View allAll Photos Tagged Forced
Forced perspective (noun): "the use of any of various techniques (as in photography or architecture) to create the optical illustion that objects or people are smaller, larger, closer, or farther away than they really are"
I originally wrote this post not long after this launch, but never got around to posting it. This was the last launch we've had here, now over two months ago. One of the symptoms of launch withdrawal is finding yourself yearningly looking through old content for something unseen, and I came across these images (and this screed).
The interweb is full of experts, and I've come to expect skeptical comments on my photos. They range from the technical ("A 470-second exposure? Impossible!") to the absurd (See: Flat Earthers).
This photo of the ULA GPS III DeltaIV Medium launch, or specifically, this vantage, attracted a surprising amount of churlishness from people who (stated kindly) don't understand "forced perspective." The definition above, pasted from mirriam-webster.com (yes, they've spelled "illusion" incorrectly), explains how this could not be a shot of the launch with the Jetty Park Pier photoshopped into the foreground. Even I was surprised by how well this view worked. I am also amazed by how many people were swift to pronounce this to be a manufactured image.
The image on the left is an even tighter version of the shot I posted, seen with a 500mm lens. The shot on the right is a broader view, shot at 200mm. For that frame, I've added a bunch of detail to give a better look of the scene (and of all the people who showed up that morning).
The Cocoa Beach Pier is 1 mile away, and if you look to the right of the frame, you can see the Jetty Park Pier in the distance, 4 miles from where I'm shooting. And, the star of the show, the rocket: 12.5 miles away from me, over 11 miles behind the Cocoa Beach Pier. That's the distance that creates the optical "illustion."
Thank you for attending my TED Talk.
Indian Legend of Lover's Leap: Sautee was a brave from a tribe that was feuding with the Cherokee Indians. Nacoochee, the Evening Star, was the beautiful daughter of the Chief of the Cherokees. The two met and found a beautiful and strong love. When Nacoochee's father discovered this love, he condemned Sautee to death by being thrown from the precipice of Lookout Mountain. Nacoochee was forced to witness his death and was so distressed, she leapt from the cliff to her death. From that day forward, this cliff became known as Lover's Leap.
Initially named the Martlet by the Royal Navy they were re-named Wildcats in 1944 to align with combined US and British operations.
1,123 Fleet Air Arm Martlets operated in all theatres of war including Norway, the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Far East.
However, Martlets distinguished themselves in the Battle of Atlantic and on Arctic Convoys providing effective fighter support from escort carriers and working effectively with Fairey Swordfish in the hunt for German U Boats.
In October 1940 two Martlets of 804 Naval Air Squadron, based on Orkney, forced down a German Junkers 88A that was attempting to bomb the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow. This was the first victory credited to an American Built fighter in British service.
Grumman Martlet l, AL246, is the only surviving F4F-4 (G-36A.)
This was the best I could do without trespassing and was taken through the fence.
Almost all of these vehicles are now withdrawn except for 22009 GX51PUJ, (which may be reinstated for schools cover), while 17629 W629RND departed in the last few weeks, with 17628 W628RND now added to the Storage compound in their place since my last visit: www.flickr.com/photos/69558134@N05/28464026560/.
And be sure to check by my other acount: www.flickr.com/photos_user.gne?path=&nsid=77145939%40..., to see what else I saw last week!!
Yes I'm back again.
However due to my main computer on which I edit my work being struck down with a big bad virus, this picture and all the others I am uploading, were Unedited but have now been replaced with Edited versions. So enjoy and Thanks for your patience and understanding.
I do still hate everything about this shit that is new Flickr and always will, but an inability to find another outlet for my work that is as easy for me to use as the Old BETTER Flickr was, has forced me back to Flickr, even though it goes against everything I believe in.
I don't generally have an opinion on my own work, I prefer to leave that to other people and so based on the positive responses to my work from the various friends I had made on Flickr prior to the changes I have decided to upload some more of my work as an experiment and to see what happens.
So make the most of me before they delete my acount: www.flickr.com/photos/69558134@N05/?details=1, to stop me complaining!!
