View allAll Photos Tagged PuddleReflection
While setting up for this puddle reflection an unintended subject walked into the picture. Voilà! The Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Puddle reflection of typical Amsterdam houses and a biker rushing downtown.
I used to have this cool hat from Greenpeace that said 'No Time To Waste' on the front, I really loved it and used to wear it when I was drunk&disordered at parties, but I lost it somewhere, some years ago...or maybe it's just buried in my attic, maybe I will go and look for it today, I still have a whole week of vacation ahead of me and not much useful to do, besides boring you with my always-identical reflection shots and my stories of treasures hidden in my attic, hahaha ;D
Thank you for watching the 'AmsterS@m' show, for making all those lovely comments, for being who you are and of course for the 100 000 views on my Flickr stream that I've just reached :)))
P.s. Here's a little overview of all the views I've had since joining Flickr and in total, there were over half a million (!!!) clicks combined on my stream&photos, wow! Thank you again for making this happen, I'm looking forward to being a Millionair, even if it's 'just' eyeballs and not euros :D
Have a wonderful, wicked weekend!
Amsterdam Metro train and some trees, reflected in a puddle.
The title must have been subconsciously implanted into my brainwaves by the very loud Bob Marley music that I am listening to while posting this...he's still the Big Cahuna when it comes to real roots rock reggae music :)
The Glasshouse is an international centre for musical education and concerts on the Gateshead bank of Quayside in northern England. Opened in 2004 as Sage Gateshead and occupied by North Music Trust The venue's original name honours a patron: the accountancy software company The Sage Group.
History
Planning for the centre began in the early 1990s, when the orchestra of Sage Gateshead, Royal Northern Sinfonia, with encouragement from Northern Arts, began working on plans for a new concert hall. They were soon joined by regional folk music development agency Folkworks, which ensured that the needs of the region's traditional music were taken into consideration and represented in Sage Gateshead's programme of concerts, alongside Rock, Pop, Dance, Hip Hop, classical, jazz, acoustic, indie, country and world, Practice spaces for professional musicians, students and amateurs were an important part of the provision.
The planning and construction process cost over £70 million, which was raised primarily through National Lottery grants. The contractor was Laing O'Rourke. The centre has a range of patrons, notably Sage Group which contributed a large sum of money to have the building named after it. Sage plc has helped support the charitable activities of Sage Gateshead since its conception. The venue opened over the weekend 17–19 December 2004.
Sage Gateshead was developed by Foster and Partners following an architectural design competition launched in 1997 and managed by RIBA Competitions. Over 100 architects registered their interest and 12 – a mixture of local, national and international talent – were invited to prepare concept designs. A shortlist of six was then interviewed with Foster and Partners unanimously selected as the winner. The Design has gone on to win a number of awards: the RIBA Inclusive Design Award, Civic Trust Award and The Journal North East Landmark of the Year Award.
As a conference venue, the building hosted the Labour Party's Spring conference in February 2005 and the Liberal Democrat Party conference in March 2012. On 18 August 2009, Sage Gateshead was selected to host the 2010 and 2011 National Union of Students annual conference. The 2010 Annual Conference took place 13–15 April 2010.
In 2022 The Sage Group announced that they were also sponsoring a new development that is being built next to Sage Gateshead which will be called The Sage. Sage Gateshead announced that they will be finding a new name for the venue prior to The Sage opening in 2024. On 13 September 2023 the venue announced its new name, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music.
Building
The centre occupies a curved glass and stainless steel building designed by Foster and Partners, Buro Happold (structural engineering), Mott MacDonald (engineering consultants) and Arup (acoustics), with views of Newcastle and Gateshead Quaysides, the Tyne Bridge and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.
The Glasshouse contains three performance spaces; a 1,700-seater, a 450-seater, and a smaller rehearsal and performance hall, the Northern Rock Foundation Hall. The rest of the building was designed around these three spaces to allow for maximum attention to detail in their acoustic properties. Structurally it is three separate buildings, insulated from each other to prevent noise and vibration travelling between them. The gaps between them may be seen as one walks around inside. A special 'spongy' concrete mix was used in the construction, with a higher-than-usual air capacity to improve the acoustic. These three buildings are enclosed (but not touched) by the now-famous glass and steel shell. Sage One was intended as an acoustically perfect space, modelled on the Musikverein in Vienna. Its ceiling panels may be raised and lowered and curtains drawn across the ribbed wooden side walls, changing the sound profile of the room to suit any type of music. Sage Two is a smaller venue, possibly the world's only ten-sided performance space.
The building is open to the public throughout the day.
