IN THE SHADOW OF THE FLANDERS' POPPIES

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'In The Shadow of the Poppies'. © Copyright Magda Indigo


Raised surrounded by the remnants of war.
In the landscape, whether it be coastal or inland.
In the people, whether it be story or silence.

This delicate flower is part of my youth,
Bright red.

The child in me attracted,
Picking it to offer or cherish, only to find it extremely ephemeral.

The young woman I became,
Lesson learnt, loved running in those colourful fields,
Not enjoying the stains poppies left on a favourite dress.

The young mother I became,
Teaching her sons,
Trying to protect them from the disappointment of the fast wilting flower, the stains, the symbolism...

Now, I'm older and wiser,
More tolerant and more intolerant.

Now, I am back, they greet me, gently moving with the wind.

I just stand; take in the beauty with a smile around my lips,
And let the echoes of the past swirl behind my eyes.



I grew up in Flanders in the shadow of the poppies(1), remembrance of the wars never far away. Everywhere you go, there are graveyards, English, American, Canadian, Polish, South-African, Australian...
As a child, it is just part of the countryside, pretty, neat rows of stones and flowers.
Then, the age of awareness comes, you want to know and understand.
The adults'd rather not talk about it, their gaze becoming distant and full of sorrow and hidden, unspoken suffering (2).
I did the whole sad route of battlegrounds, still not discovering a hidden part which I discovered just now, because they were the 'enemy'.

(3) Somehow I'm only emotionally affected by poppies when I'm in Flanders. They stir very deep emotions and create a sweet melancholy, have done so for as far as I can remember. This time no different. Everywhere else I just enjoy them, it is such a happy flower.
I can feel it especially in this image, what I was trying to describe...
I'll let the flower tell you...

Established during World War I, the cemetery holds 3,233 wartime burials. In 1956, burials from many smaller surrounding cemeteries, were concentrated in Vladslo, and it now contains the remains of 25,644 soldiers from both wars.
Each stone bears the name of twenty soldiers, with just their name, rank, and date of death specified.

PART I. (4)
In 1990 I visit this place for the first time.
The silence at this cemetery is only disturbed by birdsong and rustling young leaves.
I read at the entrance, how towards the end of the war, there was chaos and no time for decent burial. That some years after the war, they were all gathered and put in this one cemetery.
As I walk further I see a few stones with some names and numbers on,

Wilhelm-20
Heinrich-17
Manfred-19,
I can't go on,
I lift my camera, it feels heavier than ever, I push the shutter, the familiar sound is startling.
I hear murmur and whisper, I look across, an older couple are bent over, trying to clear a name, she clutches her handbag, he holds on to his jacket, finally they put a small azalea down.
If they are the parents of one of the fallen youngsters, it will be the last time they come to visit, their final farewell.
I wait until they're gone, then I take this image, one plant for all of them...

Part II. (5)
EVEN THE POPPIES CRY: ONE GIANT variegated POPPY in my garden, larger than the biggest hands and burning like flames.
The second image: The Grieving Parents by Käthe Kollwitz at the WAR cemetery of Vladslo in Belgium.
Many of the German dead in Vladslo cemetery died between 16 and 31 October 1914 during those fearsome attacks on nearby Belgian positions during the ‘Battle of the Yser’. The dozens of flat marker stones, each containing a number of names and dates of death, give proof of that. However, Vladslo is perhaps the place on the Western Front where the everlasting impact of death in war on those at home is driven home to the visitor. At the other end of the cemetery from the entrance lodge stands Käthe Kollwitz’s tribute to her dead son of 1914, the statue known as ‘Die Eltern’ (‘The Parents’).

Käthe Kollwitz, a famous German artist, devised the statues as a tribute to her lost son. After his death she admitted to a friend: ‘There is in our lives a wound which will never heal. Nor should it’. The stone parents are shown kneeling facing the cemetery. The father clasps himself tightly while the mother hangs her head in grief. Käthe and her husband, Dr Karl Kollwitz, personally brought the statues to Belgium. Of their last visit to Peter Kollwitz’s grave and the statues, she wrote:

We went from the figures to Peter's grave, and everything was alive and wholly felt. I stood before the woman, looked at her – my own face – and I wept and stroked her cheeks. Karl stood close behind me – I did not even realize it. I heard him whisper, ‘Yes, yes’. How close we were to one another then!

