The Photodiarist

The Cathedral

England: Salisbury Cathedral, County of Wiltshire

Inspiration: After Stonehenge and the country drive, we ended up in Salisbury - an ancient village by any standards and definitely by American standards. The Cathedral, located in the center of the walled part of the town, is a stunning example of medieval architecture. Construction started in 1220 and the entire church was completed within the same century, which was darn quick during those times. I also learned that several scenes of one of the Harry Potter movies was filmed here.

Well, I've taken four days and four posts to tell you about four hours of one of my five days in England. As you can imagine, I was really too overcome with the craziness of travel, the holidays and being with family ** to take as many photographs as I would have liked - especially in London itself. But since I visit at least twice a year, there will undoubtedly be more opportunities for photos of England.

** I still cannot get "Incy Wincy Spider went up the water spout" and "If you are happy and you know it, clap your hands" out of my head having sung them over and over with my three year old niece every day for five days.

The English Countryside

England: County of Wiltshire

Inspiration: After checking out Stonehenge, we drove to Salisbury to see the Cathedral. But as we drove, I made my sister stop the car several times so that I could take pictures along the way. I love the whiteness of the snow in these photographs. There's a sort of clean, minimalist purity that I like about wintertime. It's a theme that I am feeling lately, whether photographing snow or sand. I am finally appreciating the virtues of winter -- at least from a photographic point of view. I'll share a few images of the cathedral tomorrow. Until then . . . Have a great Wednesday.

Fences

England: County of Wiltshire

Inspiration: Behind Stonehenge lay a rather barren looking tundra. But portions of this little Siberia were were fenced off in such a way as to create some wonderful vistas. One of my favorite things to see in photography are lines and geometric designs.

Stonehenge

England: Stonehenge, County of Wilshire

Inspiration: I love visiting places that once occupied my childhood imagination. Stonehenge is one of those places. I once believed this iconic monument was erected by thousands of fairies who carried the stones and planted them in each spot. Having seen Stonehenge finally, I now know quite certainly that fairies had nothing to do with it. Nevertheless, it is still quite magnificent - especially surrounded by remains of last week's snowfall.

P.S. I've been reading about the mad, crazy snow in covering New York.  Around two feet, I've heard. Wish I was there to document that sight!

Happy Holidays

New York: Washington Square Park

Inspiration: I am giving the same gift twice. I posted a version of this photo in color two weeks ago shortly after I took it.  So if you read The Photodiarist in Color, you've already seen it. Nevertheless, it captures the spirit of what I want to say, which is: Have A Wonderful Holiday Season! So, I am about to hop in a car to head to the airport. I am heading to London to see my family who are all gathered there. It's windy in New York and snowing in London. So, wish me luck. I'll be gone for a few days, so things may be a bit quiet on my blogs. But I am bringing my camera and laptop, so I will try to post. Take care, travel safely, eat well, have good cheer and be happy. Ciao.

Coney Isle

New York: Coney Island, Brooklyn

Inspiration: The last of my Coney Island photos for now. They are somewhat non-traditional Coney photos as they show none of the amusement park rides and freak shows that people think about when Coney Island comes to mind. But that's because this is how I want to see Coney.

Home Sweet Home

New York: Tompkins Square Park

Inspiration: I had to post this photo. Right? New York parks wouldn't be the same without our people-loving squirrels. By the way, Tompkins Square park is filled with these little mosaic  squirrel "homes" created by a guy known in the East Village as the Mosaic Man. 

Winter Beaches

New York: Coney Island, Brooklyn

Inspiration: Winter beaches aren't for everyone. The winds are harsh. The water is uninviting (except to the Polar Bear club). The sun is weak and leaves us in mid-afternoon. The cold is bitter. There's little to do but roam the coast and walk the pier. And nothing much to eat if you get hungry. But maybe because of all of these things, I find winter beaches so beautiful. They are quieter and uncrowded and the light is lovely. Summer beaches are easy to love and fun to photograph. But after enduring frozen fingers, biting temperatures and a moody camera that just wasn't interested in dealing with the cold, I must admit I love my winter beach photographs more.

Fishing on the Coney Island Pier

New York: Coney Island, Brooklyn

Inspiration: On Sunday afternoon, the pier was lined with fishermen (this photo only shows one small part of the pier). Their fishing lines bobbing to different rhythms intrigued me and inspired this photograph. Apparently this area is good for salt-water fishing. 

Clubbing with the Polar Bears

New York: Coney Island, Brooklyn

Inspiration: Early on Sunday morning, I decided to make a wintertime visit to Coney Island. I didn't get there until about 1:00 but fortunately for me, I arrived just in time to catch the members of the Polar Bear Club heading to the water for their weekly swim. Impressive. Today was wickedly cold. I was so worried about dropping my camera because my fingers were icicles even in gloves and after I while I couldn't feel them. So why the hell were these folks jumping into the freezing Atlantic Ocean? Well, it's just what they do.  And they do it once a week from November to April every year, year after year. These Polar Bears belong to the oldest winter swim club in the U.S. and they are proud of it.