Boosnaps

591 Spring Exhibition 2012 - an invitation

2012-01-18T21:46:00.000Z

You are cordially invited to take part in the spring exhibition on the wonderful 591 photography blog.
There are four categories that you can submit images to, Wind, Water, Earth and Fire are the subjects of each category and you can enter pictures for all four if you want.

For more details of this exciting exhibition and chance to get your pictures seen by the 17,000 or so visitors that the site gets each month got to the exhibition page.

Nightdays on 591

2011-10-24T17:37:00.000+01:00

An invitation to take part in the latest exhibition on the very wonderful 591 photography blog, see details on the blog here. All photographers are very welcome to send in images, all will be shown on the site and later a slide show will be permanently attached to the blog.

2011-10-24T17:20:00.003+01:00

Beach Days on 591

The images sent in for the 591 photography blog exhibition Beach Days can be seen on the site, there will shortly be a lovely slide show of selected images sent in; here you can see all submitted images when you scroll down and hit "older posts". It's well worth seeing, we've had some delightful images submitted....

Beach Days on 591 - an invitation!

2011-08-15T22:09:00.004+01:00

West Pier, Brighton, England

This is a Call for Entries to Beach Days, a new exhibition on the 591 photography blog. Open to all photographers and anyone else that snaps pictures by the seaside occasionally, I bet that's most people so dig out a few images and send them in! Details are on the blog here.

Vintage Photo Days - The Slide Show and Album.

2011-06-04T22:13:00.000+01:00

The pictures submitted for the show by 29 people from around the world have been wonderful to view, a pleasure to see and post on the 591 blog and share with the viewers. You can see the entire album of images or a slide show of a selection of them here.

Vintage Photo Days - Call for Entries

2011-04-19T19:19:00.000+01:00

Dig out those old photo albums and start up the scanners, we'd like you to share some of your favourite vintage photos with us here on 591. They have to be at least 40 years old to qualify as vintage, that's our definition of course based on the fact that a lot of us authors on 591 can remember back a bit further than that so less than 40 years seems modern to us!!
They don't have to be your own or family photos of course, found images are perfectly acceptable too, those found in junk shops, yard sales, car boot sales etc would be nice to see also. If you like it then I believe others will too so feel free to share them with the world of 591 photography.
Click this link for more details.

Tennessee

2011-04-06T22:06:00.001+01:00

Two pictures from a wonderful trip to Tennessee, the top one is the advertising hoarding above the famous Chattanooga Choo Choo, housed in the railway station below. The other is the rear of a shop in the small town of Bell Buckle near Nashville, the front of the shop may appear here one day but I found the rear more interesting!

Thanks Rhonda.

Rock & Roll!!

2011-02-27T21:20:00.000Z

Kita's Seat

2011-01-31T23:32:00.000Z

A place to sit in a garden in the Highlands, close to Loch Ness.

Oldest and Youngest!

2010-12-31T23:19:00.000Z

A picture taken last weekend, the oldest being my aunt Elsie, the youngest is Kaelan my nephew. She is nearly 85 and he just past 6 months, both need a lot of attention and looking after at the opposite ends of life.
Hope you like the picture, just thought I'd share it with you all.
Wishing all viewers of this very occasional blog a fabulous 2011.

Autumn in Scotland

2010-12-04T21:28:00.000Z

Just a few snaps taken at the end of October on the south side of Loch Ness.

Isle of Wight and families

2010-08-18T21:40:00.001+01:00

Thatched roofs and roses at Godshill

A view across the Downs

Cottages in Brighstone

Three pictures from a trip to the Isle of Wight last week to visit some sadly neglected relatives, uncles, aunts and cousins that I hadn't seen for a long time until last year when we got together for my mother's funeral. Some forty years have passed since my last visit to this island, far too long, I have missed a lot during that time. My uncles and aunt have become grandparents in that time and I didn't even get to meet their children until now, when they have children of their own!! One cousin I didn't get to meet because she has emigrated to New Zealand, somehow I think I'll never meet her, a sad situation all round I think. Hopefully we will be able to fulfil our pledges to stay in touch more closely than previously, we could scarcely do worse than we have...

Anyway, this is my bit for the Isle of Wight tourist office, a very pretty island just off the south coast of England. I can recommend a visit if you are in this country for any reason. Lots to see and do there especially water sports, the island is very famous for it's sailing facilities. There's also a castle, many nice pubs and three maximum security prisons! I can recommend the Garlic Farm too, especially as my cousin is an employee there; they sell everything imaginable made with garlic including beer!!

Slow...