Concerts
The Glasshouse will host concerts from a wide range of internationally famous artists, and those who have played at the venue include Above and Beyond, Blondie, James Brown, Bonobo, Andy Cutting, De La Soul, Nick Cave, George Clinton, Bill Callahan, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Dillinger, Grace Jones, Gretchen Peters, Elbow, Explosions in the Sky, the Fall, Herbie Hancock, Mogwai, Morrissey, Mumford & Sons, Pet Shop Boys, Sunn O))), Nancy Sinatra, Snarky Puppy, Sting, Yellowman, Shane Filan of Westlife and others. In February 2015, it was one of the hosts of the second annual BBC Radio 6 Music Festival.
It is also home to Royal Northern Sinfonia, of which The Guardian wrote there is "no better chamber orchestra in Britain", and frequently hosts other visiting orchestras from around the world. The current music director for Royal Northern Sinfonia is the pianist and conductor Lars Vogt. In late 2014, Royal Northern Sinfonia collaborated with John Grant, performing at Sage Gateshead, and other venues throughout the UK. Recordings from this tour were made available as a limited edition CD and 12" record via Rough Trade Records in 2015.
Opinion
There has been popular debate surrounding what was Sage Gateshead. The venue is popular in the local area because of its concerts, and also its accessible learning courses for all ages and its constant interaction with local schools and academies through programmes such as Sing Up and the option of school visits.
Awards
2019: UK National Lottery 25th Birthday Award - Best Arts, Culture and Film
2019: Julie's Bicycle Creative Green 2 Star
2019: Gold Standard - Attitude is Everything
2018: Gold Award for Inclusive Tourism (North East Tourism Awards)
2018: Gold Award for Business Tourism (Visit England Awards for Excellence)
2005: Local Authority Building of the Year
2005: British Construction Industry Awards
2005: RIBA Award for Inclusive Design
Gateshead is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. The town shares the Millennium Bridge, Tyne Bridge and multiple other bridges with Newcastle upon Tyne.
Historically part of County Durham, under the Local Government Act 1888 the town was made a county borough, meaning it was administered independently of the county council.
In the 2011 Census, the town had a population of 120,046 while the wider borough had 200,214.
History
Gateshead is first mentioned in Latin translation in Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People as ad caput caprae ("at the goat's head"). This interpretation is consistent with the later English attestations of the name, among them Gatesheued (c. 1190), literally "goat's head" but in the context of a place-name meaning 'headland or hill frequented by (wild) goats'. Although other derivations have been mooted, it is this that is given by the standard authorities.
A Brittonic predecessor, named with the element *gabro-, 'goat' (c.f. Welsh gafr), may underlie the name. Gateshead might have been the Roman-British fort of Gabrosentum.
Early
There has been a settlement on the Gateshead side of the River Tyne, around the old river crossing where the Swing Bridge now stands, since Roman times.
The first recorded mention of Gateshead is in the writings of the Venerable Bede who referred to an Abbot of Gateshead called Utta in 623. In 1068 William the Conqueror defeated the forces of Edgar the Ætheling and Malcolm king of Scotland (Shakespeare's Malcolm) on Gateshead Fell (now Low Fell and Sheriff Hill).
During medieval times Gateshead was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Durham. At this time the area was largely forest with some agricultural land. The forest was the subject of Gateshead's first charter, granted in the 12th century by Hugh du Puiset, Bishop of Durham. An alternative spelling may be "Gatishevede", as seen in a legal record, dated 1430.
Industrial revolution
Throughout the Industrial Revolution the population of Gateshead expanded rapidly; between 1801 and 1901 the increase was over 100,000. This expansion resulted in the spread southwards of the town.
In 1854, a catastrophic explosion on the quayside destroyed most of Gateshead's medieval heritage, and caused widespread damage on the Newcastle side of the river.
Sir Joseph Swan lived at Underhill, Low Fell, Gateshead from 1869 to 1883, where his experiments led to the invention of the electric light bulb. The house was the first in the world to be wired for domestic electric light.
In the 1889 one of the largest employers (Hawks, Crawshay and Company) closed down and unemployment has since been a burden. Up to the Second World War there were repeated newspaper reports of the unemployed sending deputations to the council to provide work. The depression years of the 1920s and 1930s created even more joblessness and the Team Valley Trading Estate was built in the mid-1930s to alleviate the situation.
Regeneration
In the late noughties, Gateshead Council started to regenerate the town, with the long-term aim of making Gateshead a city. The most extensive transformation occurred in the Quayside, with almost all the structures there being constructed or refurbished in this time.
In the early 2010s, regeneration refocused on the town centre. The £150 million Trinity Square development opened in May 2013, it incorporates student accommodation, a cinema, health centre and shops. It was nominated for the Carbuncle Cup in September 2014. The cup was however awarded to another development which involved Tesco, Woolwich Central.
Governance
In 1835, Gateshead was established as a municipal borough and in 1889 it was made a county borough, independent from Durham County Council.
In 1870, the Old Town Hall was built, designed by John Johnstone who also designed the previously built Newcastle Town Hall. The ornamental clock in front of the old town hall was presented to Gateshead in 1892 by the mayor, Walter de Lancey Willson, on the occasion of him being elected for a third time. He was also one of the founders of Walter Willson's, a chain of grocers in the North East and Cumbria. The old town hall also served as a magistrate's court and one of Gateshead's police stations.
