The Classic Team Lotus Festival 2010

We trekked down to Snetterton today for the Classic Team Lotus Festival, a family day out with the opportunity to view all Lotus F1 cars made, and for the first time, all displayed together.

To be honest we were'nt really interested in the family day out... :)  we are keen Lotus enthusiasts, and we walked around the circuit looking out for the rarer models, the smells of melting rubber and racing fuel keeping an ear out for the occasional FVC or DFV being revved.

As a mass of Lotus fans descended on Snett, we walked through a sea of Elises, with some Elans, Plus Twos and Esprits thrown in.  I grinned at the sight of the number of media photographers on site, all slinging one or two bodies with big zooms.  I wondered, as some of them aimed and shot, what they were looking at, in their view finder, whether like me, they aspired to shoot images that captured the elegance, the lightness and handling of a Classic Lotus.

The unusual find of the day was this extremely rare Plus Two in estate version!

The day was very cold and we had to take frequent coffee/tea breaks to warm ourselves up!  I think this photo I shot of my son Matt really sums the weather :) Brrr...

For me, the most interesting part of the day was the point at which the Historic cars were fired up for a parade.  The most glorious cackle and roar filled the air and a grin returned to our faces :)

It was disappointing though, that the car we were closest to, gave the team a real hard time with firing up.  The main mechanic spent loads of time adjusting the injection system to no avail, progressing to squirting raw fuel into the inlets, whilst I patiently looked into the viewfinder, hoping the engine would fire and light up the fuel!  Unfortunately the only thing the engine did was backfire, spitting out fuel and smoke.  Clive Chapman came out to see what was wrong and the apologetic mechanic could unfortunately do nothing much else to get the car going....

It was a really good day out, a nice Fathers' day out, spent with my dad, something I had not done for a while.  Judging by the smile on his face as I said my goodbyes later, I think it was the best gift I could have given him today :)

Have a good week everybody!...

Me!!

forty something [tick]

female                 [tick]

dark hair             [tick]

funny accent       [tick]

not very tall        [tick]

if you had to meet me... look at me....that is what you would notice!

Does it tell you much about me?  The real me?  I don't think so! :)

One thing I've learnt in life is not to pigeonhole anybody just by appearances; I'm reallyl careful not to do that.  I look at people in the eye, searching for their inner self...

However much you look at a person you really can't see what their way of thinking, what sort of person they really are, unless you try to get to know them...

I've started this blog nearly a year as a photo blog... to document my voyage in the world of images I live in, images of things that impress me...love, colour, nature, life...

I've always thought photo blogs should consists of, erm ... photos, thinking viewers would connect to the person who fired up those images and made them look interesting.  Sometimes that happens... I have had some amazing comments about people telling me how different my work looks and that they are impressed by what they see.

My work looks different because my life has been a rich one, and I consider it to be a tapestry of colour and passion that drives my photography.  My past experiences have affected my outlook on life, my Mediterranean origin also makes me seek colour and light in a different way, my personal self affects the way I interpret things...

A long time ago, I must have been a teenager still, I made a promise to myself not to follow the crowd but to do my own thing.  It's been a difficult choice in life, because you find so much resistance in trying to be different, being the odd one out and all that....but it's also been a fruitful one, because to be different you really have to invest in yourself and your knowledge and attitude to things, and it's developed me as a person... and also as a photographer.

I've been reticent about speaking about myself in the past.  I'm an intensely private person and I don't like people who always speak about themselves as if they are so very important.  I think a degree of humility is vital, as it gives respect to all those around us, and I like to think of myself as on a long, long path towards attaining greater knowledge, but nowhere near knowing it all....

I've had a very tough month, which has led to a lot of introspective thought, well more than usual :) !.... I've realised that too many people base themselves on appearances and make judgements without knowing who they're dealing with really, and that is not good.  The optimist that believed in people had a right bashing these last few weeks...

I think I may be neglecting the richness of the tapestry which has made Antonella who she is by not connecting with the readers in my blog.  So I will make the effort to write a bit more about myself, about what goes through my head, but keep the bias towards the images, as I believe these best express the intensity of the person that I am.

I would like to hear more from you... this blog needs to become more interactive.  I would really like to get to know what you think when you visit this blog... I keep looking at the feedback my stats give me but it's only numbers, not people I see...  I'm acutely aware a large number of visits are from photographers, let me know what you think too.  Please post your comments or drop me an email.... I appreciate your contact! :)

I leave you today, with a photo I shot last year... a flower as a little thank you to all of you who visit my blog

Thank you! Merci, Grazie and Grazzi!  xxx