I recently made a flying visit to Nuevo Casas Grandes. The people there were friendly and very hospitable. On the way back to the US border crossing at Santa Theresa, I took some shots from the car. They turned out not too badly condsidering. The one above is of a prehistoric type drawing on the mountainside. The one below is a stark contrast between the grandeur of the mountain above and the poverty below.

I was fascinated by the rhythms of the mountains in contrast to the surrounding desert.

“All life is a repeating pulse and ebb and surge of motion.”

L. Ron Hubbard - from his book, ART

Some shots I took along the Thames at night on a recent trip to London. The reflections in the river added a magical touch.

“Successful works of art have a message.

“It may be implicit, implied, emotional, conceptual or literal, inferred or stated. But a message nonetheless.”

L. Ron Hubbard - from his book Art.

While on a business trip to Dublin, a friend took me to Glendalough which turned out to be not just beautiful but one of the most peaceful places I have ever visited. I took some still pictures and have turned these into a short video, using motion functions to give it life.

I was very interested to learn about St Kevin and his monastery/school at Glendalough. He seems to have been a beacon for scholars in an the Dark Ages.

On my visit to Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, I walked around the harbour and took shots of the fishing boats. The pictures tell the story of a very different life style - hard work, hard conditions.

I came on this young rabbit by chance and lucky for me he held still long enough for me to sidle round so he was backlit, and take the shot before he bounded off.

I was looking at one of the quaint news kiosks in Brussels with the idea of taking a shot. I put the viewfinder to my eye and this is what I saw! They were so full of fun and good spirits that I took the shot - unplanned as it was.

I have been seeing more and more rhythms in nature since I started studying this idea of using rhythm in photography. This applies to flowers and plants too. Also noted that light can change even a simple flower to give a comletely different message. Fascinating!

These three flower pictures have their own rhythm. I used lighting and angles to bring that out as much as I could.

“All life is a repeating pulse and ebb and surge of motion.”

L. Ron Hubbard

(From his book, ART)

Everywhere you go in the south of England you see little corners that are quaint and beautiful.

I was interviewing an author for a documentary and noticed the window of his house - an old farmhouse that had been beautifully renovated. When I saw this window, I could not resist!

“The purpose of art is to communicate an intended MESSAGE.”

L. Ron Hubbard

from his book, ART

I am now seeing rhythm in more and more of my pictures. It’s like developing a new perception - something I have observed that photographers do routinely and one of the pleasures of the craft.

This picture was taken at Loch An Eilean and it was the pattern of the bracken that caught my eye.

In this one the lines of rocks and the islands on the horizon all have a similar rhythmic flow.

Interesting!

“A new rhythm attracts attention. If it is agreed with and recurs it gets participation.”

L. Ron Hubbard

From his book, ART

I have been looking more and more at the role played by rhythm in photography using the information I learned from L. Ron Hubbard’s book, ART. I took this picture while visiting the standing stones at Calanais on the Isle of Lewis. Most people were shooting the stones which were very interesting but when I turned and looked south I saw this captivating view of the loch with the hills of Harris in the background. I tried to analyse what makes me like this picture so much and I realized that it is the rhythm of the curves of the hills, of the loch and the roof of the visitors’ centre in the foreground. These give the picture a movement of its own - a rhythmic one.

“It is a relief to participate in predictable rhythm in an art form. It is safe and reassuring. If the rhythm is exciting, it is also exciting. Therefore participation in predictable rhythm is pleasure and even joy.”

L. Ron Hubbard

from his book, ART

Now I am going to see what rhythm I can find in Hollywood. We’ll see!