Current
In 1974, following the Local Government Act 1972, the County Borough of Gateshead was merged with the urban districts of Felling, Whickham, Blaydon and Ryton and part of the rural district of Chester-le-Street to create the much larger Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead.
Geography
The town of Gateshead is in the North East of England in the ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear, and within the historic boundaries of County Durham. It is located on the southern bank of the River Tyne at a latitude of 54.57° N and a longitude of 1.35° W. Gateshead experiences a temperate climate which is considerably warmer than some other locations at similar latitudes as a result of the warming influence of the Gulf Stream (via the North Atlantic drift). It is located in the rain shadow of the North Pennines and is therefore in one of the driest regions of the United Kingdom.
One of the most distinguishing features of Gateshead is its topography. The land rises 230 feet from Gateshead Quays to the town centre and continues rising to a height of 525 feet at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Sheriff Hill. This is in contrast to the flat and low lying Team Valley located on the western edges of town. The high elevations allow for impressive views over the Tyne valley into Newcastle and across Tyneside to Sunderland and the North Sea from lookouts in Windmill Hills and Windy Nook respectively.
The Office for National Statistics defines the town as an urban sub-division. The latest (2011) ONS urban sub-division of Gateshead contains the historical County Borough together with areas that the town has absorbed, including Dunston, Felling, Heworth, Pelaw and Bill Quay.
Given the proximity of Gateshead to Newcastle, just south of the River Tyne from the city centre, it is sometimes incorrectly referred to as being a part of Newcastle. Gateshead Council and Newcastle City Council teamed up in 2000 to create a unified marketing brand name, NewcastleGateshead, to better promote the whole of the Tyneside conurbation.
Economy
Gateshead is home to the MetroCentre, the largest shopping mall in the UK until 2008; and the Team Valley Trading Estate, once the largest and still one of the larger purpose-built commercial estates in the UK.
Arts
The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art has been established in a converted flour mill. The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, previously The Sage, a Norman Foster-designed venue for music and the performing arts opened on 17 December 2004. Gateshead also hosted the Gateshead Garden Festival in 1990, rejuvenating 200 acres (0.81 km2) of derelict land (now mostly replaced with housing). The Angel of the North, a famous sculpture in nearby Lamesley, is visible from the A1 to the south of Gateshead, as well as from the East Coast Main Line. Other public art include works by Richard Deacon, Colin Rose, Sally Matthews, Andy Goldsworthy, Gordon Young and Michael Winstone.
Traditional and former
The earliest recorded coal mining in the Gateshead area is dated to 1344. As trade on the Tyne prospered there were several attempts by the burghers of Newcastle to annex Gateshead. In 1576 a small group of Newcastle merchants acquired the 'Grand Lease' of the manors of Gateshead and Whickham. In the hundred years from 1574 coal shipments from Newcastle increased elevenfold while the population of Gateshead doubled to approximately 5,500. However, the lease and the abundant coal supplies ended in 1680. The pits were shallow as problems of ventilation and flooding defeated attempts to mine coal from the deeper seams.
'William Cotesworth (1668-1726) was a prominent merchant based in Gateshead, where he was a leader in coal and international trade. Cotesworth began as the son of a yeoman and apprentice to a tallow - candler. He ended as an esquire, having been mayor, Justice of the Peace and sheriff of Northumberland. He collected tallow from all over England and sold it across the globe. He imported dyes from the Indies, as well as flax, wine, and grain. He sold tea, sugar, chocolate, and tobacco. He operated the largest coal mines in the area, and was a leading salt producer. As the government's principal agent in the North country, he was in contact with leading ministers.
William Hawks originally a blacksmith, started business in Gateshead in 1747, working with the iron brought to the Tyne as ballast by the Tyne colliers. Hawks and Co. eventually became one of the biggest iron businesses in the North, producing anchors, chains and so on to meet a growing demand. There was keen contemporary rivalry between 'Hawks' Blacks' and 'Crowley's Crew'. The famous 'Hawks' men' including Ned White, went on to be celebrated in Geordie song and story.
In 1831 a locomotive works was established by the Newcastle and Darlington Railway, later part of the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway. In 1854 the works moved to the Greenesfield site and became the manufacturing headquarters of North Eastern Railway. In 1909, locomotive construction was moved to Darlington and the rest of the works were closed in 1932.
Robert Stirling Newall took out a patent on the manufacture of wire ropes in 1840 and in partnership with Messrs. Liddell and Gordon, set up his headquarters at Gateshead. A worldwide industry of wire-drawing resulted. The submarine telegraph cable received its definitive form through Newall's initiative, involving the use of gutta-percha surrounded by strong wires. The first successful Dover–Calais cable on 25 September 1851, was made in Newall's works. In 1853, he invented the brake-drum and cone for laying cable in deep seas. Half of the first Atlantic cable was manufactured in Gateshead. Newall was interested in astronomy, and his giant 25-inch (640 mm) telescope was set up in the garden at Ferndene, his Gateshead residence, in 1871.