Käthe Kollwitz, quoted at www.rogallery.com/Kollwitz/Kollwitz-bio.htm



Part III. (6)
I entered this cemetery, lying amidst the fields, a German cemetery. Grey concrete slabs, mossed over, some cracked, dirty, mostly no names now, erased by time and wind, just mass graves.
No flowers except this lone poppy, a random gesture of Nature.

Part IV. (7)
Nearby Poelkapelle and Langemark, not far from Ypres, my journey takes me to another German Cemetery, alongside a quiet country lane, that I passed hundreds of times during my childhood on my way to a great-aunt.
I knew all the other cemeteries, like St Julien, with the impressive statue of a Canadian soldier standing with bowed head, a landmark now.

Walking through an archway, this is what you see, cobblestones, a memorial slab with a bronze wreath, a huge field of green, a mass grave containing 25.000,surrounded by oak trees and overlooked by 4 bronze soldiers. In total there's about 45.000 buried here.
I do not stay very long, it is dark and feels cold.
I'm bewildered to see the poppy wreaths.
A party of English veterans came by and lay them there. A forgiving and noble gesture.
I leave, deeply touched by the whole experience.

PART V. (8)
Tyne Cot.
It was years since I last was here. I'm not a cemetery person, this outing just happened.
Near Ypres there are numerous war cemeteries from the different nations. A large part are British. One of the largest and most impressive is the Tyne Cot cemetery, which is situated to the south of the village of Passendale.
Here can be found a total of 11.856 graves : 8.901 British, 1.353 Australian, 966 Canadian, 519 from New-Zealand, 90 South-African, 14 from New Foundland, 6 from Guernsey, 2 from the British West-Indies, 1 French, 4 German and 101 graves for soldiers whose nationality could not be determined. (all united in death)

William- 22
John-18
Alastair- 20
Shamus- 17

I read this and I go numb, the breeze feels colder, the sun hotter, I smell the grass, freshly cut and neatly trimmed each grave ornated with flowers and plants, some I never saw before.
I stand in the middle, row upon row, beautiful new patterns each time I move, this is what I saw when I was a little girl, dancing at dad's hand, blissfully ignorant of the tragedy around me, mystified about the tears rolling down his cheeks.
I stand amidst the unreal silence.
The white grave stones are being cleaned, ready for summer.
They are not forgotten.


On June 6, 1944, a date known ever since as D-Day, a mighty armada crossed a narrow strip of sea, The Channel, from England to Normandy, France, and cracked the Nazi grip on western Europe.
At Omaha, steep cliffs favoured the defenders and the US Army suffered 2,500 casualties.
Of the 23,000 airborne troops, 15,500 were Americans and of these, 6,000 were killed or seriously wounded.
Over the next couple of days 156,215 troops were landed from sea and air, at a cost of some 10,300 casualties.

WE OWE OUR LIVES today to those who fell... (9)

Throughout history war has been the source of serious moral questions. Although many ancient nations and some more modern ones viewed war as noble, over the sweep of history, concerns about the morality of war have gradually increased. Today, war is generally seen as undesirable and, by some, morally problematic. At the same time, many view war, or at least the preparation and readiness and willingness to engage in war, as necessary for the defense of their country.
Pacifists believe that war is inherently immoral and that no war should ever be fought.

For me in war there are no winners, too much destruction, pain, loss and sadness on all sides...


If there is to be peace in the world,
there must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
there must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
there must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
there must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
there must be peace in the heart.

By Lao Tzu (570-490 B.C.)

John MacArthur calls Peace: A By-Product of Faith, Hope, and Love …
Peace has many different aspects in my view; it’s not just about peace as opposed to war, but inner tranquility, peace and quiet, the absence of violence.
I’ve often felt that the only way I could contribute was in a small way, taking care that my personal world was in peace, I once read a quote by Joan Baez:
"I would say that I'm a nonviolent soldier. In place of weapons of violence, you have to use your mind, your heart, your sense of humour, every faculty available to you...” (I use my camera)
That fitted my philosophy, and I guess if we ALL followed that path, world peace would not be so elusive?

Have a peaceful day and thanx, M, (*_*)

DIFFERENT WITH SIMILARITIES, about vision and individualism.