Shot taken of the screen/monitor they used, the whole scene was blue in colour cast so made it into Black and white :)
Taken with Helens phone.
and if you hear the sound of shooting stars
protect you heart 'cause it burns back and turns back around
There are times we just have to have faith... that things will work out for the best, that people truly are good at heart, or that there's a reason for things like suffering. It's difficult but it takes a great awareness of a bigger picture. And there are times you'll have nothing to bind this faith and all looks so bleak that you won't want to go on. I think our ability to keep that faith, no matter how hopeless we feel, is the very thing that keeps our integrity intact.
I shot this photo on Independence Day. It's been miserably hot this summer, probably nearly everywhere in the United States. Given that I've become quite fond of taking photographs outside, that presents a problem. Mainly because it only takes about 5-10 minutes out in it to drench you with perspiration (and that could be an unsightly photo). But when you need to create, you need to create. It's my grounding mechanism, you see. The funny thing is this is just THE grossest place. It's near a bridge and the water was truly green and mucky. As I was dressing I heard people on four-wheelers nearby which sent me into a near frenzy to get dressed and get my camera equipment put up. That might be a very embarrassing moment were someone to drive up on me as I was half clothed and with a camera on a tripod set up. Not that I'm a stranger to people finding me odd, but you don't really like to always encourage that thinking. Luckily I found this darling ship at Goodwill last weekend and it was EXACTLY what I went there looking for! And they had two! Sometimes you have to believe in the Divine intention in things.
A random shot taken out the window after quickly whipping out my camera. I missed catching the details of his hat, which was my reason, but then I saw the photo and the chance optical illusion which was even better.
We had spent most of the time this day in the more than 2000 years old ruins of the Empuries. On our way back we had a short stop in this Canal town and Holiday resort Empuriabrava outside of Roses.
It was natural to think: What will this place look like if it is excavated 2000 years into the future.
Take a look at this most special place in the Google Earth version (map link)
Take the time to read the fantastic history of Empuriabrava from the net
(costabravatouristguide.com/184-empuriabrava):
Empuriabrava (Ampuriabrava in Spanish) is one of the most unusual towns along the Costa Brava.
Sporting nearly 24 kilometers (15 miles)1 of canals, and 5,000 private jetties, Empuriabrava is the largest residential marina in the world.
For most of us that means it provides ample opportunity to gawk at how the rich and richer spend their money: in this case on expensive houses and yachts.
If you’re into the type of town where you can have a romantic stroll along picturesque streets, or enjoy tapas at an old bar where you mingle with the locals, this is probably not your cup of tea. There’re almost nothing authentically Catalan about the place (which, after all, is only about 40 years old).
Those are the primary reasons why we ourselves would not consider vacationing here — even though we have visited the place several times, usually while on our way back from Cadaqués.
That said, reminiscent of Venice or Miami Beach, Empuriabrava is a major, upmarket tourist destination. It is particularly popular with Germans and the French, and — to a much lesser extent — Dutch and British visitors as well.
WHAT EMPURIABRAVA HAS TO OFFER
A great beach: Platja Empuriabrava : 1.5 kilometers long and 90 to 100(!) meters wide
A scala of watersports: sailing, surfing, windsurfing, water-skiing, para-skiing, fishing, diving and so on
Fantastic skydiving: just north of the town is Europe’s most famous skydiving school, considered to be among the three best in the world
beach
Platja Empuriabrava — the very wide, main beach with in the distance the suburbs of Roses
Many tourists and day-trippers rent sailboats or motorized boats, or at the very least take a canal boat tour.
And while Empuriabrava itself doesn’t have much history or, for that matter, charm, the old cities of Figueres (15km), Girona (55 km) and Cadaqués (23km) are nearby. The French border is, at 40km, close as well.
Center to center, Roses is only a 9km drive, proviving ample restaurants and bars.
Like we said, no building in the place is over 40 years old — but if you do need to see old buildings in a setting that still evokes that old Catalonia feeling, you can always visit the small, medieval city of Castelló d’Empúries — of which Empuriabrava actually is a suburb.
