You sir are magnificent

You sir are a magnificent Bull in Bo’ness near Carriden The Witches Stone and Roman Antonine Wall Sites here with Pictish Burghead in Moray overlay

This magnificent Bull in Bo’ness had me thinking of Pictish Art and their Symbol Stones. Their animal symbols survive to this day where their language is now none existent. The wonderfully evocative decorated stones are found at Pictish Sites with the striking lines flowing and curling like waves of energy form both the outlines and internal structure of the subjects. At Burghead in Moray several Bull symbols were found leading some to believe that the Bull was a symbol venerated here, maybe a marker not unlike those later used in Heraldry to tell a story of identity that is linked to landscape and to those who control it. The notion of totems as good luck and potent identifying markers of person and of people, of individual and of tribe to set a motif of identity within this material world and an icon within all spiritual realms too.

This particular carved stone is displayed in London in The British Museum and thought so highly of that a replica cast is held in Edinburgh at The National Museums Scotland. This Bull is also incorporated into the current Logo for The Moray Society Elgin Museum. There is a cast in The Elgin Museum amongst other Pictish Symbol Stones. The symbol stones from Burghead are numbered 1-6 and this one is catalogued as,

Burghead 5, Moray, Pictish symbol stone

Measurements: 0.53m, W 0.53m, D 0.08m

Stone type: sandstone

Place of discovery: NJ c 109 691

Present location: British Museum, London (1861.10-24.1) (cast in Elgin Museum)

Evidence for discovery: one of many bull carvings said to have been found during quarrying of the wall of the upper citadel to find building stones from around 1800 onwards, of which six have survived (Macdonald 1862). This stone was found sometime before 1809, when it was exhibited at a meeting of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and it was in private hands in London for many years before being presented to the British Museum.

Present condition: good.

Description

The triangular shape of this slab may indicate the preferred form for these bull stones from Burghead. One broad face is incised with the most ferocious image of a bull to have survived, pacing angrily towards the right with his head lowered far down and his tail swishing across his rump.

Date: seventh century.

This is a cast of a stone found at Burghead in Moray. It is one of a number of stones carved with bull symbols, found in and around the site of the Pictish fortress at Burghead. They date from between 500 and 800.

Like the other stones, the bull is naturalistically depicted, with scrolls defining the joints where the limbs meet the body.

The large fort at Burghead was a major Pictish settlement. A number of carvings have been found there, many depicting bulls. Various theories have been put forward to explain their significance, including religious, territorial emblems or clan totems.

“Interpretation of the stones' original role has varied. Some scholars have suggested they were displayed on the fort's ramparts as symbols of power; others have seen them as having a votive role in a frieze as part of a pagan fertility cult; while others argue they were standing stones lining a processional route through the ramparts, a role suggested by their likely original kite-shaped form.”

Noble, Gordon (2019). “Fortified settlement in northern Pictland,” Noble, Gordon; Evans, Nicholas, The King in the North: The Pictish Realms of Fortriu and Ce, Birlinn, Edinburgh. Quote p.54, ISBN 178027551X. 1788851935, 9781788851930

The British Museum, reference below, records,

Exhibition history

Exhibited:

2001-2002 12 Dec-28 Feb, Leeds, Henry Moore Institute, The Unidentified Museum Object

1998 18 Apr-12 Jul, Japan, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art, Celtic Art

Camore, reference below, records.

Exhibited at the Society of Antiquaries in London in 1809.

© PHH Sykes 2024

phhsykes@gmail.com

Elgin Museum Carved Stone Collection

Burghead 5, cast of syMbol stone with bull (ELGNM 1892.1)

https://youtu.be/liuNaY-glfI?si=JLiGMcyf6O-yZ8Uo

Burghead Bulls

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burghead_Bulls

Burghead Bull (cast)

https://nms.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-100-104-159-C

The Burghead Bull

On display (G41) (G41)

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1861-1024-1

The Burghead Bull Canmore

https://canmore.org.uk/site/319205/burghead

Noble, Gordon and Evans, Nicholas, The King in the North, The Pictish Realms of Fortriu and Ce, Birlinn, Edinburgh, 2019.

https://birlinn.co.uk/product/the-king-in-the-north-2/

A moment in the tower of the church erected upon Egil’s island, Egilsay,...

