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Window in the Café Revival, central Bristol; 12 Feb 2014.
Today I met a friend from my early childhood for lunch. For those of you reading this outside the UK, the weather here has been dreadful of late, with storm after storm, deluges of rain, and thousands of homes flooded – see my recent post on the inundation on the Somerset Levels.
We’d arranged to meet around noon in town, but noon was just when today’s storm was forecast to be at its most intense, so I left home early (which did little to improve things as the day was already very wet) and spent time in a large bookshop, followed by ages drinking coffee and eating delicious lemon cake in the Café Revival.
The café’s owner, Mark, is a nice guy and quite used to me pointing my camera here and there, and I took in the view out into the street, which was frenzy of rain and whipping wind, and also had another look at the windows themselves – a previous attempt at these is here.
Ever willing to experiment, I fired off some abstracts, and changed the camera’s white balance to tungsten, i.e. balanced for ordinary electric lights, which introduced a blue tint.
Canon G11 PowerShot at 99mm (35mm equivalent); white balance altered to tungsten.
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FATman Photos 
beautiful! Conveys the mood of the weather!
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Thank you! 🙂
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Hi Adrian, I came across your blog on Draw and Shoot and read cuppakristy’s post. I’ve started to make photos as opposed to taking photos for a year now and there’s so much to learn, it’s often depressing. I read this recently:
‘Imagination makes people oversensitive, vulnerable and exposed.Ihave never held the shortcomings of the unimaginative against them, sometimes I’ve even envied them. They have an easier and more pleasant life.’
The Wall by Marlen Haushofer.
I like that you reblog other’s work and share how you get certain effects such as the tungsten blue tint.
I live in the Paris area, but come from Kent. I hear this weekend is going to be awful in the UK. Keep safe and dry, Henrietta.
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Hello, Henrietta – its good to hear from you, and at such length too, and I particularly identify with your starting to make photos rather than take them – and boy am I right in there with that H D Thoreau quote on your blog. I’ve been seeing images and photographing for around 60 years, two of us have inherited this trait from one of our grandmothers, but I only starting consciously doing it, as you are, about 10 years ago.
There can be a lot to learn, but I urge you to take great note of your gut feelings. They are nothing great, but I’ve recently produced 4 posts on ways to improve our photos – the most recent of these in still in my Recent Posts list – SIMPLE TIPS 4 … It has links to the earlier posts.
Yes, an easier if less perceptive life without imagination but, as I’ve said before, I’m like Gollum, “imagination, it is my precioussss!”.
I’m always willing to share techniques, any time; and I make a few reblogs of others’ work – but find that few other bloggers look at them; and then there are the images I’ve Liked, which are always on show here.
I wish you great good fortune with your making of images, Henrietta – any things to discuss, do get in touch! Yes, bad weather is here yet again – but fortunately we live up on a hill, away from the floods. Thank you very much for your good thoughts. Adrian 🙂
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Very cool image. I like the angles and colours.
What a wonderful way to spend time: visiting a large bookshop; drinking coffee and eating delicious cake; and meeting up with an old friend.
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Haha, I wonder what “cool” means, the effect of the blue, or are you making with hip speaks??? Whichever, its good (almost said “cool” then!), so thank you, O Soon To Be Liberated One! 🙂
Yes, it was a nice trip to town, one could certainly do less pleasant things; and we dashed between the pouring wind and rain, with my old friend guiding me between relaxing eateries and drinkeries. We were childhood friends, and in the same primary school I think, and certainly at the same secondary school and university. I have no other lifelong friend; chunks of time abroad have tended to have an isolating effect.
I hope you’re fine, M >>> and in a mood of increasingly excited anticipation!!! 🙂 A
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I think the cool I referred to is what you said: the effect of the blue and the hip-speak 😉
Gosh – a friend who goes back so early in one’s experience – and so much of your early life shared through education; amazing – like something one reads in books. How wonderful.
I had a rubbish day at work today – each day towards the golden one of leaving seems to drag – and seems to seep anything worthwhile out of my soul. I feel I am being leached of a piece of my life-force each and every sorry hour I remain there. Sorry about that but I had to get it off my chest. That’s what a powerful imagination does to you – which links in to the comment from Henrietta. Oh how very less painful it must be for those without a strong imagination – and all the painful oversensitivity which accompanies it.
I hope you are feeling better and free from those troubling ailments.
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😉 to you too! 🙂 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!889 .. 889? …
Well, the friend thing is not wonderfully wonderful, I have long thought that we have substantially different outlooks, but still, 60 years is something, whichever way you look at it, or at them, comes to that ….
Am still a little bleary after a wonderful Valentines carvery lunch – a mountain of food, including oodles of wonderful veg, and oddles of gravy … oh god … gravy …. >>> and then back home for scrumptious desserts .. and then opening my birthday Highland Park (I’m 64 soon) … and dozing ….
And don’t you dare apologise for getting things off your chest – it’ll do you good! And if it hasn’t got into your Noble Dome already, this is going to be a big life change for you, which may well give rise to all kinds of whirling thoughts, emotions and moods, and so keep a watch on yourself, you are under quite formidable psychological forces, as anyone would be. Maybe you’re like a little child, agonising at the number of slowly passing days to Christmas.
And I am better, thanks. The swelling in my leg has been reduced; and coming off the anti-inflammatories and painkillers has not seen a rise in my elbow pain – I think I had bursitis with an infection, which antibiotics have clobbered. And now an elasticated bandage on my arm has sent me part way to mummidom …
Just take it easy, my friend. Become detached if you can, and see where you’re at and what you’re going through. A
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Another great image Adrian. Your choice of WB has worked really well.
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Thank you, Dave! Adjusting White Balance is something I’ve been experimenting with, mainly with the Nikons’ images. Its certainly another dimension to be kept in mind. Adrian 🙂
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I like the composition, blue against the black frame too. Really pleasing image. 🙂
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George, thank you very much! Adrian
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Excellent Adrian! While you are having rain storms, we are being inundated with snow storms! Stay dry!
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Thanks, Robyn! Yes, the snowstorms in the eastern US are coming across the Atlantic and hitting us as rain – we are in a cycle of continually bad weather. A 🙂
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