What's in a Title Sir

Here is a shot taken today as an example of the title of this blog Pareidolia. The tide was in so I could not quite get it at the correct angle to show it clearly therefore I'll put a handy circular reference on the sand, bottom left to make it easier to see/work out. Added to that it was fairly windy although the sea might not indicate that! Even with a tripod it was a real struggle to keep the camera steady (no shake reduction facility on my camera boohoo)standin in the surf with the wind and the lens occasionally gettin splattered by spray.

The cliffs are called the Heads Of Ayr. I always though these cliffs were called that because it was the largest landmass in close proximity to Ayr, at the head of the toun (town) so to speak. I am now of the notion it's because of the various facial features that can be seen in the cliff face, pardon the pun. This particular face is quite detailed, it has eyes, nose, cheek bones, top and bottom lip, chin, even shoulders etc.



There is another head similar to this one but it did not show up today... he must have went home when he heard I was comin. :) Then just around the corner we have the Lions Head, again difficult to see in this first shot as the lightin has to be just right, but you can almost make out the the Lions head covering the top third of the cliff and a brave hiker walking below.


So there are 3 heads one the cliff that I know of is that where the name derives from? Then again who knows I could be totally wrong? Now you know what pareidolia means or do you :)

Gnometanamo Resurrection

I have been tryin to think on a theme for a series of shots one of the reasons for the previous post of the shell. Also, thinkin about resurrectin some old ideas of mine for example this a totally unedited shot, but it's a pain to set up and causes all kinds of problems exposure wise if you do not want to edit. The idea is to try and achieve a shot straight from the camera rather than to graft and blend two shots, which makes things to easy.

Or one could drag out last years old favorite the Gnometanamo idea... or not!!!

I would say watch this space but this might take a generation or two.

Gray sky's are certainly takin there toll resultin in this. Not sure about this shot or even why I posted it just an idea I tried out today. This is totally unedited apart from the watermark name mook.

It's a shell duh 8mm on it's longest edge 5/16 of an inch in old money I think? and the light source ie the brightest part of the shell you can see is comin from the inside not above!


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Shell Shock

Despair

I'm almost in despair at the lack of decent light over the past month or perhaps that says more about me as a "photographer". Anyway Ailsa Craig again sorry! So I'll say a wee bit about it this time, hopefully to add some interest.

In the Gaelic it's called Aillse Creag "the rock" it's just over 1000 feet high, well 1114 to be precise. If you are into curling this is where the granite came from that produced your curlin stone. Also called Ealasaid a' Chuain "Elizabeth of the ocean" Elizabeth bein a bastardisation of the word Elspeth, which eludes to Elspeth McCrudden, daughter of Saweny Bean the cannibal which is a story in itself and if I can get a pic of his cave I will.

Click the pic to enlarge and the sky was darkened slightly on this one on gimp.

Flyin Rats

Still gey (very) gray in these parts and rain tomorrow so get the work done while you can!

Whare Mungo's Mither Hang'd Hersel.

Not feelin very creative the night so just some rather mundane shots, but hopefully of interest. The first shot is just some snowdrops beside the river Doon. Followed by Mungos well also beside the river Doon. For those versed in the works of the bard Robert Burns this is Mungos Well mentioned in the poem Tam O'Shanter




And thro' the whins, and by the cairn,
Whare hunters fand the murder'd bairn;
And near the thorn, aboon the well,
Whare Mungo's mither hang'd hersel'.
Before him Doon pours all his floods

Mungos Well Click to enlarge

Read more of Tam O' Shanter here

Red Assassin

Galanthus

Always good to see these chaps out and about Galanthus the snowdrop.

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Talk o' the Deil

Talk of the Deil (devil) and he is sure to appear... sort off. I have just discovered the top pic in the last post was featured in Flickr's explore section today a first for me :)

What to Choose?

disclaimer; oops after posting this i then discovered someone had already posted on the same subject of the two photo conundrum the day before me sheer coincidence sorry!