A moment in the tower of the church erected upon Egil’s island, Egilsay, Egilsey and even Eagleshay where Saint Magnus Erlendsson an Earl of Orkney was martyred

The island has been recognised under several names and the church here has been venerated as the site of the martyrdom of Saint Magnus. The legend of Saint Magnus Erlendsson an Earl of Orkney born in 1080 and died on 16 April 1117 has been passed down to us even if some believed it more and less. Please see the quote below for those that found a proof to substantiate the legend into history, the vita that is the living even holy writings of a hagiography.

© PHH Sykes 2024

phhsykes@gmail.com

“The island is largely farmland and is known for St Magnus Church, dedicated or re-dedicated to Saint Magnus, who was killed on the island in 1117 by an axe blow to the head. For hundreds of years the story of St. Magnus, part of the Orkneyinga saga, was considered just a legend until a skull with a large crack in it, such as it had been stricken by an axe, was found in the walls of St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.”

Egilsay Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egilsay

Maybe a Manic either Bunny or Bear Shadow Feature Creature on the wall w...

Maybe a Manic either Bunny or Bear Shadow Feature Creature on the wall with Fujinon 75mm f5.6 - f45SWD Super Wide Deluxe EBC Electron Beam Coating

I do not wish to dwell on the traits and fates of Gladiators. The history of Murmillo and their opponent does show the Roman attitude of barbarian til the Gauls in this case were subdued and turned into a Client Kingdom so their former bestial character was withdrawn from the Arena and the Murmillones needed a new opponent in their live action and potential death games. The helmet here has a history and a continuing present.

Using a Sinar camera with artistic lens and a Sony digital mirrorless camera gives a warm feel to to the pictures. The Fujinon 75mm f5.6 - f45 SWD Super Wide Deluxe EBC Electron Beam Coating is great older lens. It has features and characteristics developed from previous models and made wonderful in this incarnation of the lens. “Fujifilm also pioneered Electron Beam Coating (EBC) which according to Fujifilm, represented a new high in lens precision and performance*.” Up to 18 coatings can be applied by Fujinon to improve lens capabilities reducing and even eliminating flare whilst improving contrast. In old lens debates the coatings are heated topics of conversation, discussion and complete disagreement. The coating debate can get hotter and less controlled that Fujinon’s once fame platinum crucibles designed and used to obtain the purest glass. Many photographers are finding that old lenses and camera enclosures can work marvellous well with new digital cameras. Old cameras, lenses and equipment are current enjoy a second, third, fourth and more life as they are looked to again to produce the detail they were imagined for and the production of wonders that they were never designed for.

Murmillo

The murmillo (plural murmillones) or myrmillo wore a helmet with a stylised fish on the crest (the mormylos or sea fish), as well as an arm guard (manica), a loincloth and belt, a gaiter on his right leg, thick wrappings covering the tops of his feet, and a very short greave with an indentation for the padding at the top of the feet. They are heavily armoured gladiators: the murmillo carried a gladius (64–81 cm long) and a tall, oblong shield in the legionary style. Murmillones typically fought a thraex, but occasionally the similar hoplomachus.

Thraex

The Thraex (plural Thraeces, "Thracians") wore the same protective armour as the hoplomachi with a broad rimmed helmet that enclosed the entire head, distinguished by a stylized griffin on the protome or front of the crest (the griffin was the companion of the avenging goddess Nemesis), a small round or square-shaped shield (parmula), and two thigh-length greaves. His weapon was the Thracian curved sword (sica or falx, c. 34 cm or 13 in long). They were introduced as replacements for the Gaulish gladiator type after Gaul made peace with Rome. They commonly fought myrmillones or hoplomachi.

Hoplomachus

The hoplomachus (Romanised Greek for "armed fighter", Latin plural hoplomachii) wore quilted, trouser-like leg wrappings, loincloth, a belt, a pair of long shin-guards or greaves, an arm guard (manica) on the sword-arm, and a brimmed helmet that could be adorned with a plume of feathers on top and a single feather on each side. He was equipped with a gladius and a very small, round shield. He also carried a spear, which he would have to cast at his opponent before closing for hand-to-hand combat. The hoplomachi were paired against the myrmillones or Thraeces. They may have developed out of the earlier '"Samnite" type after it became impolitic to use the names of now-allied peoples.

