This morning, short of food, missing Marlboro for a day, we hit the big metropolis a couple of miles away. We returned with the Telegraph, Marlboro and bird food. Haltwhistle is a northern mill town that never had mills or if it did they failed to generate much spare cash…. Don’t I know that feeling!
The title is ripped off from a song by a little known band ‘The Dream Academy.’
Most of the town is Victorian, no doubt they earned their living shipping lead and wool. It is not an unpleasant place, and far more prosperous than many of our big cities, only one charity shop, a really good pet food retailer, a couple of butchers and two small supermarkets. On balance a grand little town.
For you purists I have gone back to heavy processing today, if you don’t like it then feel free to click out…… I CAN TELL!…You can’t hide, there are too few off you!
Haltwhistle is the centre of Great Britain, this at one time was a Pele Tower, now a hotel it looks much more nineteen thirties, than sixteen thirties to me. …. What do I know? Straight off camera is this one, the rest, well, I may have got a little carried away.
The Centre of Britain……….No frogs, no Bokeh, just honest to goodness HDR. As they say around these parts……..’And ‘eld an ‘all!’…Normally it’s tripod, cable release and manual…Five frames merged with Photomatix –2EV to +2EV…So are the rest….I did lean hard on a wall….Cheating?
The Main Street.
The Main Street again. sorry to keep plugging this but The Centre of Britain is on the right with the union flag. Also this one has a little more restraint.
Just a corner and…….. a door.
This is, I assume, the Millennium Square, I haven’t a clue what it looked like before, it’s a pound to a penny ‘Millennium’. If you look you can date ER’s Silver Jubilee the same way….Naff!…. I’m far from an artichoke, sorry architect, so take no notice.
The back of the shops.
The Church of no name, I suspect it has been deconsecrated…. Sad.
The New Inn, (The New Church). Beer one pound sixty five a pint, filthy lagers at two pounds twenty. Got to be the best value pub in the UK. Pity we only had time for a pint.
Now as you can tell not a bird in sight…………Wait a moment……………..
Mr and Mrs Green finch , I hope!!.. Another new one for me…….What did I do with my Allen book of trains…Did he do one on birds?…….Am I going completely insane….Nah!
Tomorrow I’m off to shoot frogs!!… Macro lens and reflector cleaning time, charge flash batteries, cut the bottom off a milk container, don’t want to blind the wee beggars.
Enjoy Sunday.
I really like the fourth and fifth. The fourth because of the deserted feeling... The fifth because I like stone walls, and doors... also like the light in that picture.
ReplyDeleteI think you've got siskins Adrian (don't reach for the medical dictionary - they're miniature versions of greenfinches)
ReplyDeleteA little better than Greenfinch Adrian. You have a handsome pair of Siskin. Nice :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the treatment of the pictures today; even the back alley with wheelie bins looks good.
Great pictures Adrian, a beautiful town. And they are Siskins, in the last picture.
ReplyDeleteGreat selection Adrian - like postcards. Mr & Mrs Greenfinch look like Mr & Mrs Siskin to me!
ReplyDeleteI'm coming around to appreciating your "altered" images more. Not so much in street scenes but it works for me in shots like "Just a corner and a door". And the back of the shops, I like that, too. So glad you found a couple of birds to bring some normalcy to your day!
ReplyDeleteYou will have to wait a little longer for your Greenfiches...unless they are different up North.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots again Adrian....reminds me of a modern High Noon.
Lovely photo of the Siskins. Don't get those at my feeders.
ReplyDeleteDawn T, thanks, I switch between liking HDR and not. It's fun.
ReplyDeletePhil thanks, should have known it's only a week since I posted some.....Dumb!
Keith, ta, the back of the shops looks better than the front. Siskins got it now.
Bob, it is a nice place...Thanks for the Siskins. One day I will learn.
Angie, thanks, what it is to be an ignoramus. The software is free from Photomatix. You do get a watermark on the image until you pay them.
ReplyDeletePauline, there's not often very much normal in my days. Before I've done I'll have the brothers pure buying the software.
Trevor, what it would have been to be born a few hundred years ago......Wandering around calling stuff what one wanted.
John, delicate eaters, unlike the Nuthatches who empty a full load of seeds in an hour.
Lots of people complain about artists who paint scenes as they are, saying that they might as well take photos. Some say that photographers who doctor the photos so much are just frustrated artists. It's all bullshit. I like what I like and despite lots of verbiage I suspect that the vast majority of us are the same. I think some of your doctored photos are great - so long as they are regarded as such. Me. I'd love to experiment but I seem to prioritise my time knocking silly balls around a large piece of grass in the sun when I could be spending (even) more time in front of the screen.
ReplyDeleteGB the second applies to me, painting and draughtsmanship baffle me. I am fascinated by the opportunities digital photography has opened up to the amateur.
ReplyDelete