Architecture
JB Priestley, writing of Gateshead in his 1934 travelogue English Journey, said that "no true civilisation could have produced such a town", adding that it appeared to have been designed "by an enemy of the human race".
Victorian
William Wailes the celebrated stained-glass maker, lived at South Dene from 1853 to 1860. In 1860, he designed Saltwell Towers as a fairy-tale palace for himself. It is an imposing Victorian mansion in its own park with a romantic skyline of turrets and battlements. It was originally furnished sumptuously by Gerrard Robinson. Some of the panelling installed by Robinson was later moved to the Shipley Art gallery. Wailes sold Saltwell Towers to the corporation in 1876 for use as a public park, provided he could use the house for the rest of his life. For many years the structure was essentially an empty shell but following a restoration programme it was reopened to the public in 2004.
Post millennium
The council sponsored the development of a Gateshead Quays cultural quarter. The development includes the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, erected in 2001, which won the prestigious Stirling Prize for Architecture in 2002.
Former brutalism
The brutalist Trinity Centre Car Park, which was designed by Owen Luder, dominated the town centre for many years until its demolition in 2010. A product of attempts to regenerate the area in the 1960s, the car park gained an iconic status due to its appearance in the 1971 film Get Carter, starring Michael Caine. An unsuccessful campaign to have the structure listed was backed by Sylvester Stallone, who played the main role in the 2000 remake of the film. The car park was scheduled for demolition in 2009, but this was delayed as a result of a disagreement between Tesco, who re-developed the site, and Gateshead Council. The council had not been given firm assurances that Tesco would build the previously envisioned town centre development which was to include a Tesco mega-store as well as shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, offices and student accommodation. The council effectively used the car park as a bargaining tool to ensure that the company adhered to the original proposals and blocked its demolition until they submitted a suitable planning application. Demolition finally took place in July–August 2010.
The Derwent Tower, another well known example of brutalist architecture, was also designed by Owen Luder and stood in the neighbourhood of Dunston. Like the Trinity Car Park it also failed in its bid to become a listed building and was demolished in 2012. Also located in this area are the Grade II listed Dunston Staithes which were built in 1890. Following the award of a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of almost £420,000 restoration of the structure is expected to begin in April 2014.
Sport
Gateshead International Stadium regularly holds international athletics meetings over the summer months, and is home of the Gateshead Harriers athletics club. It is also host to rugby league fixtures, and the home ground of Gateshead Football Club. Gateshead Thunder Rugby League Football Club played at Gateshead International Stadium until its purchase by Newcastle Rugby Limited and the subsequent rebranding as Newcastle Thunder. Both clubs have had their problems: Gateshead A.F.C. were controversially voted out of the Football League in 1960 in favour of Peterborough United, whilst Gateshead Thunder lost their place in Super League as a result of a takeover (officially termed a merger) by Hull F.C. Both Gateshead clubs continue to ply their trade at lower levels in their respective sports, thanks mainly to the efforts of their supporters. The Gateshead Senators American Football team also use the International Stadium, as well as this it was used in the 2006 Northern Conference champions in the British American Football League.
Gateshead Leisure Centre is home to the Gateshead Phoenix Basketball Team. The team currently plays in EBL League Division 4. Home games are usually on a Sunday afternoon during the season, which runs from September to March. The team was formed in 2013 and ended their initial season well placed to progress after defeating local rivals Newcastle Eagles II and promotion chasing Kingston Panthers.
In Low Fell there is a cricket club and a rugby club adjacent to each other on Eastwood Gardens. These are Gateshead Fell Cricket Club and Gateshead Rugby Club. Gateshead Rugby Club was formed in 1998 following the merger of Gateshead Fell Rugby Club and North Durham Rugby Club.
Transport
Gateshead is served by the following rail transport stations with some being operated by National Rail and some being Tyne & Wear Metro stations: Dunston, Felling, Gateshead Interchange, Gateshead Stadium, Heworth Interchange, MetroCentre and Pelaw.
Tyne & Wear Metro stations at Gateshead Interchange and Gateshead Stadium provide direct light-rail access to Newcastle Central, Newcastle Airport , Sunderland, Tynemouth and South Shields Interchange.
National Rail services are provided by Northern at Dunston and MetroCentre stations. The East Coast Main Line, which runs from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley, cuts directly through the town on its way between Newcastle Central and Chester-le-Street stations. There are presently no stations on this line within Gateshead, as Low Fell, Bensham and Gateshead West stations were closed in 1952, 1954 and 1965 respectively.
Road
Several major road links pass through Gateshead, including the A1 which links London to Edinburgh and the A184 which connects the town to Sunderland.