Some very personal thoughts that I care to share with you.
About the first image.
This is what makes me tick, an alternative and beyond the obvious view of things, I'm not claiming it is unique, just that it is what I favour the most, my vision.
Cornwall, Padstow, Easter Sunday… so many people in the narrow streets, eating and drinking, soaking up the local atmosphere, the warmth of the sun.
Me, I’m not too fond of crowds (I guess not many photographers are?), had been walking the different quays, taking a few photos as souvenirs, I knew that Padstow, also being a fishing harbour, had to have another side to it. As I eventually came to it, of course it was prohibited to the public…
I defied the law, broke it and walked on, that’s where the good stuff was, a few fishermen looked at me a bit suspiciously, but nothing a smile couldn’t fix, hihi.

I know most of you will not 'see' what I see in it, but that's ok, photography is a personal matter, I have to love it in the first place, in my 'free' photography I take images for myself, images that will mean something to me! And if others like it... well, that is a bonus!

I found myself standing on the edge of the quay, above a dredger, looking down at the sand in the hull, I looked up, the shadow of a huge crane behind me, light... shadow, colour, composition...photography...

It is ALL about the visual here where other images can have a more hidden message...
like the second one and what it says about me and means to me:

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the most celebrated inspirational fable of our time, tells the story of a bird determined to be more than ordinary. This bestselling modern classic, is a story for people who want to follow their dreams and make their own rules and has inspired people for decades.
'Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight -- how to get from shore to food and back again,' writes author Richard Bach in this allegory about a unique bird named Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
'For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight.' Flight is indeed the metaphor that makes this story soar.
This modern classic is a fable about seeking a higher purpose in life, even if your flock, tribe or neighbourhood finds your ambition threatening (at one point our beloved gull is even banished from his flock).
By not compromising his higher vision, Jonathan learns the meaning of love and kindness and gets the ultimate payoff -- transcendence.


It influenced my life, it fitted the philosophy I felt from a very young age, that I was an individualist, a loner, different, never part of anything really, being just me, not accepting anything that might hurt other people, like racism, bullying, fiercely standing up for my convictions... that can be intimidating to most, it invites fear and/or jealousy... however like with every choice you make in life, be careful, you have to live with the consequences... brace yourself for the hurt, disenchantment and loneliness.
People feel too often threatened by strong individuals, they shouldn't, just accept them.
My religion is that we are ALL born with a conscience, that we ALL know so well when we do wrong or right, sometimes the tone in which something is said is enough! AND WE KNOW IT!!!
I am still convinced that being a good human being is NOT a difficult achievement.

Have a great day, remember.. I DON'T DO BIRDS.. thanx, M, (*_*)

THE FUN OF DRIVE BY PHOTOGRAPHY

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Most of us spend a lot of time in our cars.
Driving from A to B is not that simple anymore, it is fraught with obstacles which can cause us a lot of stress and frustration.
We have to plan journeys ahead, add lots of time to the 'actual' time, because, as you hear or see on your screen, you are going to face delays, from forever going on roadworks, to accidents, to traffic- jams, to freak weather conditions. The tarmac is melting, the gritting is not done, the road is flooded... You're smiling, it happened to you too he?
Another thing I tried to turn around for me, instead of fretting, now I take advantage of it.
When we're out together, Paul does most of the driving.
Me, I look around and love the challenge of shooting images from the car... hit and miss, but I have a whole series of 'hits' now and even more 'misses'... hihi, and I had a lot of fun.
What I have now noticed is how 'cluttered' the roadsides are with barriers, fences, lamp poles, cables and roadsigns and how parceled the land is with hedges, stonewalls and trees.
You get other cars and lorries blocking a fleeting stunning view.

At 70 miles/hour, there's bound to be something in your shot, or when the fraction in time and space is just perfect, yes, you guessed it, a bump or a pothole, grrr... only another type of frustration? Hihi.

Now I can't wait for the slow down or the complete stop. We pass so many places that you couldn't get to and see any other way!

I get a kick out of this type of challenge, only ONE chance, you either got it spot on, that is mainly the comp, or it's a complete flop.
Think: windows are mostly tinted now! No, not a natural filter.
Beware of glare and reflection, there is a knack and, ahem, 'logic' to this.

How positive can you get????? LOL.
DRIVE CAREFULLY! Thanx, M, (*_*)

1. Liverpool. By myself, waiting at the traffic lights... the corner building had a rounded mirror-glass facade, I loved what I saw, grabbed my camera... the lights changed to green... onto the next...

