A Scary Tale for Halloween can now be downloaded as a full colour pdf from https://ko-fi.com/s/7bed990427 Please take a look if you have the time many thanks.
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Part One
The year is 1988 and a distant relation (twice removed) of the great Sherlock Holmes is the hero of our tale. I present to you the not so well known Jeffrey Bungalow, last descendant of the great Bungalows of tales past e.g. Dracula against the great Sir Frederick Archibald Bungalow? No, never heard of him? Well Sir Frederick was a simple man who shunned the limelight, so instead stayed anonymous and gave all the glory to his friend, travelling companion, and personal physician. Yep you guessed it Dr Abraham Van Helsing.
Anyway I digress, back to the story at hand. Jeffrey Bungalow is of good stock, but sadly has fallen on hard times and is currently dealing with several adversities. However he is of cheery disposition and always sees the glass half full. So it was whilst he was working as a hired research assistant for an eminent firm of Solicitors in London, Cheatem, Steele and Wynn, that he came across some very interesting documents. Whilst searching the archives of the Royal Geographic Society, (trying to find a link between one of the Victorian members and a modern day relative whom may or may not be due a tidy little sum of money) he came across a small wooden casket. The casket was apparently the property of a Sir Richard Pembleton, explorer and on occasion reporter for a well know tabloid of the day. Jeffrey laid out the contents of the casket on an old desk, turned on a bright light and slowly began to read through the documents. So, cast your minds back to an earlier time, when Queen Victoria was on the throne. The Grand Tour was all the rage, NO not Jeremy Clarkson, PAY ATTENTION, I said cast your minds back. Now where was I, yes – Cast your minds back to an earlier time when Queen Victoria was on the throne. The Grand Tour was all the rage and men were explorers, finding hitherto unknown continents, meeting unknown tribes and bringing back strange plants. Visualise Psychedelic waves drawing you back to the past whooooooooooh whooooooooooooh. What? I am setting a scene here.
Well done, I didn’t think you could do it to be honest.
Once Jeffrey had inspected and read the contents he was flabbergasted, yes his flabber was truly gasted.
Come on, it’s my story I can write what I like, its literary licence don’t you know. This was what he had found:
A badly damaged and very old scroll, sadly the language evaded Jeremy, in fact if truth be told even his command of the English language left much to be desired. On leaving school his headmaster had told him that he may want to consider a life on a submarine. When Jeffrey had looked at him quizzically, the headmaster chuckled, very happy with himself, as he imparted the words “due to all your grades being below C Level”. Well this just might be Jeffrey’s chance to prove those naysayers wrong.
I just have to say at this point, I hope you are enjoying the awful puns and archaic words. It isn’t easy you know. I know, I know my choice and all that. Don’t worry about me, I’ll just carry on… unappreciated, typing my two fingers to the bone, no food or drink for at least ten minutes………. Back to the plot. So a damaged scroll, a compass (quite nice actually very shiny considering the age and all that), two very old books and an old newspaper from 1888, the most popular for the time, very well known and loved. In all probability if they had sold things at the time, you know like artwork and gifts and such, they would probably have been world leaders, if not the, number one. The PTP Times… ah what a tabloid. The books had sent shivers down Jeffrey’s spine, (did you see what I did with the tabloid bit, just carrying on, leaving it hanging there) for the books bore the inscription Frankenstein’s Diaries… dun dun dah. (Sean Bean did contact me you know, but I had to let him down gently. I said Sean lovey, it’s just my little old blog. It isn’t a Chronicle. I did offer him a cup of tea though and then he left saying he had to catch a train). Woah two Netflix references there. How many got em? Hands up. That many, well done, you all continue to impress me. Well the diaries didn’t shed too much light - all about his first words, what girl he liked in the village, how his party trick was holding a small round glass globe in his mouth and making it light up (come on readers keep up, lightning brought him to life in a storm), apparently a chemist called Humphry Davy had been at one such party and had clapped with great vigour. (See now you are thinking Humphry Davy, who is he when he is at home? You will have to look him up, I do my research you know, I have already told you it isn’t easy!), and how Victor had left him in stitches. But the PTP Times had a very informative article, front page a double headline day. Due to its age it was difficult to read. (It was Jeffreys last paid day of work for the solicitors Cheatem, Steele and Wynn and now he had a new mission. He quickly photographed each item with his mobile phone, hang on scrub that 1988 and a phone capable of taking good quality pictures. Let’s start again. He quickly photographed each item with his film camera, always in his pocket for research purposes, before replacing them). Jeffrey knew a fantastic small business. He knew they could help out with clearing up the image and text. “Yes, yes that’s right I am referring to us again. Well I am not doing this for nothing you know, it is only a very small bit of subliminal advertising {PITCHER THIS PHOTOGRAPHY}, what? I saw no branding, I have no idea what you are trying to accuse me of”. At this point, please be aware that the second headline has been taken from various real newspaper articles and may not be suitable for younger readers. Truly, it is no joke this time. The improved image was far easier to read.
