The Compleat Artist!

No, not spelled incorrectly, I believe it is the old fashioned, Shakespearian way of spelling 'complete'. Post added note: Have been informed that "compleat" is still in the English dictionary:- highly skilled and accomplished in all aspects; complete; total.

The tiny shed in Salisbury that this distinctive sign is attached to is very Tardis like - inside is the most wondrous and fascinating Aladdins cave of the most beautiful art materials, albeit at the most expensive prices. A footpath leads just round the outside of (to the left) it and all visible parts of it look rather Hobbit-like and I've often thought of getting a really good picture of it.

Taken when the distant lightening of the dawn sky, with clouds, was slowly evaporating the night darkness (even my text is 'arty'!) I had already lined up the sign within the framing chimneys and simply waited for a car to come along. The road is a back way of getting to the station so there's usually something driving along. A cyclist would have done, as long as it had a rear light on it to blur its red.

This was the first of three shots as the car moved through the frame, but as they were all handheld, care had to be taken to not jab at the shutter. The lightest of squeezes and breath held certainly helps.

I did alter the colour hue slightly and oddly, almost all weird and strange connotations (orange/violet-red/green-blue/yellow etc) colour combinations worked at some level. In the end I kept it a bit real, with bias toward cyan/orange.

The lens is Sigma's 20mm f1.8, almost wide open. It got the shot and the depth of field (manually focussed on the sign) remarkably deep but a lens of this type and not a camera maker's lens, it was never going to be that sharp at such a wide aperture. However, it sharpened up well here in 'smart-sharpening'.

Yes, I like the angle and quirky lighting as it suits the nature of the light-hearted sign and what is offered within its charismatic walls. I did find their website so you can peruse and, possibly, buy from them.

As for a song to go with it, I could only think of one - the beautiful and moving Vincent.

Have a great weekend, all. The weather's due to be rubbish (again), so blip something unusual, perhaps in the home or garden with a macro lens?

As usual, don't forget to go in 'large' via the L key!