Another weekend is rolling around. Where does the time go. I need a bit of a winter shake up so have decided to putter around with the blog. This blog has been going since 2011 in one or another and it needs a bit of a shake up. No worries though, it will always be about what I’m reading, where I’m travelling and what I’m taking photos of. I don’t seem to be reading as many books lately because I’m spending a lot of my time with photography books, magazines and You Tube instruction around photography and Photoshop/Lightroom.
Never fear though, I always have one, or two or more books on the nightstand and there is always an audible book on the go. I’m getting quite a few photographer followers from Instagram so I will be expanding this side of the blog a bit more. I’m not a steady blogger and I can go a couple of weeks or more with no post, only to add two or three in one week.
That is what retirement is about. No schedules, no commitments. I use my blog as a personal journal and I love my friends who follow me but if I had no followers at all I wouldn’t mind. I’m too old to worry about how many Instagram Likes, FB Likes or Blog groupies I get. So having said all of that, let’s get on to what I’m going to do with Fridays.
Friday and weekends are the days I tend to stay around home and pursue my own interests. I do socialise a lot but tend to do that Monday through Thursday with friends and my Play Reading classes or film nights.
I am going to devote Fridays to my Photography. So if people aren’t interested in that they can tune out. I’ll post about books and other interests on other days. Streamlining things a bit.
So welcome to my first “Foto Friday”. When we visited Sri Lanka last year we went to a gem store (as you do in any Asian country) and there was a mine out the back. The mine shaft was narrow and went underground, straight down, quite a ways down. We could not see the bottom. At the bottom of the shaft there are tunnels that go out of the main shaft perpendicular. The miners shimmy down ladders to the bottom and disappear into the tunnels. It looked very claustrophobic to me and I have quite the respect for these miners, many who are not young that spend their working life digging out gems in these mines. Occupational Health and Safety does not seem to be anywhere on the agenda.
As we looked down the shaft a man popped up out of it. I snapped a photo of him with my phone. I am really happy with this photo as I look back on it and decided to keep it. My main photography interests involve Street Photography, Documenting Life and Travel.
I later read about a competition in Fremantle in Western Australia. In raising money for Osteo-Arthritis research which Mr. Penguin copes with on a daily basis an international competition is being held for Portrait Photography. To make a long story shorter, I entered the photo of the miner. I was notified two days ago that there were 1700 + entries and my photo is a finalist, landing in the top 6% of photos chosen.
I have until the end of August to now submit the larger image for their exhibition being held in October and if it makes the final cut it will be displayed in said exhibition.
I am more than stoked about this photo being selected. I think it is important for those of us who live in such comfort much of the time to see how others live around the world and this photo depicts what I would love to share more of.
I will share the photo with you and hope it does go further in this competition but if it doesn’t I am more than happy for it to stand where it is. I will let you know if I hear anymore about it.
I feel this is a great way to begin “Foto Friday”. I hope you find the photo as interesting as I do.
Until then……click that shutter!!!
A Penguin's Journey- Books, Travel, Photography 
That really is a great photo and I love the idea of Foto Friday, photography does make you really look at the world, I look forward to this regular feature.
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The miner photo is FANTASTIC! Congratulations!!!! So exciting!!!! I like how he’s looking off at something and the detail of the muscle in his arm and the grip of his hand on the rope. And look!!! No hard hat…no gloves…no safety harness. Just nerves of steel.
But let’s not just glance past that donkey face either!!! I want to smooch her on that big ol’ nose. Has she ever brayed at you????
The sunrise photo is so pretty. What a beautiful sight to wake up to!
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Yes, I have heard the donkey bray. Such a fun sound, it goes on and on. I wish I knew her name. Thanks re miner photo. It’s one of my favourites too.
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Congratulations! All the photos are great, but the one of the miner is marvelous. It reminds me of photos in the FAMILY OF MAN collection. ❤
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Thank you. I like it too.
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Congratulations! And a stunning photo, which is scary and as Lisa says very powerful.
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Thank you so much Karen.
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Foto Friday is a great idea. Your photography always impresses me, so I am trying to be better myself!
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The trick to photography I think, is to just do it as much as you can. There is so much to see around us all of the time. Thank you for your comment.
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striking layout… second Lisa’s comment: with all the electronic media in the world, you’d think people would be more aware about how others live… and care enough to do something about it.. we all live in our own little worlds, i guess… spectacular photos: congratulations for the recognition!
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Thank you so much. I guess with all that is going on in the USA now you have quite a bit to think about.
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Congratulations on your photograph being selected. What an honor.
Yes, the change to your blog startled me, but this change is exciting. I continue to look forward to your interesting blog posts.
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My goodness, I didn’t mean to startle you. It’s winter here and always good to shake oneself up in winter. Thank you for visiting.
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Well done for getting to the final – that’s a wonderful achievement but well deserved because that photo is excellent. Even though you said it was a candid shot, it is still very well framed, taking our eye direct to the miner yet still putting him a context of his surroundings.
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He was such an interesting man. Thank you for your kind words.
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I think it’s an important photo too.
On my first trip to Indonesia I was shocked to see the working conditions for silversmiths and batik manufacturers: working with molten metal and hot wax, and no protective clothing. People post social media photos from developing countries of construction workers on buildings with no safety harness as if it’s funny. IMO they are the kind of people who buy $5 T-shirts without caring at all that the people who make them are working in terrible conditions for terrible wages. They justify buying these cheap imports on the grounds that ‘Australians are doing it tough.’ They have no idea…
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You are so right. I agree with everything you say here. People really do need to wake up and get out of the bubbles they live in. Listen to us. haha. We’ll tell them!!!
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Well, I think your image is a very powerful statement:)
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