Author: dalecooper57

dalecooper57 may or may not necessarily be my real name, although I couldn't swear to it. An aging hippy living in Devon, I do all this stuff (and I do mean everything - blog, animation, music, photography, the lot) on my lovely smartphone because I started like that, and now I'm too stubborn to get a computer. I don't have a theme, because I don't see why I'd want to talk about the same thing all the time, so why only write about one thing? So if you like eclecticism, humour, nonsense, opinionated ranting, and occasionally educational stuff, you've come to the right place. Any and all feedback is welcome, both positive and negative, on the content, style and overall look of the blog. You keep following me, I'll keep telling you stuff, ok? Cheers, dalecooper57

The Cosmic Photo Challenge: What’s flowering where you are?

On By dalecooper57In nature photography, photography14 Comments

There goes another weekend and here comes yet another Monday, made all the more bearable by The Cosmic Photo Challenge and this week’s theme; What’s flowering where you are?

I admit I was nearly stumped by my own prompt, having been over-optimistic about the number of early blooms to be found. But I took a very blustery walk around the park yesterday and managed to find a few tenacious little flowers (ok, and fungi) braving the wintery conditions.

How is the hardy flora in your neck of the woods? Time for an international roundup of natural beauty…

*****

To get involved with the challenge; check out the Cosmic Photo Prompt each Friday, then post a photo (or photos) on your blog the following Monday, with a pingback link to my Monday post.

Tag your posts with  #CosPhoChal.

Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages, animation, gifs, or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.

Cosmic Photo prompt.

On By dalecooper57In photography1 Comment

Good evening fellow snappers, congratulations on making it to another Friday and The Cosmic Photo Challenge prompt for this week.

I had an interesting idea, how about a twist on the generic seasonal theme and level the playing field for our global membership; What’s flowering where you are?

So this weekend, get out in the winter (or summer) sunshine and capture some indigenous local flora for Monday’s show and tell.

*****

To get involved with the challenge; check out the Cosmic Photo Prompt each Friday, then post a photo (or photos) on your blog the following Monday, with a pingback link to my Monday post.

Tag your posts with  #CosPhoChal.

Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages, animation, gifs, or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.

The Cosmic Photo Challenge: Unnatural patterns.

On By dalecooper57In editing and effects, photography7 Comments

Good morning, welcome to Monday and The Cosmic Photo Challenge, which this week is gently prompted by the suggestion that you seek out; Unnatural patterns.

I was going to go out looking for man-made designs at the weekend, but in the end I kept my creative efforts inside, as it was grey, drizzly and freezing outdoors. I didn’t have anything specific in mind so I waited to see what would come to me.

Inspiration strikes in odd places and several of my shots were the result of me washing the dishes, another is one of Rhonda’s recently crocheted blankets and the string ceiling lampshade I’ve featured before was given a makeover with some surreal mucking about.

Now let’s see what results your search for design-inspired images produced…

*****

To get involved with the challenge; check out the Cosmic Photo Prompt each Friday, then post a photo (or photos) on your blog the following Monday, with a pingback link to my Monday post.

Tag your posts with  #CosPhoChal.

Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages, animation, gifs, or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.

Cosmic Photo prompt.

On By dalecooper57In photography1 Comment

Greetings, everyone, I’m here to give you your prompt for this week’s edition of The Cosmic Photo Challenge.

This week we’re going to be looking for images that contain; Unnatural patterns.

That gives you plenty of scope, as long as your chosen subject matter features man-made patterns, designs or decoration.

Have a great weekend and I’ll see you back here on Monday.

*****

To get involved with the challenge; check out the Cosmic Photo Prompt each Friday, then post a photo (or photos) on your blog the following Monday, with a pingback link to my Monday post.

Tag your posts with  #CosPhoChal.

Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages, animation, gifs, or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.

The Cosmic Photo Challenge: A new year dawns.

On By dalecooper57In editing and effects, nature photography, photography8 Comments

Good morning, I hope you had a nice weekend, now let’s turn our attention to The Cosmic Photo Challenge and this week’s theme; A new year dawns.

An intentionally broad prompt, so plenty of room for interpretation, although I took it fairly literally and went for my first trip in the country since last year.