As luck would have it Jeffrey knew a friend who ran a small hotel in Iceland.
He called his friend and made preparations for a journey to Iceland.
If you have liked the tale so far, please let us know if you would like to see the rest. Many Thanks.
We hope that you will agree from this piece, that inspiration is all around us. We just have to look with an open mind. Growing along a local walkway, it is just a weed. However when you look closer it has a beauty all of its own.
Didn't someone say “that a weed is just a flower growing in the wrong place”? When you think about it a weed is more than that. It is strong, it manages to outgrow everything around it, even when it is outnumbered. It won’t give in, it is persistent, focused on doing what it knows it has to do. It doesn’t bow down to those around it, it only cares about what it has to do to succeed. The weed takes no notice of what the other plants are doing. It will survive in places where others can’t. It will then flower and set seed, to ensure it will continue.
You can literally find weeds anywhere - did you see what we did there - it is our image (weed) in all different places.
Oh please yourself. Just maybe you need a weed, what do you think?
So when you think about it, we could all probably do with being a little more “weed like” on occasions. It isn’t something new and it has been explained a million times before by more intellectual people than us.
But nonetheless…………………… Whether you are some kind of artist or anybody for that matter, what you create or who you are is beautiful and unique. If you don’t quite feel that you are the person that you really want to be, then maybe you just aren’t in the right place yet. Be that physically, mentally, practically, relationship wise or financially. Give it time “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. If possible, change the things that are wrong and enable yourself to grow. Now that may not be very easy, so take small steps, very small steps and make small changes where you can. Be strong to achieve your goals. Now this will generally involve working really hard and giving all your time to achieve the thing you want. Be persistent, focused do what you know you need to do to get where you want to be. Don’t bow down to those that tell you, “you are not good enough” or “you will never do it”. It will be hard, but ignore all of that and just care about what you need to do to succeed. Do your own thing, don’t follow the crowd. Stand out from the crowd. In a world dominated by the internet and social media, being individual is very difficult and there are no end of people ready to tell you how bad you are. Let’s face it, we are all human and at times we all succumb to self-doubt and insecurity, but listen to those who support you and tell you, “you can do it”. If you can try and do these things for yourself, even if it is in the smallest of ways, then you too could flourish and bloom and become the master of your own destiny. No matter how long it takes, you keep doing these things and even when you think you have achieved, continue to do these things to ensure you survive and thrive. Who knows where you could end up, the sky's the limit. I (Mr) certainly need to try and be a little bit more “weed like”. Even if it takes the rest of my life to achieve the things I want. It is the act of trying to achieve that keeps us alive and as you pass over the stepping stones of life maybe your goals will change. That’s ok too, as long as you have something to achieve you can still be more “weed like”. So let us all try to be a little more “weed like”. Funny how the inspiration for this blog came from an image of a weed we had created. Inspiration is truly all around every one of us, the real trick I guess (and in many cases it is this that takes the lifetime), is knowing how to find it.
Be happy, be safe and be a Weed.
So as a thank you for making it to the end (you did read it all, didn't you?) please find two more images. The original photo and a traditional artistic version.
Hello to one and all.
We hope that you are all doing well and will continue to do so. So I am a little bit late showing the content of this blog. Actually two months late, but I just haven’t had the time to get round to it sooner. Anyway enough of my mitherings. The blog content was a simple photo shoot in our front room. The star of the show being my long suffering wife (can you believe it, photographing a real person. Do you remember those days?). The reason behind the shoot was to have a bit of fun, and to brush away some of those people photography cobwebs. Now sorry for this, but there is now a short amount of almost nerdy info for anybody that is interested. You have been warned. The equipment used was inexpensive and things that we already have and had not tried before (they have literally been sitting in a cupboard waiting for an opportunity).
Of course I can't help myself and have to have a play in the editing stage. I do love an edit. I do, I just do.
Sorry now the nerdy stuff.
