Oops-a-daisy, or in Other Words those Accidental Snaps

Accidental Snaps - Oops #01

Accidental Snaps - Oops #02

Accidental Snaps - Oops #03

Accidental Snaps - Oops #4
"The progress of a photographer can often
be marked by the accumulated number of mistakes
he or she had made along the way. "

Catherine Jo Morgan 

Arcade Fire - "Photograph" from the "Her" soundtrack  

Ever have one of those moments when you realise you forgot to switch off the camera and you have an accidental click? This happened to me a couple of weeks ago. The results of this sort of "little a accident" would generally end up being deleted.  

When I downloaded the card, I looked twice. In the case of this first accidental snap (Oops #01), it was way out of focus and greatly blurred, albeit there was something strangely captivating in the shot. I liked it, finding it quite attractive in an arty-farty type of way.

Best Keep Secrets of Austria - Introducing artwalk18

"Without poets, without artists,

men would soon weary of nature's monotony."

Guillaume Apollinaire

Escape The Fate - Picture Perfect

A further tale of adventure from Austria, the land without the Kangaroos. I have recently been musing about why people choose to visit this small country. For this article, I decide to ask Google the simple little question “why do people visit Austria?” Interestingly auto select tried to convince me that I wanted Australia, the land with the Kangaroos, but I wasn't going to play that little Google game. I stumbled across 2 blog/webpages that both provided me with a list of ten and five reasons respectively:

a. The Shearing Blog:
1. Classical Music; 2. The Austrian Alps; 3. Architecture; 4. "The Sound of Music";  5.Food; 6. Drinks; 7. Weather; 8. Railways; 9. Dancing; 10. Yodelling

b.  Nomadical Sabbatical:
1. Yodelling; 2. Mountains; 3. Classical Music; 4.Architecture; 5.Food & Drink

"Puttin' on the Ritz" in Vienna - Street Art Stencils

Street Art - Stencils found in Gersthof - 2013

Fred Astaire - Puttin' On The Ritz

YouTube Source - fred l

A Paramount Pictures promotional photo-montage 

 "Puttin' on the Ritz" in ''Blue Skies'' (1946). 

Source: Wikipeadia

"I'm puttin'on my top hat Tyin'up my white tie Brushin'off my tails"

Irving Berlin

Fred Astaire - Top Hat, White Tie and Tails

I have become rather fascinated by the Street Art since living in Europe. In particular the form of Street Art delivered via the medium of stencils, some of which can be found in the area of Gersthof, located in Vienna, where I live. Every time I come across a stencil I haven’t seen or an improved image of one, (or a coal chutes for that matter), I just can’t help snapping them. 

Poor graffiti and Street Art does nothing for me, less than nothing when it defaces a building. Most of the stencil art in Vienna has been neatly applied to boring removable features of buildings, hydrants and telephone or electric junction boxes, that could do with a little uplift and can be easily cleaned. I do suspect the local council’s may not agree, but then again I haven’t witnessed a rush to clean any of them away, in this hyper maintained and very clean city.

Venice - Serenissima - Ancient Seductress, Ancient Courtesan

 From the apartment: a view of the Spiral Steps over the roofs of Venice 

A view of a small side canal in Venice

Gondole and a view across the mouth of the Grand Canale to San Giorgio Maggiore
Photos taken in November 2009

“We danced our youth in a dreamed-of city,

Venice, paradise, proud and pretty. 
We lived for love and lust and beauty, 
Pleasure then our only duty; 
Floating them twixt heaven and Earth 
And drank on plenty’s blessed mirth. 
We thought ourselves eternal then, 
Our glory sealed by God’s own pen. 
 But heav’n, we found is always frail, 
Against man’s fear will always fail.” 

 Veronica Franco

Niccolò Paganini: Variations on the Carnival of Venice op. 10 (violinist Marco Fornaciari)

Venice, venerable, but ever enticing with shabby elegance, she beguiles her residents and visitors as much today as she has for preceding centuries. Under numerous aliases such as Serenissima, City of Light, City of Water, Queen of the Adriatic Sea, Dominante and City of Bridges, she continues to add to her countless lovers.  Few depart  without leaving a piece of their heart and a great desire to once more be embraced by that aged but never fading grace, to emerge themselves once more in her ever fragile gracefully shabby beauty. There is no other place on earth that has seduced so many and enchanted so many others. She has very few detractors. Yes, there are other great ancient cities, new modern cities and other places that catch their residents and visitors with a passion and devotion but Venice enchants and weaves a magic that surpasses all, for she is unique and irreplaceable. She is rightly called Dominante.

Queen of the Adriatic Sea, she rides the water, under threat but with a majesty suited to such a grand old dame.   Like the grand queen of cities that she is, she has been the subject of art, great literary works and music. Like a Grand Dame she gave “birth” to some well know women such as the controversial Veronica Franco, famed as a courtesan, cultured and a poet of the 16^th century. Venice has inspired artists like Tintoretto, the gentleman of the Bellini family, most famous being Giovanni, and Titian.