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Saturday 20 July 2013

Picture This #209 ~ The Photos That No-One Wanted

Many thanks to Pat for hosting the challenge this week, and for coming up with a very different theme, and one that I'm sure everyone will find to be fun!! Basically, Pat's idea is that we all take odd photos that seemed like a good idea at the time but we've never been able to post them because they don't fit a theme or subject. 

At first I thought this would be easy, I take lots of what I consider 'odd' shots, but going through my archive, I've realised that over the years I've enjoyed using many of my odd and unusual shots on sites such a Picture This, Picture Perfect, Images And Words, and others. I think the ones I've chosen here are ones I've not used before.

1) First shot was taken in a hotel in Somerset, England that Joanne and I stayed in, in 2010. A converted manor house, the windows still had the original wrought-iron window catches. This is sunset taken through one of them. Although the windows were clean, it's obvious that the window-cleaner avoided doing the little bits of glass between the ironworks!! LOL.
Sungate

2)  This shot is of an old iron bench overlooking the Cleddau river near where I live. It has obviously been painted several times over the years. I was fascinated by how the various layers were wearing away at different speeds.  This was taken with my first digital camera back in 2007.
Wearing Away

3) This is a shot I've always wanted to post, but never had the right opportunity. It is a sculpture/statue found in the small mid-Wales town of Llandovery, a representation of Llewelyn Ap Gruffydd Fychan, a landowner of Carmarthenshire who was executed by Henry IV of England in punishment for his support of Owain Glyndwr's Welsh rebellion. It stands in the grounds of the castle in Llandovery, which unlike many other Welsh castles, has almost totally been destroyed over time. The statue is unusual in two respects. Firstly, it is metallic and secondly there are no facial features....there is an empty space between the helmet and the body.
Watcher

14 comments:

  1. Very cool captures Mate I really like them all "quirky" shots are always interesting;)

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  2. Interesting shots. The first is great, I love that sort of thing, good that he didn't do the bits in between, otherwise it would not have been so unique. The iron bench shows a real history of paintwork, good shot. Of course No. 3 really tops it all, perhaps the Welsh were a small race, and that is why the head never looked out. I also like the background of the Welsh cottages.

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    1. Thanks Pat :-)) I think it more likely that because Llewelyn lived so long ago (1341 - 1401 ) that there are no reliable representations of his face. Or maybe the sculptor just thought it more 'artistic'.

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  3. Magical ironworks.

    Wellworn.

    Wonderful shot of the statue.

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    1. Well worn? Is that me, or the bench?? LOL.

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  4. Hi Mitch, love your shots. I agree with Pat, the texture of the glass between the iron really adds to the interest of the shot. Love your bench, that is the sort of picture I might take. The third is perhaps my favorite and I wonder about the history behind it. I hope he did not lose his head in reality. It's a very striking photograph, the more so with the roofs of houses in the background.

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    1. Thanks Benni :-)) The glass between the iron isn't actually dirty, as such, it's actually covered in rust particles from the window-catches. If you're interested in the history behind the statue, Google 'Llewelyn Ap Gruffydd Fychan'. You'll find a Wiki entry about him. And yes, he did lose his head!!

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  5. WOW, Mitch! That first shot is beautiful!

    Love the peeling paint shot. Lots of character.

    Love the sculpture overlooking the houses like a timeless guardian.

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  6. LOL the last one has me wondering why? Very intriguing...

    I really like the colors of the paint on the bench, would love to see the entire thing!

    The top is shot very artistic :)I really like it!

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    1. Thanks Danette :-)) It seems as part of his execution he was beheaded!!

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  7. Mitch, I like the patterns in the first and second photos. The ironwork is silohuetted lovely with the sunset.The bench makes an interesting subject with the shades of blue. The sculpture is fascinating without the facial features. Thanks for sharing the history of the person honored. Shakespeare's historical plays Henry IV parts 1 and 2 mention the wars.

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    1. Thanks Robert :-)) When I first took up digital photography, I was fascinated by taking shots of everyday objects from close and/or unusual angles, so I have lots like the first and second shot in my archive. The third is part of my collection of photos of 'historical Wales'. There is so much history here, many many castles. I used to do a series of posts about them back on Multiply. Maybe I will start them up again some day here on Blogger.

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