dalecooper57 may or may not necessarily be my real name, although I couldn't swear to it.
An aging hippy living in Devon, I do all this stuff (and I do mean everything - blog, animation, music, photography, the lot) on my lovely smartphone because I started like that, and now I'm too stubborn to get a computer.
I don't have a theme, because I don't see why I'd want to talk about the same thing all the time, so why only write about one thing?
So if you like eclecticism, humour, nonsense, opinionated ranting, and occasionally educational stuff, you've come to the right place.
Any and all feedback is welcome, both positive and negative, on the content, style and overall look of the blog.
You keep following me, I'll keep telling you stuff, ok?
Cheers,
dalecooper57
I set the prompt for this week’s edition of K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge, because I had a specific event in mind when I picked; Street photography.
Saturday was Green Man day in Barnstaple.
Or rather, it was the Pilton Green Man Festival. Set in the old town’s sloping high street and around the Rotary Gardens, the all day event comprises craft stalls, live music, Morris dancing, fairground attractions, food and drink, a pagan procession and much more. It’s always a busy day and this year’s festival was no exception.
Audrey and I wandered through the crowds, soaked up some of the cheerful community atmosphere and I took some photos; including some of the slightly fearsome Morris men and women (see if you can make out exactly who is who in the final shot, I certainly can’t).
K’lee is out on the streets HERE, but now it’s time to show us what you found on your travels.
*****
To get involved with the challenge, post a photo to your blog on Monday, add a pingback to this post (or to K’lee’s) and don’t forget to tag your post #CosPhoChal.
Alternatively, add a link to your blog in the comments of either mine or K’lee’s post and we’ll come and check out your entry.
Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.
Here we are again, the end of another week and the start of another chapter in the feature that is K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge, this week chaired by yours truly.
Today I’ve decided to go with a prompt we’ve covered once or twice before, but it gives you a lot of scope for creative invention; Street photography.
So get out in the world and show us what’s on the streets where you live for Monday’s post.
*****
To get involved with the challenge, post a photo to your blog on Monday, add a pingback to this post (or to K’lee’s) and don’t forget to tag your post #CosPhoChal.
Alternatively, add a link to your blog in the comments of either mine or K’lee’s post and we’ll come and check out your entry.
Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.
I thought I’d take the opportunity of a day off work to capture the sudden burst of colour in the garden, brought on by the arrival of this strange thing called “summer”, which we are experiencing in the UK due to some sort of meteorological anomaly, (if my wife is to be believed).
So PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK to see the pictures over on Photo Sans Frontiers, my photographic sister blog.
Another case of day-off-work-derailing-memory syndrome meant I almost forgot today’s entry in the alternative dictionary, but this popped into my head unexpectedly, so;
“Dictatorship” – The Kingdom of Richard the Potato.
K’lee chose the theme for this week’s edition of K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge, picking one of his trademark “open to interpretation” prompts and encouraging us to capture; Pieces of a dream, in black and white.
Well, I think I’ve managed to meet K’lee’s brief with these four images.
Two are old favourites, to which I’ve added an extra layer of Twin Peaks-style black and white zigzags, reminiscent of The Black Lodge, the other two were made yesterday. Oh, and they all seem to contain eyes, I’m not sure why.
The new composite pictures were made from a landscape and a cloudscape, with elements of these four photos added to them.
So, here are my monochromatic dreamy offerings, I hope you like them.
But now let’s see what fantasies you captured for us.
Edit (19/07/18): I am adding an extra one, which I was mucking about with for this post and thought it fitted nicely with the prompt.
*****
To get involved with the challenge, post a photo to your blog on Monday, add a pingback to this post (or to K’lee’s) and don’t forget to tag your post #CosPhoChal.
Alternatively, add a link to your blog in the comments of either mine or K’lee’s post and we’ll come and check out your entry.
Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.
Another lazy weekend, another chance to sit in the sunshine and do some remixing.
This time, the victim subject of my sonic tomfoolery is Stephin Merritt, the singer/songwriter also known as The Magnetic Fields and his strange little song, The Meaning of Lice, which I mashed together with an Art of Noise percussion sample
Here are the lyrics;
Lice, lice, divine device
Miscellaneous
Ticks, ticks, and magic tricks
Subcutaneous
Fleas, fleas, STDs
All of Egypt on their knees
Lice, lice in paradise,
A necessary heresy.