It wasn’t actually dawn, but it gets light quite late at the moment and I managed to catch a lovely sunrise over the river on the way to do the weekly shop on Saturday. And later on I captured some of the bright and breezy landscape on the hills above Barnstaple.

By the way, for any of you who are recent participants in the challenge – Hello, thanks for taking part – the badge at the top of this post is the original version and if you’d like to display it (or any of its peculiar variants, for that matter) on your blog posts, please feel free to do so.

Anyway, here are my pictures.

This one is a composite image; two shots taken on the same spot a few minutes apart, in different light conditions

How did the start of your year shape up?

*****

To get involved with the challenge; check out the Cosmic Photo Prompt each Friday, then post a photo (or photos) on your blog the following Monday, with a pingback link to my Monday post.

Tag your posts with  #CosPhoChal.

Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages, animation, gifs, or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.

Cosmic Photo prompt.

On By dalecooper57In photographyLeave a comment

Ok, 2024 is well underway so The Cosmic Photo Challenge this week is on the theme of; A new year dawns.

Fairy self explanatory, but feel free to add your own spin on the prompt and I’ll see y’all on Monday.

Have a great weekend.

*****

To get involved with the challenge; check out the Cosmic Photo Prompt each Friday, then post a photo (or photos) on your blog the following Monday, with a pingback link to my Monday post.

Tag your posts with  #CosPhoChal.

Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages, animation, gifs, or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.

The Cosmic Photo Challenge: 2023’s Greatest Clicks.

On By dalecooper57In editing and effects, photography7 Comments

Hello and a very happy New Year to you all, welcome to the first post of 2024 on The Cosmic Photo Challenge, which today is inspired by the prompt; 2023’s Greatest Clicks.

Just the one picture from me this week…or two, or, well…I think I actually counted 35 in all.

Because of course I took the opportunity to do some mucking about, ending up with the longest photo mural I have created so far.

It started off with the photo on the left, of a sunrise over the yard at work, to which I added many new components and blended it with a different landscape. That was followed by six more composite panels, which I then stitched together to form this collection of the best skies of last year, along with some surreal additions.

Now, I’m aware the quality probably isn’t that great once you’ve zoomed in to see the detail, so here are the two halves at their original resolution.

What caught your eye as you perused your year’s archive? Showcase your favourites and blow your own trumpet to herald in the new year, it’s so easy to do…

*****

To get involved with the challenge; check out the Cosmic Photo Prompt each Friday, then post a photo (or photos) on your blog the following Monday, with a pingback link to my Monday post.

Tag your posts with  #CosPhoChal.

Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages, animation, gifs, or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.

Cosmic Photo prompt.

On By dalecooper57In photographyLeave a comment

Hello, it’s time for the very last Cosmic Photo Challenge prompt of the year and as is traditional, today’s theme is; 2023’s Greatest Clicks.

Yes, it’s your chance to pick your favourite shots, whether they have been part of the challenges or not.

So dig out the best of the year, or just pictures from the last twelve months you are particularly fond of and we’ll have a New Year’s get together on Monday to celebrate our collective creativity.

Have a great weekend, see you next year.

*****

To get involved with the challenge; check out the Cosmic Photo Prompt each Friday, then post a photo (or photos) on your blog the following Monday, with a pingback link to my Monday post.

Tag your posts with  #CosPhoChal.

Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages, animation, gifs, or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.

The Cosmic Photo Challenge: Show us your Christmas.

On By dalecooper57In photography9 Comments

A very Merry Christmas to you all!

This post is for anyone who wants to add links for our informal Christmas Day Cosmic Photo Challenge, which is predictably based on the prompt; Show us your Christmas.

I will be posting something special tomorrow, (which I’ll also edit into this post afterwards)*, but for now I hope your day goes smoothly and your celebrations are joyful and filled with good cheer.

*****

To get involved with the challenge; check out the Cosmic Photo Prompt each Friday, then post a photo (or photos) on your blog the following Monday, with a pingback link to my Monday post.

Tag your posts with  #CosPhoChal.

Any and all effects, editing, Photoshop, Instagram, morphing, collages, animation, gifs, or whatever other post production techniques you fancy are permitted, (in fact, they’re actively encouraged!) so get creative and turn your photos into artworks for the Cosmic Photo Challenge.

*edit: here is a video of the art exhibit I visited this morning (boxing day)

See this post for more photos