Monday, March 22, 2010

Bring Back Ramsey Carnival - My World

Where's our Carnival?


The image above is not from the carnival. It's from Ramsey Rocks, apart from the TT, The liveliest event we have North of the island. Why no carnival images? Well for one thing I had never even heard of this event. Big reason for that. The carnival has been over for years. Long before I arrived, last one being 1990. Big news though. There is a Facebook Campaign, Bring Back Ramsey Carnival, and for once this isn't one of my madder ideas, I am not a lone voice. Over 500 people already joined within days. You don't have to be an islander to join. All comers welcome. We are just looking for support. If you are an ex islander who remembers the event or has photos and can share stories get on Facebook and join. Now for those of you who are going to say I'm not on Facebook, that's where I step in. This blog for one. You got my email. We are looking for support, images, stories and most of all ideas. What you would have included in the carnival? Now most of you out there from the images I've seen get a carnival at some. So get ya thinking caps on. You know me. My ideas are a little too wacky, (my humour doesn't always travel well) and the Ramsey isn't quite ready for some of my alternative ideas. As it's been suggested.- Stick to the photography and write up. That I can do.


The campaign we hope will reach further afield, like newspapers, other local media and business. Always wanted to show you more people enjoying Ramsey life this and this would be a fantastic opportunity. Otherwise it will be the beach, the park, the nature reserve and that bloody bridge for eternity. So help me stay sane if nothing else. Everyone after all loves a carnival. Cheers.


Other My world post can be seen here.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

White cat blues

Don't ask me what kitty is doing in the road


It has been such a long time since I've been part of Critters, but as some of you know my blogging days in general have been quiet due to the laptop in a coma holding the images to ransom. Now all is well and I am plundering the older images before I take anymore new to see what I actually want to keep. This is a keeper.


If you look along the bottom of the post this cat which has been nicknamed Duchess( Aristocats obviously) or Arthur (an old UK advert) depending on if you think it is a she or a he will appear again on previous posts. You can also check out white cat myths too on those pages. Not just black cats that have myths written about them you know. Why Arthur/Duchess was sat in a quiet suburban road curbside I don't know. I do know if you turn the photo on to one side it looks like he/she is sat on a ledge. Two images for one. Either way I know A/D is a very photographic kitty kat and I'm sure I'm not done with A/D yet. Whoever owns A/D thank you for letting A/D out and about in Ramsey. Not that you can keep a cat in anyway.



Some time later today you can click here to see more critters around the World. Hello Misty.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Artistic slant - Skywatch

Alternative viewpoint


Been a few weeks since my last Skywatch. Going for something a little different. Call it bored on the beach and looking for inspiration before that cloud which had been following me dropped it's heavy load. It did. Not before I got a range of from the ground images. Who would like to live here then? Those flats/apartments really do overlook the Irish Sea, over to England, Scotland and Wales based on Mooragh Promenade. Sure more Mooragh images will pop up along the bottom of the post for you to check out. Just behind this block of flats you will find more of my my favourite photography haunts Mooragh Park, Mooragh Lake and of course the rugby pitch. I did promise you I would lay off the rugby images on the blog for a while, but they are so hard to resist posting. I may have to drop another one on for skywatch soon, without the moody clouds above.


Leave you with the moody shot and looking into something I found out we used to have here.... a carnival and a campaign to bring it back. Now everyone loves a carnival and I could really do with that to photograph. Save that one for next week when I have more info. You know me and a campaign....and this time I am not a lone voice. More Skywatch images can be found here after 8pm GMT.
Ramsey Daily Photo now has a shiny new Facebook page where you can see more photos here. Exciting eh! I should also say as it is Thursday I will be in the pub.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

I is for Iconic

Pridddddddy!

Abc


I know I could of had the easier obvious options, Isle of Man, island, Irish Sea but now I have the laptop back a chance to plunder( Viking style of course) the older images. One Harley Davidson being admired by locals and tourists on "Ramsey Day" ( yes we do have our own special day) when the TT Road Races take a a break. I am leaving this post tonight short and sweet, and just leave you to enjoy the image. I know I do. Reminds me soon the motorbikes are back, and so will some of you who will see this image tonight. I did wonder who owned it. I mean take a look at that number plate. Could this belong to an American tourist who liked certain TV show from the '70s or one of our more hazardous Ramsey residents? Leave you to ponder that one.


