autofantasia's photos with the keyword: steel

For all my friends on ipernity that understand such things, HFF to one and all, to everyone else I wish you a pleasant and enjoyable weekend. Apparently, the IMA are poised to publish an update ... let's hope that what they have to say is positive and that it encourages people to step back from the edge and stick with ipernity, at least for a little while longer until we can see more clearly what the future holds for this great site. Oh, and in case you're wondering this little fellow and his mates guard the upper level of Darlington's multi-storey car park ... to stop anyone from trying to jump! UPDATE 1: IMA NEWSFLASH Sept. 8, 2017 UPDATE 2: IMA NEWSFLASH Sept.15th, 2017 And also here: IMA NEWSFLASH Sept.15th, 2017: Team Ipernity Blog

This was a 'nearly ran' for this week's Sunday Challenge for which the theme was, as some of you might remember, metal . This was one of the shots I took from outside the fence at Allerton Steel, of Northallerton, which led to me being asked by staff what exactly I was up to.

For this week's Sunday Challenge for which the theme was metal . This was taken in the yard of Allerton Steel of Northallerton, who are specialists in structural and mechanical fabrication and was a shot I didn't think I would get given that the yard has a high fence all around it. However, my efforts at getting some shots through the fence led to two men coming out to ask what I was doing ... oh how I wish I had a pound for every time I've been asked that! Anyway, once I explained they seemed convinced I was harmless and agreed to me getting inside the yard to take some more photos for the challenge. Also for Sight and Sound . And with today's news that Walter Becker, co-founder and guitarist for the US band Steely Dan, has died aged 67, how about said band with "Reelin' in the Years" from 1973 - enjoy: youtu.be/wntRrR1TnOE youtu.be/ea3Bofkmwlc

For this week's Sunday Challenge , for which we were asked to go back to basics : Either use a non-zoom or set your lens to 35 or 50mm only, camera to ISO100, and lets see something SOOC, no crop, no post pro, just like in the old days of film, or even use ISO100 film, mono or colour. The only post processing allowed will be your watermark-signature. To meet the challenge I used the 18-105mm kit lens that came with my Nikon D90 set to 50mm. I couldn't select ISO 100 as such because the D90 only goes down to ISO 200, so I had to select Lo 1.0 , which apparently equates to ISO 100. For my subject I decided to go with this thought provoking and imposing piece of art called Eleven 'O' One (11:01) which can be found near the Terrace Green cenotaph in Seaham, Country Durham. Known locally as 'Tommy' the statue was built using special CorTen steel, an alloy material originally produced by United States Steel. This corrosion resistant steel when left uncoated develops an outer layer patina that protects the steel from additional corrosion and gives the statue its distinct appearance. Standing 9ft 5ins tall, it weighs 1.2 tonnes and was created to mark the centenary of the start of the Great War by artist Ray Lonsdale. Looking decidedly war-weary 'he' sits thoughtfully, head bowed, rifle in hand, as he reflects upon the sheer horror of World War One during the first minute after peace was declared in 1918, which is where the official name comes from. Apparently, the sculpture is also intended to represent Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which many of the returning soldiers endured even though at that time the condition was little understood and was simply referred to back then as "shell shock" as it was attributed to concussions caused by the impact of exploding shells. Shell shock was characterized by "the dazed, disoriented state many soldiers experienced during combat or shortly thereafter". And when soldiers who were not exposed to exploding shells were found to be experiencing similar symptoms it was assumed that these soldiers were cowardly and weak. Treatment was brief, consisting only of a few days of comfort, with the "firm expectation that the soldier return to duty" and because 65% of shell-shocked soldiers ultimately returned to the front lines, treatment was considered a success. Anyone who wants to know more about the installation and the artist behind it might like to read the following article, which was published in the local press shortly after the statue was put in place: www.thejournal.co.uk/news/news-opinion/sculptor-ray-lonsdale-reveals-story-7374302 A tricky challenge I found as I missed the flexibility that being able to change the SO can give you and it also made me realise how much I rely on post-processing to tweak my shots and supposedly bring out the best in them even down to the fine border that I always add, but which I've managed to resist doing here ... even if how the photo merges into the white background really, really annoys me!

For this week's Sunday Challenge , for which the subject was empty . Probably doesn't need much in the way of explanation as it's obviously a shot of the inside of a tumble dryer - our very own in fact. Oddly enough, it's something I've thought of taking photos of in the past, but never got around to so I thought when I saw this week's challenge I'd give it a go. Light at that end of our kitchen isn't all that great so I fell back on using my tripod and the remote control to try and get a well exposed, but steady image. Please view large on black for best effect.

Yet another nearly shot from a Sunday Challenge gone and yet another that I was considering for the metallic week.

The flag? Remember it was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.