Blandford Town Museum - At The Blandford Community Showcase

The Blandford Town Museum had a display at the Blandford Community Showcase on February 11th. The museum, run by volunteers is well worth making a visit to...

Blandford Camera Life Alive & In Full Flow

I do hope that white stuff on the Blandford Blue Bridge isn't birdy do do...

I saw superman today in Blandford, I was sitting on the top floor of a double decker bus and I spied a guy attired in a fancy dress superman outfit, oh bother I thought to myself why did I leave my camera at home...oh well another photo opportunity missed... Talking about photos - I mentioned in yesterdays blog post, that I went to the Mortain bridge (blue bridge) area of Blandford yesterday, to take some pics of the elemental weather however I failed to mention the four photographers that I met yesterday round about the same location...

I met the first two happy snappers, a man and woman team (I didn't ask them if they were a couple but I think they were) just after I had filmed the blue bridge offset with trees being swayed by the wind, I was using my little silver Canon PowerShot camera and these two were carrying what seemed to me to look like professional camera/film equipment, so I asked them both what they were filming - to which they answered that they had come down to the river to try and film otters, I was fascinated by this as I have never before considered that otters and other such animals inhabit any of the river areas in Blandford Forum, I continued to chat with these two photographers who were very amiable and pleasant and were clearly nature enthusiasts with much patience, as one can never be sure if the animal subject will put in an appearance, I only wish that I could master such patience..

FOR LOVELY OTTER PHOTO CLICK LINK BELOW

http://petermooreblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/otter-at-blandford-forum.htmlhttp://petermooreblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/otter-at-blandford-forum.html

About five minutes later as I continued on my walk along the river bank of the Stour, I spotted two guys who were also carrying camera equipment that only people with a certain level of expertise would be in the possession of.  I said hello to the two men and asked them if they were near the river to film the stormy weather, they told me that they were more interested in taking photos of the river wildlife etc. I told them I'm a blogger, in need of a camera upgrade and very kindly one of the men showed me all the features of his camera and that if you turn the dial to a certain setting the camera is so smart that it will virtually decide the best options for the photograph about to be taken etc. One of the photographers continued to me that he travels to various re-enactments in Dorset and snaps away, whilst the other photographer has even successfully sold some of his pictures in Blandford.

I also noticed that all four of the photographers I met yesterday were proud to call themselves amateurs, one of them told me that that way they don't get confused with the paparazzi.  All in all I have realised that the countryside and wildlife in and around Blandford is any photographers dream because it is as good as anywhere else and I have also learned that some photographers really are nice chaps and chapesses and that photography really can be an art form in and of itself...though judging by my small time snap below, which I took during my conversation with the second pair of photographers, I have some way to go before my photography can aspire to anything beyond mere shoddiness !!!

Photography can be an art form -
though judging by this above photo which I took yesterday,
in the world of art I have some way to go...