For more abc's see here

Monday, March 15, 2010

Homage to Henri Cartier Bresson - My World

Reality check


Anyone who knows me knows I have a thing about Henri Cartier Bresson. Well he was French( I am a Francophile too) and his photography is most definitely the single biggest inspiration of mine. Even before I knew the images I actually wanted to captured reflected his way of seeing the world. Considered the Godfather of modern street photography and photo journalism that is he captured the image as it was. No cropping, no desaturation, no tweaking in Photoshop. If it was blurry so be it. If someone wasn't quite in the best posed position does it really matter? In the real world, people are sitting around waiting for you to capture their image airbrushed, the sunset doesn't always looks beautiful and slush from that beautiful snowfall can make an equally interesting real image. Does every image have to be perfect, beautiful, geometrically balanced. The world is slightly askew, shoot it that way. You can always hold the camera at at different angle to capture the relatively dull scene to add your own creative twist. As he said he trapped life. Each image, especially the people I capture, traps that specific moment in time. The lone walker in the scene, unawares, whoever they were, braving what I can tell you now was a bitterly cold day midweek trapped through the lens. A moment never to be repeated. The pretty colours of Parliament Street reflected in the slush pools, the grim reality that when snow melts it's really quite miserable and horrible captured as it was. The way Bresson did.......



......Of course we all know that I am also barking mad. Throw in that element of quirkiness then all the above goes out the window and I can show you my very none Bresson images. Pics when I have specifically coaxed people to play the fool for the camera, or purposely shot the same inanimate object from quirky angles, waiting for sunlight to hit the bridge, because it seemed like a good idea at the time. 100 times, that being the abridged version of a very long story!

For more My World posts, Click here after 8pm.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

In honour of Eric Tenin -The Godfather of City Daily Photo

Praise be to Eric Tenin

5th Year celebration of Paris Daily Photo


Many of us over the years have probably had what we thought was a unique brainwave, a daily photo of the place we live. Sorry folks, myself included, and I am a brainwave kind of a lass, Eric had the conception, is the Godfather of the original Daily Photo. What better city too in my absolute favourite country in the whole wide world but a Daily Photo of Paris, France.

Today we in the City Daily Photo community are honouring the founder in his trademark style " from the ground up" genre of image with one taken from where we reside. From the rank amateur to the more accomplished professional all are welcome in the community, from one horse town to the biggest cities in the world and it is Eric we have to thank for bringing us all together under the umbrella of a website community to show our place to the world.

Congratulations Eric, and long may you reign so long as you understand I am still Queen B of my island.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Hiding out in the harbour - abc

Highlights on the high seas

I'm beginning to feel like Ross from Friends talking to Rachael. I never deserted the blog. I WAS ON A BREAK. Can I please add not by choice. My psycho laptop, the one with suicidal tendencies had a breakdown and fell into a coma. The nut job laptop is back, motherboard images intact and whatever therapy it needed to cope with me constantly abusing it by uploading soooooooooooooooooo many images we have reached an understanding. So here's the first one to get us back into the groove before I go off at a complete tangent as usual and into a mega rant about island life not being all it should be. A sweet little finish the day off after the rugby on the way home shot of the harbour. Gotta say, it's been all doom and gloom weather wise, but just as the laptop arrived home the glorious light returned to our shores and the wonderful sky blue appeared on the high( ok harbour inlet but let me manipulate the truth as always for purple prose effect and slip in another H) just waiting for me to capture. The vessel moored too nicely weathered and hell I've even got people in there walking to the lighthouse, just to prove I ain't the only one residing here. Just the only one in hiding. Those privy to my FB real persona can vouch for the fact I actually do have a cunning highway woman outfit. Another h, though on reflection not perhaps the most inconspicuous of outfits to wear taking photos.

Well I'm hopefully back, but I'm not a slave to the blog and this is not a to be taken too seriously look at the world I live in. Photography yes, words no. This isn't a travelogue but you will learn more about true island life and quirks than any book/site/or I love the island so much I won't have a word said against it types. It's a love hate relationship after all.
For more abc's see here

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