We used continuous lighting (just means it is not a flash light, it stays on all of the time). Here is what we used: Photo Studio 5 Head Bulbs Holder Soft Box Continuous Softbox Lighting Stand Kit. This is a two light kit, costs roughly fifty to sixty pounds at present. Now it is by no way the best lighting in the world, the soft boxes are difficult to put together and fit, but for an inexpensive start it is ok and quite bright. Enough to get acceptable shutter speeds. The actual heads (that hold the 5 bulbs) are actually quite well made. The other upside is that the bulbs (fluorescent supplied) can be changed to LED as and when they need replacing.
We also used a Neewer Camera Photo Video Lighting Kit: 48cm Outer, 55W 5500K Dimmable LED Ring Light, Light Stand, Bluetooth Receiver for Smartphone. Cost roughly £80 at present but £50 for a “used as new” kit.
This is what gives that circular catch light in the eyes when used directly in front of the subject. However just because it is a Ring Light it does not mean you can’t use it like any other light, by moving it around your subject. This is a lot easier to assemble, and also is very bright for what it is.
Sorry went just a little bit sci fi with these ones.
As you can see, in some of the images the ring light was left partially visible. This gives another dimension, the feel of a window, or the porthole on a spaceship. Well to me it does anyway, although I could just have a weird imagination.
For your information, the majority of the images shown were taken at ISO 400, F5, 1/200 sec.
End of nerdy stuff. Promise! So we had a bit of a laugh, blew away a few of those cobwebs, maybe not all, but that is why it is fun to keep practicing. It’s just like that age old saying “The more practice/work you do, the luckier you get”. So we are hoping to be even luckier in the future with making great images. These images won’t be to everybody’s taste, but that’s fine, each to their own, you can’t please all of the people all of the time sort of thing. Oh what was that, you did like them, and you would just like to see a few more? You like the weirder edits? Well who am I to disappoint our audience. Here we are then.
So since then, my wife has had a short haircut. I feel another, maybe completely different photoshoot happening soon (if we get the time that is).
Oh one last thing, apparently it's not over until your photography subject sings. So here we are.
We hope you enjoyed this and thanks for taking the time to read it.
Hello to all.
We hope you are well and welcome to May 2021 (I can’t believe it is May already, where has this year gone). At least things in the UK are going well in relation to Covid19. We have both had our first vaccination, and will have our next ones in June. Lockdown is finishing and things are slowly beginning to return to something closer to normal. Although we all need to do our bit to ensure that everything continues to go in the right direction. We know this is not the same for every country around the world. Our thoughts go out to everywhere that is still having problems, especially to those in India at the moment. We hope that the situation over there starts to improve as quickly as possible.
You may have seen on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pitcherthisphotography/), that we are going to offer personalised commission work. This could be your pet, a spouse or your child or children. In fact anybody you would like or any animal.
This is a lovely picture of our grandson, transformed into an oil painting. We need no reason to show him off to the world, because we love him. So why wouldn't you want to also show off your favorite person too.
This is my gorgeous wife. Again absolutely no reason is needed for showing her off either.
As you know we are just a husband and wife team, so there is no big business producing the exact same thing here. Everything will be bespoke to you, created individually by us and printed using our normal professional printers, for utmost quality. The majority of our gift range could also be offered as an alternative idea for your artwork (more information given on request).
Photos of your chosen subject would be required so we have got some useful guidelines for you to follow. This will help you to provide us with the best and most suitable image possible.
Include your subject’s full head for portraits or the whole body depending on your choice of personalised artwork. If you can’t see any of your subject’s features, then we will not be able to see them either. If the features are not visible they will not be visible in the final artwork. We use the photo you send us for the basis and creation of you final artwork. This is why it is so important that you provide us with the best quality photo that you can. This will ensure that we can create the best quality artwork for you to keep and cherish. Just contact us if you would like to know more. We will try our very best to help with any queries you have.