Some Sinar Camera Details

“The name SINAR is an acronym that encompasses the prime applications in the fields of still, industrial, nature, architectural and reproduction photography.”

http://www.sinar.ch/de/downloads/category/22-sinar-pressemitteilungen?download=118:sinar-photography-ag-acquires-the-brand-rights-of-sinar-ag

At times the name SINAR is rendered into different titles the above quote and link is from an English version of a 2011 press release, “Sinar Photography AG Acquires the Brand Rights of Sinar AG,” Zürich: Sinar Photography AG. April 2011. The S in Sinar has also been stated as standing for studio, Sache, or science.

Whilst Sinar still make amazing cameras this is an older version and it is not the latest and greatest. In fine age it is still a picture taking marvel, but not easy, not handy and not great to transport. Then you luxuriate into the results and suddenly the struggles of lifting and moving of the all manual operation and friendly challenges of light metering seem to be gone for a few treasured moments of appreciation and even longer still as you think where next for a Sinar experience.

© PHH Sykes 2024

phhsykes@gmail.com

*Fujifilm also pioneered Electron Beam Coating (EBC) which according to Fujifilm, represented a new high in lens precision and performance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujinon

Fujinon 75mm f5.6 - f45 SWD Super Wide Deluxe EBC Electron Beam Coating

http://www.subclub.org/fujinon/byseries.htm

Sinar

https://sinar.swiss/products/cameras/

List of Roman gladiator types

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Roman_gladiator_types

Artistic gentle focus lens Rodenstock Imagon 300mm H5.6 a little history...

Artistic gentle focus lens Rodenstock Imagon 300 mm H=5.6 with a little history of the Murmillo Thraex as Gaulish replacement and Hoplomachus Gladiator

I do not wish to dwell on the traits and fates of Gladiators. The history of Murmillo and their opponent does show the Roman attitude of barbarian til the Gauls in this case were subdued and turned into a Client Kingdom so their former bestial character was withdrawn from the Arena and the Murmillones needed a new opponent in their live action and potential death games. The helmet here has a history and a continuing present.

Using a Sinar camera with artistic lens and a Sony digital mirrorless camera gives a warm feel to to the pictures. The Rodenstock Imagon 300 mm H=5.6 gives several versions of itself through itself without additions and then through aperture and diffusion discs sometimes referred to as sieve apertures and they are also called sink strainers. Many photographers are finding that old lenses and camera enclosures can work marvellous well with new digital cameras. Old cameras, lenses and equipment are current enjoy a second, third, fourth and more life as they are looked to again to produce the detail they were imagined for and the production of wonders that they were never designed for.

Murmillo

The murmillo (plural murmillones) or myrmillo wore a helmet with a stylised fish on the crest (the mormylos or sea fish), as well as an arm guard (manica), a loincloth and belt, a gaiter on his right leg, thick wrappings covering the tops of his feet, and a very short greave with an indentation for the padding at the top of the feet. They are heavily armoured gladiators: the murmillo carried a gladius (64–81 cm long) and a tall, oblong shield in the legionary style. Murmillones typically fought a thraex, but occasionally the similar hoplomachus.

Thraex

The Thraex (plural Thraeces, "Thracians") wore the same protective armour as the hoplomachi with a broad rimmed helmet that enclosed the entire head, distinguished by a stylized griffin on the protome or front of the crest (the griffin was the companion of the avenging goddess Nemesis), a small round or square-shaped shield (parmula), and two thigh-length greaves. His weapon was the Thracian curved sword (sica or falx, c. 34 cm or 13 in long). They were introduced as replacements for the Gaulish gladiator type after Gaul made peace with Rome. They commonly fought myrmillones or hoplomachi.

Hoplomachus

The hoplomachus (Romanised Greek for "armed fighter", Latin plural hoplomachii) wore quilted, trouser-like leg wrappings, loincloth, a belt, a pair of long shin-guards or greaves, an arm guard (manica) on the sword-arm, and a brimmed helmet that could be adorned with a plume of feathers on top and a single feather on each side. He was equipped with a gladius and a very small, round shield. He also carried a spear, which he would have to cast at his opponent before closing for hand-to-hand combat. The hoplomachi were paired against the myrmillones or Thraeces. They may have developed out of the earlier '"Samnite" type after it became impolitic to use the names of now-allied peoples.

