+ #Poetry, Photography, Poetry
by Steve Tanham
No sooner bloomed than fallen The soft and playful petals Lie contrast, on the charcoal stone Premature to human eye A zenith passed too soon For mind of man seeks solace In what endures in form the most But nature’s love can last a single Beat of yellow heart upturned Then, like the memory of fine wine Enjoyed with friends of heart And eyes … Read More No sooner bloomed than fallen
by Steve Tanham
When the settee to the phone Is half-hearted … and alone And you ring it back, but only in your mind —- If you sit and hold the minute And the people who aren’t in it And wonder how to harvest Passing time —- Does a ghostly alter-presence Steal your silenced effervescence And delightfully rehearsed Excuse or ten? —- When your eyes refuse to … Read More The Moment
+ #Photography,, #Silenti, iPhone photography, landscapes, Photography, Places and Prose, Travel and people, Travel and Photography
by Steve Tanham
(📩 300 words, a five-minute read) Roundhay Park in north Leeds. I had stepped in at short notice to drive over the Pennines to help ‘toddler- sit’ our grandson. He was under the weather; possibly teething, and had been sent home from nursery. Dad – my son – was abroad on business and unable to return at short notice. A well wrapped-up walk with … Read More A round of Roundhay
by Steve Tanham
(📩260 words plus photos. A three minute read) Although we live on the edge of the Lake District, one of our treats, at the end of a cold winter day, is to drive south on the old A6 trunk road to Milnthorpe, then take the right turn to follow the River Bela along the edge of the Levens estate. Ten minutes later, we’re in … Read More Fish and Chips at Arnside
+ #Photography,, #Silenti, Consciousness, iPhone photography, Lake District, Mindfulness, nature, Photographic techniques, Photography, Places and Prose, Seasons of the year
by Steve Tanham
(📩 330 words, a two minute read) I love to discover a scene that epitomises (for me) the main characteristic of each month. January is a particular challenge! I took this one dangling the iPhone precariously over the safety railings of the village’s old bridge. As can be seen, the River Kent is in full flood, though not dangerously so. In mid December, 2015, … Read More The liquid depth of January
by Steve Tanham
(-790 words, a five minute read) There’s nothing like having a good rest from blogging to make you think about what your blogging life should be like. I’ve been musing for the past three weeks – between Christmas family warmth and New Year’s ‘Auld Lang Syne’ – about the nature of blogging and why we do it. Reading others’ similar reflections has been instructive. … Read More Nothing like blogging
by Steve Tanham
There was something of the celebrated children’s story ‘The Ice Queen’ about the beauty of the white formation of swans gliding towards me across the mercurial waters of the upper pond in Roundhay Park, Leeds. Saturday, and we were making a delayed New Year visit to our young grandson. Always a challenging journey at this time of the year – along the frozen A65 … Read More The swans of Roundhay
by Steve Tanham
With this post I’ll be signing off for the rest of 2023 and the first week in 2024. I’m sure we all need a recharge, and I find the festive season a good time to switch off and lie fallow for a while… The image above is a montage of two of my recent photos. I liked the way the warm bits reveal themselves … Read More Signing off for 2023 – Happy Christmas!
+ #iphonephotography, #Phoetry, #Poetry, #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, nature, Photography, Spirituality
by Steve Tanham
Sodden, like a soldier’s backpack hauled across the final freezing mile. The face of one determined To outlive, within an icy smile. A green chord, stroked arpeggio Denied its solemn tone But knowing minor E contains The fire in flint and spark in stone. The forest, bright with inner flame Disguised in mud and weeping bark Waits, silent, dripping, lost in time A holding … Read More Sodden
+ #Photography,, #Silenti, Ancient Sacred Sites, Christianity and modern mysticism, Consciousness, Photography
by Steve Tanham
This Sunday (17th December) sees the last of our Silent Eye Explorations zoom meetings for 2023. It’s been a fascinating year, and we mean to end it with a special event which will combine a guided mediation on the subject of ‘metanoia’ with a visualised, mental and emotional odyssey to two sacred places on the mystical and ancient Orkney islands. We’re going to supplement … Read More Metanoia and Light from Darkness
+ #iphonephotography, #Phoetry, #Photography,, #Silenti, nature, Photographic techniques, Photography
by Steve Tanham
There comes a time when even the most creative use of ‘pale colour’ results in a lesser image than its equivalent in black and white. When we get a shot for which no amount of digital rescue or fine-tuning will deliver success, it’s time to let the powers of monochrome have a go… Good results can often be achieved by taking the original to … Read More Beyond the edge of colour
by Steve Tanham
The fading light in December is a challenge. There is a temptation to ‘settle’ for a monochrome approach to taking shots; looking only for high-contrast situations. But there are opportunities for compositions that lend themselves to a limited spread of subtle colours. As a second stage, modern editing tools can be applied to bring out a small selection of colours as highlights – such … Read More Pale December Light
Sun in Gemini 
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