While they’re only 2km apart, the contrast between the former — which dates back to the ninth century — and the latter couldn’t be greater.
In this part of the Costa Brava, there’s a wind condition called the Tramontana. The name means “on or coming from the other side of the mountain.”
BUILT ON A SWAMP
Get this: barely 40 years ago, all you would see at this spot was a wide expanse of swampy coastal land with, to the North, the town of Roses overlooking the bay.
The land — interspersed with salt marshes, lagoons and wetlands — was shared by five large farms and some smaller ones.
In the 19th century this area was an important source of wheat, corn and alfalfa.
During much of the 20th century, the focus shifted to cattle farming — providing meat for markets up and down the coast, as well as livestock for what was then an important cattle market at nearby Castelló d’Empuries.
We’ll take a closer look at Castelló d’Empúries in a separate entry. For now, just note that the much larger Empuriabrava actually is a suburb of this small town (population: 4.000).
HOW EMPURIABRAVA CAME INTO BEING
In December, 1964, a company named Eurobrava SA (later Empuriabrava SA) came up with a plan to create an international flying club, along with a residential community. The company was run by three businessmen, including the owner of four of the five large farms.
The plan was formally presented to the town hall of Castelló d’Empuries in June, 1965, and immediately met with the vocal opposition of most owners of the smaller farms in the area.
Mind you, this was a different era — in which planning committees, zoning maps and environmental protection laws played little to no role.
Imagine this: the plan actually called for the building of ‘tall, separate structures’ designed to break up the ‘horizontal monotony’ of the Gulf of Roses.2
No developer in his right mind would say that kind of thing nowadays, but even back then the plan was very controversial.
Small wonder that there was no love lost between the town hall and the developers, particularly when it turned out that — just three months after submitting their plans — the latter had already commenced, illegally, with the construction of roads and canals.
That the plan was nevertheless approved, in June 1967, is largely due to the fact that during the 1960s Spain was experiencing its first tourism boom.
The development company, now named Empuriabrava SA, had cleverly launched an intensive marketing campaign aimed at tourists in Germany, France, Belgium and The Netherlands.
Whereas officials and others initially thought their district had nothing much to offer to tourists, the enthusiastic response to this ad campaign opened their eyes to manifold financial opportunities.
The second phase of the project started in 1975, but by then the company faced two major problems:
Increasing pressure from nascent environmental groups, which only gained even more power during Spain’s transition to a democracy3
The death of Dictator Franco in November 1975 coincided with a quadrupling of oil prices that played havoc with Spain’s already poor economy4
As a result, the developers were forced to scale down their plans. For instance, the planned construction of a canal to Figueres — 18 kilometers (11 miles) inland — was scrapped.
Nevertheless, in 1980 the project was in crisis, and in June that year control of Empuriabrava passed from the developers to the town hall of Castelló d’Empuries.
Diverted from its usual route due to roadworks, Maghull's East Lancs Esteem bodied Scania passes the rear of Bootle Strand shopping centre on a school run.
New to Preston and later passing to Stagecoach this was one of several vehicles retained by them when they were forced to relinquish their takeover of Preston Bus.
In het algemeen gewaardeerd door het (winkelend) publiek, is deze Amsterdamse 781 ook dit jaar toch weer een onderwerp van discussie voor sommigen omdat de reizigers aan boord van deze Sky Radio-tram niet onder het geluid van deze zender uit kunnen. Dit klinkt gewoon door de speakers binnen in de tram. Dus niet iedereen komt hier kennelijk goed gemutst uit...
Generally spoken the appearence of this Xmas tram is appreciated by the (shopping) public. As always this Amsterdam 781 - yet again - is a topic of discussion for some, because the travelers aboard the Sky Radio tram are forced to listen to this radiostation. This because of the simple fact that the speakers inside the tram bring out music all the time.
