Simon's 52 in 2022

[SimonH]

All fit the theme nicely. A lovely set.
I’ve seen those tall lookouts in Austria. I always suspected they were for hunting.

Thanks Bee…
yes, I think you’re right. More likely to be for hunting than bird watching

 

[SimonH]

Week 38 - Electrical & Tech shadows

Taking advantage of still being in Austria, snapped these electricity pylons whilst out on a walk in the Hochkönig range. I couldn’t quite find the angle I wanted through the trees to get both the pylons and the majesty of the mountains behind them, so had to settle for these two shots. I’m 50/50 about which one to use, so have use the one with shadows from the trees to tick the shadows tech, although it feels a bit of a cheat.

Electrical 1 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

Electrical 2 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

 

[HelenC]

Two nice shots. Hard to choose between them. The mountains are lovely.

 

[SimonH]

Two nice shots. Hard to choose between them. The mountains are lovely.

Thanks Helen. Got some lovely mountain shots this week…here’s a quick iPhone shot from the 100's I’ve taken!

 

[Simonbrown16]

The first pylon picture for me, I think it shows off the massive size of it.

 

[SimonH]

The first pylon picture for me, I think it shows off the massive size of it.

Thanks Simon

 

[StuartPearson]

The chosen one gives you an idea of its size when you see how small a car is in comparison. Looks a bit narrower than others, maybe to help minimise its appearance against the scenery.

 

[SimonH]

The chosen one gives you an idea of its size when you see how small a car is in comparison. Looks a bit narrower than others, maybe to help minimise its appearance against the scenery.

Thanks Stuart.I’d like to think that maybe the size/width had some bearing in its impact on the scenery, but I’m not convinced!

 

[Peter123]

Your chosen one is the best IMO.
Works fine for the shadows as well.
Good spot for the theme.

 

[SimonH]

Your chosen one is the best IMO.
Works fine for the shadows as well.
Good spot for the theme.

Thanks Peter!

 

[AlanDorset]

I think the first one gives a stronger image with the pylon so dominant

 

[Cloudforest]

Looking Up:
I like the one you’ve chosen Simon, though I might have cropped off the trees on the right.

Electrical:
A lovely shot. The angle, light and blue sky really put the emphasis on the pylon.

 

[SimonH]

I think the first one gives a stronger image with the pylon so dominant

Looking Up:
I like the one you’ve chosen Simon, though I might have cropped off the trees on the right.

Electrical:
A lovely shot. The angle, light and blue sky really put the emphasis on the pylon.

Thanks both!

 

[FlyPhot]

I'd agree that your chosen image is the right choice. I like that you can sense the scale of the pylon and get a distant view of the mountains. I love Austria, it is such a photogenic country!

 

[SimonH]

I'd agree that your chosen image is the right choice. I like that you can sense the scale of the pylon and get a distant view of the mountains. I love Austria, it is such a photogenic country!

Thanks Jim! It certainly is!

 

[SimonH]

Week 39 - Depict a song

Okay - thought I was going to struggle with this but actually given there are millions of songs, there's quite a lot out there that can be shoehorned into this theme. I was going to post the song against each shot, but I'll leave you the guess.....(one's probably a bit niche, at least one has two possible answers)

Edit: Changed my mind on the guessing, so updated with the songs I had in mind.

1) Patience - Take That (although I suppose The Steve Miller Band and The Joker would also fit)
P1000781 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

2) Life is a Roller Coaster - Ronan Keating - there may be others
P1000775 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

3) Waterfront - Simple Minds
P1000766 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

4) Train Tracks - Jelly Roll feat. Struggle
P1000776 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

5) Runaway Train - many artists/versions inc Eric Clapton, Soul Asylum, Roseanne Cash, Ian Cussick, Michael Holliday......
P1000780 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

 

[Peter123]

All good Simon.
Your chosen image has the most impact, although I am sure with extra processing the roller coaster would stand out.

 

[SimonH]

All good Simon.
Your chosen image has the most impact, although I am sure with extra processing the roller coaster would stand out.

Thanks Peter.
I converted the coaster to mono, mostly because of the flat sky, but you’re right, it’s lacking a bit of ooomph.

 

[AlanDorset]

I was looking for “Ace of Spades” when I first saw the picture

 

[SimonH]

I was looking for “Ace of Spades” when I first saw the picture

Ah, Alan!!!!!! I messed up there didn’t I?

 

[-Oy-]

This one popped into my head when I saw the chosen shot....

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErvgV4P6Fzc

 

[Darkslinger]

Great set Simon, my mind with to "Solitaire" by the Carpenters when you posted your chosen shot.

 

[SimonH]

This one popped into my head when I saw the chosen shot....

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErvgV4P6Fzc

Ah, good one Dave!

Great set Simon, my mind with to "Solitaire" by the Carpenters when you posted your chosen shot.

Blimey, that's a long time ago Bill!!! I do remember it though…..

