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2013-05-24 13:26:51 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

On #gardens    and #dogs    : 

If you're looking for me - I am in the garden, digging and planting in short productive sessions, between rains. Weird weather: one moment it's a bright sun, another moment - cold shower! The Dog gave up and now's watching me from behind the glass... I don't wanna know what he's thinking about the whole thing. 
......
Drafting an article about one of recently visited gardens, I thought I'd share one photo with you, to stay on the Dog & Garden theme. 
Oh, rain stopped. Laterrrr! 

Privé. Château de Vendeuvre, France

2013-05-24 08:46:55 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

"The clear French landscape is as pure as a verse of Racine. "
Paul Cezanne


Pays d'Auge, Calvados

2013-05-24 07:34:44 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

I'm making up sets for my web, from our recent trip to Normandy, and the images sort of naturally coming up in different moods and styles.  Some in colour, some very dark and graphic, some in sepia, some white and minimalist. This one is from BW (architectural) set, need to think of a title which reflects my idea of it,  in the best way. Dunno yet.  

Gothics comes up best, when in BW or sepia, doesn't it... 

Reaching out. Bayeux, France

2013-05-24 06:43:24 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Kicking off Friday morning. Nice one, Peteski! 

2013-05-24 06:41:39 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

#5 and #9. 

2013-05-23 15:18:42 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

couldn't resist when I saw how we parked along the street... 

Parking spot #55. Bayeux, France  

2013-05-23 14:55:36 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

... picking peeking...

The Cathedral. Bayeux, France 

2013-05-23 10:35:26 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

On #art  , #love  and #loathe  : 
...just read, and couldn't have said it better myself: 

"Thanks to art, instead of seeing one world only, our own, we see that world multiply itself and we have at our disposal as many worlds as there are original artists, worlds more different one from the other than those which revolve in infinite space, worlds which, centuries after the extinction of the fire from which their light first emanated, whether it is called Rembrandt or Vermeer, send us still each one its special radiance." 
Marcel Proust

Which means - to me. at least - I should stop operating with the word loathe when considering any piece of art and just be happy it's all here, for me to see, so  - lucky me!

(Hey, don't push, ok:  I'm not ready yet to be happy with Kinkade - but I won't ever mention his art in anynegativ... more »

2013-05-23 10:33:35 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

I've seen these weird and beautiful trees in Normandy... again, Nature provides an excellent proof to the fact that everything is beautiful.  
I think ugly doesn't exist in Nature, except when we choose to think it does. 


Parasites in BW

2013-05-22 14:33:31 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Oh Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin made it into the Poem of the Day!! :) So, it's like being Hot and Recommended.  (Ай да Пушкин, ай да сукин сын! )

Friendship

What's friendship? The hangover's faction,
The gratis talk of outrage,
Exchange by vanity, inaction,
Or bitter shame of patronage. 
.........

In Russian, as I remember it:

Дружба

Что дружба? Лёгкий пыл похмелья,
Обиды вольный разговор,
Обмен тщеславия, безделья
Иль покровительства позор.

Ах, славно славно...а главное - правда! :) 

2013-05-22 10:52:33 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

... went into the garden after rain and collected lots of broken tulip heads, - too big flowers, too heavy when wet, too strong wind. Now they are on my desk, in a small vase for broken flowers (you know those, right?) making me think of elegant and sensual side of nature.
They feel like gorgeous silk underwear, if you allow me such a comparison. 

beauty on my desk 

2013-05-22 08:54:13 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

...There is some settling melancholy in the Pays d'Auge landscape. Except for a barbed wire, it could be any time. 

Cows. Normandy in b&w

2013-05-22 07:56:30 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

it's been a while since grooviejazz... 

2013-05-22 07:37:56 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Still Lives by Irving Penn - INSPIRING!!! Want to buy some apples to rot... ;)) 

I wonder what's the real goodness in here: the actual apple shot, the name of Penn,  or the fact that he probably wouldn't give a damn what I think of these simple concepts... 
I think they are not special at all. And I can't help falling in love with them. Penn or not Penn. 

2013-05-22 07:07:41 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

on #history  and #places  : 

the ghost abbey 

What I like about our journeys,  is that we meet some fascinating people.  And places, of course.
Some fascinating people in some fascinating places.

In the middle of French nowhere we came across a wall, a house and a small team of three guys restoring an ancient looking gate.
 
Half an hour later I found myself  in the middle of a field staring at the abbey which wasn't there. The thing is, while listening to the enthusiast voice with an inevitable French accent, I actually started seeing the pillars and the windows, the chapels and the stairs, - as if the whole massive architecture started emerging from the air, right in the green field,in front of my eyes. And I realized that a column was blocking my view of the lake... It was such a magic feeling, I tell you. 

The link towhat'... more »

2013-05-21 13:25:01 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

It isn't all bad. In fact it is more like this. 
Life, I mean. 

Good morning. Normandy

2013-05-21 11:55:58 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Для моих русско-язычных читателей : 

кое-какие впечатления от недавней поездки в Нормандию. Которые интересно сравнить с предыдущими :)  Кроме тех, что я была гораздо худее, и погода была гораздо лучше. 

