Category: Photography

News and views about photography, cameras, social media, as well as pointers to Dave Bradley’s photographic output. You can also find me on Imaging Storm, Instagram and Flickr as “sciencebase”

Free photos for whatever

Phil Bradley [no relation] alerted me to a site called LibreStock which does a meta search of image sites and only returns those images that have a Creative Commons “zero” licence. A zero licence, as Phil points out with a quote from LibreStock site itself means “you can use these pictures freely for any legal purpose. This means that they are free to use, even commercially, you can modify, copy and distribute, and you don’t need to attribute.”

That’s useful to know. I often need to grab a quick image to illustrate a throwaway blog post, Facebook update or tweet, but don’t always have a camera to hand nor the object I’d photograph with which to illustrate the update.

I gave it a quick try first search for apples and getting loads of computer and phone shots. A search for bananas was more on point

bananas

Another search for “Ford Mustang” brought up just 5 shots, a search for “guitars” brought up some nice photos although some of them were of saxophones. Ten snaps for a search on robots one of which was of the Mars Rover and another of R2D2. A search for “garbage” and then “rubbish” brought up some odd results, a perfectly good skateboard and some leaves for instance, although other pictures included a pile of broken phones, a plastic bag caught on a tree and some wheely bins.

It looks like a useful and potentially inspiring source and the problematic results it returns may be an artefact of incorrect tagging of the photos by the original sites.

Nacreous cloud spotting

UPDATE: These definitely are nacreous clouds, so-called because they look like nacre (mother-of-pearl). Lots of people posting photos all over twitter right now.

Just after the sun set over our village north of Cambridge, England, a whisp of white cloud caught my eye as I was staring out of my office window. Next to it there was a patch of rainbow-like fringes. Needless, to say I grabbed a camera and dangled myself out of the window to get a shot. Straggly shoots from the beech tree in our garden caught the attention of the camera’s autofocus, so it’s not a pin sharp shot of this meteorological phenomenon.

cloud-rainbow

At first, I assumed it was an actual rainbow being formed by the light from the already set sun coming from that white whisp, but my buddy James over on Facebook mentioned that nacreous clouds have been spotted over Dublin today. Now, Dublin is quite some distance from here, but given that nacreous clouds are usually only seen at the poles, this could be them…if this meteorological phenomenon has somehow headed south.

Shaking off the flies, head for Mars

Having mused on the possibility of our escaping to the stars, I began wondering whether we might not just hop over to Mars and carry out a terraforming program there to give us a new home. There was a NASA video showing what Mars might have been like 4 billion years ago. It perhaps blue skies and oceans. So, I downloaded that, did a video time reversal, rolled the credits and overdubbed my recent ambient funk rock track to add some aural atmosphere. Maybe this will be a new home for some of us in the year 3113.

The video also gives some meaning to the ad libbed lyrics I sang on that largely instrumental track. Maybe the shaking off of flies is a metaphor for leaving behind the death and decay we are creating here on Earth…

Meanwhile, more of my music is available for high-quality download from my BandCamp page or here.

Shake off Flies

High on illusion
Safe in your delusion
A state of confusion
Running on empty diffusion

Time flies…miles and miles

On a trip, slip, lose your grip
Make it click with a trick, don’t fail

When they’re broken they can tell you who to fade
Fix focus on the grip
Time and tide will show you how how to change your mind

How to change the time. Shake off flies
Who to change. Shake off flies
For miles and miles

Guitars, vocals, drum and synth loop mixing – Dave Bradley
Recorded and mixed at ScienceBass Studios

The original NASA video is here showing how 4-billion years ago Mars was more Earthly than we imagine and lost its blue skies and oceans as the aeons passed.

Wishful Thinking

An eclectic mix of electric, acrostic acoustic indie rock from the man Dek Ham calls “The Geordie Glenn Tilbrook”. Tracks remastered for high-quality download via BandCamp.

Winter Warmer – Taking the road to redemption: “An awesome tune”, “Very cool song. I love the guitar work and the ambient background sounds”

Love’s Offline – A tale of long-distance love in the age of the Internet: “Lovely song. Loved the vocal melodies and arrangement”, “Had tears whelling up in my eyes”

Security High – They’re watching you, watching them, watching you: “Nice song. A bit of classic REM in there”, “Very cool vibe, production and musicianship!”

