Stratford-upon-Avon



This is a bittersweet moment for me.  Stratford-upon-Avon was the last place we visited on our English honeymoon; it will also serve as my last blog post of photos from that trip.  It was an amazing trip and I will have these memories for the rest of my life.  Even though this is a closing blog post of sorts, it will in no way be the end of my blogging or my photography.  It is merely the beginning; very symbolic of the England trip, which was the beginning of my married adventures with my wife.  I have material waiting to be posted from my December 2010 NYC trip and I'll have more Lomography posts on the way and let's not forget Project 365.  So, there is plenty more to come.

With that being said, let's get back to Stratford.  We arrived in Stratford-upon-Avon on a late Sunday morning after catching the early train from Oxford.  After making our lodging arrangements and getting settled in, we headed back into town for a bit of sight-seeing.  Every place in England that we visited had a very distinct feel and vibe.  No two places were the same.  London was just a historic, bustling metropolis; Brighton was an artsy, party town by the ocean and Oxford was a historic, hopping, college town.  Stratford was nothing like any of those.  In fact, if it hadn't been the birth and burial place of William Shakespeare, I'm not sure how many travelers would actually stop in Stratford-upon-Avon.  Don't get me wrong, because it's certainly not lacking in charm; it's just that it's very small and there's not a lot going on.  In fact, the main area of prosperity for Stratford is the three million tourists that visit annually.  The area, especially on High Street, is made up of many original black and white half timbered buildings.  These are under some of the highest architectural preservation standards in the UK and they take you back into a different time.  We had a great lunch and enjoyed seeing the architecture and the places of interest, especially the ones relating to Shakespeare.  It was probably the least favorite of my destinations; however, it was the second to last day of our trip and I was very tired and wasn't feeling the greatest.  I'm glad we went and I will forever remember walking along the streets of a different era.  England will forever be a special place to me; I hope I've conveyed that through the images that I've posted. 

Lomography Fisheye

I received a Lomography Fisheye No. 2 camera for Christmas.  I'm just starting to experiment with lomography cameras and I'm very excited about the results and creativity that they can yield.  I also have a Holga and a Diana F+ in my camera arsenal; however, this was my first roll of film for one of my lomography cameras.  I didn't have amazing results, but I did enjoy shooting with it.  The Fisheye No. 2 is a very finicky camera.  It requires a lot of light and usually doesn't produce results on anything lower than 400 film.  I used Fuji Superia 400 for my first roll and I received mixed results.  Only 12 out of the 24 prints came back and a few of them were not good.  I did manage to get a few decent shots.  Obviously, as I'm very new to shooting with film, it's a learning experience.  The Fisheye, regardless of the fact that you don't have to worry about settings, is also a learning experience.  I need to be careful of my lighting situations; I need to experiment with the film and I need to adjust how I shoot from the viewfinder.  However, that's the fun with lomography, film cameras and photography in general.  It's a learning experience.  The more you understand how your camera works, the types of lighting and how it effects your shots, etc. the better results you will achieve.  So, enjoy my first Fisheye shots and stay tuned to see my second roll.  Also, be on the lookout for my first Holga and Diana F+ rolls too!

Oxford Comma

 

Oxford is such an interesting and historical city.  The vibe was completely different from that of Brighton.  Brighton was a very independent, artsy, kitschy and unique town.  While there was some historical significance, it was clear that Brighton was a party town that was more concerned with having a good time, enjoying good food and good drink and supporting the arts.  Oxford is a city that looks and feels like what I would think most Americans would think of when they picture an English town or city.  The buildings are absolutely breathtaking.  They are so old and the architecture just transports you back in time.  It's funny, because as we were walking around on our first day in the city, I felt as if we were extras in Harry Potter.  There were lots of English school children running around with their parents; it just so happened to be "Parents Weekend" and all of the colleges opened their doors for future students and their parents. Oxford University is one of the most historic colleges in the world; in fact, according to Wikipedia, it's the second oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest English speaking institution.  The University of Oxford contains 39 colleges and no central campus.  As you're walking through Oxford, you'll realize that it's truly a college town.  You'll likely pass one of the many colleges, but you'll also see a number of historic pubs, boutiques, antique shops and many libraries, churches, theaters and other gorgeous buildings to view.  Another interesting thing to note is the number of bicycles that are in Oxford.  Almost everyone gets around by bike or by walking and you'll notice bicycles parked everywhere.  I believe you'll see at least three bikes in the shots above.  Oxford is truly a beauty, but my words can not even do it justice.  It's the perfect place to get a slice of England.

Vivian Maier

I just came across this.  Amazing work by an amazing photographer.  Too bad she wasn't recognized when she was living.  I'll try to post more as I have time to research a bit and mentally process her work.  In the meantime, head over to this site:

http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com/

Project 365 Launched

I just launched Project 365 as part of my 2011 Photo Resolutions.  Follow the link above the most recent post and to the right of the home link.  This will serve as the home of Project 365.  Enjoy and keep up the encouragement to help me through this process!