The eagle eyed amongst you may have also seen LGP Imagery popping up here and there
www.facebook.com/lgpimagery, www.instagram.com/lgpimagery, https://g.page/LGPImagery and www.lgpimagery.co.uk. Well yes it is us too, same great quality imagery just a different way to get it. Why have we done this? Well there are two main reasons for this:
This expansion is quite new, so as of yet we have a limited range of artwork on our site. If any images that you would like are not currently displayed on www.lgpimagery.co.uk, but are on www.facebook.com/pitcherthisphotography then just let us know and we will post it to www.lgpimagery.co.uk so that you can purchase direct. You can also go to our facebook page www.facebook.com/lgpimagery and visit our shop which will also take you to the website. We will not be putting our whole back catalogue on the new website for logistical reasons. We will however try to post some original work to the website or a different creation e.g. black and white etc. just to keep you all on your toes. Again we will post any images on the new site to PitcherThisPhotograpy if you do want to have contact with us direct, or just in case you want something special or out of the ordinary or you would just like to use our established service. So please like, comment, and most importantly share on either of our facebook pages www.facebook.com/lgpimagery or www.facebook.com/pitcherthisphotography especially if you haven’t yet done so as it is much appreciated. Don’t forget we are also on Instagram and google so please find us there too. So if you have made it to the end, thank you very much for staying with us and taking the time to read everything. We hope you have enjoyed the images and found the information informative. Now it is over to you. If you have been thinking about getting that special image why not get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.
Stay well and stay safe.
TTFN
Hello to all.
This is just a gentle reminder that this year 2021 Mother's Day will be the 14th March. Now that we have reminded you of this fact, I am afraid that the rest of this blog is a chance to do some shameless advertising. Well we all have to make a living, so they say (who are they by the way? They say so many things and yet we are still to meet one of them. Oh well moving on, sorry rambling again). So Shameless Advertising Why not show your Mother just how well you know her this Mother's Day. Treat her to a stunning piece of wall art. The flowers in these images won't just last 7 days. These will be a reminder of your love for your Mum for years to come. Or maybe her favorite animal or a landscape. Add your own message like the examples in the first image or just let the image speak for itself. Cushions also available from £30.44 Printed both sides and hypoallergenic. This image is available as Print or Canvas. If there is something special that you want e.g. special medium (acrylic, aluminium), or a particular subject then please let us know. We will try our very best to fulfil your requests. Go to the Image Sales tab for basic pricing information.
Now I have just had a quick look on a certain website that sounds like bugle (other websites are available. I am not going to blow any one company's trumpet - get it bugle - sorry). Mother's Day flowers are on offer for anything from about £20.00 to £75.00 for a bunch. As I said above whatever image you choose and you can choose anything you like from our back catalogue. Take a look at the Gallery tab on here (choose from the drop down menu) or go to our facebook page, for even more images. They will last for years to come not just days. I think at these prices, that is a fantastic return for your money.
Now if you have stayed with us so far this is the good bit. Buy Two, any Two (different sizes, different images, one print and one canvas etc.) and get 25% off of the individual prices for each. Example: 1 print ordered 25% off the price for that print 1 canvas ordered 25% off the price for that canvas (only if ordered together). Print price normally £39.75 minus 25% £29.81 Canvas price normally £62.25 minus 25% £46.69 You pay in Total £76.50 I hope that this all makes sense. If not please just contact us with any queries you may have. If this is not for you, then that is fine. We at least hope that you have enjoyed looking at the images posted with this. We would also like to thank everybody that has made it this far, you have reached the end. Thank you for staying with us and we hope you enjoy whatever you will be doing next. Until next time stay safe.
So hello to all.
We are now well into 2021 and steaming ahead full speed. Although it is only February when this is being written 2021 already seems to be flying at warp factor 9 (just a little something for all you trekkies out there). 2021 in the UK has started and continued much as it left 2020,…………. in Lockdown. Covid 19 is proving itself to be the Rory Bremner (insert any impersonator/impressionist for your age group) of the virus world. Managing to reinvent itself in different versions all around the world. However there is no humour at all in these new versions. I am sure the Teenage Turtles would be impressed (in a gut wrenching sickening kind of way).
Although the falling snow gives movement, the unowned footprints and the bench far off in the distance seem to offer an emptiness.
We were conflicted (probably due to our own moods at the time), between finding this image to be quiet, calming and inducing a reflective atmosphere due to the perceived stillness that the image evokes. Or finding the image to be a metaphor for the times we are experiencing. The footprints now reminding us of where people once stood but stand no more. The reasons unknown either hopefully just due to the owners remaining in lockdown, abiding by the rules. Or worse no longer with us due to covid. We agreed that our first thoughts of a calm retreat, were the ones we choose to go with, but still the irony is there.
But scientists are fighting back with vaccines. Ironically these were like buses none at all then three came along at once. But let’s face it, in the end who cares how many buses arrive, when you have been standing in a cold wet blizzard with no protection for over two hours. You are just grateful that a bus has arrived at all.
We also lost a very kind, considerate OAP who was known as Sir Tom Moore, known to many as Captain Tom, a very extraordinary, ordinary man. If you don’t know who Captain Tom was please take the time to have a look at his wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Tom).
