a murpworkschrome blog
A short walk to Cawdle Fen on the 4th March 2022.
Cawdle Fen is situated just outside of the city of Ely. It is a drainage board for the surrounding area, taking rainwater from the higher area, into the river Great Ouse.
This was a first walk I took, in which to photograph. It had been raining slightly and this provided a doomy, moody feel.
I’ve added the best images of this day to murpworkschrome here and here.
Peace and photography
rp
Ely is famous for several things but one of the main ones is: its cathedral.
Founded in 672, it stands atop a hill in the flat landscape of Cambridgeshire. It has been likened to a ship: The Ship of the Fens. I see it every day and it stone pervades any walk I take around the small city.
Initially, I photographed in the cathedral in colour. This is my second attempt at capturing something of the majesty of the building, this time in black and white.
The following photograph was taken on a walk, back from the garage (had to take the car in for some work) and it’s the one I really like.
Go to murpworkschrome to see further images of the walk’s Ely cathedral.
Peace and photography
rp
A lot of boats of varying sizes can be found on the river Great Ouse. The river is serviced by the Cathedral Marina, Waterside in Ely. It provides the facility to lift boats out of the water and does this via a boat lift. It is basically a metal frame, with straps that can be placed underneath a boat, and the boat lifted out of the water.
The marina has a fixed boat lift that faces onto the Great Ouse. However, around the back, it has an older, movable lift. This is (or was) basically a large wheeled crane, which presumably used similar straps to the fixed boat lift.
It sits out of the way and provides a looming presence but one of old power, waning…
Go to murpworkschrome for three further images.
Peace and photography
rp
Corridors in Black and White initially started out with the idea of a series of photographs of corridors, in colour. It started here. However, it became apparent that some just worked better in black and white. So, under the monochrome stream, Corridors BW has started.
Both have a long way to go before I’ll be really happy with either of them. I feel they are pretty perfunctory so far. But, I’m showing my working out as it were as I think it will help me along the way.
This image is starting to get to somewhere near what I envisioned
Peace and photography
rp
Sometimes, only another pleasing blur will do. Last time it was in colour, this time, it’s one in black and white…
Peace and photography
rp
I walked past The Birdcage and took this black and white photograph.
The Birdcage is now closed but was a Bar/small Club in Norwich. I went once, quite awhile ago now, when it was open and sat on the floor, in the back room. The beer was good.
I love the style of architecture, metal windows, rounded walls and I just really hope it doesn’t go to rack and ruin, and get pulled down. It deserves so much better.
Take a look at murpworkschrome for two more images of this enigmatic building. I will return and try and do it justice in the near future – more Birdcage in black and white…
Peace and photography
rp
A boat lift light shines out denoting the endmost point of a metal structure that dominates the marina. The industrial structure is a simple affair of straps, that can hoist a boat out of the river for servicing. The light is bright but in a wintery evening in February. However, there is very little need to illuminate the lifting of any boat.
It does however present a light source for low light photography.
I captured a minimalist picture of the light from the marina side. Then, after a short walk, a reflection of light across the water. Both from the same boat lift light source.
I like this opportunity to approach the subject from two opposing angles. It’s something to look out for in the future…
Peace and photography
rp
I had passed the neon sign – Good Vibes several times before I actually photographed it. It resides in a male hairdressers, in Norwich.
There’s something about a neon sign. They are old technology yet for me, they always manage to convey something very modern. A glass tube, housing a noble gas, through which a voltage is passed and depending upon the gas, a colour is produced. neon is the classical glass but neon is a ‘cover-all’ name for various types of glass tube lighting, using different types of gas.
The resultant glowing 3-D light seems so much more alive that a simple 2-D painted sign.
I want to return and photograph this sign, purposefully in black and white. Although colour is a very big part of neon’s reason for being (although there are ‘white’ ‘neon’ signs), I think the gaseous nature of the glow will work well in monochrome.
I also have my eye on another neon sign, in the same street so look out for that one in the near future. This is the beauty of wandering the streets, there is always something to find and return back for.
Take a look at murpworkschrome to see a the neon sign Good Vibes ‘colour’ photographs I captured…
Peace and photography
rp
Street Lit – I took a short walk the other evening, it was the night of the first of two storms. Nothing had really started in earnest, there was some wind but nothing in the ‘storm’ category. I did avoid a large tree, which I had seen a large branch down from it, a couple of months ago.
It wasn’t long before a little rain started. This was a good first test of my Fujifilm X100V and its ‘weather sealing’ (the full weather sealing requires and filter for the front of the lens, which I purchased, when I got the camera). All worked perfectly well.
I had an idea of a photograph I wanted to take before I set out. It turned out as I had envisioned it and it wasn’t long before a couple more opportunities had presented themselves.
I didn’t intend to spend a lot of time out and didn’t need to, as I was pleased with the results. The image below is a building I pass most morning when I walk up, into Ely to get a cup of coffee from Silver Oak Coffee. Pleasing during the day, it looked spectacular at night
If you like the above image, take a look at murpworkschrome – monochrome – really pleased with ‘Street Lit Window’.
Peace and photography
rp
