The Christmas Dinner

It being 24 February 2012 it must be time for The Christmas Dinner.  These chocolates have been fascinating me for quite some while.  Today I have tasted of their chocolate goodness and can confirm that the wait was worth it.  Now all I have to do is find another box of Turkey shaped treats for a significant date in December.

In order to set off the embossed design on the box I have saturated the colours which darkens the overall images.  For some of the close-up pictures this would have left them too dark and made the chocolate look unappetising.  These images have been given the same vignette setting but they have not had the colour saturation increased.

If you are searching for Turkey themed chocolate treat then you need look no further than Hotel Chocolat.  There again it may be just a little early to stock up for midwinter festivals?  Time now to go and try another chocolate and to see what my resident tester in chief has to say.  There was a small outcry when the photographed chocolates were put away to see if they got a call back to the cake stand for more exposure.

Slow Growing Vegetable Love

When Andrew Marvell in To his Coy Mistress penned,

My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires, and more slow.

It maybe that he was referring to perennial potent plant power that does not fade like the fickle nature of man.  It could be that vegetable love is more dependable even than fruit love as it grows more slowly and surely and can often be preserved for longer.  My vegetable love extends to hot summer moments spent inside large canvass enclosure viewing prized vegetables shown by experts and judged by committee.  I particularly enjoy seeing rosettes and certificates.

The marrows shown here are not show quality so they were shown the pot.  In his poem Marvell sound ready for dinner whether roasted, boiled or baked his vegetable love will remain for his Coy Mistress long after dinner is served.  He assures her that he will respect her in the morning when he sows new seeds in his allotment that will flower forth into fresh blooms furthering his fecund fidelity.  Sometimes vegetable love can seem so beautiful.

If plant passions are turgid within you now then please pause and prune your over amorous reaches before you partake of a little of the flavour of Mr Marvell’s The Garden;

The luscious clusters of the vine
Upon my mouth do crush their wine ;
The nectarine and curious peach
Into my hands themselves do reach ;
Stumbling on melons as I pass,
Insnared with flowers, I fall on grass.

This vegetable love has led me into a fruitful frame of mind.  I intend to dally a while further in fertile furrows foraging for fresh fodder.  From the earth do wonders rise that hold aloft the canopy of the skies.  With scarce a whispered hum nature calls all to march to her drum.

Pooka Dust

This is my hat which is often worn with goggles in place as pictured here.  Sometimes I take advantage of the goggles strap to hold my business cards in place.  At the rear of the hat you may see a white fluffy tail.  I enjoy referring to this as my Pooka Tale.  Not that it is a tail from a Pooka rather it is a conversation piece that supplies me with the opportunity to tell a tale of Pookas.  Of late the hat has been attracting strange dust like deposits.  I believe that some, if not all of these fluffings are occasioned when my head garb is borrowed by unseen wearers who sometimes leave a footprint, or two but never take a photograph!

The Pooka mythology has been around for many centuries.  Some relate that the name comes from Púca which is Irish for goblin.  With regional variations there are easily over a dozen different names that the shape shifting Pooka, or Puck has acquired.  To date his most famous recording might be found in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Titania ask Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow

Either I mistake your shape and making quite,
Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite
Call'd Robin Goodfellow: are not you he
That frights the maidens of the villagery;
Skim milk, and sometimes labour in the quern
And bootless make the breathless housewife churn;
And sometime make the drink to bear no barm;
Mislead night-wanderers, laughing at their harm?
Those that Hobgoblin call you and sweet Puck,
You do their work, and they shall have good luck:
Are not you he?

(Act ii., Scene i.)

It may only be my night tripping dream like fantasy that the dust upon my hat is a clear indication of it being borrowed by friendly sprites, but it is nice to have a flight of fancy as long as you have safe landings.

For further reference see the film Harvey, 1950, with James Stewart and Harvey.

 

 

 

 

In Memoriam Tennyson Oxford Miniature Edition

In Memoriam Tennyson published by Henry Frowde London, printed by Horace Hart at Oxford (printer to the University)

In Memoriam by Alfred Lord Tennyson.  Oxford Miniature Edition. 7 x 9.7cm or 2.75 x 3.7 inches.  Published by Henry Frowde London, printed Horace Hart at Oxford (printer to the University).  Unpaginated (145 pp).  Missing a small portrait of Tennyson opposite title page.  Red leather like covers with gilt lettering on front and gilt edged pages.  Illustrated end pages different images front and rear water colour landscape scenes with quotes from the text.

