Gotthard: ‘The King of Mountain Passes’
The Gotthard Pass lies at an elevation of 2106 metres and connects northern Switzerland with the south, an inviting pass to negotiate on our journey to Locarno in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. There was heavy snow in the winter…
Morning Light at Rheinfelden
Rheinfelden is a beautiful small Swiss town to the east of Basel on the banks of the Rhine with a stone bridge forming a border between Switzerland and Germany. Beautiful in the morning light and with the powerful sight and sounds of this mighty river.
Reims Cathedral
Even today, in an age that seems lost and confused between sacred and the secular, the great cathedrals of the world have the capacity to expand consciousness, opening the eyes of the heart to wonder, beauty, mystery, the infinite or the divine. The great cathedral at Reims, Notre-Dame de Reims, is no exception – a masterpiece of gothic architecture and, like our own Wells Cathedral, full of spiritual symbolism and sacred geometry. The cathedral once (like Chartres and Amiens) had a labyrinth installed in the floor of the nave, sadly destroyed by the cathedral priests in 1779.
If you like bees…
If you like bees...we came home from holiday to find the lavender in full flower and offering a feast to Western Honey Bees.
Labyrinth
An unusual phenomenon took place in front of Wells cathedral Sunday 23rd June: the building and walking of a labyrinth. This was led by master sacred geometrist Tom Bree (the writer of the remarkable book Cosmos in Stone, about the sacred geometry of Wells Cathedral). If you are not familiar with labyrinths, they have an ancient history in many cultures and offer the opportunity to walk a geometric path (in this case built with lights) which aids reflection, contemplation or prayer. The route takes you through four quadrants to the centre and then out again - there is only one way, you cannot get lost. For some it is simply a fun thing to do, for some an opportunity to seek help or guidance, for some a time of prayer as you face the twists and turns of life. It has been known for some to walk a labyrinth as part of a psychedelic or mystical experience - but perhaps not here in Wells!?
I have taken some creative liberty with some of the images, using intentional camera movement to add some dynamism.
Ebbor Insects
We had a walk in Ebbor Gorge - that stunning limestone gorge in the Mendip Hills, a nature reserve managed by Natural England. To be honest we didn’t get far because we were looking for insects. If you stop and look it’s amazing what you see. And it was great to see the gorge bursting with life after the winter season.
Westhay Moor Nature Reserve with Zoom Telephoto Macro
Crane Fly
Macro lenses are great but on this occasion I wanted to see how the Nikon Z 70-200 F2.8 with a 2x TC would perform as macro (mostly). I was quite pleased and it had the advantage of more distance being possible from the subject.
Peace Doves Wells
Peace Doves
‘Peace Doves’ is a mass-participation artwork by sculptor and artist Peter Walker. Thousands of paper doves carrying messages of peace, hope, and love are currently suspended in a beautiful, illuminated installation over the Nave of Wells Cathedral. The artwork is set to music by composer David Harper.
As part of the preparation for the installation, visitors to the Cathedral were invited to write their messages on the handmade doves that have now been included in the final artwork. In this way, the installation is unique to Wells.
For myself, I have long been inspired by the Jewish idea of Tikkun Olam - the healing and transformation of all things by cultivating human actions that reflect goodness, beauty, truth, love and compassion. This also is in harmony with the Biblical notion of Shalom - the peace, health and harmony that all of creation and all people ultimately long for and is offered as a tantalising destination for human and earth history.
So here are some photographs of the Peace Doves installation in Wells using a camera with just a 20mm lens and a bit of ICM (intentional camera movement) creativity.
Biddlcombe macro walk
Such a delight to walk through part of Biddlecombe today - this ancient wooded coombe full of bluebells, flowering garlic and so much more, today through a macro lens.
Bluebell Walk
It’s that time of year and a walk up Beryl Lane and across to Bristol Hill takes you to a lovely bluebell wood.
Present Tense at Hauser & Wirth, Somerset
We always enjoy a visit to Hauser & Wirth Somerset with its galleries and garden. The current gallery theme is an interesting one - ‘Present Tense’, with several artists exploring themes of identity, consciousness, humanity and representation. Very topical themes in a postmodern context of exploration and confusion around identity and values.
Here is a selection of images from the galleries and garden.
An April Woodland Walk
It was a windy blustery morning so for our morning photography walk…
