I have been to this place at least a couple of times, but always to get onto the South Downs. Time I had a look at the seafront – what you can find with the industrial buildings stopping you get close! As usual, pictures speak louder than words …
(And apologies for the truly terrible pun!)
I have been going to Swanmore Lake and the downs north of it for years now, and last week visited it again to see what images I could come up with :-
I’ve made images of this little valley before, but this time I had the luck to have this little cloud trying to hide behind the trees – sorry cloud, but you need a bit of a diet to hide here properly!
I am hardly a sought after photographer … I have fun making images, sure. But I don’t really expect my images to be stolen – even in the form of embedding my images in other web pages. Just on the off-chance, I went through my server logs to see what there was.
Much to my surprise, it is happening to me!! The following embed one or more of my images in their pages :-
Not exactly a huge list, but somewhat disconcerting.
THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.THEN THEY CAME for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
It may seem a little over the top to quote a famous poem/speech by Martin Niemöller in relation to the use of anti-terrorism powers against photographers, but repression starts with small things that gradually build up. Are we seeing the beginnings of a repressive state where many ordinary activities are made effectively illegal ?
Photographers (although not myself as I’m not an urban photographer) have continually encountered the anti-terrorism laws being used to harass their profession or hobby. Some police are using said laws to stop activities that are perfectly legal – even going beyond their powers and confiscating equipment and deleting images! And in some cases they are co-operating with overly zealous security guards who are contacting the police to “protect” private property from being photographed from the public highway.
There may well be a case for increased police powers to combat terrorism, but the misapplication of such powers to curtail legitimate activities is the first step on the downhill slope towards a police state. Once we get used to being stopped and searched for quite normal activities, we become more accepting of additional powers that go further – short term detention for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, detention without trial for those suspected of links to terrorism, detention for those who might someday have links to terrorism, detention for those related to those suspected of links to terrorism, executions when the prisons get too full, etc.
The following links provide more information :-
It is about time I started adding some comments about some of the photos I have made that qualify as my favourites …
This is of an apparently isolated home surrounded by some spectacular Scottish countryside complete with an interesting sky.