September One Photo Focus – The Times They Are a-Changin’

By now my One Photo Focus entries can be described simply – If it’s not crazy, it’s not mine. 😛

But there is a logical explanation to my craziness. If you participate or follow this challenge, you’ve seen other versions. Crisp, clean, magnificent…and I am not on that level. Yet. So, to make my own mark in the sea of excellence, I go big. I go bold.

I was very disappointed when Stacy revealed Ben’s image for this month. I wanted it to be a bug!!!!! But to be honest, this is another of those great images, the composition is very interesting and offers many possibilities.

I knew I would go for panorama, the pull was irresistable. As I played with exposure and colors, I got some good results. But it was missing that “wow” or at least “ah” factor.  In a pure stroke of genius (who am I kidding), I slided brightness to minimum and it was there. Something I could work with. It was so much easier when sky was all I had to play with.

Once I started on that crazy road, it was so natural to add my little bicycle gentleman. I am dreading Ben’s reaction to my artistic freedom. 😀

I don’t know if this will be to anyone’s taste, but I love it. And as I learned long time ago, most of the time that is what really matters. Besides, it reminds me of a promo for Downton Abbey. Shoot, I should have done just that, add an upside-down mirror version of the castle! 💡

The original is an image of Pendennis Castle, on the west side of the estuary of the River Fal, near Falmouth in Cornwall. Together with St Mawes Castle its companion fort on the opposite east bank, it was built by King Henry VIII between 1539 and 1545 to guard the entrance to River and to defend Carrick Roads from the perceived French and Spanish threat of naval attack.[2] The castle comprises a simple round tower and gatehouse enclosed by a lower curtain wall. It is now in the ownership of English Heritage.

Pendennis Castle was built as one of a chain of forts running along the coast of the southern half of Great Britain from Hull in the east to Milford Haven in the west. The building programme was in response to the threat of invasion by the French and Spanish, following the rejection of the Roman Catholic religion by King Henry VIII and the adoption of Protestantism at the Reformation. The Pope had asked the catholic kings of France and Spain to invade England to perform a restoration of the Catholic faith. The English were aware that the French and Spanish were familiar with the strategic area of the Carrick Roads, perhaps as an anchorage from which to launch a land invasion, having had a naval battle there shortly before, and knew it to be largely unprotected. It thus appeared urgent to Henry that defences were required.

Pendennis Castle played an important role in the Civil War and was the last Royalist position to be held in the Westcountry and was the last Royal castle to fall in England. A Royalist garrison withstood there a five-month siege (March 1646 to 17 August 1646) from Parliamentarian forces before surrendering with honour. The Parliamentarian forces attacked the castle from both land and sea, when the Royalist garrison at Pendennis, largely formed of Cornishmen was under the command of the 70-year-old John VII Arundel (1576-1654) of Trerice. Pendennis was the third from the last stronghold, before Raglan Castle and Harlech Castle, to hold out for the Royalists. About 1,000 men, women and children survived the 155-day siege at the castle before being forced to surrender due to of starvation. Previously it had given sanctuary to Queen Henrietta Maria, and the Prince of Wales (the future King Charles II), before their escape to France.

                           Ben's original image

In other news, we are ending our AfterBeforeFridayForum, where each of us edited our own images and posted before and after versions on Stacy’s blog. Our dear Stacy, who brought us all together in the most amazing way, will not be able to host that part of the challenge and we all support her in her decision.

I must confess I am a little heartbroken, because I met so many wonderful people, learned amazing things, tested the waters with my first posts on this blog. But the truth is, the challenge ran its course and grew into something even bigger and better, this great One Photo Focus.  So, there is no escape from me, at least once a month.

P.S. Now that I figured out I can incorporate gifs in my blog, there is no end to my craziness. What took me so long???

You can check works from other participants on Stacy’s blog Visual Venturing.