Tag: Mehmet Murat ildan

Fractal fantasy

Published on by John’s Postcards10 Comments

I hope you don’t mind this diversion from the usual photographs of landscapes and seasonal reflections as I explore the strange but fascinating and beautiful world of fractals. I have an IPad app called Frax which generates unique fractals which can then be changed and manipulated by the user.

It’s difficult to describe what a fractal is. Even Professor Google couldn’t produce the idiot’s guide that I needed and searched for. It involves some serious maths which are way over my head. A simplified explanation is that of shapes within shapes within shapes. A fractal is a never-ending pattern. Some sites explain that fractals are found in nature, for example a tree, branches and twigs, a fern and fronds or the spiral on a snail shell. I soon came to the conclusion that I didn’t need to understand ‘what goes on under the bonnet’ in order to enjoy the drive into this fantasy world.

The three examples I have included were further enhanced by the use of Reflect app which, to me, give the illusion of a subterranean lake or the entrance to a cave, just waiting to be explored.

Incidentally, fractal art has been described as trippy art but I assure you that no magic mushrooms were consumed prior to the creation of these!

As is often the case, Mehmet Murat ildan provided the perfect quote for this post…

“Do not always run away from the darkness! Remember the beautiful lakes which are hidden inside the dark caves. In the least expected places, there exists the most beautiful treasures”.

The most precious light

Published on by John’s Postcards13 Comments

The most precious light is the one that visits you in your darkest hour. – Mehmet Murat ildan.

November, part of this season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness, close-bosom friend of the maturing sun’. The days are getting shorter and more and more of them are dull, grey and misty. What’s more, we have just started lockdown 2. We still try to get our daily walk but these are now directly from home or at the most, a short drive away.

After one such walk the other day, we were just about to return home mid-afternoon when the sun suddenly broke through and made a brief appearance.

It was indeed a precious light in an otherwise darkish hour. Photographing directly into the low sun can be a bit pot-luck but always worth a shot or two. In these days of digital photography there is nothing to lose. We have image editing software and apps at our disposal to rescue our efforts, and if all else fails, the ‘delete’ button is never far away.

Bridge over the river Wye

Published on by John’s Postcards10 Comments

Resting, relaxing and recharging our batteries with a break in Derbyshire. We are not too far from home but what a wonderful place to be in autumn. This ‘postcard’ is of the small charming bridge over the river Wye at Rowsley, shortly before it flows into the river Derwent.

The Derbyshire river Wye should not be confused with the Welsh, Hereford, Gloucestershire Wye. Its source is west of Buxton and at just 22 miles in length it is one of the major tributaries of the river Derwent which flows into the river Trent and ultimately into the Humber and North Sea.

I researched (ok I Googled) bridge quotes and to my surprise many of the results were by Turkish playwright, novelist and thinker Mehmet Murat ildan. I have to admit I hadn’t heard of him but he is clearly a bridge lover and certainly came up with the goods for bridge quotes. So many in fact, and all appropriate for this photograph, that I couldn’t decide which one to use, so here are six of them. You can be the judge.

“If watching a bridge is much more exciting than crossing that bridge, then you can be sure that it is a very beautiful bridge!”

“The easiest way to leave this world without leaving this world is to stand in the middle of a bridge and watch the surroundings!”

“You have to cross many bridges and you have to walk many paths in your life! But what is more important than this is to know which bridges you should not cross and which paths you must not walk!”

“If you are good at building bridges, you will never fall into the abyss!”

“If you do not build bridges, precipices become your fate!”

“With stones, you can build walls to separate people or build bridges to unite them! Do the second thing in the name of ethics and honour, for the glory of love and goodness!”