Amsterdam, Dam - 17 december 2013 / December 17, 2013
© 2013 Amsterdam RAIL | All Rights Reserved
Oupa's Hammer II
So... Going back to 2020, when lockdowns forced me to take up a new hobby like macro photography, this hammer was the subject for my first ever submission to Macro Mondays, the theme for the week was funnily enough 'Wabi-sabi'.
It's pushing 100 years old and still smashing stuff up like new 🔨
This time out it's for Compositionally Challenged Week 1: Wabi-sabi, and I don't need to stick to the 3in rule 😆
And if anyone can think of a better way to cure a new years day hangover than smashing bricks up with a lump hammer I'm all ears!
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or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;
clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;
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www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...
www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
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The cult of the three holy martyr brothers Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino is widespread in almost all of Eastern Sicily since the early Middle Ages, the news we have on the life and martyrdom of the three brothers are contained in a document written by a Basilian monk , his own name Basilio, whose manuscript is in the Vatican Library, with the number 1591; the manuscript reports that the three saints suffered the persecution of Valerian and martyrdom in 253; the three brothers were born in Vaste, in the province of Lecce, were arrested (and later martyred) for having professed the Christian religion using their noble influence, as their parents, Vitale and Beatrice had previously done, who were also they barbarously martyred for professing their religious beliefs; the three brothers, after having undergone several trials throughout the central-southern territory of Italy, since no one wanted to condemn them with a definitive sentence as belonging to one of the most important families of the empire, were brought to Taormina by Tertullo, a young Roman patrician and head of the island, who, failing to detach them from their creed, sent them to Lentini; during the journey, the group stopped in two places, here the villages of Sant'Alfio and Trecastagni were born, then they reached Catania and were imprisoned here, finally they were taken to Lentini, where they died through atrocious tortures. Before undergoing martyrdom, they were intercessors of miraculous works, Tecla and Giustina were two young countesses, among them cousins, Tecla for more than six years suffered from a severe form of paralysis in the legs, while Giustina was blind in one eye, they learning of miraculous healings that occurred through their intercession during their forced journey from Rome to Lentini, they turned to them, receiving healing. On the day of their torture they were handcuffed and whipped in the streets of the city, exposed naked and barefoot to the ridicule of the people: Alfio's tongue was ripped off (he became the patron saint of the Mutes), Philadelphus was burned on a grill, Cirino was thrown in a cauldron of boiling pitch. The villages of Sant’Alfio and Trecastagni, on the slopes of Etna, and of Lentini, commemorate the three Saints Brothers with very heartfelt and participatory traditional feast. The photographic story that I present here was made this year 2022 on the occasion of the feast held on May 10 in the Etnean village of Trecastagni (the name Trecastagni seems to derive from the Latin "tres casti agni" that is "three chaste lambs", but not everyone agrees on this etymology; the feast is celebrated on May 10, as their martyrdom took place on this day in 253 , Alfio was twenty-two years and seven months old, Philadelphus twenty-one, Cirino nineteen and eight months). The feast and the procession celebrated in Trecastagni have much in common with the one celebrated, always in honor of the Three Holy Brothers, in the town of Sant'Alfio (see my previous photographic story), even if in Trecastagni there is something larger and more varied; in the late afternoon on May 9, a competition of pyrotechnic games begins, which will be the thunderous background sound until late at night, in the night between On 9th and 10th the so-called "naked" arrive, who are not naked, they arrive, out of devotion, from the most varied and even distant localities, they are dressed in red shorts and a red strip on the chest, sometimes they are bare-chested, others, with a white T-shirt, they are barefoot, sometimes they wear woolen socks, they carry a large lighted candle on their shoulders, having