 

[seaodyssey]

Plenty to choose from Simon, all good.

Pete

 

[SimonH]

Plenty to choose from Simon, all good.

Pete

Thanks Pete

 

[Bebop]

Great selection Simon, nicely depicted. I had thought it was The Joker.

 

[SimonH]

Great selection Simon, nicely depicted. I had thought it was The Joker.

Thanks Bee! The Joker works……

 

[NickD]

Tough to choose a favourite there, but I really like the muted tones on Waterfront... except now I've got that damn bass line in my head (often introduced by Derek Forbes as 'the best note I ever wrote').

 

[SimonH]

Tough to choose a favourite there, but I really like the muted tones on Waterfront... except now I've got that damn bass line in my head (often introduced by Derek Forbes as 'the best note I ever wrote').

Thanks Nick…
I'd hoped fro a little more sunlight on that shot, but it wasn’t forthcoming. Seems to work well as it is however. Song's a banger too….

 

[SimonH]

Week 40 - Looking Down

A theme with plenty of interesting opportunities this week - with apologies for the gruesome content in the first two shots

1)Weasel with lunch
In Dyffryn Gardens outside Cardiff for a walk yesterday, and we saw something scurrying around very fast near some steps. Plenty of patience rewarded us with a weasel with some lunch down those steps. Never, ever seen one this close vbefore, and to get a half decent shot was extra icing on the cake.

P1000814 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

2) Weasel giving us the eye

P1000807 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

3) Conkers
Out for a walk this week, and my wife was picking up conkers (apparently they're supposed to keep spiders out of the house....yeah). It was a quick snap with my phone as I suddenly realised it would fit the theme perfectly.

IMG_1631 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

4) Statue - Dyffryn Gardens - colour
This was a more deliberate shot, and has been cropped. It's a statue in Dyffryn House & Gardens just outside Cardiff. The NT website described it as "Bronze sculpture, man riding an ox while reading a book, depicting either the statesman and scholar Sugawara no Michizane (845-903) or the itinerant Buddhist priest and poet Botanka Shōhaku (1443-1527), possibly by Takamura Kōun (1852-1934)".
I've also turned this into a mono shot, as I find the flat sky a little distracting in this shot, but the colours on the bronze statue make it my preferred shot of the two.

P1000824 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

5) Statue - Dyffryn Gardens - mono
As above.

P1000824a by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

6) Flower
This was a flower (some sort of autumn crocus) also taken at Dyffryn. There were lots scattered in grassy area, but a single shot was far more effective than trying to get several in. As I've taken this almost directly overhead (using my iPhone 13 Pro) it seems to be floating in the ether a bit.

IMG_1651 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

7) Statue - Mittersill, Austria
This is a cheat, as it was taken over a week ago, when we were in Austria, but it fits the theme so perfectly I had to include it! Apologies in advance!
I'm not entirely sure what it's supposed to represent, but it's on a roundabout in Mittersill, Austria, and appears to depict a woman watching a man have a wee. It takes all sorts I suppose.....

IMG_1244 by Simon Hiscocks, on Flickr

 

[catclick]

Nice selection of shots.

 

[-Oy-]

Yep an interesting set of pix!

Weasley the best of the bunch

 

[SimonH]

Yep an interesting set of pix!

Weasley the best of the bunch

Cheers Dave. I’m hoping for something stoatally different next week!

 

[Peter123]

Good selection. Chosen shot is a great capture - nature in the raw.

 

[SimonH]

Good selection. Chosen shot is a great capture - nature in the raw.

Thanks Peter - yes, it's a bit raw in more ways than one!
So lucky to be in the right place at the right tome though, and lucky to be able to get a half decent shot more or less in focus - it was incredibly fast!

 

[NickD]

I really like that. The touch of what looks to me like motion blur, just adds to the sense of capturing a fleeting, unexpected moment.

 

[SimonH]

I really like that. The touch of what looks to me like motion blur, just adds to the sense of capturing a fleeting, unexpected moment.

Thanks Nick. Full disclosure - it was moving around so fast I switched to burst mode, shutter priority and just fired off in the general direction, so any motion blurry is purely down to camera shake. Must have got 40 or so shots, of which these two were the only ones worth keeping - in several frames there was no sign of the little blighter!

 

[Darkslinger]

Great set Simon, I laughed looking at the second shot of the weasel looking back up at you. I would have been torn between your chosen shot and the shot of the flower.

 

[SimonH]

Great set Simon, I laughed looking at the second shot of the weasel looking back up at you. I would have been torn between your chosen shot and the shot of the flower.

Thanks very much Bill! Yes, he was clearly looking at us, probably afraid we were going to Nick his dinner!

 

[LC2]

Song - my initial thoughts were 'The Joker', but having looked through your options, the train track for me, because trains
Looking Down - Love the action shot with the Weasel. I may have lead with the statues though, as they are something I've never seen before.