Our god would want their sod
To turn to pestilence
Strange angels so unjust
To peasants in their tents
Murder, rust bringer
Of each leech and skin stinger
Lice, lice in paradise
Religion ain’t philosophy
Lice, lice, divine device
Miscellaneous
Ticks, ticks, and magic tricks
Subcutaneous
Fleas, fleas, STDs
All of Egypt on their knees
Lice, lice in paradise
A necessary heresy
…and here is my mix, along with the supremely gloopy video I made to accompany it.
K’lee is setting the theme for this week’s K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge and he has picked another slightly enigmatic prompt for you to play with; Pieces of a dream, in black and white.
So if you think you can come up with something suitably dreamy and monochromatic, why not join us on Monday and get involved.
It’s easy when you know how…
*****
To get involved with the challenge, post a photo to your blog on Monday, add a pingback to this post (or to K’lee’s) and don’t forget to tag your post #CosPhoChal.
Alternatively, add a link to your blog in the comments of either mine or K’lee’s post and we’ll come and check out your entry.
Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.
There appears to be some kind of leisure activity involving balls taking place today, but it’s all so much meh to me, so I’ll content myself with making another entry in the alternative dictionary;
“Planking” – One whose idea is accepted as the best suggestion in any given situation.
This week’s scorching hot edition of K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge was brought to you by my prompt; The need for speed.
Now, I rarely pick a challenge’s theme based on a predetermined idea, I usually just post the first thing that pops into my head and try to find inspiration from that. But I already knew I was going to have a specific photo-opportunity at the weekend, so I kind of cheated. Plus it ties in nicely with Lewis Hamilton’s valiant, if unsuccessful, fight-back in the British Grand Prix yesterday.
It was worth it, though, as you’ll see in a moment.
First, a little preamble.
Two years ago, Audrey and I went to the small village of George Nympton, on the edge of Exmoor National Park, one slightly drizzly July Saturday afternoon, for their annual fete and live-action recreation of ’70s kids TV favourite, Wacky Races.
If you are somehow unaware of this televisual classic, here’s the intro…
…so that you can compare and contrast, later.
Anyway, back to the same Saturday afternoon, but fast forward to 2018 and add blazing, tarmac-melting heat. Both Audrey and Rhonda joined me for this year’s festivities and the same mix of entertainment was on offer as I remember from last time; a mouth-watering hog roast for lunch, a stroll around the stalls, (getting there early paid off and I bagged a few CDs and a DVD box-set)…
…a small dog show, with views across the beautiful, rolling hills of the Devon countryside…
…live music…
…and of course, the racing itself.
The road into the village is on a very steep hill, with a sharp, almost 90° corner half way down, where the road becomes slightly less steep for a long straight run to the finish line outside the church.
Since this is the only road through the village, organisers have to use walkie-talkies to coordinate traffic control for each race, but the four homemade vehicles and their intrepid riders all got their moments of glory in the sun eventually.
There were two of a more traditional go-cart design…
…along with this little guy and his Battle Bus…
…who I missed as he crossed the line on his second run, but you’ll see him in action soon, as I did catch all the action on video.
Last, but certainly not least, was Audrey’s undoubted favourite; the fabulous Scooby Doo Mystery Machine, complete with costumed team and smoke effects, which was the overall winner of the time trial, not surprising when you see how fast it came down that hill.
The racers were towed up the hill by quad bike…
…then a few minutes later, this happened:
Check out the clip, it’s only one minute long, then show us what you did to get up to speed with the challenge this week.
To get involved with the challenge, post a photo to your blog on Monday, add a pingback to this post (or to K’lee’s) and don’t forget to tag your post #CosPhoChal.
Alternatively, add a link to your blog in the comments of either mine or K’lee’s post and we’ll come and check out your entry.
Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.
This week, it’s my turn to set the theme for K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge and, unusually for me, I do so with a particular subject in mind.
You’ll see what I mean on Monday, when we meet back here with photos that capture; The need for speed.
See y’all then, have a good weekend.
*****
To get involved with the challenge, post a photo to your blog on Monday, add a pingback to this post (or to K’lee’s) and don’t forget to tag your post #CosPhoChal.
Alternatively, add a link to your blog in the comments of either mine or K’lee’s post and we’ll come and check out your entry.
Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.
RETURN OF THE INTERNET NOBODY 