Category Archives: Photography

Black and White from Ballarat

Just a quick flashback to a walk around the lake in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia in the winter. With the exception of one bizarrely bright bird, absolutely nothing was colourful that day and the wind was icy cold and quite gusty.

I briefly glanced at these when I first took them, but since we were already up to our eyeballs in packing boxes and mess, I didn’t have the energy to devote any time or inspiration to them back in August.

Here I am back in France, happily and cozily parked in front of the fire in December, and now I’m glad I saved these for the right time. Some of these are potential book covers or perfect for doing a matte and frame treatment. I can tell when my heart is happy again because my productivity level just soars. That’s a lovely thing to be able to say at my age!

All of the images in this short photo essay are from Lake Wendouree in Ballarat. Enjoy!

Unidentified woman and child walk along the lakeside on a cold winter day.

Partially submerged tree and water grasses in a rain-swollen lake.

A bench at the edge of a swollen lake.

Wind whipped dunegrass alongside the water’s edge of a lake.

And finally — the ONE SPOT of colour…

An Australian bird with a bright red face and deep blue chest picks its way through the marsh grass of an inland lake.

COPYRIGHT
©Deborah Harmes and ©A Wanderful Life
Please respect the words and images on this page.
All rights reserved.

Photo Of The Day: St. Girons at Dusk in Black and White

Thought I’d share the background image of the new business cards that I ordered this week. We were crossing the bridge last Saturday evening after walking through a few streets looking at houses that were for sale.

The light was wrong for colour — but it was perfect for this black and white interpretation. This looks exactly like photos of St. Girons that we have seen from the mid-to-late 1800s into the early 1900s. This, like many other towns in France, really is a timeless place — and we love that.

Enjoy!

The beautiful Midi-Pyrenees town of St. Girons in the South of France at dusk from the footbridge over the river.

Photo Of The Day: Vast Art Spaces From Re-Purposed Buildings

Stunning open space inside the Tate Modern in London, England. The former Bankside Power Station was re-purposed as the Tate Modern — but it continues to evolve with the Tate Modern Project which will drastically transform the external appearance of this important art institution.

An impressive open space in part of the Tate Modern art museum in London, England

Photo Of The Day From France: Les Braves

The wind whipped the flags behind us and the gusts were so strong that I was compelled to lean against any available building or post when I had a chance. But the sky was gloriously layered as Mark strode between the metal blades of the sculpture and the beauty of it all took my breath away.

Les Braves is not the usual type of memorial that one sees on battlefields. It is a soaring piece of contemporary art that was commemorated in 2004 at the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy during World War II. The French government commissioned this magnificent piece created by the woman sculptor Anilore Banon.

Les Braves monument on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France

We were fortunate to be there when the tide was out enough to walk around. But as you can see from the video on Banon’s site, the monument is surrounded by water when the tide is high and that too is quite a dramatic sight.

I have intentionally used a smaller version of the image so that you can click on the photo and EXPAND it to see the stunning beauty of that place, the somber moodiness that the weather created, and most of all, to take in the striking work of art against the sea and the sand.

To me it appears to be a glistening collection of swords impaled in those previously bloody sands, hilts buried in the beach and blade ends rising heavenward. But they also have the appearance of very contemporary and glowing angel wings. I suppose that it is up to each of us to interpret it according to our own personal vision and response.

Photo Of The Day From France: Strolling At Dusk in Villedieu-Les-Poeles

The light was thin as the sun slid behind the hills beyond. So this image was best served by turning it into an atmospheric black and white which highlights some of the charming architecture on the main street. Villedieu-les-Poeles is a simply lovely town and well worth a visit when you are in Normandy.

Strolling at dusk in the lovely French town of Villedieu-les-Poeles in Normandy