Roger Bennion's photos with the keyword: World Photography Day

At first on Word Photography Day is was quite overcast but the weather forecast said it should be a bit brighter later :-) I had thought of going to Oxford {now that's a surprise :-)} but it was probably going to be too much of a rush so I thought of the Grand Union Canal at Bulbourne and figured if there was going to be a bit of sun there might me some reflections and narrowboats to photograph :-) The following is from the 'Canal & River Trust' - "The Grand Union Canal links London to Birmingham, passing through rolling countryside, industrial towns and quaint villages. It's our longest canal. From the vibrant heart of London, it leads you out into the rolling Chiltern Hills, through rural Northamptonshire and Warwickshire and into the Birmingham suburbs. The canal's striking historic features include the dramatic span of the Iron Trunk Aqueduct and the steeply climbing Hatton Lock Flight, set in charming Warwickshire countryside."

Hopefully, I did correctly read that it's okay to add photos to 'World Photography Day' until the end of August as long as the photo was taken on 19th :-) On 19th it was quite dull and overcast and I thought I would wait until the sun made an appearance before heading out. It wasn't looking promising so late in the afternoon I walked into town hoping the light would be okay. I was struggling to find a subject and realised the, so called, 'Blue Leanie' building was undergoing alteration/renovation and I thought I ought to be able to find a photo opportunity here. I'm sure there are better photo opportunities here once the alterations/renovation are complete and I will be trying more shots when all is complete and the sun shines :-))) Part of the complex does lean at an acute angle hence the 'Blue Leanie' title but clearly not this section that I photographed :-)

I have, many times, walked by the River Thames in Oxford. But until recently I hadn't walked along the section that runs from Osney Lock to Magdalen Bridge. When I did walk this section I came across the Old Gasworks Bridge and subsequently uploaded one of my shots to ipernity. When I thought about what I could do for World Photography Day the weather was pretty good so I decided to go to Oxford and try some more shots. I had already searched the internet for images of this bridge and seen quite a few inspirational shots. This shot was taken from the opposite direction to my previous upload. I'm sure there are lots of other possibilities here including close ups, reflections, shots of multi-coloured graffiti (not visible in this shot) and shots that would include boats. There are often narrowboats, cruisers and rowing boats going by but needless to say when I took this shot there wasn't a boat in sight :-))) The Old Gasworks Bridge is an iron bridge. It crosses the River Thames between Iffley Lock and Osney Lock. It was constructed in 1886. Apparently sections of the bridge were floated into position before assembly. I had previously looked for the actual gas works but later discovered they were demolished in 1960 !! It was really good that World Photography Day made me stop and think about subjects I could photograph and be able to upload a photo to the World Photography Day Group. I have also been inspired to try and research a bit more of the history of this bridge :-)

This is part of a structure at Dunstable Downs. There is an explanation nearby saying - "Is it a sculpture? A crashed spaceship? Something the builders left behind? No. It's a wind-catcher, part of the ventilation system that enters the Visitor Centre. Fresh air goes in through the long vertical vents on each side and travels through an underground pipe into the Visitor Centre. In the summer this cools the air so that the building doesn't need electric fans or air conditioning. In winter it warms the air slightly so that the boiler doesn't have to work so hard to heat the building.". I have taken lots and lots of photos here and have always tried to look for an original angle without too much success. I had recently seen a photo of this structure in the Visitor Centre where the photographer had selected a small part of the structure. The sky was a rich deep blue and there were no clouds. It inspired me to try something similar. On World Photography Day the weather looked promising so I decided to head out to Dunstable Downs. There were a few clouds about and the sky was quite light but still blue :-) This is my attempt at a close view and a PiP is attached showing a general view taken way back in October 2021. I thought my photo was a little bit relevant with energy costs going up almost daily! And, I was thinking that I could, perhaps, get one installed in our front garden to save on our energy bills :-)