2. Always have a CLEAN windscreen, look up, blue sky and... power cables.

3. Through town you stand a better chance as they are all congested and there's lots to see, keep your eyes peeled!

4. This is what I mean about the land being parceled!

5. Almost in Cornwall, quite a landmark , this copse, I love the movement in the fg.

6. Use mirrors, they can add a creative aspect.

7. A HIT!!!
"Second Severn Crossing"-Ail Groesfan Hafren

The most southerly bridge over the river Severn is the viaduct and cable-stayed bridge which carries the motorway M4 between Wales and England. This was taken with the Nikkor 70-300.
You need a steady hand, a good driver and a smooth, 'whisper tarmacked' road.

8. A MISS!!!
I thought it was only fair to include one of my 'misses' or is it? Over to you.

THE ART OF ASSESSMENT and my PERSONAL VIEW

Building up portfolios is becoming much more common, as people are becoming more and more confident in joining more and more sites (which can be dangerous places for novices, because there are other factors at play, egos, rivalry, jealousy, but that's for another blog).
No matter what most claim, they are not open to true assessment and criticism, some of our images are very personal and close to us, often been held back until ready to let go, when 'rejected' or rather not accepted, but mostly misunderstood, it can hurt.

Portfolios are usually compilations of achievements, including major and favourite pieces of their work, feedback comments from fellow amateurs and photographers and the reflective, explanatory notes, excuses and sometimes analysis by the photographers themselves.

Portfolios tell us more about the photographer, they can contain evidence reflecting a wide range of skills, attributes and a degree of artisticity and imagination.

Portfolios often reflect development, which I love seeing.

Portfolios can show attitudes and values as well as skills and knowledge.
It can be argued that presently we have far too much assessment, but that neither the quality nor the diversity of this assessment is right. We must take into account aspects such as originality, aesthetics,the level of difficulty.
It still remains a subjective and spontaneous response upon a first viewing, the immediate results of the objective properties of the image and the psychological processes of our perception.
Assessment is a private and intimate affair, because of the importance to people, it is probably the aspect of our profession that should be scrutinised most carefully.

I've trimmed down the whole debate for myself.
Simplified it to:

I could put that on 'my wall'.
Whenever I see an image I ask myself, would I have that on 'my wall', meaning could I live with it day after day, would I have 'a good' relationship with it? Would it give me visual and emotional pleasure each time my eyes touch it?
That is often the criterion with which I approach a photo.

The above photo IS on my wall... I am proud of it, even if NOBODY else ever likes it.
Strobe work in the studio.
I asked him to make a beautiful movement, fascinated as I was by trying to capture the emotion of motion in camera.
What I didn't know is that dancers need a point to fix on at each turn, to remain and land on the same spot.
The lighting technique I was using was in complete darkness, euuuhhh, which was a bit of a problem for him, however after a couple of tries, he (we)succeeded.
This is the result.
NO DIGITAL MANIPULATION. ONE SINGLE EXPOSURE, ONE NEG.
A very strong, lean and dynamic man, a joy to watch the human body at work.

Have a fine day and thanx, M, (*_*)

WHAT IS PHOTOGRAPHY BUT THE ETERNALISING OF MOMENTS IN TIME?

WHAT IS PHOTOGRAPHY BUT THE ETERNALISING OF MOMENTS IN TIME?

Last w-e we drove to the South of England, to Bournemouth/ Dorset, to meet up with a visiting photographer from Canada. We'd never been there so we were full of anticipation and excitement. A new place to explore, something new in the lens is always good.
But of course, it is a compromise, like ALL 'meets' you want to chat and be together, on the other hand, photography requires all your focus and attention. So either you come home satisfied socially or artistically, it is not easy to combine the two.
We were there for 2 days, and I don't have many images of the first day.
The second day in Poole, next to Bournemouth, it was very smooth, we photographed along the promenade where there was a lot of activity, then we stopped and had a long pub lunch, sitting outside and with good conversation.
An elegant sailing boat called the Overlord came gliding in under ominous skies, turned and eventually moored alongside the quay, the skipper looked like a formidable man who had his crew well in hand, looked determined and kind.
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Allied invasion of northwest Europe, on the beaches of Normandy, which began on June 6, 1944, and ended on August 19, 1944.
it also means: An overlord was a lord having authority over other lords in medieval politics.
He looked the part. It's like a story book... hope you enjoy it.
Have a colourful day and thanx, M, (*_*)

From the top:
1. The Overlord comes gliding in.
2. The skipper and a member of the crew, I've been spotted!
3. They turned around , I captured him against YELLOW;
I drew a line,
I drew a line for you,
Oh what a thing to do,
And it was all yellow.

