Roger Bennion's photos

Explored! Thank you very much :-) SATURDAY SELF-CHALLENGE 1 SEPTEMBER 2018 "BOKEH IN THE FOREGROUND" Another can of coke :-) Together with tiny candles (battery operated). Very, very, very difficult to watch but for 'Sight and Sound' I have chosen "Candle in the Wind, Goodbye England's Rose" by Elton John played at Princess Diana's funeral. Doesn't seem possible it was 21 years ago yesterday (31 August 1997) that Princess Diana died. Added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ Candle in the Wind, Goodbye England's Rose ~ Elton John

Explored! Thank you very much :-) Have been inspired by the Saturday Self-Challenge on 25 August 2018 to try more shots looking through windows :-) This photo was taken from inside the University Church in Oxford looking out at part of Brasenose College. Brasenose College is, apparently, home to one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world. For 'Sight and Sound' I couldn't find many rowing songs but settled for "All The Rowboats" by Regina Spektor :-) Added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ All The Rowboats ~ Regina Spektor Maybe view on black, please :-)

Canons Ashby House is the ancestral home of the Dryden family. Clara Dryden, born 1859, was a gifted painter and painted many of the scenes at Canons Ashby including the interior of the house and the gardens. Polly Swann married Chris Dryden in 2000. Polly is a keen amateur photographer and had the idea to produce a book called "Canons Ashby Then & Now". This book features watercolours by Clara Dryden and photographs by Polly of the same scene shown side by side. It is remarkable how little has changed since 1710. I have been inspired by Polly's book to try a slight variation of Polly's idea. That is to take photographs of the house and gardens and then give my photos a painterly type effect. Over the years I have tried lots of different software/filters and a while ago I came across the "Dream Smoothing" filter in 'GIMP Photo' software. Maybe not to everyone's taste but I have grown to very much like the effect this filter produces :-)) Here is my first picture of the house given the 'Dream Smoothing' effect and this could be the start of more 'Dream Smoothing' Photos :-))) Also, a bit of a tenuous 'Sight and Sound' link but I have chosen "Picture Show" by John Prine & Tom Petty. Added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ Picture Show ~ John Prine & Tom Petty Maybe view on black, please :-)

Explored! Thank you very much :-) SATURDAY SELF-CHALLENGE 25 AUGUST 2018 "PHOTOGRAPH THE VIEW OUT OF YOUR WINDOW AND USING YOUR FRAME AS A FRAME FOR THE PICTURE" This is a window in our house.....honest! The room was very dark hence the loss of detail in the frame. Part of our neighbour's roof is in the bottom right hand corner. Probably needs to be viewed on black :-) And, probably the window needs cleaning :-))

Explored! Thank you very much :-) HAPPY FENCE FRIDAY, ALL Canons Ashby House is the ancestral home of the Dryden family. The house has remained almost unchanged since the 18th Century. I also wanted to add my photo to 'Sight and Sound' but had almost given up trying to find a suitable link. But, then I found out that Spencer Dryden was drummer for Jefferson Airplane. If Spencer Dryden was related to the Dryden family that would mean I could choose "Plastic Fantastic Lover" by Jefferson Airplane :-)) One of my fave tracks from "Bless Its Pointed Little Head" from 1969. Added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ Plastic Fantastic Lover ~ Jefferson Airplane I didn't know that Spencer left Jefferson Airplane and joined New Riders of the Purple Sage :-)

Explored! Thank you very much :-) My Tribute to Aretha Franklin. Rest in Peace, Aretha. Added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ A Rose Is Still A Rose ~ Aretha Franklin

Explored! Thank you very much :-) SATURDAY SELF-CHALLENGE 18 AUGUST 2018 "FIND SOMETHING RED, SHOOT IT, BUT THEN CHANGE THE IMAGE INTO BLACK AND WHITE" A very, very difficult challenge for moi, but participating is the most important part I guess :-))

Explored! Thank you very much :-) HAPPY FENCE FRIDAY, ALL I am also adding this to 'Sight and Sound'. The Guernsey Martello Tower here is also home to a Shipwreck Museum. Gordon Lightfoot recorded "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" about the dreadful and tragic loss of all 29 hands when the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, an American Great Lakes freighter, sank in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975. Added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald ~ Gordon Lightfoot

