I posted photographs a couple of weeks ago of a recent visit to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, a wonderful space crammed full of extraordinary artifacts. Right next to it and part of the same complex is the Oxford Univeristy Museum of Natural History, also well worth a visit if you particularly like dinosaurs and other extraordinary creatures, as does my husband.
However, I must confess that for me, the most interesting thing about the OUMNH is the lovely light, airy building it is housed in. Built in the mid nineteenth century, it has a wonderful light glass roof supported by fine stone pillars each one made from a different British stone. The effects varied with the changing levels of sunlight outside and the roof, the light and the pillars offered great opportunities for photographs and, now following our visit, for playing in Adobe Photoshop.
The first from my camera roll is a shot taken towards twilight ...
However, I must confess that for me, the most interesting thing about the OUMNH is the lovely light, airy building it is housed in. Built in the mid nineteenth century, it has a wonderful light glass roof supported by fine stone pillars each one made from a different British stone. The effects varied with the changing levels of sunlight outside and the roof, the light and the pillars offered great opportunities for photographs and, now following our visit, for playing in Adobe Photoshop.
The first from my camera roll is a shot taken towards twilight ...
Then a close-up with contrast intensified to bring out the structures ...
A further close-up changed to black and white with all colour removed ...
And the same image rotated through 180 degrees and with black and white inverted ...
And the last, a reflection caught in a display cabinet,
... and then colour enhanced and inverted ...
Overlooking all this light and splendour and at first floor level is a small café - a most restful place to eat a light lunch as you look at the intricately built roof.
Goodness - a café! There wasn't one in my day - back in the 70s I used to spend so much of my time there. I've always loved the contrast between the elegance of the NH museum and the seeming chaos of the Pitt Rivers with its delightful hand written labels. I must go back one of these days.
ReplyDeleteThe coffee shop (very small) is up in the gallery on the first floor and overlooking the main viewing area in OUMNH. It serves a small range of very good sandwiches and cakes - which were very welcome on a cold January day. The handwritten labels in the Pitt Rivers are largely disappearing - though the replacements are easier to read if less quirky.
Deleteun joli jeux avec photoshop, mais sans une belle photo, pas de résultat ainsi ..alors ..
ReplyDeletec'est magnifique..
Toujours les jeux avec photoshop ... mais le temps perdu quand je joue!
DeleteStunning patterns there ! Love the b&w !
ReplyDeleteMe too ... the temptation to turn the photos to black and white was irresistible!
Delete