beirut at bedtime

beirut at bedtime, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

This was the view from my room in the Convent in Lebanon – quite an incentive to never go to bed. The change of light throughout the day was stunning. You can see Beirut in the distance. I have some pictures which I’ll post later of the inside of the church in this picture. Beautiful stained glass windows with Mediterranean sun streaming through. Lebanon is beautiful – simply beautiful.

the red balloon of Beirut

the red balloon of Beirut, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

I’ve just got back from a week in Beirut – the first time I’ve been to the Middle East.

I’ve had an amazing week with some truly amazing people around the world – people who are willing to work together and are willing to make sacrifices to do so. The people of Lebanon are generous, kind, intensely welcoming and have a wonderful sense of humour. Despite everything that has happened to this nation and its people they are full of hope. It is humbling to meet them and to realise yet again how distorted our view of the world is.

the clouds, the trees and a self-portrait – all in the eye of a horse

the clouds, the trees and a self-portrait – all in the eye of a horse, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

the sun in the storm

the sun in the storm, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

I’ve had a rough week – but relationships have got me through it.

You will have no doubt heard it said that social networking sites do not generate or perpetuate real relationships.

Yet through facebook I am back in touch with some of my oldest friends from whom I stupidly allowed myself to drift away. Some of these friends have provided some very special and timely encouragement this week.

And through flickr I have made new friendships that go far beyond simply admiring each others’ photos. And again I have been deeply encouraged by the comments from my flickr friends this week.

So this picture is dedicated to a number of people: Catherine, my wife (who I see every day) who is simply wonderful, knows me better than anyone and yet still loves me; to Annette Zeidman (who I’ve never met) – one of the best flickr friends there is and who shows that virtual friendships can be exceptionally real; to my sister, Esther Freeman (who I see most weeks), who is the very embodiment of gentle goodness; to my friend David Bray (who I haven’t seen for at least five years) who is wisdom and style; to my old friend Dawn Devonald (who I haven’t seen for at least thirteen years) who still cares enough about the friendship we had to provide humour and encouragement.

It doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the rest of you – you’ve no idea how much I do – I just wanted to highlight a few people who, through a few words or lines, have made my week better.

Thank you all for showing me something of the sun this week.

the closed window of my mind

the closed window of my mind, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

I really seem to have no thoughts to share at the moment. My mind is a closed window. I need some fresh air.

the curve of the swan

the curve of the swan, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

No words today - just a swan.

castlerigg stone circle

castlerigg stone circle, originally uploaded by jamesburden.

So I’ve not been posting any photos for nine days. I haven’t stopped doing photography though ;-)

Here’s another one of my long gestation panoramas. This is Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick in Cumbria. The circle was probably constructed around 3200BC making it one of the earliest stone circles in Britain, and possi...ble Europe too. From within the circle you can see some of the highest peaks in Cumbria including Skiddaw and Helvellyn. The heaviest stone weighs around 16 tons.

Panoramas provide an interesting angle on the SOOC (straight out of the camera) debate. This is most definitely not straight out of the camera. I had to make adjustments to the exposure and colour temperature to ensure that they could be effectively stitched together. I then had to stitch and then clone out various rain spots on the lens (it was pelting it down with rain when I took this series of shots).

What is more valid? Straight out of the camera with the arbitrary limitations of 2:3 ratio and leaving the rendition of light and tones to a computer in the camera? Or making the most of a computer outside the camera to create something that actually more faithfully represents capturing that moment?