arrived inside the Sanctuary, in front of the cell where the Three Brothers are still enclosed, the devotees tired from the long journey, recover their strength, indulging in an emotional invocation "face to face", mentioning only the name of Alfio (as representative of all three brothers); the morning of the 10th is a day of great celebration, sellers of fresh and very fragrant garlic can be seen along the streets, there are stalls selling products of all kinds, from food, to various objects, such as hats, shoes or clothes, characteristic tambourines Sicilians with sacred images printed on them; the carts arrive in the parade, the "Sicilian" ones painted with battle scenes between the brave Paladins against the ferocious Saracens, but there are also the carts that once served to transport people and/or things; a visit inside the Sanctuary will reveal the presence of objects possessed by “miracled” people and left as a gift as testimony (busts, corrective corsets, sticks, crutches, letters of thanks), there are “ex voto” in wax, reproducing the miraculously healed organs such as arms, heads, legs, there are "ex votos" in silver, also reproducing the miraculously healed organs, there are "ex votos" in the form of oil paintings, on wooden or metal plates, with the names of the "miracled" and the scenes that describe what happened (from the most ancient ones, where falls from horses or overturned carts are often painted, to then make way for more recent tragedies, with accidents caused by motor vehicles; episodes of war; surgery). Before 1.00 pm the so-called "unveiled" takes place, from the cell of the Sanctuary, in which the Three Holy Brothers were imprisoned for almost a year, They are exposed with great emotion of those present; the "rail" on which the statues will be brought down is prepared with great skill, to thus take their place on the float. At 1.00 pm sharp the vara leaves the Sanctuary, amidst the ovation of all the faithful who have come in large numbers from many centres, near and far, thus begins the exciting and moving rite (some children cry, frightened) with children being shown to the Three Holy Brothers, some of them very young, taken by the expert hands of the devotees present on the vara, thus invoke their benevolence and protection. The vara then moves towards the outskirts of the town, with great effort on the part of the shooters, who use two large ropes to pull it, they have to overcome a steep climb, then the vara at 3.00 pm enters the Mother Church, at 06.00 pm the vara follow another well-established itinerary. With the octave of the feast, on May 17, the festivities end, the Saints will remain unveiled until the first Sunday of June, after which they will be locked up again in their cell, until the following year.
Il culto dei tre fratelli santi martiri Alfio, Filadelfo e Cirino è molto diffuso in quasi tutta la Sicilia Orientale fin dall'alto medioevo, le notizie che possediamo sulla vita e sul martirio dei tre fratelli, sono contenute in un documento scritto da un monaco basiliano, di nome proprio Basilio, il cui manoscritto si trova nella Biblioteca Vaticana, col numero 1591; il manoscritto riporta che i tre Santi hanno subito il la persecuzione di Valeriano ed il martirio nel 253; i tre fratelli nacquero a Vaste, in provincia di Lecce, vennero arrestati (ed in seguito martirizzati) per aver professato la religione cristiana utilizzando la loro influenza nobile, come avevano fatto in precedenza i loro genitori, Vitale e Beatrice, i quali furono anch’essi barbaramente martirizzati per aver professato il loro credo religioso; i tre fratelli, dopo aver subito parecchi processi per tutto il territorio centro-meridionale d'Italia, visto che nessuno voleva condannarli con una sentenza definitiva in quanto appartenenti ad una delle famiglie più importanti dell’impero, furono portati a Taormina da Tertullo, giovane patrizio romano e Preside dell'isola, il quale non riuscendo a scostarli dal loro credo li inviò a Lentini; durante il tragitto, il gruppo si fermò in due luoghi, qui in seguito nacquero i paesi di Sant'Alfio e Trecastagni, poi giunsero a Catania e qui furono rinchiusi in carcere, infine furono condotti a Lentini, dove trovarono la morte mediante atroci supplizi. Prima di subire il martirio, essi furono intercessori di opere miracolose, Tecla e Giustina erano due giovani contesse, tra loro cugine, Tecla da più di sei anni soffriva di una grave forma di paralisi alle gambe, mentre Giustina era cieca in un occhio, esse venendo a conoscenza di guarigioni miracolose avvenute per loro intercessione durante il loro tragitto forzato da Roma a Lentini, si rivolsero a