2013-05-21 09:46:46 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

... when I am inside a cathedral I always feel like a child.
Not because it suppresses me in any way but because of the way I look around and see the magic of things.  
It's always there, talking to me, only without words.  
Showing me where to look, so I can see.

The Cathedral of Bayeux, Normandy

2013-05-21 08:37:25 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

This is instead of sharing individual posts of this kind and cluttering the streams: a bunch of #art   and  #culture  news I've read this morning.
Consider this is a free newspaper i've left on a bench.

The Picasso article I liked, and the one about audio-video installations. Biblioklept also rocks today, with Derrida. In Culture Talks - Lucy Liu: Totem - did you know she is an artist? 

In other words, go list through, if interested.

2013-05-20 15:35:00 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

On #names  and #France  :

I am sorting my latest "serious" and "worthy" photographs from "fun" and "whatever" snapshots. This one is from the last category.  But i thought you might like it. 

Hot Spot. From Dusk Till Dawn  

2013-05-20 13:23:42 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

On #books  ,  #cooking  and   #Bayeux   tapestry: 

"A baker who gave short weight might be dragged through the streets on a sledge with the offending loaf around his (her) neck."
(a quote on the Detail of a letter E from the Bakers' Charter illuminated manuscript, The Medieval Cookbook)

... First, +Marina Butkina - finally, I've seen with my own eyes the Bayeux tapestry and immediately remembered the fun website link you gave me once - where one can make own tapestry online, I've realized the characters were based on this real thing of 70 m long I've paid 10 euros for - to be allowed to walk along it in the dark exposition room. Nice tapestry. Very long.  We've seen it all in 5 minutes. 

... Second, in the shop of the Bayeux tapestry expo we've bought a book I've been enjoying reading every minute since. Sofun, a r... more »

2013-05-20 08:33:54 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Hi, we are back. Earlier than planned, due to the weather and to the fact we've seen so much it felt like we've stayed there for a month. 

I'm in shock from new G+ look.  It's so cluttered I can't breathe.  
And clutter is smth my body rejects at once. So, I don't know.

Now go unpack and think about it. 


Normandy, raw and beautiful 

2013-05-20 07:57:23 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Hi, I am just back from vacation and still have to figure how this new G+ stuff works. Consider this photo to be a test, please.
I have no idea how it will show up - now I can see only a part of it and cannot figure how to fix it.  In case it does show up right, some info:
I've put this together in a tiny and dark living room of a French Normandy style house we were staying in.  
I only had my Nikon D50 with the original 32mm lens, that's all.  No extra equipment, no lights, pretty medieval, like the house itself ;)
The table is next to the only window, natural light and a curtain I used as a background. 
At home I don't have any old jugs or any curtains, so i was tempted to use the chance. 
Now the moment of truth - if it will show up as I wanted.  

2013-05-19 11:23:59 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Привет! Делюсь своими впечатлениями из одного из садов Нормандии - сад огромный, впечатления разнообразные.  Интересно, что скажете... :)  Холод здесь не по-весеннему собачий, откровенно говоря, вам в России с нынешней жарой и не представить. Но - красота требует жертв. 

2013-05-10 22:03:38 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

See ya!

2013-05-10 14:15:25 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Staring. A'dam from a boat 

2013-05-10 14:12:53 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

My updated website with my complete back catalogue...

2013-05-10 12:36:18 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

I am putting together a list of gardens we might visit in the area. This one looks like a gem. Well, French, trimmed and polished. Love the grasses!!! 
(damn, not a word in English... :) 
This is a great website for garden travelers: http://www.jardinez.com/ 

2013-05-10 10:39:47 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

again, great film stills. 
Yoknapatawpha County...

2013-05-10 10:39:01 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Reading my morning paper... This world is full of art and creative people. Also. 

2013-05-10 09:57:50 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

fascinating... 

2013-05-10 09:53:42 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

The weather prediction for two weeks is promising. 
Promising rain, 16 degrees C and grey sky. 
Nice. 
That's how real Normandy should be. 

(I see it like a pay off for all the sunny vacations we have had in France so far) 

Wandrille, France in BW 

2013-05-10 08:43:41 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

What a magnificent book - illustrations, I mean. Wow. By Catrin Morgan.
Of course, I went down the rabbit hole to find out more about this artist. 
And more I did find! 
Check this out: http://catrinmorgan.co.uk/index.php?/book/mapping-the-moment-at-which-your-life-will-end/ - what an interesting mixture of design, architecture, collage, photography, installation, fine arts and fine thoughts. 
"Mapping the moment..." was unexpected. :)

2013-05-09 19:24:42 (15 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Hi,

First, if i wasn't such a self-confident person, I would have felt extremely intimidated by the presence of food photography pros. Seriously. Reading your introductions I thought well, Olga, pack your bags and go home. 