I didn't know, until recently, that on YouTube there are 'Narrowboat Sessions'. There are Narrowboats here so I have chosen "Credit Card Blues" by Northbound Acoustic Blues Band. Love the line "I got the credit card blues when they took my cards away" :-))) Added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ Credit Card Blues ~ Northbound Acoustic Blues Band

SATURDAY SELF-CHALLENGE 11 AUGUST 2018 ZOOM BURST A word of explanation :-) I initially tried this technique with my little Nikon but didn't have any success. I then fished out my Nikon D50. I have just noticed ip says this was taken on 1 January 2005!! I actually took this a few days ago! The D50 has been in a cupboard and was probably last used a couple of years ago so I don't understand why it has reverted back to a 2005 date. On 1 January 2005 I was likely in Guernsey and definitely not photographing Coke cans :-) No doubt there is a logical explanation :-) And, here comes a wayward link for 'Sight and Sound' :-) Coca Cola can be known as Coke and Coke can also refer to Cocaine. Hope you are following me so far :-) "Truckin" by the Grateful Dead features on their classic album "American Beauty" from 1970. "Truckin" has references to Cocaine. Job done methinks :-) Added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ Truckin' ~ Grateful Dead

HAPPY FENCE FRIDAY, ALL And, a pretty obscure link for 'Sight and Sound'. That is the word 'Trinity' :-) Added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ Trinity Lane ~ Lilly Hiatt

SATURDAY SELF-CHALLENGE 4 AUGUST 2018 CHOOSE ANY SUBJECT AND CAPTURE IT IN "SILHOUETTE" This is the Eros Water Fountain in the grounds of Ascott House. Eros was the Greek God of Love so I am also adding this to 'Sight and Sound' with a love song. And, that is "Love That Makes a Cup of Tea" by Gretchen Peters :-) Added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ Love That Makes a Cup of Tea ~ Gretchen Peters

"Keep on Running" seems like a logical musical link to me :-))) Added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ Keep on Running ~ Spencer Davis Group

Explored! Thank you very much :-) SATURDAY SELF-CHALLENGE 28 JULY 2018 FILL FLASH Many, many, many moons ago I would have, occasionally, tried Fill Flash but these days the thought of using this technique has never crossed my mind!! This challenge has, therefore, been a real eye opener!! And, I didn't realise that my wee Nikon Coolpix P7800 has a Fill Flash setting :-)) I did have difficulty choosing a subject and this is plastic streamers that are supposed to keep the flies out :-) The shot, below, without Fill Flash was framed a bit differently :-) Having had an initial look at some of the entries this week I am now starting to realise the benefits of using Fill Flash. Thank you for a brilliant challenge, Karen :-)

This is Lord Cobham's Monument in Stowe Landscape Gardens. It rises to 104 feet (32 m) and was built 1747–1749. I'm sure it has been cleaned since our last visit! :-) The only 'Lord' musical link I could think of is "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison :-) Added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ My Sweet Lord ~ George Harrison

Explored! Thank you very much :-) SATURDAY SELF-CHALLENGE 21 JULY 2018 ANYTHING MADE OF GLASS This is a wine bottle and I'm thinking I would like to improve upon this shot. I may, therefore, need to go out and buy another bottle :-) The wine is 'Bicicleta Reserva, Pinot Noir' and features a bicycle symbol in the glass because the vineyard workers travel around by bicycle, tending the vines using natural methods in order to produce the best quality grapes. The Bicicleta symbol is a tribute to them. Also, I have added this to Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music because I came across a version of "La Bicicleta" by Carlos Vives & Shakira :-) ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ La Bicicleta ~ Carlos Vives & Shakira

SATURDAY SELF-CHALLENGE 14 JULY 2018 "SOMETHING THAT IS 'ROUND' AND USE A SQUARE ASPECT RATION (1:1) IN YOUR CAMERA OR CROP TO BE SQUARE" A coloured plastic cup filled with water mixed with mouthwash photographed from above :-) Also added to ~ Sight and Sound : Pictures & Music ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Listen here ~ Circles ~ Atlantic Starr

Explored! Thank you very much :-) SATURDAY SELF-CHALLENGE 7 JULY 2018 "SUMMER, FAVOURITE ASPECT OF THE SEASON" One of my favourite aspects of summer is the opportunity to take photos of Water Lilies :-) But, most of my shots seem to finish up in the Recycle Bin! The best location is, probably, the 'Lily Pond' within the grounds of Ascott House. Not too far away from where we live :-) There is also a risk of toppling into the pond :-)