It isn’t all doom and gloom though, as I have already said vaccines are already here and new ones are on the way. The more we learn the better we are at combating the virus.
We still get to go out for an exercise walk. There’s plenty of toilet roll in the shops, and although it’s been a bit colder we have had some snow. Now here (by here I mean Harlow Essex), that little bit of snowfall we had, meant taking pictures of things that we have been taking pictures of all year long nearly every day (ok so sometimes inspiration does seem a little bit hard to find) became just a little bit different. Inspiration found, even without the snow it’s all about looking at the same things in as many different ways as you can, but a bit of snow certainly helps.
I am certainly not going to complain though, we can still go out to the park and experience the wonder of nature and all that is on our front door.
Even with the recent snow small signs that spring is approaching are all around us. The days are getting slightly longer, plants are pushing their heads up through the soil and the bird song is changing and getting louder, maybe they know Valentines Day is nearly here. A pair of magpies have already singled out an old nest in a tree outside our house. The pigeons are already "loved up". Everybody seems to be just a little bit more aware of nature and the world around us, the joy a simple tree can bring. Or a double whammy of seeing a squirrel up that tree.
Now I know that this is a very simplistic look at what is going on at the moment. I know that there are lots of ups but there are also many downs for many people.
I choose to try and be optimistic, to be that glass half full person, it isn’t always easy. I think that normally I am a bit of a Statler and Waldorf type of person, they are from the Muppets, (I know Star Trek, Muppets – how old am I?) if you don’t know them look them up. So I am trying to see the good in all. I think with camera in hand it is easier because I and my wife can lose ourselves in a different world just for a little while. Who wouldn’t want to travel to a different world – Warp Factor 9 Make it so!
I am thinking of R2D2 now (it’s my message alert don’t you know) and I am humming the Star Wars theme, well I am old who cares, I am that old I can remember Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello and George Formby ………………..what was I doing?????
JANUARY 2021 Hello to all
I think we can all agree that 2020 was a difficult year and at least the beginning of 2021 has turned out to be no better. Therefore we have made some big decisions, we have thought long and hard about this, and we hope this will be the right choice. People are struggling right now and the future is uncertain for many. Art in all forms is important to people, especially at this time. Being able to surround yourself with things that make you happy is an integral part of a person’s wellbeing. So we have decided to do our small part to help keep art affordable to as many as possible. We are changing the way we offer our products and altering our prices accordingly. We will no longer be offering limited edition prints or certificates of authentication. We will however still be offering the same great affordable artwork. We will now offer our creative visual imagery as prints and canvas to begin with. We are also looking at other ideas in the future. We will still be offering premium photo papers from a professional lab. These changes mean we can offer quality products at much more competitive and affordable prices. Anybody that already has a limited edition print from us need not worry. Your exclusivity is guaranteed as we will not be offering those prints for sale under the new format. We will offer any of our back catalogue that has not been previously sold as a limited edition print. So if there is any print that you want please contact us and we will see if we can provide it under the new format and pricing structure for you. Our priority now is to make affordable art accessible to as many people as possible. In all honesty, we are hoping that this will also be a good move for us too. So here is to the rest of 2021. Let’s hope that things get better for everyone. We also hope you will stay with us as we transition. Well Hello to everyone.
We hope you are all well, healthy, happy and getting into the Christmas spirit with great vigour and gusto. We can already hear those Christmas tunes playing away spreading cheer, creating smiles and causing those toes to be a tapping. Come on all you bah humbuggers (we checked it is a word honest), trying to spread your negative humbuggery (found that too and just had to use it, sounds very Carry On if you ask me, shout out to Barbara Windsor who will be sadly missed). We are sure even you have to admit, that this year above all others, a good injection of Christmas joy is needed. So as soon as you can get yourselves cosy, snuggle up with maybe a alcoholic beverage (in moderation of course), something savoury and something sweet (go on it's Christmas, you know you want to) and put on those Chrissy songs and dream a dream of better days to come. May we all at this time remember all those who are no longer with us, all those that we may not see but who are still in our hearts and all those that are right by our sides. Christmas always makes us think of Dickens and A Christmas Carol (for me "Mr" the muppets version still rates highly. You just can't take the boy out of the man. Does anybody else feel just like a large kid, pretending to be an adult?). So to end the blogs for this year, once again may we say in our best Dickensian voices May we wish you a Merry Christmas and to one and all a Happy New Year. |
AuthorLen Pitcher Archives
March 2024
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