Second, I feel very flattered to be invited by +börje ensgård (why did he do that?!) in such a company. 
Third, and here it goes.
I'm not a food photographer, neither a chef, nor a food-blogger.
And you have no idea how much I regret now I'm not any of that. ;)
My professional path never crossed with food in the form of photography, only in the form of restaurants, because I am very much into fine dining and wining. As well as into design, art and photography in general. These are my life interests, my hobbies, not a profession. I'm a linguist, lecturer, cross-cultural business consultant.
And yet, I've beenphoto... more »

2013-05-09 13:59:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"How Photographers ‘Photoshopped’ Their Pictures Back in 1946" http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PetaPixel/~3/eO82HgrhJss/

2013-05-09 13:26:52 (13 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

My experience with chiaroscuro lighting (so far) 

Mind you, I'm not preaching on anyone how to do this or that. ;) It's just after a while of doing still lives I thought I'd share what I've learned on my way. 

In brief, how I understand the essence of tenebrism, in a nutshell: one solitary light source - preferably day light, and bold contrasts between light and shadow. This creates a necessary and typical drama.
That's all. That's the core. 
Also, the more curved and dimensional object is, the better end result will be. (Compare the shot of fruits with a shot of blank and flat sheet of paper.  Even with the paper, once you bent the corner of the paper, or rolled it, you've added some drama to the shot, creating extra dimension. And so on)
 
I always have a theme in mind, the concept of the shot, which naturally makes oneobje... more »

2013-05-09 12:18:31 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

some fitness magazine sent me a message: Congrats, you've been selected! 
Yuck. 

2013-05-09 11:20:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

i like the look of it... :) 

Amsterdam Centraal. From a train 

2013-05-09 11:15:24 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

... went to read sad news about Ottavio Missoni (RIP) and found this  portrait of Peter Saville which led me to a great, great blog by PAUL HORNSCHEMEIER (PRONOUNCED HORNCH-MYER) :): http://dailyforlorn.tumblr.com/ - that's how things go in life. And death. Art leads to more art. 

2013-05-09 10:46:42 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Все новости о предстоящем шоу в Челси на одной странице. Сто идей, как всегда. 

2013-05-09 10:34:25 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 6 +1s)

The Art of Pronkstilleven : 

I'm still enjoying my still life journey, into the world of The Great, trying to figure their secrets, and meanwhile finding my own way and manner to shoot contemporary still life.
Goes without a doubt that the most fascinating stuff is to be found within the era of Dutch Baroque where the darkness is taken further from Caravaggio with the technique of caravaggism called tenebrism. It involves the contrast of dark shadow with areas of bright light - a technique which had not been seen before Rembrandt's "Night Watch". Please, correct me, if I am wrong. This tenebrism is what totally fascinates me at this moment. 
Kalf, de Heem, van Aelst, Pieter Claesz and many others... Golden Age indeed...
One of my favourite - Jan Davidsz de Heem : http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Jan_Davidsz._de_Heem

2013-05-09 09:10:45 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

"Prince Willem", SAIL, and some mixed feelings

This one is from one very - very! - special event, that takes place in Amsterdam every five years.
The great SAIL: http://sail.nl/en/
This picture is from SAIL2005, where I was together with my son, and we were witnessing something so unique, so beautiful, - I never forget that day. 
I have to say the Russian tall ships were the biggest and most impressive.
But seeing the Dutch black ships sailing in the harbour all day long ... it's like history comes alive.
Especially knowing that that ship was an exact replica of VOC "Prince Willem", which was the largest ship at the time of the Dutch East India Company. It was built in 1649 in Middelburg in the Netherlands and sank near Madagaskar in 1662.
Shame, shame, shame that the replica was totally destroyed in 2009 by fire, in the harbor ofDe... more »

2013-05-09 07:30:03 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

old era... seems so alien. I wonder if we will look that odd to the next generations. 
The stills are beautiful. 

2013-05-09 07:24:40 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Oh my. What ideas people might have and pursue! ;)
I love the one of Shakespeare! 

2013-05-09 07:18:01 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

... yesterday was a set Amsterdam from a boat, today I plan to put together my from a train folder. So, might be more to come, depending on the rain.  

Almere. From a train

2013-05-09 07:05:28 (12 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Reading my morning paper (dot li) (I didn't kill it, so far - opposite, I started finding it convenient :) 
This morning it's packed with goodness. 

We come from the future - very appropriate name! 
Incredible and amusing.
Mad science? Please! 

2013-05-09 05:35:24 (14 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

9 день, месяц май. С  ПРАЗДНИКОМ!

2013-05-08 16:27:48 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

My grandfather's. I remember this duck bowl as long as I remember myself.  Some things are unbreakable. I think this survived two world wars, one civil war and one revolution, plus smaller catastrophes like marriages, divorces, reconstructions and moving from place to place. 
Still here. Well, here is in the Netherlands now.  Migrated to Low Lands and settled down on a shelf in my study. When I touch it, I am back into my childhood. 
Long live, Grandfather's Duck. 

Love measured in ducks 

2013-05-08 16:10:01 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

New post by me on VISCER-ebr-AL...

2013-05-08 12:40:46 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Having wall-sized windows, now i can see the tulips from every spot in my house...  impossible not to click.  

Newbies. Dutch Spring in colour