Excerpt from Yellow by Coldplay.
4. The skipper in his 'oils', roping into the mooring. The maneuver here was to pulling the boat onto its moorings.

5. His portrait in black and white, it seemed so obvious, HEAVE HO; the term heave ho is a call used to coordinate the efforts of several seamen hauling on a line. Please let me know what you prefer and why?

DILEMMA

WHO SAYS PHOTOGRAPHY DOESN’T LIE? OR DOES IT?

It was late summer, walking towards the entrance of the harbour on the walls, towards the end on the thick parapet, I thought how much this lady enjoyed the warm sun rays stroking her legs. I looked for the right comp and took the photo… as I walked closer I started to realize not all was what it seemed…
She was sobbing.
She had just scattered her mum’s ashes and was watching the waves taking her beloved on an eternal voyage…
Emotional, but not evident, it is clear that that appearances can be quite deceptive and we should be aware of first impression!

As a photographer it is all about the image, as a human being it is only about the person.


I had a tough dilemma here, I was faced with 2 choices, it was a moral decision, to upload or not?
Did I make this story up or not, is the image true or false?

I’d be very interested in your view, so please do not just view, let me know, it means a lot to me. THANX, and have a fine day, Magda, (*_*)

CONFESSION & LESSON. Amitabh Bachchan

Please do not COPY or use any of my images on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved.

BOLLYWOOD'S SUPERSTAR.
Amitabh Bachchan

Son of well known poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan..
The trademark deep baritone voice, the tall, brooding persona, and intense eyes, made Amitabh Bachchan the ideal "Angry Young Man" in the 1970s, thereby changing the face of Hindi cinema.
He left films in 1985 to become a Member of Parliament from Allahabad constituency as a Congress party candidate, as a favor to his family friend Rajiv Gandhi - the new Prime Minister of India.
He’s been awarded all over the world with prestigious titles and medals like the Legion d’Honneur.
He presided over the last ‘Bollywood Oscars’ in Dubai, this year’s held in Yorkshire, yes he’s back in town!

The first Asian actor having a wax model of his likeness displayed at Madame Tussaud's in London.
Was named Actor of the Millennium in a BBC News Poll ahead of such luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Sir Lawrence Olivier and Marlon Brando. Here he’s often called the Asian Sean Connery. (For more go to Amitabh Bachchan Wikipedia)

We photographed the great man, the big B as he is called… He allowed us to take portraits of him.
It is indeed the height (1, 91) and elegance, the voice and the penetrating look that leaves a lasting impression of this extremely kind and distinguished gentleman.
I saw a few hairs slightly over his eye and brow, walked up to him, gently put it back in place, we smiled at each other…

The set-up was two soft boxes and a back light with honeycomb.
I only wanted some rim or edge light, but he moved his head, hence the highlight on his cheek, no matter...l loved the pose and intensity, took it... it is my personal favourite. You know how for me... IT IS OFTEN ABOUT THE EMOTION MUCH MORE THAN THE TECHNICAL PROWESS!

I was scanning those 6x6 negs (Hasselblad), it is done one by one, strips of three, by the second strip, I realised I had put the first in the holder the wrong way round.
Its not easy to see and I was in a hurry. (A big no no!)
Rescanned it correctly, but came to the conclusion that I actually preferred the wrong one.
No one spotted it, although it was quite clear in the lighting and the whole setting.

Since the beginnings of photographic portraiture there's an old trick that has been in use.
Early portrait photographers found they had more success selling mirror images (horizontally flipped over) pictures of their subjects than the normal straight view provided by the camera. The reason is that people are more used to seeing themselves in a mirror than as other people see them. Nowadays we're far more used to seeing pictures of ourselves but to a certain extent the preference probably still exists. (Maybe we should do a scientific study).
That could account for one of the reasons why most people run, screaming; " I hate being photographed..." Sounds familiar?

There is a difference in the portraits, because of the neg emulsion, I guess I could have corrected it?

The bottom one is is the correct (photographic) way.
The top one is how he sees himself in the mirror.

Fun and interesting?

Have a great day and thanx, M, (*_*)

Ps: please let me know what you think?