To SnapRJW: Not really sure if I like it or not........!

[tyro]

Hello Rosemary,

First of all, thank you for your kind remarks about this picture. But, above all, I think I must agree with you - I'm not really all that keen on pictures of flaking paint or rust or mouldy things - and, like yourself, I much prefer my workshop picture which looks more like what it's supposed to be - a half-painted boat - and not just a jumble of colours.

I don't know if you read mt reply to Ann's (annjackman) critique, but here's what I said to her (and I rather suspect you might agree with my sentiments, Rosemary) :

I still have to confess that this sort of picture doesn't really "float my boat" (no pun intended in this case!). The other thing, of course, was that I saw this boat and, between trying to get reasonably proportioned shots (which was a bit difficult due to piles of other detritus around), I took a couple of quick "snaps" of the side of the boat's hull - and this was one.

I suppose it's a bit like comparing a picture made by someone riding a paint-covered bicycle across a canvas or a peeved gorilla let loose with a few paint cans to a Leonardo or a Rembrandt masterpiece. This picture took zero effort to take and precious little in the way of judicious cropping or other editing. That last picture of mine of the window in Stokesay Castle might not have been very inspired when I took it but I must have spent at least two hours looking at it, cropping it different ways, correcting the verticals a bit, a bit more, a bit less, applying a layer mask to darken the window itself, trying to recover some detail in the shadows..... and so on. It was quite hard work and, I must confess, I was really quite proud of the end result. But any moron could have taken this shot - and did, do I hear you say?

Perhaps I am just a bit too anally retentive for my own good, I know not. I guess when I look at a photograph, a painting or other work of art - or listen to a wonderful Schubert or Beethoven string quartet - I not only appreciate the experience but also am struck with wonder and amazement at the ability of the artist and/or composer to be able to craft something so beautiful. And, after dabbling in subjects such as photography and music and realising what a challenge they can represent, the wonderment is even greater.

The workshop picture, although not that great, is probably more my "cup of tea" but I promise I shall try harder to come up with some abstract shots if people like them. In the meantime, I shall abandon trying to practise that Beethoven piano sonata in favour of a one-finger rendition of "Little Brown Jug".

So, Rosemary, I think that pretty well sums up my own thoughts about this picture and, although it appears to have received quite a lot of positive comments - actually just as many as that window photograph, which really vexes me (!) - I'm not sure if I shall be in a great hurry to upload another of this genre!

Kindest Regards,

John.