Lens details Rodenstock Imagon 300 mm H=5.6 (for 13×18 cm)
In a joint effort with the pioneering photographer Heinrich Kühn, who, as a pictorialist, was artistically seeking for "romantic softness without sugariness, blurring without a woolly effect"[1] in images and had been experimenting with binocular lenses and soft filters and rasters in the 1920s already,[1] the lens was technically designed by Franz Staeble [de],[1][2] founder of the optical company Staeble-Werk [de] in Munich, Germany.[1] The resulting lens was marketed as Anachromat Kühn. Later in 1928,[1] the lens became the Tiefenbildner-Imagon, which was introduced by Rodenstock in 1930/1931 and produced up into the 1990s. The unusual term Tiefenbildner is a German composition, which can be best translated as "depth-of-field creator, modulator or painter" in an artistic sense; this designation was later dropped.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodenstock_Imagon

Some Sinar Camera Details

“The name SINAR is an acronym that encompasses the prime applications in the fields of still, industrial, nature, architectural and reproduction photography.”

http://www.sinar.ch/de/downloads/category/22-sinar-pressemitteilungen?download=118:sinar-photography-ag-acquires-the-brand-rights-of-sinar-ag

At times the name SINAR is rendered into different titles the above quote and link is from an English version of a 2011 press release, “Sinar Photography AG Acquires the Brand Rights of Sinar AG,” Zürich: Sinar Photography AG. April 2011. The S in Sinar has also been stated as standing for studio, Sache, or science.

Whilst Sinar still make amazing cameras this is an older version and it is not the latest and greatest. In fine age it is still a picture taking marvel, but not easy, not handy and not great to transport. Then you luxuriate into the results and suddenly the struggles of lifting and moving of the all manual operation and friendly challenges of light metering seem to be gone for a few treasured moments of appreciation and even longer still as you think where next for a Sinar experience.

© PHH Sykes 2024

phhsykes@gmail.com

Rodenstock Imagon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodenstock_Imagon

Sinar

https://sinar.swiss/products/cameras/

List of Roman gladiator types

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Roman_gladiator_types

Too much eye colour, I put my iris into some mono pictures and so now ob...

Too much eye colour, I put my iris into some mono pictures and so now obviously I have gone too far with the process

There is a film file with 15 of these loch side portraits without the coloured eyes. After initially setting my iris from the original colour pictures into 7 of the mono versions I should have stopped having gained all the information required. The original pictures are taken with the selfie camera and in processing they have been resized to that of the front camera. From 2880 x 3840p they have been enlarged to 3060 x 4080p. Yet dpi is down from 96dpi to 72dpi. The quick cut original colour iris of the eyes with a touch of brightness is not very fitting to a calm portrait, but it does show the edge of detail and the strength of separation in contrast and definition. If the pictures were from either a better lit scene, or from a better resolution lens and camera then the iris would be easier to select and better to view. By using the small iris as the target in the pictures the quality of the image is shown when a viewer enlarges the image to look just how well fitting the coloured iris appears in the images. Overall for a selfie camera on a phone the selective colour on the portraits is very good indeed.

Loch Ness quick self portraits taken in between experiencing the wonders available in, on and around this iconic location. The location chosen here was the near anonymous car scene, rather than the amazing beauty and of course the changeable wonderful views available just beyond the confines of the near anonymous vehicle. Of course we saw the monster(s) and they were very friendly and also maybe most importantly there was no ‘chompy chomp chomp’ whilst in the loch. They requested no pictures please at this time as they were scale moulting for their Winter Sheen coat, so instead you have images of the monstrous elusive me. My eyes as pictured have been edited in Adobe Lightroom both ‘Sclera’ and then ‘Iris and Pupil’ functions were jiggered with. There are 15 portraits in total in the film version, I will not load them all as JPEG files, rather a I will just share a couple of examples. The tests mentioned are to jog my memory of settings and functions and to learn how best to record a scene for my digital memories that are my proposed ‘ones and zeros’ for future viewing happiness. Tech can be kind and emotionally supportive as we all finding out, it can also fail drastically.

© PHH Sykes 2024
phhsykes@gmail.com

Meanwhile momentarily meandering if that is at all personally pose possi...