loro, ricevendo la guarigione. Il giorno del loro supplizio furono ammanettati e frustati per le vie della città, esposti nudi e scalzi allo scherno del popolo: ad Alfio venne strappata la lingua (divenne così il Santo protettore dei Muti), Filadelfo fu bruciato su di una graticola, Cirino fu gettato in una caldaia di pece bollente. I paesi di Sant’Alfio e di Trecastagni, alle pendici dell’Etna, e di Lentini, ricordano i tre Santi Fratelli con delle feste tradizionali molto sentite e partecipate. Il racconto fotografico che qui presento, è stato realizzato quest’anno 2022, in occasione della festa che si tiene il 10 maggio nel paese etneo di Trecastagni (il nome Trecastagni sembra derivare dal latino “tres casti agni” cioè “tre casti agnelli”, ma non tutti sono d’accordo su questa etimologia; la festa si celebra il 10 maggio, in quanto in tale giorno del 253 avvenne il loro martirio, Alfio aveva ventidue anni e sette mesi, Filadelfo ventuno, Cirino diciannove e otto mesi). La festa e la processione che si celebrano a Trecastagni hanno molto in comune con quella celebrata, sempre in onore dei Tre Santi Fratelli, nel paese di Sant’Alfio (vedi il mio precedente racconto fotografico), anche se a Trecastagni si assiste a qualcosa di più grande e variegato; nel pomeriggio inoltrato del 9 maggio inizia una gara di giochi pirotecnici, che farà da fragoroso sottofondo fino a notte inoltrata, nella notte tra il 9 ed il 10 arrivano i cosiddetti “nudi”, che poi nudi non sono, essi arrivano, per devozione, dalle più svariate ed anche lontane località, sono vestiti con pantaloncini ed una fascia sul petto rossi, a volte sono a petto nudo, altre, con una magliettina bianca, sono scalzi, a volte indossano calze di lana, portano in spalla un grosso cero acceso, arrivati dentro al Santuario, davanti alla cella dove ancora sono racchiusi i Tre Fratelli, i devoti stanchi per il lungo viaggio, recuperano le loro forze, lasciandosi andare ad un emozionante invocazione “a tu per tu”, nominando solo il nome di Alfio (come rappresentante di tutti e tre i fratelli); la mattina del 10 è giorno di gran festa, si vedono venditori di aglio fresco e profumatissimo lungo le strade, ci sono bancarelle che vendono prodotti di ogni genere, da quelli alimentari, ad oggetti svariati, come cappelli, scarpe o vestiti, caratteristici i tamburelli siciliani con sopra stampate immagini sacre; arrivano i carretti in sfilata, quelli “Siciliani” dipinti con scene di battaglie tra i prodi Paladini contro i feroci Saraceni, ma ci sono anche i carretti che una volta servivano per il trasporto di persone e/o cose; una visita dentro il Santuario rivelerà la presenza di oggetti posseduti da persone “miracolate” e lasciate in dono come testimonianza (busti, corpetti correttivi, bastoni, stampelle, lettere di ringraziamento), ci sono “ex voto” in cera, con arti miracolati e guariti, come braccia, teste, gambe, ci sono “ex voto” in argento, anch’essi riproducenti gli organi miracolati, ci sono "ex voto" in forma di dipinti ad olio, su tavole in legno o metalliche, con sopra i nomi dei “miracolati” e le scene che descrivono quanto accaduto (da quelle più antiche, ove spesso sono dipinte le cadute da cavallo od i carretti ribaltatisi, per poi lasciare posto a tragedie più recenti, con gli incidenti causati dai mezzi a motore; episodi di guerra; interventi chirurgici). Prima delle ore 13,00 avviene la cosiddetta “svelata”, la cella del Santuario, nella quale i Tre Santi Fratelli sono stati rinchiusi per quasi un anno, vengono esposti con grande commozione dei presenti; si prepara con grande perizia “il binario” sul quale le statue verranno fatte scendere, per prendere così posto sulla vara (il fercolo). Alle 13,00 in punto la vara esce dal Santuario, in mezzo all’ovazione di tutti i fedeli giunti numerosissimi da tantissimi centri, vicini e lontani, inizia così il rito emozionante e commovente (qualche bambino piange, spaventato) della presentazione dei bimbi messi al cospetto dei Tre Santi Fratelli, alcuni in tenerissima età, presi dalle mani espertissime dei devoti presenti sulla vara, si invoca in tal modo la loro benevolenza e protezione. La vara successivamente si sposta verso la periferia del paese, con gran fatica da parte dei tiratori, che utilizzano due grossi canapi per tirarla, essi devono vincere una ripida salita, la vara alle ore 15,00 entra così nella Chiesa Madre, alle ore 18,00 la vara fuoriesce, per percorre un altro itinerario ben stabilito. Con l’ottava della festa, il 17 maggio, i festeggiamenti terminano, i Santi rimarranno svelati fino alla prima domenica di giugno, dopo verranno rinchiusi nuovamente nella loro cella, fino all’anno successivo.