2010-07-24T21:10:00.008+01:00

These cyclists are racing so slowing down is not an option for them at this moment, just wish time could slow down a little, it's been racing past at least as fast as these guys! Would be nice to find time to enjoy this fine weather we have had here in London this past month or two, it seems to be all work though! Suppose I should think of the money...!!
Just watched the last time trial of the Tour de France, I have ridden a few time trials myself over the same distance. I was much slower of course, well very much slower! In this country that type of race is known as "the race of truth", one person against the elements and of course fighting against the tendency to lose concentration. There is always in these races a big fight with your own mind, a struggle to remain focussed on the task and not be distracted by other thoughts that flicker across your mind. The toughest of tasks I always found, harder that pushing through the pain!
The way to ride a time trial, a race against the clock is to measure your pace carefully; start quickly and gradually get faster towards the end that way making your energy last the distance. Get it totally right and you fall of the bike at the finish, totally exhausted.
Life is like a time trial I think, the difference being that it seems to be time that moves faster towards the end; it's pushing hard through the pain and getting closer to the end far too fast for my liking.....!
Wishing it would get a flat tyre and slow down a bit....

Buskers!

2010-07-05T23:31:00.006+01:00

Country Singer, Nashville © Rhonda Prince

I'd just like to draw your attention to a small exhibition of images by Rhonda Prince and myself, Buskers on 591 photography blog. You will find pictures of street performers/performances from both sides of the Atlantic mostly London and Chattanooga. Hope you enjoy them.

Kaelan Samuel Bell

2010-06-22T18:15:00.004+01:00

Introducing my nephew Kaelan Samuel Bell to the world. He was just about 44 hours old when I took these pictures on the 19th June 2010. He was born about three weeks before his due date because of certain medical issues but is certainly a very healthy baby, he is now at home with his parents.

2010-05-24T22:15:00.002+01:00

Thought you'd like to see a portrait of the man in the previous post and my two Brazilian friends, his customers on the beach :o)
If I remember correctly this man used to work in the fields cutting sugar cane for a living, a hard working life he had back then; now he walks the beaches selling clothes to pretty woman on the beach! A nice job if you can get it!!

RGB Days of 591 Photography

2010-05-12T21:52:00.003+01:00

It was an honour to have this picture chosen for an exhibition on another photography blog, 591 is a very well thought out and indeed thought provoking site; inspirational too an awful lot of the time. The exhibition theme is Colour, there are 46 excellent photos to see, enjoy them.
RGB Days of 591 Photography
The picture is a beach vendor in Brazil, a mobile shop really! You can sunbathe, drink a cold beer and buy cloths at the same time!!

A Puffin...

2010-04-28T21:32:00.002+01:00

The Holga camera is not usually thought of as being particularly adept or suitable wild bird photography, most photographers preferring very expensive slr cameras with incredibly expensive, long and heavy lenses! Phuh to that, my plastic box is OK for the job if you know its limitations. OK the image is a little soft and there are other faults, such as one large and obvious light leak; the subject looks a little flat and wooden but ignoring all that I think the picture is alright!!!!
LOL!

Chairs!

2010-03-22T22:05:00.004Z

Seating on a peaceful beach in Brazil.

Euro Bear

2010-02-15T21:39:00.002Z

Just a snap shot of some Berlin wildlife, a little easier to capture than the last post ;-) This one stood quite still and posed nicely for me and many others too of course :o) I suppose you could read something into the pose, throwing his arms up in exasperation with the current economic situation in Europe! Probably not though, it's just a plastic bear...!

Hello!

2010-01-26T21:22:00.004Z

This is a snapshot I took about a week ago at a nature reserve near home, one of many Mute Swans, other water fowl and many other species of wildlife. For those interested more information is here: http://www.leevalleypark.org.uk/ I'm lucky enough to live close to the middle of this large area.
This particular part of the park is called Fishers Green, it's mostly reclaimed industrial land, gravel pits that have been filled with water and allowed to become habitat for many plants and animals, some quite rare species including Bittern, one of which was seen this day.
I don't make resolutions for a new year usually but I do intend to take more advantage of this place during the year, get some much needed exercise walking around and enjoying the place and its wildlife. Of course I'll take a camera too.
If nature can reclaim the land after it was extensively damaged by us for our short term gain, maybe there is hope for our planet after all! Mmmm!!??

Dream...

2009-12-21T23:50:00.002Z

A snapshot taken on a recent trip to Berlin, in East Berlin to be precise although I don't think that fact matters too much. However in the recent history of this great city a lot of dreaming has been done and I feel sure a lot has come true for them all.

http://paulboocock.multiply.com/ More of my snapshots can be seen here if you are interested. Berlin is fabulous and fascinating, I fully intend a return visit someday.

Serendpity

2009-10-17T16:34:00.005+01:00

Accidents happen don't they?
Serendipity, happy accidents.
The trouble with the Holga camera is that they can happen all too easily, the camera being designed for it really. It will trip you up if you are forgetful, get distracted after taking one shot and forget to wind to the next frame and you end up with two exposures on the one negative as here. Mostly the result is awful, a confusing mess but sometimes there is an interesting result. This is what happened here, I find it fascinating but I'll leave it to you to agree or disagree.