The illustrations on the end pages are a brilliant surprise.  The landscape scenes are quite a shock when you open up the plain red cover.  For the size and age the inner illustrations are quite superb.

It feels like a real shame to put this item on shelf where the art work cannot be appreciated.

Pillar of cloud by day and fire by night

These picture shows a column of light in the sky which looked very biblical.  Unfortunately there was no great progression of the awe inspiring spectacle.  The pillar was fantastic enough in and of itself, but it almost seemed to promise a further revelation.  The sun on the right of the picture was obscured to some extent behind clouds.  The light from the sun was refracted by a separate cloud formation and the result looked like an illuminated column of cloud that could become a pillar of fire by night.  The title for this picture is inspired by the following description from Exodus.

“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:  He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”

Exodus 13:21-22  King James Bible

I have no doubt the phenomenon pictured here was perfectly natural.  At first I was stunned by this lighting effect.  Luckily it lasted long enough for me to capture it by camera.  The column did appear to waver slightly and to offer the possibility of transforming its shape.  The luminance in the sky gave an impression that a brilliant development might be about to begin.  On one level it was like looking at a vertical rainbow and yet it was more unusual and so seemed more fantastic.

 

Imbolc Oimelc Star

My Google Calendar linked to Thelemic Holidays has been preparing me for the Feast of the Stars which it tells me is today.  My knowledge of this feast is goes little beyond the reminder that my calendar gives me and this only states the title and date.  I had plans to take a star picture today to mark Imbolc.  The light is now returning and the end of winter is beginning even if it will get colder yet at least it will also be brighter as the days lengthen.  Unfortunately for my plans the clouds have the covered the stars that I had intended to record for Imbolc, but the sheep pictured here are my Oimelc reference and the Sun is my starry inspiration for the Festival of Stars.  Oimelc is said to be the old festival name that celebrates the Ewe’s Milk or Oimelc returning as sign of the new vitality that comes back to us at this time each year.  Now I must go and research the Festival of Stars whilst I still have time.

Stellar Shades and Luna Shadows Midlothian Scotland

By the light of the moon and under the star filled heavens I was cold and happy to release a couple of different shutters to capture some long exposures.  I was using a Canon 550D and 5D Mark II.  The full frame sensor captures the night scenes far better as it renders the darker tones with more clarity and a lot less noise.   The landscape images 105 and 106 feature the power lines trailing through the night sky and those lines are echoed in the fields below where the grass has been cut in such a way as to create a linear pattern.  The lines in the sky and on the ground are picked out by the available lighting which gives varying prominence to the cables and to the cultivation.  The Moon and Venus were bright on the night when these images were created.  The constellation of Orion can be seen between the legs of the electricity pylon in pictures 101 – 104 and above the stone wall in pictures 107 and 108.

A tripod is essential for winter night photography and a remote release is recommended.  Using a timer release in cold conditions is quite taxing.  Very cold weather usually severely limits the working life of batteries.  Most of all look after yourself then you can enjoy your images without having to suffer the effects of the cold weather.

 

PHH Sykes

www.phhsykes.co.uk

Poppy Scotland Field of Remembrance Edinburgh November 2011

From Monday, 7th November from 11am until Sunday 13th November 2011 the first ever Field Of Remembrance was opened on Princes Street Gardens by the Scott Monument in Edinburgh.  These images are my record of this inaugural event which I hope will be continuing.  No matter how you think of conflict issues surely no one wants to see the loss of life.  The sections within the Field Of Remembrance included areas for civilians as well for serving personnel.  This was a poignant display of the lasting outcomes of war.

Further details

http://www.poppyscotland.org.uk

September Blooms

A few flowers and weeds, some fruits and seeds.  This is a photographic record of the wonders of nature both cultivated and wild.  These pictures record a garden and pasture in South Yorkshire in the United Kingdom.  September can be a surprisingly colourful month full of natural blooms, or it can begin to show the undoubtable decline into the bleak rigours of winter.  When the sun shines it as if summer might never end and yet there is often a chill in the wind that promises snow and ice.  So it is time to gather in the harvest and celebrate for that which has blossomed for us this year and for that which will preserve us through the coming winter.