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click to activate the icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream;
or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;
clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;
oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;
www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...
www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
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The cult of the three holy martyr brothers Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino is widespread in almost all of Eastern Sicily since the early Middle Ages, the news we have on the life and martyrdom of the three brothers are contained in a document written by a Basilian monk , his own name Basilio, whose manuscript is in the Vatican Library, with the number 1591; the manuscript reports that the three saints suffered the persecution of Valerian and martyrdom in 253; the three brothers were born in Vaste, in the province of Lecce, were arrested (and later martyred) for having professed the Christian religion using their noble influence, as their parents, Vitale and Beatrice had previously done, who were also they barbarously martyred for professing their religious beliefs; the three brothers, after having undergone several trials throughout the central-southern territory of Italy, since no one wanted to condemn them with a definitive sentence as belonging to one of the most important families of the empire, were brought to Taormina by Tertullo, a young Roman patrician and head of the island, who, failing to detach them from their creed, sent them to Lentini; during the journey, the group stopped in two places, here the villages of Sant'Alfio and Trecastagni were born, then they reached Catania and were imprisoned here, finally they were taken to Lentini, where they died through atrocious tortures. Before undergoing martyrdom, they were intercessors of miraculous works, Tecla and Giustina were two young countesses, among them cousins, Tecla for more than six years suffered from a severe form of paralysis in the legs, while Giustina was blind in one eye, they learning of miraculous healings that occurred through their intercession during their forced journey from Rome to Lentini, they turned to them, receiving healing. On the day of their torture they were handcuffed and whipped in the streets of the city, exposed naked and barefoot to the ridicule of the people: Alfio's tongue was ripped off (he became the patron saint of the Mutes), Philadelphus was burned on a grill, Cirino was thrown in a cauldron of boiling pitch. The villages of Sant’Alfio and Trecastagni, on the slopes of Etna, and of Lentini, commemorate the three Saints Brothers with very heartfelt and participatory traditional feast. The photographic story that I present here was made this year on the occasion of the feast held on the first Sunday of May in the Etnean village of Sant’Alfio; the evenings of the two Thursdays and the two Fridays preceding the feast, small bonfires are lit in front of the houses called "a dera", from the name of the resinous wood that is used to light the fire, the night of the dera recalls the night in which the three brothers crossed the village of Sant'Alfio to go to Lentini. During the procession, the float of the three brothers Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino is pulled with ropes by the devotees from the front, and at the same time is also pushed from behind, here are the women who, for devotion, make the journey barefoot; during the various stops, the children are hoisted onto the float by devoted experts, and placed in the presence of the Three Brothers, to ask for their intercession and divine protection; the priest caught with a very witty expression while embracing one of the supports of the canopy of the float, has a particular meaning, he wishes to express his joy in taking his place on the float, after the feast has been suppressed for two years, due to the rules prudential, issued to counter the pandemic spread of covid-19.