Meanwhile momentarily meandering if that is at all personally pose possible

Loch Ness quick self portraits taken in between experiencing the wonders available in, on and around this iconic location. The location chosen here was the near anonymous car scene, rather than the amazing beauty and of course the changeable wonderful views available just beyond the confines of the near anonymous vehicle. Of course we saw the monster(s) and they were very friendly and also maybe most importantly there was no ‘chompy chomp chomp’ whilst in the loch. They requested no pictures please at this time as they were scale moulting for their Winter Sheen coat, so instead you have images of the monstrous elusive me. My eyes as pictured have been edited in Adobe Lightroom both ‘Sclera’ and then ‘Iris and Pupil’ functions were jiggered with. There are 15 portraits in total in the film version, I will not load them all as JPEG files, rather a I will just share a couple of examples. The tests mentioned are to jog my memory of settings and functions and to learn how best to record a scene for my digital memories that are my proposed ‘ones and zeros’ for future viewing happiness. Tech can be kind and emotionally supportive as we all finding out, it can also fail drastically.

© PHH Sykes 2024

phhsykes@gmail.com

Panorama by Panning Shot video movie file versus still image mp4 v JPEG...

Panorama by Panning Shot video movie file versus still image mp4 v. JPEG also ‘Option 4.’

Let me first of all mention low light conditions, that being said I should introduce this as the third part of my, “How best to record a place by mobile phone?” The first part consisted of three images made using the Panorama function. The second section consisted of 7 images made in Photoshop from JPEG image file off the phone.

Option 1.

The Panorama files looked superb, when enlarged they appeared to be made up of small parts to convey light and shape in the image, a look that could appear very well in certain circumstances.

Option 2.

The original JPEG image files off the phone looked sharp and more photographic than the Panorama function created files which looked very painterly. The Photoshop Panoramas were superior photographic files, but they were created with monthly fees to Adobe for both Lightroom and Photoshop Cloud.

Option 3.

These video files are three quick representations of the scene and show the climatic condition and more of the scene in great photographic detail. To many this could be the best solution to record something of the moment that best displays that moment.

Option 4.

Finally if you have recorded and edited the above three options you can make ‘Option 4.’ which is a combination of the above three edited into a video file and if you wish you can share that files to the places that you prefer.

If you have read this far and seen the film footage you maybe wondering when I am going to mention Tilting? Only here in the description am I mentioning that Tilting and Panning gives a film file a massive advantage for recording the scene. There could also be a question of why no Landscape Format Footage in Letter Box Settings? Again the test I am looking at is limited and the Letter Box to fit say 16.9 ratio and many screens currently in use would be superb and it is ‘Option 5.’ which of course demands another visit and a complete remake of all footage with suitable breakfast loch side wearing and including my cherished ‘Pictish Trousers’. The breakfast footage is the backdrop to the still images, this footage includes the hopefully cheery, “Hello,” just before the film files play with their backdrop being a stretched version of themselves, unfortunately their focus is superb on the close shore and that gets stretched out of view.

The text below was written to accompany both, ‘Options 1.’ and ‘Options 2.’

The constant movement on the Loch helped generate the changes that direct sunlight and cloud also shape moving around the vast body of water and over and through the stunning scenic valley. The changes bring thousands of views worthy of pictures and of grand panoramas. Here I was trying out the Panorama function on my phone and also taking individual pictures to stitch into panoramas in Photoshop. I would have taken some pictures of myself at the loch side, but no panorama neither phone function, nor individually stitched could have captured my smile.

If you look briefly at either set of panorama they make for a good quick look. If you zoom in on 3 phone made panoramas you will see that the details are rendering as if with heavy oils and either a dabbing technique with a brush, or by using a palette knife. The individual pictures retain a lot more photographic detail. For all sorts of the reasons the two effects could each be considered perfect for different purposes. For me there was a quick test and now there are some results that I enjoy as they are great memory revivers. Just a few glances at the wider pictures brings back the open wonders of the landscape and it also starts a process of me remembering some of the fine details including loch side breakfast and star gazing. Thinking of Highland Hobbit Life has me generating a glow that is awe-mazing, yes amazing and somehow even more than amazing.

© PHH Sykes 2024

phhsykes@gmail.com