September is a good time to record the last blooms and ripe blossoms.  The onset of winter creates a final surge from nature and this finale creates unusual fruits.  I like to take pictures of the strange shapes that grow perfectly well alongside the supposedly standard forms.  The cold nights start to get plants to settle into their dormant phases even as they are still blossoming.  The flowers are retreating and seeds are drying out on the stem ready to begin the cycle the again.  This is a great time to see the descent of the sap energy retreating into the soil.  This retreat is no set back it is a part of the way forward for without retreat at this time there will be a lesser return when the spring calls out for the sap to rise again.

The pictures here were created with a Canon 50mm macro lens on 5D Mark II.  The lighting was a brand new experiment for me.  I used a DÖRR DAF 42 Power Zoom.  This wonderful flash gun is equipped with an in built diffuser and manually adjustable zoom and power settings.  The control over light is quite superb.  When using macro lenses I have often experimented with various light sources to create effects.  Some of the best results are subtle transformations that allow pictures to reveal themselves to the viewer without the viewer considering the efforts that have created the visual effects.  The DAF 42 has an inbuilt slave function and that is superb for off camera lighting which gives stunning results.  The DAF 42 is not feature packed like the Canon 580EX II Speedlite but it has some praise worthy points that are not available with the 580 EX II such as the diffuser screen and the slave function.  The light settings on the Canon offer much greater low light control.  The two guns offer a great combination if you want a second unit, or have more than one body that needs a connected light source.

Le Grand Etteilla ou Tarot égyptien or Grand Etteilla Egyptian Gypsies Tarot

These Tarot cards were created by Jean-Baptiste Alliette and they were first issued around 1788.  This desk is significant as it is the earliest set of Tarot created under the supervision of a single visionary and for it to be specifically designed to be read and used for magical purposes.  These cards were named after the creator Alliette who reversed his name to form the Etteilla title for the cards.  Whether you favour these designs, or find faults within them these cards are the root of much modern Tarot.  The older traditional cards offer a glance back into the origins of Tarot.  These cards show us the dawn of modern magical interpretations and guide us towards our contemporary use of Tarot so from their point of production they shine a light into the future that is still bright for viewers to this day.

Alliette claimed to have learned the symbology of Tarot from an Italian contact.  As a Print Seller he would have seen many similar designs to those featured in his Tarot cards and he may have adapted existing designs to form the illustrations in his Tarot.  He was very particular about his cards having an upright position and a reversed position.  The interpretation of his Tarot depends upon the dignity of the card whether it be upstanding or upended.  These are the first cards known to be specifically designed to for Tarot readings.  Other earlier sets of cards were possible formed from designs used for playing, or gaming cards.  In 1790 Alliette publishes Cours theorique et pratique du livre de Thot, or, Theoretical and practical course in the book of Thot in which he distinguishes between the Major and Minor Arcana.

When Antoine Court, the self styled Court de Gébelin published Le Monde primitif in 1788 he popularized the notion that Tarot was founded on ancient Egyptian mysteries.  The idea of the Egyptians passing on knowledge of occult significance to European Gypsies gave rise to many spurious histories purporting to be academic revelations.  Alliette stated that his information was acquired prior to the publishing of Court de Gébelin’s books.  The claim and counter claim of various occultists has lead to much misinformation and the falsehoods leave a web of deceit that is a barrier to those endeavouring to find the origins of Tarot.  False histories were concocted in the hope that a historic pedigree would give confidence in the Tarot system being presented.  No matter what the true histories maybe the products can stand alone and be valued as works of imagination and art.  These beautiful cards show off the skills of Alliette who included technical details and artistic visions in this Tarot deck.

 

 

Rose Crystal Eye on the Stele of Revealing

The images presented here show the seven elements of the rose plant being prepared to make sweet the world.  Whilst producing rose incense recently for a Gnostic Mass the ingredients were arranged atop a Stele of Revealing.  The rose seeds, roots, stems, buds, leafs, flowers and fruits were placed there as a part of the preparation.  In accordance with the scene painted on the stele the seven parts of the plant were arranged over the altar depicted being used by the priest Ankh-af-na-khonsu to deliver his offerings to the gods.  The priest is also known as Ankh-ef-en-Khonsu i and Ankh-ef-en-Khonsu and he can be seen here in the leopard skin priestly regalia on the right hand side of the stele.

