Colosseum in Rome. On the television recently they showed a portrait of an officer in the First World War. Drawn by an unknown artist, but still very impressive the officer was also unknown. It made me wonder what had happened to him and how sad that no family still held onto this wonderful piece of art history. Staying with the war theme – trench art how good is that. See any house program on the television, grand designs, old house new house etc. every single house has art on the walls, unique textiles and meaningful portraits. This is because it all makes us feel good and individual and warm. Just think about it, for as long as humans have been on the planet they have created art. 
Archaeologists Have Discovered a Pristine 45,000-Year-Old Cave Painting of a Pig That May Be the Oldest Artwork in the World.
The Bhimbetka and Daraki-Chattan cupoles are the oldest pieces of prehistoric art ever discovered and have been dated to around 700,000 BC, almost four times older than the Blombos Cave art. They were discovered in two ancient quartzite caves in the Madhya Pradesh region of central India.
Conclusion These discoveries suggest that different forms of art have been practiced throughout the evolution of mankind. Cave art and sculpture was common and perhaps the only art from prehistoric times that has been preserved. 
By Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "Plato's Stepchildren", Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2277374
Slightly more left of field but still in my opinion a form of Art/Creation, program making and films can also bring innovation. Take the original Star Trek (ok so you knew I would get some Sci Fi in somewhere) the whole program brought the future to our now. Just think about it we have:
Warp Drive, Tractor Beams, Phasers, Tablet Computers, Hypospray, Universal Translators, Tricorders, Holodeck and Communicators (think smart phone). It’s all true just search the internet. Also we can’t forget the interracial kiss by Kirk and Uhura possibly not the first but nonetheless very important for its time. So to all Artists/Creators we salute you.
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