Wednesday Lensday: Beach Bubble!

Wednesday Lensday: Beach Bubble!

by Haylee

Bubbles.

Once just a whimsical plaything, fascinating all ages or a sticky signal of indifference from bolshie teenagers, full of Ennui. Now, bubbles are synonymous with the pandemic, in the UK at least.

But no, the title of this post isn’t referring to one of Boris’ illogical ‘Get-out-of-Lockdown-free’ guidelines – it’s something far more entertaining. My new toy!

Our first visit to the local beach since… probably last year…was accompanied by a lensball. A nifty, spherical lens that encapsulates the image, as if in a bubble. They’re all the rage on Insta… well maybe if we were still in 2018. I feel I’m late to the party, as usual!

Thankfully, our beach was empty except for a few dog walkers, so we were safe from being swallowed into a giant pool of human bacteria, like the beaches in Southern England last week.

It was probably down to the good old Blighty weather taking a turn for the decidedly chillier, so kudos to the family behaving like it was the Riviera, in swimsuits and with a full picnic, whilst the rest of us trudged past with coats zipped up to our noses!

However, it was also a benefit not having the sun blazing as I have it on good authority the lensball heats up pretty quickly and can burn your fingers like a spider caught in the glare of a sadistic 8 year old’s magnifying glass…

Anyway, it’s a little trickier to work with than I imagined, such as lining it up if capturing the horizon, but I’m pretty happy with my first attempts and look forward to what else I can create with it.

An added interest to our visit was seeing this poor chap – talk about having a good side for the camera. The other angle was not pretty… missing eye and dismembered fins 😦 Apparently, they regularly wash up on our shores after a storm.

Question: When a a cat also a dog?

Answer: When it’s a fish…

Another discovery was a piece of history. This section of the east coast is renowned for the amount of fossils it holds but having been several times over the years, I’ve never found one. Until this time! Meet Amelie the Ammonite with her friend, Happy Pebble.

What? You don’t name your inanimate objects? You’re missing out…

Once we were home, I had the notion to play around with the images and came up with this:

I still need to refine my Photoshop skills, but like the idea the ‘ball shape’ could be incorporated into something more creative.

And if all else fails, it’s basically a mini crystal ball. I’m available for Zoom readings every second Tuesday… 😉

Stay safe everyone!

IMAGE CREDITS: All my own so please be sweet and ask before sharing!

18 thoughts on “Wednesday Lensday: Beach Bubble!”

  1. Apparently I am even later to the party than you – a lensball – now I need to get one. Your photos are fun and oh so spherical. I am glad you were respectful of the poor dogfish in capturing his good side.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and following! I felt it only fair to present him in the best light, not his fault he was a little mangled!
      You should definitely try out a lensball, they are fun 🙂

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  2. Brilliant Haylee, and you’ve reminded me that I actually have two mini crystal balls somewhere. I really must find one. I can then get it to tell me where the other one is! They are probably not sufficiently clear to act as a lensball though.

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  3. What fantastic photos and that edit is perfect! Catfish look like baby sharks (do-do da do-do-do) don’t you think? I remember finding a giant pebble with lots of tiny little Amanites in, we dragged it back to my parents garden, which was right on the edge of the beach and had lots of people going past, who appreciated it. I always think people who don’t feel the chill must have been brought up being outside in all weathers all of the time to not notice the cold anymore, baffling!?

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    1. No, that song will be stuck in my head now, haha! But thank you 😊 Those huge rocks with multiple fossils always look amazing. Not that I’ve ever discovered one in the ‘wild’! I think the all-weathers attitude is a very British thing. I mean I know of people who have sat in torrential rain to have a BBQ just because the calendar deems it to be summer! Hope you’re well.

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  4. It’s always a joy to hear from you, Haylee. Your fossil find is enviable, and personally, Happy Pebble makes me chortle. The images in the lens appear upside down, don’t they? Hence the background-sky-below in the first shot? Of course, the second shot doesn’t have an orientation challenge, but I love what you did with the Ocean Sphere on the stand.

    Pity the poor little shark.

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    1. Hi Sue! Lovely to hear from you too – how are you? And yes, the image is reversed. I could obviously rectify this in edits but I quite like the opposed perspective. The stand was a lucky piece of rock just big enough to hold the lens.
      I know, poor little shark… still an interesting god though.

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      1. I am well. Being the introvert I am, I haven’t developed any anxiety staying home — in fact, my life changed in only minor ways. I did miss the 4 mile loops a dear friend and I had been taking by the bay 2 or 3 times a week. We’ve only begun them again a couple weeks ago. How about you? You worked in a classroom, didn’t you? Has family togetherness been a challenge or a pleasure?

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      2. Glad to hear you’re coping. Much like you really, being fairly introverted we’ve quite enjoyed the peace and little changed overall. And supermarket shopping was a dream for several weeks!
        Yes, I work in a school. We’ve stayed open throughout the lockdown for vulnerable children but I’ve worked from home for 3 months. Been back a couple of weeks since opening to some year groups but it’s very strange, so eerie really. The children have adapted remarkably well but it’s a sad fact that even the nursery children now play games and tell their friends to stay socially distant from each other 😔

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    1. Oh I think he looks, at least mildly contented. Like he’s just discovered a biscuit nobody else knew about. Or he’s had one too many. Maybe you just have a stone phobia…

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