theonlyD800inthehameau
Photography by theonlydeadheadinthehameau
Lens-Artists Challenge: Everyone should see…Petra
Posted on September 30, 2025
For many years, the ‘rose-red city’ of Petra, in Jordan, was right at the top of my bucket list. I finally made it for my 60th birthday.
The main approach to the city is through a narrow path called the ‘Siq’, which runs for about three-quarters of a mile (1.2 kilometres in the new money) between two high and rocky outcrops which, for most of the way, is all you can see. But then you round a slight curve in the path and there is your first glimpse of the Nabatean Treasury. Not something easily forgotten…
Lens-Artists Challenge: Quiet Moment
Posted on September 8, 2025
I took this photo in Dubai, many years ago now. An immigrant worker seizes a – no doubt rare – opportunity to rest and relax, sitting on a bench and removing his sandals, enjoying a quiet moment.
Lens-Artists Challenge: Scavenger Hunt
Posted on September 2, 2025
For this week’s challenge Anne has given us what’s almost carte blanche effectively, with her theme of ‘scavenger hunt’, for which we’re invited to scour our archives (or take a new photo) for something that illustrates any of a long list of potential topics.
As it happens, I only needed to go back to last month for my contribution. This is a close-up of a pile of battered old wooden pallets – which I guess is where the ‘scavenger’ element comes in – that I spotted on the quayside at Scarborough, in Yorkshire.
There’s ‘rectangular’ and ‘bumpy texture’ from her list for starters, although at the time what really attracted me was the pleasing contrast between blue and orange (I haven’t tweaked the colour palette in any way at all).
Lens-Artists Challenge: Doors
Posted on August 18, 2025
I used to be a regular contributor to the ever-popular ‘Thursday Doors’ challenge: to the extent, indeed, that I eventually ran out of subjects, having snapped pretty much every interesting door within a radius of about fifty miles.
So when I saw that this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge was (drum roll) ‘doors’ I was initially at something of a loss. Did I have anything previously unpublished? As it turns out, I did, and here it is.
Unfortunately, all I can tell you about this particular door is that it’s French and the image was captured on my iPhone in September 2020. No doubt my eye was caught by the unusual pattern of the door itself and perhaps even more so by the carved stone frame.
Lens-Artists Challenge: Tools Of Composition
Posted on August 4, 2025
This week’s challenge is to demonstrate through an image or images the tools of photo composition. John, who’s overseeing proceedings this week, specifies lines, colour and patterns.
Certainly no arguments there, although I would argue that a photographer’s most important tools of composition are their very own eyes: to be able to see the image before it is captured, even if it’s not immediately apparent.
This image is, I think, a decent example of what I’m droning on about. It was taken outside my sister-in-law’s house. the dark triangle on the right is part of her garage roof, while the white triangle and dormer window form part of the neighbouring house.
There are lines and shapes a-plenty, of course, but what draws them together is the composition, and in particular the two triangles meeting at top right. The point is that at first sight this was not immediately obvious, although I could see it had potential. All it needed was for me to use my eyes and take two steps to the left in order to align the various elements as seen here.
Lens-Artists Challenge: Quiet Hours
Posted on July 14, 2025
This week’s challenge is to post an image that captures the idea of ‘quiet hours’. Clearly, there are many interpretations: the ‘hours’ element can refer to a particular time of day, while ‘quiet’ could be just something conveying tranquility or serenity.
I’ve gone with the latter, with this photo having been taken in the late morning on an inlet of the River Creuse. Not a cloud in the sky, not a breath of wind, scarcely a ripple to distort those crystal-clear reflections. It was very quiet….
Lens-Artists Challenge: Creativity
Posted on June 30, 2025
I’ve never considered myself as particularly creative (except perhaps in the art of avoiding hard work or getting my hands dirty), so for this week’s Lens0Artists Challenge, with the theme of ‘Creativity’, it makes more sense to me to highlight the creativity of others more blessed than myself in that department.
The island of Murano, in the Venetian Lagoon, is world famous for its production of glass, especially ornamental glass items that are designed and made by individual craftsmen. The production process is fascinating, if a little scary – that stuff if hot.
Lens-Artists Challenge: Reflections
Posted on June 23, 2025
Ah, reflections. What photographer worth their salt could resist capturing an example of nature’s best BOGOF deal?
This reflection was captured in the charming Belgian city of Bruges, so famous for its canals that it’s often been described as the Venice of the north.
Lens-Artists Challenge: Stormy
Posted on June 17, 2025
The gathering storm: I took this photo in Australia, in the wine-growing area of New South Wales.
What began as a bright and sunny day quickly darkened as a storm front moved in. Shortly after this was taken, the sky was almost black and it rained. A lot…
Lens-Artists Challenge: Mellow
Posted on June 9, 2025
I think this image fits the bill for the theme of this week’s challenge: another photograph taken last October in La Rochelle, in the ‘golden hour’ just before sunset.
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