Lens-Artists Challenge: Lucky Shot
Posted on April 14, 2026
It was the famous French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson who coined the expression ‘the decisive moment’, in his seminal book, ‘Images à la Sauvette’, published in 1952. In photographic terms, the decisive moment is that split second when you press the shutter at exactly the right time to elevate an image out of the ordinary. Of course there is a huge degree of skill involved in that, but also an element of luck.
This week’s challenge is to show photographs that were taken in that brief but decisive moment and, unusually for me, I’m posting two images this time.
My first thought on reading the challenge was ‘fireworks’. It’s surely at least 99% luck if you get a truly memorable image from a firework display, and the chances are that you will instead end up with – almost literally – a damp squib. Somehow, though, I managed to nail this one (and quite a few more, as it happened) on New Year’s Eve in Sydney, close to twenty years ago:
Much more recently – only last weekend, in fact – we went to admire some Highland cattle at a nearby village fête. There were two adjacent pens, one containing two bulls and the other holding some cows with their calves. Having snapped (well, ‘pressed’ really nowadays, isn’t it?) away merrily for a while, I was getting ready to leave when the older bull and one of the cows went in for what can only be described as a smooch through the bars that separated them. I guess I was lucky to be there when it happened.
Monochrome Madness: Minimalism
Posted on April 12, 2026
This image is really hot off the press, as it were, taken less than four hours ago.
Madame and I had gone to a nearby village fête, the chief attraction of which was the presence of some Highland cattle – one of Madame’s favourite animals (albeit not a patch on elephants). I was struck in particular by the rich golden colour of the long hair that covers their bodies, and also by the way it fell into waves.
For contrast, I cropped the image to include some of the grass they were grazing on to produce a strong diagonal to add further interest.
Into The Frame
Posted on April 6, 2026
For this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge we’re asked to display images that have a clear ‘three-dimensional’ structure: foreground, middle ground and background. I suppose that is the two-dimensional equivalent of a beginning, a middle and an end in a piece of fiction.
Anyway, I think this fits the bill. I took this photo on the Sir Bani Yas nature reserve in Abu Dhabi. It was about the time of golden hour but there was too much sand in the air on this day, so the whole world had a very hazy feel to it.
Fortuitously, this lone oryx walked into the frame and a flash of sunlight caught its swishing tail, creating a perfect foreground object. The line of gaff trees provided the middle ground and that mysterious pyramid shape (it’ just a hill) added interest to the background., which would otherwise have been just sand-laden air.
Last on the card March 2026
Posted on April 2, 2026
Our back fence was in a bit of a sorry state, so we’ve just had it replaced, exchanging some solid panels for a ranch-style alternative. This has had the very pleasing effect of opening up the vista of our neighbour’s fields with, here, a couple of his horses grazing.
I tell you, it’s like living in the countryside…..
Lens-Artists Challenge: I’m on the phone…
Posted on March 31, 2026
This week’s challenge is to display image(s) captured with a mobile phone rather than a traditional camera. That’s no problem for me as, despite the name of this blog, I no longer own a D800 – or any photographic device other than my trusty iPhone 14 Pro Max.
I gave our dear daughter all my traditional photographic ‘kit’ a couple of years ago: she’s a much better photographer than I am. You can find her work on Facebook and Instagram at NJC Photography. Take a look, then tell me I’m wrong.
In practice, I don’t really miss having a ‘proper’ camera. The iPhone delivers perfectly good images and there are plenty of apps to give it an extra boost if you want to. Plus, it doesn’t weigh a ton.
Anyway, I snapped this in the Yorkshire seaside resort of Scarborough last summer. If you’re viewing it on a desktop screen, I suggest you lean back in your chair for the best effect, rather than hunch forward. Leaning back just a little emphasises the leading lines formed by the breaking wave at the top of the picture and more detail on the rest of the water.
Either way, you get a human figure with both a reflection and a shadow. What more could you want?
Monochrome Madness: On The Roof
Posted on March 25, 2026
The latest Monochrome Madness challenges us to look up and see what’s on the roof.
In this case it’s fallen leaves that have come off the many trees we have in our fields. As nature takes its course they drift off on the wind and settle wherever fate takes them. Here they’re on the roof of our laverie (basically, its the utility room, but housed in a separate building), which accounts for the slates. The metal sheeting is the roof of a potting shed that was tacked on to the back just after we moved here.
I think this image ticks the ‘strong leading lines’ box.
Lens-Artists Challenge: Colour in Monochrome
Posted on March 23, 2026
It’s all there in black and white.
This week’s challenge is to present in a monochrome image something that we absolutely know is actually a specific colour. As Egidio says in his post, reducing an image to grayscale emphasises form and texture which could well be overlooked in ‘natural’ colour.
My example is of a Romanesco, that intriguing cross between a cauiflower and broccoli. We all know it’s bright green in the ‘real’ world, but how much of the symmetry and detail of those characteristic swirls is missed when just seeing that vibrant shade?
Shell
Posted on March 22, 2026
A supermarket chain over here in France sells deep frozen ‘petoncles’ – small nuggets of scallop in garlic butter and parsley, presented on a small scallop shell. They are quite delicious, either on their own or with pasta.
And those little shells are worth a closer look…
Cellpic Sunday 22 March 2026
Monochrome Madness: Walls
Posted on March 11, 2026
The Collegiale church of Saint-Pierre-es-Liens in the nearby village of Le Dorat is a massive granite structure, built in the Roman style between the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
It’s certainly well worth a visit, although I’ve always found the interior rather on the gloomy side, especially when it comes to the numerous side chapels, such as this one. Still, considering that those walls are, at the very least, seven hundred years old, they’re probably doing pretty well.
The old cart wheel
Posted on March 8, 2026
This old cart wheel is propped up against the wall of our barn, slowly and quietly surrendering to the elements – but it can still offer some interesting photographic possibilities.
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