Avebury Stones and Earthworks

The ancient, neolithic stone circle and earthworks at Avebury in Wiltshire is the largest stone circle in the world. Measuring some 427 metres in diameter and covering an area of around 28 acres.

The site is formed by a huge circular bank rising up some 30 foot and stretching round for a mile, a large ditch that is only half its original depth and a ring of 98 sarsen slabs. Within this outer circle and earthworks are two smaller circles formed with 30 stones in each.

The stones, each weighing about 40 tons or more, were left rough and not 'dressed' as were the Stonehenge blocks. They were brought from the same place, the nearby Marlborough Downs. Now there are only 27 in place, because a few hundred years ago many of the stones were broken up and used to construct the present village which grew up within the earthworks.

In the 14th century some of the stones were buried. In that period, as pits were been prepared to bury the stone, a man was killed by one of the stones falling over unexpectedly into the pit which was being prepared for its burial.

No attempt was made to extract his body. A pair of scissors, a lancet, and three silver coins were found next to the skeleton, and the stone is now called the Barber's Stone.

 Other remarkable stones are the Swindon Stone, the largest (it weighs about 60 tons), the Devil's Chair (local legends attribute mystic powers to the stone such as the ability to summon the devil if you run round it 100 times anti-clockwise) and the Repaired Stone, which has been reconstructed in an odd shape.

More photos from here at Flickr....http://www.flickr.com/photos/ian_forsyth/sets/72157623755944465/

11 April - World Parkinson's Disease Day

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition.

Every hour, someone in the UK is told they have Parkinson's.

One person in every 500 has Parkinson's. That's about 120,000 people in the UK.

Most people who get Parkinson's are aged 50 or over but younger people can get it too. One in 20 is under the age of 40.

People with Parkinson's don't have enough of a chemical called dopamine because some nerve cells in their brain have died.

Without dopamine people can find that their movements become slower so it takes longer to do things.

The loss of nerve cells in the brain causes the symptoms of Parkinson's to appear.

There's currently no cure for Parkinson's and we don't yet know why people get the condition.

Parkinson's doesn't directly cause people to die, but symptoms do get worse over time.

Click on the link below to watch a Multimedia piece on Parkinson's...

'I Don't Want a Walking Stick'...

http://www.mediagatherers.com/projects/i-dont-want-a-walking-stick-2/

Parkinson's UK offers advice, support and raises awareness about Parkinson's disease...http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/

Surfers

A couple of portraits, one of Sam Davies (top) and Gary Rogers, local surfers from Saltburn and part of a project I've begun on the surfing culture in Saltburn. Surfing has been a big part of life in this NorthYorkshire coastal town for around forty years and the type of people who enjoy surfing are as varied and different as each of the swells that roll up against our shore.

I want to try and explore the reasons why people choose to surf and what they get out of it and why they put other parts of their life on hold to take part in an activity that eventually becomes their life. I'll see how it develops, but at the minute I am still planning on how to approach the project to try and get something different from the traditional images of this amazing sport and exploring it through Multimedia...

Just for the sake of it...

Out for a wander with the dog last weekend through the allotments that are close to where I live in Saltburn. As always, the camera was in hand and I shot a few pictures that caught my eye. No particular reason. Just for the sake of it. Sometimes it is good to shoot simply because you can.

The Great Ignored

Once again the uncomfortable circus comes to town as our political leaders try in vain to appear 'down' with 'The Great Ignored'....Don't forget to vote... 

Gone to the Dogs

They say never work with children and animals and at times you can see why! But the trick to good animal photography is accepting from the start that, as in this case, the dogs are in charge of the shoot and there is only so much you can do to influence their behaviour. The rest - well you have to make that up as you go along.

If like here your on the beach then expect to get wet, expect to get covered in sand and expect your gear to get a bit of a battering. As with children and some other subjects it is better to get down to their level for a stronger viewpoint. These pictures were taken over two occasions as we walked our dog, Tia, a chocolate lab, on the beach where we live and some friends had their dogs out and as we bumped into them and had a chat I shot some pictures as their dogs and ours ran around and had some fun.

All pictures were shot on an either 85mm 1.4 or a 20mm 2.8 with Nikon D3's, shot at around 800 ISO on RAW and high quality JPEG. It's a tricky gig trying to get some workable pictures of any animal but the same principles apply to dogs as they do to pictures of people - trying to get the eyes open and trying to get the peak of the action as well as trying to show a relationship between animals and owner or the animals themselves.

Keep your finger poised and ready to shoot, never take your eye from the viewfinder the pictures will come together very quickly and be gone just as fast so be ready. Constantly alter your exposure as required although you could meter for the sand but beware of any sky included in your shots as this will shift your exposure dramatically. Manual exposure is harder work but you retain full control, I much prefer shooting this way and in fact shoot everything in manual exposure. In time it becomes second nature to adjust it as you shoot but aperture or shutter priority is another tool you could use if you wanted.

Pick your moments and shoot a lot of pictures at first, soon though you will see when the shots are happening and be more selective. This saves you 'hosing' them down and taking loads of pictures, although it's all just ones and zeroes at the end of the day and they are free! So take as many pictures as you need to.

Don't forget to use different lenses for a different effect, stand off with a longer lens or get in closer with a wide - be cautious on the wide though and keep an eye on what else might be in the frame as you shoot. During this shoot I was using a mix of manual focus and continuous auto focus and was switching between the two as each shot dictated. For running or action type pictures my frame rate was continuous high to give me a good selection of pictures - However, still pick your shots and don't rely on simply rattling off loads of pictures in the hope of getting something this is bad skills and your photography will suffer.

You can have a laugh and get some decent pictures when shooting animals - especially dogs - as long as you remember that your reacting to what's happening and have very little control over events but looking at it like that this is what most photography is like and that is as it should be because if you can start to nail some good pictures at these times then your half way there.

This is your Religion???

I am not a religious man.

It doesn't sit right with me.

In over twenty years in the military I have been to many different countries where the root of the problems stem from religious beliefs and many of the problems facing other countries also arise from religious differences. So I have seen first hand the destructive power of religion.

I cannot bring myself to accept the beliefs that those that are religious hold close and I can't help but feel that there is a certain amount of arrogance and indeed ignorance amongst those that hold these beliefs that there is some higher being in control of everything or that there is some higher plan that directs everything.

The evidence for and of evolution is, in my opinion overwhelming and science provides the answers to these questions that people have been asking for many thousands of years.

Regardless of an individuals beliefs and however misguided they may be with religious points of view the following link takes you to one of the most disgusting and shocking stories surrounding the Catholic church ever made public. These last few words should be noted about this story..."...ever made public..".

How much else is there that hasn't been made public through the years?

If this is your religion then your welcome to it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scW90Q6Z_OM&feature=player_embedded


Further comment on Duckrabbit...
http://duckrabbit.info/blog/2010/04/duckrabbits-easter-message/

A bit of...

A bit of Contre-jour photography, early morning sunlight and some token daffodills - It must be Spring?