Gateshead Interchange is the busiest bus station in Tyne & Wear and was used by 3.9 million bus passengers in 2008.
Cycle routes
Various bicycle trails traverse the town; most notably is the recreational Keelmans Way (National Cycle Route 14), which is located on the south bank of the Tyne and takes riders along the entire Gateshead foreshore. Other prominent routes include the East Gateshead Cycleway, which connects to Felling, the West Gateshead Cycleway, which links the town centre to Dunston and the MetroCentre, and routes along both the old and new Durham roads, which take cyclists to Birtley, Wrekenton and the Angel of the North.
Religion
Christianity has been present in the town since at least the 7th century, when Bede mentioned a monastery in Gateshead. A church in the town was burned down in 1080 with the Bishop of Durham inside.[citation needed] St Mary's Church was built near to the site of that building, and was the only church in the town until the 1820s. Undoubtedly the oldest building on the Quayside, St Mary's has now re-opened to the public as the town's first heritage centre.
Many of the Anglican churches in the town date from the 19th century, when the population of the town grew dramatically and expanded into new areas. The town presently has a number of notable and large churches of many denominations.
Judaism
The Bensham district is home to a community of hundreds of Jewish families and used to be known as "Little Jerusalem". Within the community is the Gateshead Yeshiva, founded in 1929, and other Jewish educational institutions with international enrolments. These include two seminaries: Beis Medrash L'Morot and Beis Chaya Rochel seminary, colloquially known together as Gateshead "old" and "new" seminaries.
Many yeshivot and kollels also are active. Yeshivat Beer Hatorah, Sunderland Yeshiva, Nesivos Hatorah, Nezer Hatorah and Yeshiva Ketana make up some of the list.
Islam
Islam is practised by a large community of people in Gateshead and there are 2 mosques located in the Bensham area (in Ely Street and Villa Place).
Twinning
Gateshead is twinned with the town of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray near Rouen in France, and the city of Komatsu in Japan.
Notable people
Eliezer Adler – founder of Jewish Community
Marcus Bentley – narrator of Big Brother
Catherine Booth – wife of William Booth, known as the Mother of The Salvation Army
William Booth – founder of the Salvation Army
Mary Bowes – the Unhappy Countess, author and celebrity
Ian Branfoot – footballer and manager (Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton)
Andy Carroll – footballer (Newcastle United, Liverpool and West Ham United)
Frank Clark – footballer and manager (Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest)
David Clelland – Labour politician and MP
Derek Conway – former Conservative politician and MP
Joseph Cowen – Radical politician
Steve Cram – athlete (middle-distance runner)
Emily Davies – educational reformer and feminist, founder of Girton College, Cambridge
Daniel Defoe – writer and government agent
Ruth Dodds – politician, writer and co-founder of the Little Theatre
Jonathan Edwards – athlete (triple jumper) and television presenter
Sammy Johnson – actor (Spender)
George Elliot – industrialist and MP
Paul Gascoigne – footballer (Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers and Middlesbrough)
Alex Glasgow – singer/songwriter
Avrohom Gurwicz – rabbi, Dean of Gateshead Yeshiva
Leib Gurwicz – rabbi, Dean of Gateshead Yeshiva
Jill Halfpenny – actress (Coronation Street and EastEnders)
Chelsea Halfpenny – actress (Emmerdale)
David Hodgson – footballer and manager (Middlesbrough, Liverpool and Sunderland)
Sharon Hodgson – Labour politician and MP
Norman Hunter – footballer (Leeds United and member of 1966 World Cup-winning England squad)
Don Hutchison – footballer (Liverpool, West Ham United, Everton and Sunderland)
Brian Johnson – AC/DC frontman
Tommy Johnson – footballer (Aston Villa and Celtic)
Riley Jones - actor
Howard Kendall – footballer and manager (Preston North End and Everton)
J. Thomas Looney – Shakespeare scholar
Gary Madine – footballer (Sheffield Wednesday)
Justin McDonald – actor (Distant Shores)
Lawrie McMenemy – football manager (Southampton and Northern Ireland) and pundit
Thomas Mein – professional cyclist (Canyon DHB p/b Soreen)
Robert Stirling Newall – industrialist
Bezalel Rakow – communal rabbi
John William Rayner – flying ace and war hero
James Renforth – oarsman
Mariam Rezaei – musician and artist
Sir Tom Shakespeare - baronet, sociologist and disability rights campaigner
William Shield – Master of the King's Musick
Christina Stead – Australian novelist
John Steel – drummer (The Animals)
Henry Spencer Stephenson – chaplain to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II
Steve Stone – footballer (Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Portsmouth)
Chris Swailes – footballer (Ipswich Town)
Sir Joseph Swan – inventor of the incandescent light bulb
Nicholas Trainor – cricketer (Gloucestershire)
Chris Waddle – footballer (Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday)
William Wailes – stained glass maker
Taylor Wane – adult entertainer
Robert Spence Watson – public benefactor
Sylvia Waugh – author of The Mennyms series for children
Chris Wilkie – guitarist (Dubstar)
John Wilson - orchestral conductor
Peter Wilson – footballer (Gateshead, captain of Australia)
Thomas Wilson – poet/school founder
Robert Wood – Australian politician
Great storms only happen lately when I am asleep or am at work, so all I've got is the puddles... ;-)
Appears on Greater Greater Washington and DCist.