The lighting was set to show off the stele as if it were being displayed at noon in Cairo on the Spring Equinox.  The atmosphere required for the drying of the offerings was a shaded spot in the open air where the rose could dry out.  In all three light sources were used.  There was direct and indirect sun light with additional reflected photographic flash light.  In post processing the pictures were crafted to give the surface of the stele an appearance of gold leaf and of rich mineral pigment paints.  The original may have been created with gold and mineral paints so the images here are designed to show how the Stele of Revealing could have appeared in the past.

The Rose Crystal Eye is a crystal sphere that is used to create a new altered perspective for the viewer.  The shallow focus creates intended perceptions delicately guided by the depth of field and the sharpness of colour.    Using the crystal ball as a lens makes ephemeral images as each position of the ball, the lights and the angle of the camera gives a complete new impression.  On this shoot two lenses were used to give alternative views of the items recorded in the images.  One view is more removed or distant that the other.  When seen alongside each other the photographs form a wave of perception bringing the viewer in closer and then taking them away from the stele before repeating the wave again.  Oak panels were chosen to form the background on which the stele rested.  The flame grained oak was particularly good at catching the sun and showing that the stele had travelled from Egypt to Scotland where the oak furnishing are to be found.

The rose plant was selected for the incense as the stele was seen by Ourida or Rose Kelly in a vision.  In her role as a seer she gave directions for the stele to be found.  One of the reasons for the rose incense being prepared here is to recognise Rose Kelly’s role in bringing this stele to prominence.  The sweet perfume of the roses shown here will be used in a Gnostic Mass as an offering not unlike those that Ankh-af-na-Khonsu would have been used to.  The incense ingredients are dried and finally rolled into spheres which are burnt black.  The resulting dark orbs each look like a midnight sun which some say are sacred to Kephra.  Such a mix of symbolism is woven into the incense and so also into these pictures.  Without some of the brief explanations given in this article the pictures stand as colourful images using creative light techniques.  With the information provided here it maybe that the creation of the images can be viewed as an intricate process built around recording much information.  The images are vibrant and thought provoking even without the keys to their structure, but maybe the keys help to unlock the pictures even more for the viewer.

Photos on Flickr 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157627429127613/ 

 

Film on YouTube 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BzlOZseyOg

 

Breakfast Tea - a true and faithful revelation

Pondering on the nature of Breakfast Tea has led me to the following conclusion.

Any tea to be consumed by me that has been ‘stirred in’ with a ‘marmalade spoon’ is Breakfast Tea.

Reference terms

‘Marmalade spoon’ - a spoon that having been used to convey the conserve still bears the sumptuous mulled fruits of vintage marmalade.

‘Stirred in’ - this is the act of correctly administering the precise unmeasured amount of tartness that is about to be lovingly incorporated into your breakfast beverage.

The above conclusion is either a fantastic folly, or a great relief, or depending on your views of cutlery and conserve deposits it could be an outlandish observance.  If you define a Breakfast Tea by the fact that the preparers of the infusion have labelled it as such then my conclusion is a fantastic folly.  To my mind the perfect breakfast often involves tea and toast with vintage marmalade making an unsurpassable contribution.   Marmalade in colour, aroma and texture only tantalises the senses but on consumption it enlivens the palette and thrills the mind with rich imaginings.  So by using the crowned emperor of the breakfast court to consecrate my tea I feel that the authority vested in matured oranges with thick cut rind raises my beverage even as it may lower it.  The addition of what can viewed as mealtime detritus only fit for the sink to my mind lifts and lowers the Breakfast Tea above and below all other cups of the day.

