Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley

Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley (1865 –1931) is renowned for his photographs of snowflakes and alerting people to their unique designs. He also took exquisite photographs of many ice formations in close-up, these beautiful images are his "frost studies".

“Always, right from the beginning it was the snowflakes that fascinated me most,” he said. “The farm folks up in this country dread the winter, but I was supremely happy.”             Wison Snowfake Bentley 

He started trying to capture their beauty in drawings through a microscope, then after many experiments he manages to photograph his first snowflake on January 15, 1885. He went on to establish that no two snowflakes were the same, this captured people's imaginations and his work was widely published in magazines.

"Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated., When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind." Wilson Bentley 1925

However, when Wilson went to publish his first book on snow, he got caught in a blizzard and caught pneumonia of which he died two weeks later.

Lee Godie II

The story of Lee Godie (1908–1994) is a puzzle probably never to be completely solved so far as I can research she was born Jamot Emily Godee in Mudtown, Illinois, as one of a family of 11 children. She married George Hathaway and had three children, however tragedy struck, two of her children died and her marriage failed. From then on (approximately 1968) she lived a transient life on the streets of Chicago. Where she survive as an artist selling her paintings.

In the 1960's she discovered a photo booth at the Greyhound Bus Stop in Chicago, here she would take self-portrait glam shots and add colour to the 5x4 gelatin silver black and white prints. By using lipstick and instant ice tea she was able to create her own unique style, and then hand colour and adjust the photo booth images.

Roots. Dr Jerry Glover and Jim Richardson

Dr Jerry Glover has been researching root dynamics and soil organic carbon and exploring the possibilities and ramifications of changing our agricultural production from annuals to perennials. 

These incredible images are of (top to bottom) Missouri Goldenrod, Compass Plant and Wheatgrass were taken by Jim Richardson to document Dr Jerry Glovers findings. The composite photographs, eight to fourteen per plant were stitched together in vertical panoramas to try to capture the incredible 14 foot structures.

Macbeth at Dunfermline Abbey

It has been a very busy month and last week was an especially busy week.
I have been helping with a site specific interpretation of Macbeth at Dunfermline Abby for Tina West and her Acting and Performance students from Fife College, creating whirling dervish skirts and photographing the event. I have photographed these students performances many times this year and have loved watching them and their performances evolve.
The production included my daughter who took time out from school to participate and it was great to watch her flourish with her role.
This was was an incredibly moving contemporary production of Macbeth with physical theatre, dance and intense audio which dealt with issues of personal and military conflict, pertinent to our age, set within the fantastic grounds of Dunfermline abbey.
The project was funded by Carnegie Dunfermline Trust and was offered as a free event to schools and the Dunfermline community and supported by Historic Environment Scotland. 

Sea mouse

No whales were to be seen cavorting in the white horses of the Forth today. However I did find my first sea mouse and I am in awe of this incredible creature.

Daisy Zuo

These illustrations by Daisy Zuo are inspired by the portraits of people wearing vegetation 'Eyes as big as plates by Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth. I loved and was greatly inspired by these portraits and it is great to see them being taken into different media by Daisy.

Fog

Lately when ever I am on a train, I love taking photographs.

The train takes me where I can't normally go, it is an endlessly changing, fluttering landscape, a challenge to capture through dirty windows, rain splattered windows and the fleeting obstructions of trees, posts and signage. Travelling back on Sunday there was fog through Yorkshire and Northumberland, the light was stunningly beautiful. 

Fog is quite magical it distorts sound and vision, shape shifts quietens the landscape and yet amplifies noise.

Birch trees and snow

We had a beautiful post Christmas day of snow. Stunning to look at but mostly really unpleasant to be in as it was blown horizontally by an ice wind. However that very wind gilded the snow to one side of the trees making them even more beautiful.

Xavi Bou

I stop and wonder at birds in flight often so it should be of no surprise to me, the beauty of these time lapsed images gathered by Xavi Bou in a project called 'Ornitographies'. Where he makes visible the invisible patterns of flight.

Art Late II. Jo Spence

The second delight in the Art Late tour was an exhibition of Jo Spence's work at The Stills Gallery. Jo's collaborative self portraits put a mirror up to the world that shaped her, personally and societally.

"Traditionally, the portrait is typified by the notion that people can be represented by showing aspects of their 'character'. We understand the portrait differently. Instead of fixity, to us it represents a range of possibilities which can be brought into play at will, examined, questioned, accepted, transformed, discarded. Drawing on techniques learned from co-counselling, psycho-drama and the reframing technique we began to work together to give ourselves and each other permission to display 'new' visual selves to the camera." Rosy Martin and Jo Spence

Jo Spence (1934-1992) questioned and challanged everything in her photography it is raw, confrontational and deeply personal, and though she died over twenty years ago now, her archive of 'questions' to normaility still needs answers today. 

Seeking beauty

I wanted to share some of the joy that I have seen in the last few days when I have let my wellies lead me astray from deadlines and pressure to explore and see beauty.

Finding magic

Magic for me is seeing wildlife and this weekend was magical.
When I am away I go out very early and in this quiet time, before most people are up,  I often get treats for my eyes and soul.

I get to meet foxes, even special survivor foxes like this one who has lost his tail like 'The Fantastic Mr Fox' of Roald Dahl's imagination.

 I see the warm reflection of dawn in icey marshland

The love paths of spring moles.

The crackle of frost.

The flight of  whooper swan and majestic ancient trees.

Now I am home and my seagull is peering down at me waiting to be fed.
Have a good week, find magic.