Typical Amsterdam buildings and a classic BMW reflected in a puddle.
Somehow the car looks like a predator ready to jump out of the water and onto something/somebody defenseless...or maybe my imagination is just running wild here :)
Creative edit of the reflection of the helter skelter in a puddle at the Black Country Museum.
October 2015
Typical Amsterdam buildings, reflected in a puddle.
This is what Amsterdam will look like in a few years, when Global Warming has caused the sea level to go up by several meters...doesn't look so bad after all ;-))
The Rokin in Amsterdam, reflected in a puddle...in the right front corner you see Bikey, patiently waiting for me to finish doing my wicked thing with the horse lady in the background :)
The horse lady is there to remind us of a former Queen and I think she's best described by the adequate words of one of my Flickr contacts: "some historical insight here: its former queen Wilhelmina, she acted like a men but she was a woman (although her husband Hendrik found his pleasures everywhere except with her.....)"
I've boosted the colors in this shot a bit with Picnik but everything else is in it's natural state as encountered by me, myself&I on this beautiful, sunny morning in the best city in the world :)
Typical Amsterdam houses reflected in a puddle...you can also see a biker biking away from the church in the background, it's called De Krijtberg and it's on the Singel canal in Amsterdam...I've made a video of this church being reflected in the canal as well, check it out on my YouTube channel :)
Edited with Picnik. Unedited version below.
These 'Public Security' Dudes where giving me the eye in my puddle...but since they were only 3, they didn't dare arrest me, hahaha ;-D
Osman Fazıl Polat (29 December 1922 – 31 May 1980) Turkish soldier.
He graduated from the Military Academy as an infantry second lieutenant on August 30, 1942. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on February 28, 1943. After completing his Infantry School education on August 30, 1943, he served as platoon and company commanders in various units of the Land Forces Command.
He completed his education at the Land War Academy in 1953-1955. As a staff officer, he served as a planning officer and branch manager at various headquarters, and in 1958-1960, he served as the assistant commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 40th Infantry Regiment, and in 1960-1961, he served as the assistant commander of the Infantry Reserve Officer School Student Regiment.
In 1967-1968, he served as the commander of the Cyprus Turkish Armed Forces Regiment. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General on August 30, 1968.
He served as the deputy commander of the 39th Division in 1968–1970, and as the Deputy Chief of the 2nd Army Administrative Staff in 1970–1971.
He was promoted to the rank of Major General on August 30, 1971, and served as the head of department at the Istanbul Central Command in 1971–1972, and at the General Staff in 1972–1973.
He participated in the Cyprus Operation while serving as the Commander of the 28th Division in 1973–1975. He was nicknamed the "Conqueror of Famagusta". He played an important role in the capture of the city of Maraş in Cyprus. While in this position, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General on August 30, 1975.
After serving as the 4th Corps Commander in the rank of Lieutenant General between 1975-1978 and as the Head of the General Staff ATASE between 1978-1979, he retired as a Lieutenant General on August 30, 1979. He is the father of 4 children.
He died in Ankara on May 31, 1980 and was buried in the Şarkışla district of Sivas. His birthplace, the village of Tuzla (formerly known as Tuzla), was given the surname of Fazıl Osman Polat and became the village of Polatpaşa.
The flag hill in the village of Polatpaşa (Sivas, Şarkışla), where Osman Fazıl Polat Pasha was born, is locally known as "Mağusa Hill" (locally known as "Famagusta Hill") in reference to her successes in the Cyprus Peace Operation.
Typical Amsterdam houses reflected in a puddle...this is a twin shot, here's the same picture one year ago :)
One big difference though: While I've been very busy whining about the ever-present police in the best city in the world back then, I have noticed the strangest thing in the last weeks...they're gone! The cops have retreated to their caves and await further orders from their masters, or something similar significant because lately you can be in the city center and not see any coppers for 10-20 minutes!
I don't know what happened, but I like it, I even dare crossing red lights with my bike again, like back in ye olde days before the Netherlands became a Right-wing-Christian-semi-Communist country ;-P
Puddle reflection of buildings and a pigeon in Amsterdam.
Some saturation&contrast added, but no Photoshop, no tricks, just a mobile phone shot :)
This pigeon thought I had some food and kept walking through my pictures, so I figured I might as well focus on the stoopid rat with wings bird and make it famous on the Interwebs!
