Rose oil

Today has been the kind of day on which your life partner decides that you're not going to get round to choosing a new cooker any time soon to replace the one whose main oven door now completely fails to close, turning the kitchen into a blast furnace and producing dangerously unevenly-cooked food, and if he wants to save the planet and his own chances of staying alive and approximately solvent he'd better buy and fit some new oven door hinges. You'll admire me, I'm sure, when I tell you that I managed not to complain when I had to exert actual force to open the door to warm some plates this evening. And it was quite nippy in the kitchen in fact, but still I womanfully said nothing.

In other news, I set up back button focusing on the camera this afternoon. I gather that it's a Marmite kind of thing, so you'll either hear the bitter cursing from wherever you are on the planet, or I'll love it so much that I become a tedious evangelist and you'll all have to put your fingers in your ears and hum loudly whenever you see BBF in future blips. Or very possibly, come tomorrow I'll have totally forgotten that I've done it, and when I try to take a photograph I'll be jumping up and down and shrieking that the camera's broken!!, and what am I going to do now??!, and OMG why didn't I get a second camera body the last time I had some spare cash???!!!, and.....

Watch this space. Or not.

This being exactly the right kind of day for it I decided to try an oil on water shot for youoregon1's challenge Abstract Thursday. I can't in all truth say that it went terribly well - to start with I used too little oil, and then when I added some more I put in too much, and then I over-agitated the whole concoction and got air bubbles in it. It's slightly embarrassing because I know that some of you are very skilled at this - but one learns from these things, and it was fun (within limits). This is one of the better shots - it's got a swirly kind of vibe going on that I quite like.

Anyway, enough of that - I know that most of the visitors to this blip won't be interested in my lack of skill at water play. What the world really wants to know is: who won Wide-angle Wednesday this week? Firstly let me say that I enjoyed looking at all the submissions - as with last week's challenge there were some very strong images, so thank you to everyone who played. As always, I haven't simply chosen photos that I like for themselves: I've been looking for shots which are as good as they are partly because of the special characteristics of a wide lens.

In the order that they come from the tag search, my hearts this week go to:

rainie - this is just lovely: the low angle gives foreground interest, there's a good leading line in the fence, and the light is gorgeous.

lizellen - another beauty - there's foreground interest in the footprints in the sand, and the leading line of the water's edge pulls the eye across the frame and up to the stand of trees and what I think might be a breakwater. The whole thing is wonderfully enticing.

greg_lovett - this is a great composition - again it's a nice low angle and I love those leading lines curving round to the sunset. The only thing I don't like about this photograph is that I didn't take it!

osuzanna - this is almost a lesson in composition, with the bridge framed by the trees and interest right through the shot. I think the processing should have a mention too, if I'm right in thinking that it was taken from shade - she's brought out just the right amount of detail in the foreground to balance the image.

DavidKeith - this is really good use of the exaggerated perspective you get from a wide lens - the bare tree on the right looks huge compared with the leafy trees as they march rapidly off into the distance, Again, there's interest right through the shot.

If you haven't already looked at all this week's entries, please do at least take a look at those five - they can teach us all something about how to get the best out of our wide lenses. I also recommend the following Honourable Mentions (again, in the order that they come off the search):

Riwaka7 - I know she was disappointed that her processing didn't bring out the mountain more, but in terms of composition this shot works for me.

WildMooseChase - good foreground interest from the frosty bracken, with the mountains beyond.

hesscat - the foreground interest from the tree stump, the leading line and the rapidly diminishing cows make this intriguing.

60plus - this has good foreground interest (a child is almost always good foreground interest!) and a nice leading line.

HilarysView - a dramatic landscape and equally striking skyscape combining to fill the frame with interest.

Next week I thought we'd revisit one of hobbs' challenges - thank you to isbi for saying that you wouldn't mind having another go at this one! Hobbs called his Cat's Eye View, but I'm more prosaically calling mine Low. So please take a shot either from low down close to ground level, or if the weather or your mobility precludes that how about doing one along a different kind of surface such as a table? The tag will be widwed22.

Right - I'm out of here. I'll see you all tomorrow (if I can get the camera to focus).