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Il culto dei tre fratelli santi martiri Alfio, Filadelfo e Cirino è molto diffuso in quasi tutta la Sicilia Orientale fin dall'alto medioevo, le notizie che possediamo sulla vita e sul martirio dei tre fratelli, sono contenute in un documento scritto da un monaco basiliano, di nome proprio Basilio, il cui manoscritto si trova nella Biblioteca Vaticana, col numero 1591; il manoscritto riporta che i tre Santi hanno subito il la persecuzione di Valeriano ed il martirio nel 253; i tre fratelli nacquero a Vaste, in provincia di Lecce, vennero arrestati (ed in seguito martirizzati) per aver professato la religione cristiana utilizzando la loro influenza nobile, come avevano fatto in precedenza i loro genitori, Vitale e Beatrice, i quali furono anch’essi barbaramente martirizzati per aver professato il loro credo religioso; i tre fratelli, dopo aver subito parecchi processi per tutto il territorio centro-meridionale d'Italia, visto che nessuno voleva condannarli con una sentenza definitiva in quanto appartenenti ad una delle famiglie più importanti dell’impero, furono portati a Taormina da Tertullo, giovane patrizio romano e Preside dell'isola, il quale non riuscendo a scostarli dal loro credo li inviò a Lentini; durante il tragitto, il gruppo si fermò in due luoghi, qui in seguito nacquero i paesi di Sant'Alfio e Trecastagni, poi giunsero a Catania e qui furono rinchiusi in carcere, infine furono condotti a Lentini, dove trovarono la morte mediante atroci supplizi. Prima di subire il martirio, essi furono intercessori di opere miracolose, Tecla e Giustina erano due giovani contesse, tra loro cugine, Tecla da più di sei anni soffriva di una grave forma di paralisi alle gambe, mentre Giustina era cieca in un occhio, esse venendo a conoscenza di guarigioni miracolose avvenute per loro intercessione durante il loro tragitto forzato da Roma a Lentini, si rivolsero a loro, ricevendo la guarigione. Il giorno del loro supplizio furno ammanettati e frustati per le vie della città, esposti nudi e scalzi allo scherno del popolo: ad Alfio venne strappata la lingua (divenne così il Santo protettore dei Muti), Filadelfo fu bruciato su di una graticola, Cirino fu gettato in una caldaia di pece bollente. I paesi di Sant’Alfio e di Trecastagni, alle pendici dell’Etna, e di Lentini, ricordano i tre Santi Fratelli con delle feste tradizionali molto sentite e partecipate. Il racconto fotografico che qui presento, è stato realizzato quest’anno in occasione della festa che si tiene la prima domenica di maggio nel paesino etneo di Sant’Alfio; le sere dei due giovedì e i due venerdì che precedono la festa, si accendono davanti alle case dei piccoli falò chiamati “a dera”, dal nome della legna resinosa che viene usata per accendere il fuoco, la notte della dera ricorda la notte in cui i tre fratelli attraversarono il paese di Sant'Alfio per recarsi a Lentini. Durante la processione, la vara dei tre fratelli Alfio, Filadelfo e Cirino viene trainata con funi dai devoti dal davanti, ed al contempo viene spinta anche da dietro, qui ci sono le donne che, per devozione, compiono il percorso scalze; durante le varie soste, i bambini vengono issati sulla vara da esperti devoti, e messi al cospetto dei tre Fratelli, per chiedere la loro intercessione e protezione divina; il sacerdote colto con una espressione molto spiritosa mentre abbraccia uno dei sostegni del baldacchino della vara, ha un significato particolare, egli desidera manifestare la sua gioia nel prendere posto sulla vara, dopo che per due anni la festa è stata soppressa, a causa delle norme prudenziali, emanate per contrastare la diffusione pandemica del covid-19.
i believe if you forced merrick to choose between balls and me, he'd be rather hard-pressed ... although over the past couple of days he'd gladly opt for the balls since i'm little more than a lump of flesh under the covers or behind the computer nursing the mother of all migraines.
i managed to get him out for a few ball chases this afternoon and grabbed j's D80 since it was sitting conveniently on the kitchen table due to a visit from our local turkey on our back deck this morning. however, it took me 10 minutes just to find the right settings, and even then i didn't think to adjust the ISO ... i'm so spoiled with my own cameras. so this one's pretty grainy. AND it was shot .jpg. i can't remember the last time i shot .jpg. acht!
... back to bed.