Collateral Damage – War and peace and its post-traumatic harm: “Really great structure and breaks. Totally dig the harmonies and the vocals.”

“Creative structure throughout, hot licks and tasty riffs, a sweet bass line, and more potent words from your serious-songwriting mind delivered by your amazing voice,” “Standing ovation dude! This is great… lyrics, vocals, fiery guitars all work together wonderfully”

Golden Light – Life’s journey takes many turns, seek out the light: “Amazing…epic”, “Insanely good”, “Frightening music and lyrics, but really good!”

Wishful Thinking – My head’s in the clouds, but my feet are on the ground: “I really dig it. The lyrics are very good…and those guitars sound fantastic. Great production as well”, “I love the song…. I stayed completely enthralled with the song from start to finish”

Cut and Pasted – Down and out on Fleet Street: “Unique changes are paired with very accessible melodies”, “One of the sweetest and coolest bass lines I’ve heard in a long, long time. Kudos.”

Dawn Chorus (Bonus Track) – Imagine the morning after Get Lucky: “Steely Dan meets Jamiroquai meets Chic”…”with a splash of Phil Collins or maybe Glenn Tilbrook”, “This is a sophisticated piece of music”, “Great groove”

All songs by Dave Bradley. Acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitar percussion DB. Except: Winter Warmer – synths by Derek “MonoStone” Ham and Dawn Chorus – Groove and inspiration by Adrian “Don’t Look, Listen” Hillier.

Also now available work in progress here.

Dawn Chorus – a funking song

With an Addictive Drum beat from Adrian Hillier I attempted to emulate the Nile style of guitar funk on the verses of this new song. I riffed up the choruses a bit in a Red Hot Chili Peppers style and then did a heavy-handed Geddy type bassline live across the groove. I then ad libbed some lyrics to ad the vocal. Adrian added his take on the guitar for the choruses and did a guitar solo. He also added a virtual horn section and mixed down the track to give us something akin to the b*st*rd offspring of Get Lucky and Californication.

Dawn Chorus

Asking for a favour, but nothing left to say
Churning up my insides still I hoped that I could stay
Making out the liar was the one who told the tales
Pushing back the limits ’cause they’re really in my way

I can’t take the pressure in the morning
But at night I know you’ll tell me how to change
I can’t face the day without a dawning
Would it be so hard for you to play, yeah

You won’t find me at daybreak
Leaving now the light has come, such an easy way to go
Don’t turn your head I’m making my escape
Got to know the time is right now that morning’s come

Asking for a favour, still nothing else to say
Turning my down insights still I hoped that I could pray
Making out the liar was the one who told the tales
Pushing on those limits ’cause they’re really in my way

No, you won’t find me at daybreak
I’m leaving now the light has come, such a lazy way to go
Don’t turn your head I’m making my escape
Got to know the time is right now the morning’s come

Addictive drum groove – Adrian Hillier
Words & Music – Dave Bradley
Vocals, funk guitar and bass – DB
Rhythm guitar on chorus and solo – AH
Virtual horn section and keyboards – AH
Arranged by AH and DB
Production – AH

Redacting my fashion statements

The Accidental Hipster

It’s lonely at the cutting edge, when you’re sharper than a blade
Finding ways to show you’re fresh. Not slicing lemons into lemonade
The woes of keeping up to date, it wears me out to stay ahead
Watch the crowd behind me now. They’re looking like they’re so-so sedate

I just want to be past it, not their only wannabe chap
My hopes, if I ever dashed them, laying down my old chequered cap
I’m redacting my fashion statements, nothing left to be seen
Being left behind is simple, once a hipster. Now a has-been

Knowing that my empty cup is no longer half as full.
Ripping through a paperback, not ripping up the neighbourhood
The shapes of the fashionista, caterwaul(k)ing with the crowd
No longer strutting in the glare, I’m stay at home and so house proud

I just want to be past it, none of this wannabe chap
My dole, if I ever cashed it, throwing down my old cloth cap
Tearing up early adoption papers easiest thing I’ve seen
Being left behind is simple, once a hipster. Now a has-been

I’m redacting my fashion statements, nothing left to be seen
Being left behind is easy, once a hipster. Now a has-been

The Accidental Hipster

Words and Music – Dave Bradley
Guitar and Vocals – DB