Have a lovely weekend, in the best city in the world it's been raining for days, so I'll stay inside and watch the raindrops falling on somebody else's head :)
Don't forget to vote online for my photo in the 'In love with Amsterdam' contest, thank you! Here's a short news film about the exhibition!
Reflection of a bellowing stag in a Richmond park puddle..Nikon D700, 70-200@200mm, F5.6, 1/500, ISO 640. Camera and lens cover.
Typical Amsterdam houses&bikes, reflected in a puddle.
I can not seem to get enough of these boring old 'same same but different' reflections lately, I blame it on my 'real cam', who's buttons&handles I've finally figured out for a good part, and that brings joy to my life almost every day...sorry Mobie, but don't worry, you'll always have a special place in my heart and you're still the one that's always around for my happy snapping) ;-)
Typical Amsterdam Houses reflected in a Puddle,no Photoshop, no tricks...twin shot, almost 2 years later :)
This Photo is rather popular, it has been featured in the local Magazine
NL20, in an Article with Interviews about Flickr&the 'Amsterdam Mokum' Group, they had a little Interview with 5 of us Members, here's my Interview :))
Also it has been shown on
this Site as a Flickr Favorite, thanks Gardenwife :))
Spathariko (Greek: Σπαθαρικό, Turkish: Ötüken) is a village in the Famagusta District of Cyprus, located north of Famagusta. It is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus.
Puddle reflection of a biker in front of the Royal palace on the Dam square in Amsterdam.
I've added a bit of contrast&saturation to this shot, but otherwise it is just another wicked mobile phone reflection, no Photoshop, no tricks :)
The lady had tightened the furry head part of her jacket so much that it looks like she's growing a halo of fur around her squeezed in (and somewhat surprised looking, probably on account of the crazy man hunching next to a puddle with a mobile phone!) face...
If you are the lady on the bike, I sincerely apologize for fu****g up your morning with my disturbing sight (and for subsequently posting your fear-frozen face all over them Interwebs too, I guess it was situations like this one that coined the phrase 'adding insult to injury', hehehe)! ;-))
It's a beautiful, sunny Spring day in Amsterdam today, go and have a great day, take care but take it easy!
P.s. I did not win in the lotto drawing last night, even though so many of you wished me luck (thanks again!)...let's try again next week or so :))
P.p.s. But I did receive this email, gotta run and call Dr. Van Hans now, hahaha ;D
"This email is to notify you that you have won an Award Sum of US$1,000,000 in
Nationale Postcode Loterij held in Amsterdam,
Tell: +31-616-563-485
Email: micro3343@gmail.com
Contact person: Dr Van Hans."
www.MrOfColors.com www.InspireMedia.nl Thankyou! for visiting Instagram: www.instagram.com/mrofcolorsphotography www.instagram.com/portraitsofcolors Twitter: www.MrOfColors.com www.twitter.com/MrOfColors www.Facebook.com/MrOfColorsPhotography Photo 2018 © #MrOfColorsPhotography
Locomotive in the roundhouse at the Steamtown National Historic Site in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania. We were in Scranton for the day during our summer holiday. It was raining and I could not take all the shots I would have wanted to but the upside is that it created a puddle into which this locomotive is reflected. That goes to show that every cloud has a siver lining!
Locomotive dans la rotonde au Steamtown National Historic Site, à Scranton, Pennsylvanie
Illinois Central No. 790 is a preserved steam locomotive, the only Illinois Central Railroad 2-8-0 Consolidation type of its class to survive into the diesel age of train transportation. It is part of the Steamtown National Historic Site collection in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The Steamtown National Historic Site is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on 62.48 acres (25.3 ha) at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The museum is built around a working turntable and a roundhouse that are largely replications of the original DL&W facilities. The site also features several original outbuildings dated between 1899 and 1902. The roundhouse was reconstructed from remnants of the 1932 facility.
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables. The defining feature of the traditional roundhouse was the turntable, which facilitates access when the building is used for repair facilities or for storage of steam locomotives.
Early steam locomotives normally travelled forwards only; although reverse operations capabilities were soon built into locomotive mechanisms, the controls were normally optimized for forward travel, and the locomotives often could not operate as well in reverse. A turntable allowed a locomotive or other rolling stock to be turned around for the return journey.
(source : Wikipedia)
♪ ♫ Music / Musique : Box of Rain by the Grateful Dead
Typical Amsterdam buildings, reflected in a puddle.
I like the way the stem of the leaf is piercing the water surface and makes it look like it's breaking through the barrier between the real world and the wicked reflection world living under water, inside Amsterdam's puddles :))
Last week I was contacted by John Warwick from the website Fat Talent for an interview and a feature of my wicked reflection shots on his site. We had a great time ping-ponging questions&suggestions until he had enough information for this cool article about me, myself&I :))
As I've mentioned earlier, there's a whole 'World Domination' scheme and other sinister intentions going on behind this seemingly harmless Reflectah's hidden face, or to say it with the immortal words of AC/DC 'So lock up your daughter lock up your wife. Lock up your back door and run for your life.'
