It's a wonderful life
The rolling hills and green fields of Wiltshire are a spectacle to behold. This very thought alone got me going. After more than an hour of walk on muddy and in...
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The rolling hills and green fields of Wiltshire are a spectacle to behold. This very thought alone got me going. After more than an hour of walk on muddy and inhospitable terrain, I crested the hill and took the camera out of the bag. As the lens motor started whirring, so did my mind. I clicked away and hummed away. A captivating bucolic scene unfolded before me, but my mind's eye transported me to a different place: the seaside town of Southport in Merseyside, hundreds of miles away.
In 1986, the late Liverpudlian singer and song writer Colin Vearncombe, known by his stage name “Black”, wrote the single “Wonderful life”, a brilliant bittersweet ballad with strangely uplifting lyrics. It was in Southport that the eponymous’ song black-and-white video was set, featuring lighthouses, promenades, fairground rides, local shops and residents. Colin had quoted that “people read too much into the lyrics and he was merely being ironic”, but I never bought it. I thought that in the face of inquisitive journalism, he was being evasive. His carefully picked metaphors “here I go out to sea again” and “in my blue eye” hint at an elusive state of happiness and a paradise we all dream yet are unable to touch. From this vantage point I can liken the mood created by the video's onshore breeze to that generated in a serene setting of timid wool-clad creatures put out to pasture, as rays of the dipping sun ooze through moving clouds and hazy atmosphere.
Pictures paint thousands of words but rarely tell the whole story. “Dreams hang in the air” and one never knows if they will materialise or fade and die. Half an hour ago, I was showered by rain and sleet. Right now, I realise that every cloud has a silver lining. Maybe we never realise what he have. Maybe all is not what it outwardly seems.
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In 1986, the late Liverpudlian singer and song writer Colin Vearncombe, known by his stage name “Black”, wrote the single “Wonderful life”, a brilliant bittersweet ballad with strangely uplifting lyrics. It was in Southport that the eponymous’ song black-and-white video was set, featuring lighthouses, promenades, fairground rides, local shops and residents. Colin had quoted that “people read too much into the lyrics and he was merely being ironic”, but I never bought it. I thought that in the face of inquisitive journalism, he was being evasive. His carefully picked metaphors “here I go out to sea again” and “in my blue eye” hint at an elusive state of happiness and a paradise we all dream yet are unable to touch. From this vantage point I can liken the mood created by the video's onshore breeze to that generated in a serene setting of timid wool-clad creatures put out to pasture, as rays of the dipping sun ooze through moving clouds and hazy atmosphere.
Pictures paint thousands of words but rarely tell the whole story. “Dreams hang in the air” and one never knows if they will materialise or fade and die. Half an hour ago, I was showered by rain and sleet. Right now, I realise that every cloud has a silver lining. Maybe we never realise what he have. Maybe all is not what it outwardly seems.
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Feb, 2018Views
2786
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Celebrating Nature Photo Contest Vol 7
Contest Finalist in Covers Photo Contest Vol 46
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
Virtuoso
Genius
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
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1Ernesto
February 16, 2018
The most artistic looking landscape - perfectly framed. This would make a watercolor artist cry. Thanks for the wonderful write-up, your talent is showing, in more ways than one.
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MicktheGreek
February 16, 2018
Thank you Ernesto. I must admit, I do like this photo a lot, as wide angle is my favoutite type of shooting. This photo does need to be viewd on a 24-inch monitor to bring out the juice of it. I took a few shots of the sheep in the foreground, maybe I need to post a cropped one as well.
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MicktheGreek
February 16, 2018
Thank you Marilena. I might have to go there and beyond again, maybe even in the next couple d=of days, weather allowing. The muddy terrain makes it a bit awkward this time of the year and we have had a lot of rain.
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MicktheGreek
February 18, 2018
Thanks Paul! Veru good spot this one, but it is difficult to go further to a more favourable one becasue a lot of it is private land. I was there also yesterday and took more photos.
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petercundill
February 18, 2018
Excellent Writing Mick to go with a stunning, beautiful and superbly captured image my friend!! :0)
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MicktheGreek
February 18, 2018
Thanks Pete! Wait to see one of the images I took yesterday as I re-visited the place...
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douglasunger
February 26, 2018
That looks like a great place to hang out and relax! Beautiful capture, Michael!
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MicktheGreek
February 26, 2018
It certainly is, Douglas, but not quite right now. At the time of the photo, it was freezing. After a couple of months, it will be great.
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carolcardillo
May 26, 2018
Beautiful scene, Mick, and I love the passion in your writing! Congrats on being a Finalist!
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MicktheGreek
May 26, 2018
Thanks Eelco, I had forgotten I had submitted it. Nice to have a little treat like that now and again...
buzman
December 07, 2018
Wonderful isn't quite strong enough a word to say how beautiful this shot is !!!
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lindapersson
September 17, 2020
Beautiful view! Looks so fresh and crisp in the air. Like a nice day for a walk/hike.
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MicktheGreek
September 17, 2020
Thanks, Linda. If I remember well it was late February, with days slightly longer and the remnants of winter evident in the late afternoon, hence the crispiness and clarity in the photo x
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