iMazing

So yesterday I managed to blow the dust off, and get out with my camera for the first time this year… and very quickly realise the reason why I HAVEN’T  been out with my camera this year… It was COLD !!..

Took this one with my real camera, but also decided to test the capabilities of my iPhone too while my blood was slowly crystallizing… and I have to confess, for a camera phone it’s pretty iMazing to say the least… I’ve been impressed with it already on a number of occasions, but last nights picture almost made me put my real camera away !!.. Only almost though, as it will never compete with a Canon obviously.. :)

If you’re on Instagram, then you can find it / me by searching for funkyslug… Or here’s a link to it for those who aren’t on Instagram… http://instagr.am/p/j-hff/

Barnstorming

I was sorely tempted to convert the previous post to black and white, but at the very last minute I decided against it… This one though just HAD to be black and white… Dontchafink ??… Right from the moment I stood in the cold, windy and muddy field composing the shot, I just KNEW there was only one option on processing… Maybe… More than likely… Probably… I think…

I used to be indecisive… Now I’m not quite so sure !!…

Brrrrrrr..illiant Skies

Have to confess to not having taken many pictures recently, cos… well… not to put too fine a point on it… IT’S TOO COLD !!!… and if it’s not too cold, then it’s too… well… Ok  ok, maybe it’s not actually TOO cold, but it’s as good an excuse as any to just stay snug and warm in front of the fire at this time of year… lol.. Actually I tell a lie, as I have been out, and have plenty of shots from some recent urbex explorations, but figured that maybe I should dig back through some as yet unused pics from our summer holiday, if for no other reason than they LOOK a bit warmer than my recent urbex pics… This was a beautiful day, plus, who doesn’t love a sky like this… :)

Beam Me Up

I seem to have cultivated / acquired / developed / produced a bit of a  problem… or an illness… or an addiction… or some may even consider it the early onset of insanity (although my kids may argue it’s not so early… lol).. Anyway, this “problem” I speak of has been slowly worsening over the past few years, and I can definitively trace the source back to its origins… which was HERE… An old abandoned iron foundry, that had a very convenient human sized hole in the fence…  I think I must have been bitten by something when I was in there… Fortunately though, that foundry is no longer in existence, so hopefully others won’t suffer the same fate as me…

The symptoms of said illness ??… An inane desire to seek out and sneak in to any and all abandoned and derelict locations I can find… Schools / Colleges / Hospitals / Mansions / Nursing Homes / Industrial Factories… If it’s old and unused (and generally unsafe) then that’s invitation enough normally… lol… Other symptoms also include cuts / abrasions / not being able to get clean for a week / dirty blood stained clothing, and smelling like something no human should really be smelling like…. It’s small wonder I have so few friends these days !!!… although I’m pretty sure it’s only mildly contagious…

Oh, and it also means that my much more “general consumption” landscapey type photography has suffered a bit, but then given that it’s fast heading in to winter here, that’s no bad thing…

So the latest offering is an old abandoned Girls School, which I’ve been to before, but on this occasion we also managed to find the basement, and the beams of sunlight streaming through the small windows were nothing short of awe-inspiring… You certainly can’t beat spending hours in the dark and damp basement of an old and long abandoned girls school on a sunny Sunday afternoon… Isn’t that every mans idea of the perfect way to spend their weekend ??… ;)

It’s Been A While

So, It’s Been A While… (love this song btw, go give it a listen if it’s not familiar to you)… Anyway, as I was saying, it’s been a while since I put anything on here for various reasons… It’s also been a while since anyone tendered any care and attention on this particular building, which is such a shame as it’s a great building… but getting VERY dangerous…

So a brief catch up with me… Started a new job end of Sept.. reverting back to a previous career of mine, and I have to say it’s going great… I’ve also had a number of urbex outings too recently, one of which this shot comes from, so apologies to those of you who prefer my more tranquil landscape’y type posts (and flowers !!), but I do find a certain beauty in these places too… Plus it’s one heck of a challenge to find and capture something appealing, and also quite the challenge to get out without having fallen through the floor… Oh, and getting in can be quite interesting too sometimes.. ;)

Seasons End

Mysterious Manor’s

Yet another fun day out today, with one old friend and one new friend… and what better place to spend such a day than in an old abandoned manor house… Does it get any better than that ??… Well ok, maybe you think it does, but find one of these places and see if you still feel the same… ;)

This is yet another one of those derelict and abandoned manor houses, such as the infamous Potters Manor… It’s known only as FH Manor, and is just as closely guarded a secret, and not one person will divulge it’s location… so for me this took almost 2 days of investigative work to figure it out, and that’s half the fun surely ??… I’ll not go in to specifics, but I FOUND IT… and that’s what matters… :)

Seriously though… How could anyone leave such a place to ruin ??…

Oh, btw… Can you find the special addition ??… :D

Edit: I did throw this shot up as a separate post, with some history on the place.. but it didn’t seem at all popular so it had to go… Seemed a shame to waste the shot entirely though, so I thought I’d squeeze it in here..  I guess Urbex photography is an acquired taste eh.. ;)

Feeling Reflective

Spent rather a pleasant afternoon strolling along the river with a good friend, and her new Canon 5D Mk II (no fair… lol)… Spent most of the time with one eye open for any potential photo opportunities, and the other eye on her… waiting for her to fall in, so that I could do the decent thing that any friend would do… and grab her camera before it got wet… Well, if she were washed away, I’m sure she’d be only too happy knowing that her camera was going to be looked after !!… Right ??… :D

Pony Pandemonium

More from our recent holiday in the New Forest… oh, and a touch more about the ever so friendly wildlife too…

So you may recall that I mentioned the free roaming New Forest Ponies and Donkeys in my “And We’re Back” post, and how they are even free to roam in to your cottage if you leave the door open… Well as a bonus, here’s a shot of said Pony… The big one that is, and not the smaller one you see in the background…

Dinner is Served

Dusting off some of my old archived shots here that have never before seen the light of day, and mefinks the shots are not the only thing requiring dusting here…

Honestly, this is not MY kitchen.. which I think is pretty obvious, as naturally there would be more beer and pizza in the fridge… ;)

This is a shot from a long past visit with a good friend, to the highly infamous Potters Manor. You may recall that this isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about this particular derelict manor house, which has unfortunately now been pretty much ransacked judging by other people’s shots I’ve seen recently… If you’re interested in how it looked when this shot was taken, you can see a few old posts here, there, someplace, somewhere else and even over there… ;)

Cannot wait to get out for a spot of urbexing again, and fingers crossed that opportunity will present itself real soon… Watch this space.. :)