Beyond the fantastic folly of my idea that any tea can be a Breakfast Tea I believe that there is a notion of a great relief delivered to anyone who has searched in vain for Breakfast Tea.  If you cannot see beyond the folly of stirring in marmalade then you will not be able to accept the potential stress reduction I am about to detail.  If you accept that a spoon used for marmalade extraction can be the vehicle of transformation to your ordinary tea then you have no need to further question the ingredients and concept of Breakfast Tea.  The idea of a certain tea for a certain time and meal is rather peculiar, but once a fashionable label has been accepted what more is there to do than to brandish that label in order to ensure that all who know and respect the label are aware that you are to be found enjoying the huddled throng gathered in the shade of that label.

For many the use of besmirched cutlery is out of the question.  Even if the besmirchee is the user of the cutlery then there are prescribed rules for use of the item in question.  At this moment in time I choose not to enter into the questionable states of what offices a butter knife may be put to.  Although particular items of cutlery have stated uses and preferred practices I will not discuss those.  The mention of teaspoon here is not to indicate that this spoon is only for use with tea preparation and consumption but here it indicates the size of the spoon.   The said teaspoon once used for conveying conserve is for many not able to serve another separate function until it is cleaned away from and then returned to the table.  My boorish use of the marmalade spoon is therefore to many an outlandish observance.  My parting statement is to claim that sometimes there is a need to challenge convention and to make new traditions so I claim that my fantastic folly not only brings great relief, but that at my table at least it is not an outlandish observance, but it is a newly adopted rite of proper breakfasting.

seBADoh at Cabaret Voltaire 24 August 2011

seBADoh in Edinburgh with a lo-fi true sound thrilled the audience like a combination of Nirvana and Led Zepplin giving great power and presence.  This skilled line up brought brilliance to fast and slow tracks.  They prove that all you need are instruments, vocals and talent to make great music.  A few pedals on a range of guitars played by Lou Barlow and Jason Loewenstein and excellent beats from by Bob D’Amico on drums are more than enough to rock the room until time is called all too early after a frantic set has been delivered to a satisfied crowd.

Band website  http://sebadoh.com/

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Fancies 17 August 2011

The evening was setting in heralding the night to come.  With clouds shrouding the setting sun the prevailing light altered as if a tidal flow of illumination was travelling the length and breadth of the High Street.  Bobbing along on the fast changing flow of light I surfaced and dived in and out of shadows and the alleyways.  Feeding my perspective with flash I filled my frame with something of everything available and took one particular shot of near nothingness.  All too soon it was time to escort my assistant home and so we turned our backs on the lengthening shadows in Edinburgh as we headed into the setting sun descending in the West.  We were glad that the sun was bringing down a curtain on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as we needing to find a fitting rest so that we could rise again ready to do it all once more only this time harder, longer, stronger, faster and yet slower with consummate ease and a frantic frenetic pleasure.

Pictures on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157627337524049/

Film on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkuZxmLbbPY

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Fancies 14 August 2011

The rain came and went again and then the sun shone on and on and on.  The colours brightened and burned in the warm light as Edinburgh enjoyed a beautiful August Sunday with fantastic fringe fancies of all shapes and sizes running amok in a somewhat marshalled chaos.  Suddenly after the rain the whole High Street became a sun trap in which the crowds and performers could bathe in golden star light before they began to get ready for the evening’s stage bound limelight.  After the crowds of the afternoon the centre of Edinburgh slowly breathes out and opens up again releasing performers and spectators to scurry away to venues and to find refreshments.  The quiet of the evening leads to the still of the night.  The silent shadows passed unnoticed by the last late leavers of the festival are filled with a potent promise that the return of the light will bring out again the pretty displays that attract all of the avid festival fans to fill the streets again.

Pictures on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157627314011791/

Film on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtLZxdMtBrc

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Fancies 12 August 2011

The changeable light of August in Edinburgh brings great challenges to the photographer.  The conditions suggest certain technical settings and seem to guide you away from others.  Within the limitations are more possibilities than it may at first appear.  One huge advantage to the fickle forms of light is that there is often more space and time to take pictures on the Royal Mile.  Those that brave the less advantageous weather conditions are often more inclined to help make a photograph into a picture.  With the use of perspective and after gaining an angle you might still have time to balance the composition and set up your lighting before you click and flash and then take up a second position for an alternate elevation and then click and flash again.  Sometimes the difficulties in the creative process produce the challenges that make the finished work more stratifying. 

Pictures on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157627351468195/

Film on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwBRa7tC2no