I suppose if there is a lesson here, it's that what may be a catastrophe can in fact turn out to have good repercussions, when the dust settles, when things return to normal (whatever that is?). In my case the death of my mother was catastrophic but after the inevitable changes to my life, I'm certain things will turn out fine, hopefully better than fine!! Time will tell, just wish it didn't pass by so bloody quickly...>>>>>!!!

Hope this all makes some sense, I didn't plan the words or edit much, they just came out....

Disconnected

2009-09-25T09:52:00.007+01:00

Now that Autumn has started, it's time for a summer picture although admittedly not this summer but two years ago. This is the remains of the West Pier in Brighton on the south coast of England.

I have been absent from my blog for a while now, partly due to lack of inspiration but also lack of time due to certain events in my life recently. Namely the death of my mother back in July this year, a time in my life that was incredibly disturbing and painful.

There are one or two positive things about this time in my life, one of which is meeting members of the family that had become distant relatives, I mean that more in a figurative sense than a physical one for they are not so far away in terms of actual kilometres it's just that we lost touch for many years; contact was reduced to Christmas cards etc!!! I'm sure that it's not just my family that has this problem, we are far from unique I know which makes it all the sadder really.

From now onwards I intend to keep in touch with them all and visit as often as practical, make the effort to visit or just phone or email. There are so many ways to keep in touch now that the excuses for not doing so have been reduced dramatically over the years...!!!

Red!

2009-07-19T23:00:00.002+01:00

I like this snap shot a lot, it cheers me up on these grey, wet days that we have been having lately in the U.K. Just a grab shot of an unknown girl, daughter of one of the many tourists in Trafalgar Square one sunny winter's afternoon.
The camera chose to focus on her coat but what the heck, it doesn't seem to matter much in this picture. Hope it puts a smile on your faces too :o)

Portrait Exhibition

2009-07-01T16:34:00.006+01:00

Just a note to blatantly publicise an online portrait exhibition exhibition, the good people did me the honour of selecting my picture and placed it among some really great portraits by real portrait photographers! The 591 photo blog is well worth a look, lots of interesting and sometimes challenging pictures to study.
http://mrurbano.jalbum.net/Portraits%20-%20591%20Summer%20Exhibition%2009/
Mine is the little girl in the ballet outfit with her birthday cake!

Tulips

2009-06-14T22:15:00.003+01:00

Just a snapshot with the Holga in spring 2008 outside Tate Britain. I was attracted to the light and the way it illuminated the orange tulips. One of the all too rare sunny days last year!

King of the Hill!!

2009-05-20T19:55:00.002+01:00

A good friend's dog Giorgio surveying his territory, well he maybe thinks it his territory while he's bouncing around in the snow! He's not the only one that suffers delusions, omnipotent delusions, exaggerated ideas about his own importance in the scheme of things!!
Enough anthropomorphising, Giorgio is a dog and that's all, nothing more, nothing less he just gets on with the business of being himself and no more....

2009-05-15T16:29:00.000+01:00

A children's playground in Elgol on the lovely Isle of Skye, a beautiful place for kids to grow up I feel. Anyway, memories of childhood and less complicated times in our lives.

A Beach

2009-05-10T22:44:00.000+01:00

An unfamiliar scene in London for sure but we do have them twice a day, when the tide is out!
Taken by myself a couple of summers back, one of those rare sunny and hot Sundays we have in summer...
Make of it what you will...

Monster of the East River!

2009-04-22T20:40:00.000+01:00

I visited a friend in New York City last summer, she was there for a year working for a British bank. We had a very nice time exploring the city that she loves and I like quite a bit, took a few pictures and ate too much food as you do in that city! One afternoon we went to visit Brooklyn and we discovered this monster, kind of reminded me of the one in Loch Ness, Scotland only this one was a lot more friendly and a willing model!!!
This is one of my favourite pictures from the trip, a jolly toy monster in front of Brooklyn Bridge. My friend has since been a victim of the problems in the banking industry and is now back here and unemployed! It is nice to have reminders of some good times and that is part of the beauty of photography, such a versatile medium...

The Drummer!

2009-03-31T20:24:00.000+01:00

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Isolation!

2009-03-08T21:34:00.000Z

The lonely and isolated mood in this image is what I like the most about it, sometimes I feel this way, I'm sure a lot of us do of course; so hopefully others will like it too for those reasons. Lonely and isolated it may be up here but I wish I was there now, to de-stress and be left to think, to be in touch with myself for a small amount of time, something that seems virtually impossible in the big city with all of it's noise, hustle and bustle and craziness!

The picture is about 900 metres above sea level in the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland.

Heading Home

2009-03-05T21:49:00.000Z

After a short walk in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland, January 2009.

I just like the mood of this image, peace and tranquillity, an escape from the madness of city life. I took it with my favourite camera, a Holga, a plastic toy with a poor plastic lens and I love it.

Not sure what I will use this blog for exactly, hopefully that will become apparent as I add stuff to it. Probably what I write will have a picture to go with it, I hope you like them at least.
:o)