SteveTanham – writing, mysticism, photography, poetry, friends

Category: landscapes

October 4, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Consciousness, Lake District, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography, Places and Prose, Seasons of the year, Silent Eye School, Travel and people

Maple Quay

by Steve Tanham

There’s a giant maple tree on the quayside at Waterhead on the northern shores of Lake Windermere. Waterhead is the most northerly ferry stop on this, England’s biggest lake. Boats from Waterhead link the town of Ambleside to Bowness and Lakeside at the southern tip of the lake. We call it ‘Maple Quay’ though it has no official name. In the autumn, the tree … Read More Maple Quay

September 27, 2022 + #Silenti, Consciousness, Lake District, landscapes, Mindfulness, Photographic techniques, Photography, Places and Prose

Lines on Stone

by Steve Tanham

It’s amusing to watch your own progress with a pastime, hobby, or even a skill. I was new to creative photography a few years ago, and set about it with the usual Gemini enthusiasm. It doesn’t take long before you’ve taken hundreds of shots, some of them credible renderings of beautiful things – like our local River Kent, or buildings, or even skies – … Read More Lines on Stone

September 17, 2022 + #Silenti, Consciousness, Lake District, landscapes

The old pier and the birds of young wisdom

by Steve Tanham

There’s a strange object near the end of Morecambe’s long Stone Jetty pier. From a distance, it looks like a large piano… Beyond it is only the sea, so, really, it’s stuck out in the middle of Morecambe Bay. It’s actually one of two new radar stations designed for detailed analysis of the intense tidal flows of these parts – some of the largest … Read More The old pier and the birds of young wisdom

September 13, 2022 + #Silenti, Consciousness, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography, Places and Prose

City Sky Garden

by Steve Tanham

At the end of the summer each year, we try to spend a few days in London. The South Bank is our favourite haunt. The opening photos of the city’s financial district, above and below, were taken from a point adjacent to the Globe Theatre, overlooking the Thames, and looking northwards. This year the trip was set up by our goddaughter, Karen, who had … Read More City Sky Garden

September 11, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Consciousness, English Lake District, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography

Back lane to the river

by Steve Tanham

It is said by local historians that if Kendal had not fallen prey to the soulless developments of the 1960s, the town would now rival York in the historical interest offered by its venerable streets – and its living links with long-disappeared ways of life… There are numerous alleys that lead from the town centre to the River Kent. It’s fascinating to walk these … Read More Back lane to the river

September 6, 2022 + #Silenti, Christianity and modern mysticism, Consciousness, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography

The Endurance of St. Paul’s

by Steve Tanham

There was a time, not long ago, when my livelihood – and that of 25 other employees of the software company I established in the late 1980s – depended on our continued involvement with the plans of some large city institutions such as the Bank of England, Euroclear and various of the high street banks also headquartered in the (old) City. For a company … Read More The Endurance of St. Paul’s

September 4, 2022 + #Silenti, English Lake District, History, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography

Survivor in a landscape?

by Steve Tanham

A complete accident this, though it looks like the figure in the right hand aperture was staged… I have no idea who she was. Kendal Castle; home to prominent members of the Parr family, whose daughter, Katherine Parr, remarkably survived the Tudor monster – Henry VIII. Perhaps that’s her ghost, smiling in the late summer sun, reminding us that even the darkest fates can, … Read More Survivor in a landscape?

August 28, 2022 + #Silenti, Consciousness, English Lake District, Lake District, landscapes, Photography, Places and Prose

Fading summer wine

by Steve Tanham

One of the most poignant moments of the year is the last week of August. There comes that first sense of ‘chill’, plus the heavy dew on the morning grass. We find the best way to deal with this is a bottle of white wine, taken just as the warmth of the afternoon has begun to ebb. We spend the time it takes to … Read More Fading summer wine

August 25, 2022 + #Silenti, landscapes

Hidden aspects of Kirkby Lonsdale: a journey in pictures

by Steve Tanham

I’ve written about Kirkby Lonsdale, before. This lovely market town, on the border between Cumbria and Yorkshire, has many faces, some of them well hidden… A photo-tour is a good way of sharing these… Our journey starts with Devil’s Bridge, located below the town, and the old crossing point for the River Lune. This used to be the main road to Yorkshire… The way … Read More Hidden aspects of Kirkby Lonsdale: a journey in pictures

August 21, 2022 + #Silenti, Lake District, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography

Time, place and lens

by Steve Tanham

The River Kent forms a natural heart to the village of Sedgwick. The river has many faces. In 2015 it saw some of the worst floods in the region’s history. But most of the time, it’s peaceful and beautiful. It has some special moods, but you have to be there to photograph them. Not a matter of skill, rather right place at the right … Read More Time, place and lens

August 9, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, landscapes, Photography, Silent Eye School, Travel, Travel and Photography

A Hebridean Diary (6-end) Great Bernera

by Steve Tanham

Our two-week trip, ending in the Hebridean Island of Lewis, was coming to an end. The following morning, we would be on a ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool, then a fast route directly to Inverness, where we could pick up the main A9 to Perth, stopping in a travel motel, before setting off early for Cumbria and home. We decided to spend our last … Read More A Hebridean Diary (6-end) Great Bernera

August 2, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, History, landscapes, Photography, Places and Prose

In the gardens of Coughton Court…

by Steve Tanham

Coughton Court in Warwickshire, fifteen miles from Stratford-on-Avon, is the ancestral home of the Throckmortons, one of the UK’s oldest catholic families and a place of great intrigue during the time of religious persecution. It still possesses some of the best concealed ‘priest holes’ in the country. It also boasts a beautiful walled garden, worth visiting in its own right… The name Coughton (pronounce … Read More In the gardens of Coughton Court…