We've had enough rain recently to avoid a drought, but still the late summer's turning the land to the colours of dry grass and dust. In a few months' time this photograph will be hard to believe, but maybe it'll help me through the cold short days. These fragments I have shored against my ruins.
To those who've given feedback on the changes to the blog, thank you. More feedback would be appreciated: you're welcome to email, leave a comment, or just vote in the poll below.
Update: I've reverted to the old, dark, blog settings to let you better assess your preference (ideally I'd offer both versions simultaneously, but that's not possible). Thanks for the feedback, and keep it coming — and lurkers, please vote ;-)
All content © 2016 Pete McGregor
This has a strange beauty to it, Pete. I can well understand how such memories can help you through the winter. Also it confirms my view that a photographic image can always be found anywhere if you look properly.
ReplyDeleteSome years ago I set up a screensaver slide show of memories of my activities and beloved people on my desktop PC to serve me in old age.
That is now here. Some of those activities have been reduced. Some of those loved ones have gone before me. Yet those screen shots evoke a pleasant nostalgia whenever they appear.
I find the softened background of the blog easier on the eye.
Beautiful colours.
ReplyDeleteI've recently had the bedrooms redecorated in colours very like that central seed head - warm and peaceful. When you move into winter try to think of warm and peaceful rather than dry and dust.
Avus, I like that phrase 'strange beauty'. Strangeness has always appealed to me, perhaps because it leaves much still possible.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback, too. I see the voting's split exactly down the middle at the moment, so the decision to stay with the new format or not might be difficult.
RR, that's a good thought. I'll do my best to think of warm and peaceful when I'm cold and tense.
You've conveyed everything about this long, hot summer in this photograph, Pete. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of the people who voted against this colour change on your blog. I find it's OK on my iphone or ipad, but on the computer, the brightness means that I can only look at it for a short time. I don't know why that is - after all, I can look at a white screen with writing on it for any length of time. But I also think that, on any of the screens, the black, contrasting background throws the photographs into sharper relief.
Thanks for the feedback, Lisa. Looks as if I'll have to make a decision that won't please everyone, but in the meantime I've reverted to the old format for comparison purposes. Decision time next week.
ReplyDeleteThe lighter background was more like your other blog. And I couldn't remember how this one worked with the darker color. But I think, seeing it again, it frames your photos better. I generally don't like black blog backgrounds, but here, it seems to set off your images better for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks Zhoen — I appreciate your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteFor just this moment I relish the feeling of warm, dry sunshine this photo conveys. When it is sunny here in summer it is usually also humid - not fun. I know the feeling of wanting to show photos to their best advantage and the light background does that as well as this black one. I do like, however, that the black background sets this blog apart from your other blog. Surprisingly, I find the white on black text easier to read than black text on the lighter color. Either way, your photos are always a joy. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThanks Barbara; I appreciate your thoughts on the background. You might be interested to know the white text is actually a very light grey; I chose that because pure white on black is so hard on the eyes.
ReplyDeleteThanks, too, for the encouragement about the photographs :-)