Thank you very much John, it's been a pleasure and I hope we'll meet up for that beer-bash in the best city in the world soon :-P
Here is the whole interview:
Reflections’ are an obsession, and the images he produces are simply gob-smacking.
Vibrant in both colour and composition and tempered by a humorous and discerning eye, his photographs fairly and squarely shout for your attention.
Those puddles on the street that we avoid, will never quite be the same again.
Fattalent met up with the man himself :Amsters@m - The Wicked Reflectah
______________________________________________________________________________________
Name: Amsters@m
Age: youngish
Lives: Amsterdam
Mobile Phones: SonyEricsson S700i & C905 ______________________________________________________________________________________
….just hope I’m not disturbing your Sunday? :)
Don’t worry about disturbing my Sunday, I was planning on going outside to take some pictures of people ice-skating, but I’m too lazy and it’s too cold, so here I am instead :)
Why reflections?
Why not?! It’s not something I chose for consciously, it just happens to rain a lot in Amsterdam and often there are perfect conditions for some wicked reflection shots, but I do not go out and look for things to shoot, either they’re somewhere along my way while going some place or they won’t end up on my memory card…art by laziness :D
I think that I have a somewhat unique style when shooting reflections and that makes me proud and happy, reflections have always been a favored subject by many ‘real’ photographers and the thought that I can compete with them, only equipped with a mobile, seems so bizarre&cool that I probably enjoy that more than taking the pictures in itself.
How long have you been interested in photography?
I’m not really interested in photography,
I just like snapping aspects of everyday life in Amsterdam with my mobiles, but I do not consider myself to be a photographer. I like seeing other peoples pictures if they appeal to me, I like strong colors and any kind of reflections and portraits.
I never visit exhibitions, museums or galleries, I’m too lazy and I think some of the best shooters are online and can be admired while lazily sitting in my chair :) I also never use Photoshop or anything like that, I tried understanding how those programs work, but I’m too dumb. My photos are unedited except for some contrast&saturation that I often add, I guess my eyes are getting worse and I need strong colors&lines to be able to enjoy a picture.
You’re obviously quite taken with the creative possibilities of mobiles phones?
I am using mobile phones because they’re always around and they’re easy to use and of course I love them. I have no idea what all the buttons&settings in my Panasonic DMC-FZ8 and Kodak C360 Zoom are good for and even though I read the manual of the Pana, I can’t really figure them out and do not intend to do so, if I can’t just start my cam/mobile and do a point&shoot, I’ll get bored and walk away from it.
I shoot spontaneously and only things I come across, I do not arrange situations and I don’t ask people to pose for me, again probably too lazy…but then, in Amsterdam there’s always something worth shooting that’ll stumble in front of your lens if you go downtown. I think taking pictures with mobiles and their often limited possibilities brings out the best in any ‘photographer’ as you have to fall back on your eye for detecting good situations, angles, light and compositions. If you need to spend hours afterwards to make your picture look good, you’re probably doing something wrong ;-)
What are your views on the internet with relation to your work?
I don’t trust the Internet any further than I can throw it, so even though I have a website, a Flickr account and a Myspace/Facebook/Twitter page, I hide behind the ‘AmsterS@m’ alter ego that I’ve created and it’s quite a comfortable feeling, a bit like sitting behind a 2-way mirror I guess, watching everybody else sharing their real life info down to their addresses, phonenumber, favorite color and all that while I only give out the snippets of information that I want to let you know.
I reserve the copyright for all my pictures but I don’t really care if others use/abuse my pictures/movies, sometimes I google ‘AmsterS@m’ and come across the weirdest Japanese or Russian sites that I’ve never even heard of, that post some of my photos (usually always with a link to my own site or my Flickr stream, seems the world isn’t so rotten after all ;) . The way I see it, if you steal my pictures and try to sell them or whatever, good luck, I’ll just make some even wickeder ones and outsell you any time of the day, haha ;D I’m really excited that there are all these possibilities to share my photos, videos and anything I might have to say, with a worldwide audience, and the fact that they can respond and give direct feedback, comments and opinions thrills&frightens me.
Any New projects on the horizon?
I saw this cool site, Blurb.com, and you can easily create your own book with their software, on your PC. Some of my Flickr contacts have created their first books already and they look pretty cool, so I want one too.
I think having your words/pictures/whatever printed on paper gives a bit the feeling of immortality and having created something that can still be touched&looked at even when you’re not around anymore. I have almost finished my first book, naturally one that contains wicked reflections, and as soon as I’m done, I’ll upload it to Blurb and promote it on my site and Flickr stream. I think it’s great that I can sit here at home and try to become rich&famous without having to leave my chair, isn’t it great to live in the 21st century? No, really! ;)