A real man of decision that's me?! I plumped for the top one whether that is right I do not know. Although I prefer the sky and the more spectacular cascade in the second shot the cascade just seemed to much to overpowerin and editin (lack of skill) did not seem to correct that feelin, if indeed it needed correction.

Is this just a long-winded excuse to publish both hmm? Click both pic's to enlarge.

Second look

I have gotten (yes that is a proper word) into the habit of not deletin even bad shots off the camera until I have looked at them on the PC. Mainly because sometimes you think you have a great shot and when it is downloaded it's rubbish and one you thought was rubbish turns out to be the best.

Another habit I have is concentratin on one part of the subject to much and makin a mistake by missin somethin out elsewhere in the shot. Therefore unless it's really bad I do not delete off the camera and it's amazin what you do not see until you get home!!

This shot was a throughout it's all wrong, just a test shot to get the exposure right FOR THIS ONE!!! So why post this duff shot?

Well it was not until lookin through the shots on the PC that I spotted this, in the shaded circle

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and here cropped to bring it closer


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Whether it's a dolphin, porpoise or minke whale I do not know? All have been spotted before. In the past 12 years of lookin I have spotted nothin and you could still say I haven't spotted anythin :(

If I had I'd have zoomed in. Just shows what goes past and you don't even notice damn!

Steppin Stanes

I thought the rocks in the foreground almost acted like stepping stones across to Ailsa Craig

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ISO100, 8sec, f/5 and some editin

A rotten day for shootin anythin apart from cullin gray squirrels... so this is the best I could do with a not so good bunch. Need to go now can smell the squirrel burnin in the stove.

Distant Snowfields

Greenan Castle was built in 1603 by the Kennedy's. It's perched on a sheer coastal cliff with views across to Arran. It was built on the site of a previous fortification non of which now remains.

Caught In The Headlight

Lookin through some old family photos I came across this one. Although shot around the late 1930's early 40's it still (I think ?) has a modern feel about it, with the photographer deliberately capturin his own reflection. I know it was deliberate because he titled it "Reflection In The Headlight"!

The Drip Effect 2

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The Drip Effect

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Enchanted :)

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The Heids

This shot at the Heids (heads) of Ayr is slightly staged. I put the lobster pot there... I carry one about everywhere I go! You never know when you might need one just to add some foreground interest :) That said the colours in this one do not look quite right can't quite put me finger on it hmmm?

Oh and I think I have worked out why they call them the heads of ayr but that is for another time.



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Tom's Cabin 2

Old is Best

I'm thinkin on returnin to the old style template where I have more control over the HTML. Which means I can edit the codin to make this blog look the way I like it with fonts etc. So if the followers thingy on the side bar disappears please do not take offence folks.

Haunted

The hunt for the last of the snow afforded the chance to visit an old childhood haunt. Not much water in this a winter born burn as it has been relatively dry for so long... so me thinks I'll return when there's some rain about which probably won't be long!

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The Forgotten

Decided to hunt down the last few flakes off snow before it's all gone, it doesn't snow here that much :(

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Gull Afar Travels

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I Walk a Lonely Road The Only One That I Have Ever Known

White Caps to Eilean Arainn

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Deep in the Shire

Snow covering Ayrshire deep in Burn's country, a rare occurrence these days.

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Oh They call it Snaw

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What's the white stuff?

I haven't crunched my way through snow in about 6 or 7 years. Although Scotland it does not snow in this part much these days so in photographic terms this is a steeper learning curve than usual.

With such a fiery sky and the terrafirma almost monochrome this almost looks a preternatural shot, contrived! But it's not this is what it looked like! Has nature made a mistake?

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The Incomer

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Winters Eve

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Shackles

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Ashrays collection

Ashrays are water faeries, they have whitish, almost translucent bodies, and can often be mistaken for sea ghosts!!

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Selkie

If you look at the sun on the water just above the ring is that the face of a Selkie there with eyes closed?

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