autofantasia's photos with the keyword: Middlesbrough

For this week's Sunday Challenge which had the theme of green landscapes . As I've not been able to get out much with the camera this week I took a dip into the archives and came up with this shot, which was taken at Beamish Open Air Museum earlier in the year. The church you see here is, or at least was, St. Helen's the old Parish church of Eston, Middlesbrough, and it dates back to the 12th Century. However, by 1998, with the church having been disused for around 15 years and it having been partially demolished by local vandals it was in a very sorry state. So, despite it being a Grade II listed building, permission was granted for its demolition and it appeared then that its fate was sealed ... that was until Beamish stepped in at the last moment to rescue the church for preservation. They carefully deconstructed it stone by stone so that it could be rebuilt on the Museum site in County Durham next to Pockerley Old Hall, which can be seen behind the church high up on the hill. Some of the bricks still have numbers written on them, which I can only assume have been left to illustrate how the Beamish team were able to reconstruct the church exactly as it had been when it stood in Eston, albeit now fully refurbished and fitted out with replacement fittings including some beautiful Georgian pews. Please view on black for best effect. www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-21108837/church-moved-and-rebuilt-at-beamish-museum www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3315277/Vandalised-medieval-church-rebuilt-brick-brick-40-miles-away.html

The theme this week for those involved with The Sunday Challenge was back-lighting , which sounded so simple and yet a combination of poor weather, few suitable subjects catching my eye and life getting in the way has meant that I've struggled somewhat. In the end I've elected to use this shot, which was really just a quick snap I took when I went up to Middlesbrough with the intention of shooting the Bottle of Notes , a large piece of public art that can be found in the centre of the town. However, the sun wasn't really in the ideal spot at that particular time of day to get the shot I wanted, but I did spot this rather 'ugly duckling' swimming all alone in the pond adjacent to where the sculpture sits. I liked how the sun which was directly ahead of me, but which was obviously coming from behind the bird meant that only the edge of its back was catching the light. The rest of the bird and most of the plants in the embankment behind were as you can see in shade. Ideally, I would have liked the exposure to have been slightly better and I dare say I could have got the focus sharper too, but overall I like how what was a hasty snap has turned out. So ... ugly duckling, what do you have to say for yourself? Not a quack, not a quack, not a waddle or a quack But a glide and a whistle and a snowy white back And a head so noble and high Say who’s an ugly duckling? Not I! Not I!