Tag Archives: Oxford

0510, 2012

The “Last” Oxford Picture

Joseph/ October 5, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

How many experiences this place has brought to me! How many challenges, opportunities, hurdles, and fun. The last three years in Oxford have quite simply been some of the best of my life – and scribbling these few words conjure up the warmest of memories – and I haven’t even left yet! It is a strange place, Oxford. You arrive full of preconceptions and presuppositions about what the place should look and feel like – well, in that sense not quite unlike the feeling one would get prior to moving anywhere

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0310, 2012

Oxford Rainbow

Joseph/ October 3, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

This afternoon a splendid rainbow appeared in the sky as the sun set in the West and shone through a break in the clouds whilst it was raining. Not only was it a fine rainbow, but a double one at that! (Hopefully I will find some time to upload more pictures showing the second order soon.) I could have missed this one completely, but by sheer luck I happened to have just arrived in college while it was at its best. Enjoy!

2909, 2012

Moon and Spires

Joseph/ September 29, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

I was on my way back home when a friend of mine texted me to let me know that the moon looked particularly interesting this evening. And indeed, right behind me the moon was peeping from behind some splendid Altocumulus floccus clouds. I spent the next half an hour or so waiting for cars to pass by so that I could hop right to the middle of the street as soon as it cleared momentarily. (I am sure passers by must have found this odd behaviour quite amusing.) Anyway, I wanted

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1809, 2012

Telephone Box

Joseph/ September 18, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

That is no ordinary telephone box. I’m telling you, that’s a teleportation device. You pick the handset, speak the desired destination, and that’s it. As simple as that!

1009, 2012

Sinking Rays

Joseph/ September 10, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

A picture from a while back which I’ve just realized I hadn’t uploaded. This one was taken in Port Meadow at sunset.

0909, 2012

Sunset over St Aldates

Joseph/ September 9, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 2 comments

This picture was made from the Christ Church study room, during a break from thesis writing. The sun emerged for a while from behind the clouds and the street and its buildings briefly assumed a surreal character, one which I thought would lend itself quite nicely to a high-dynamic-range (HDR) image. Five frames (two bracketed either side of the average exposure) went into the creation of this HDR image, allowing for the whole range of tones to be included in the final picture. I hadn’t employed this technique in quite a

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2308, 2012

The perfect weather for a photograph.

Joseph/ August 23, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

All in all, today was a good day – except for the fact that this afternoon I accidentally locked myself out of the office and had to cross town twice to get the key from an office mate who luckily was still around. (Perhaps these days’ stress is taking its toll after all.) As I walked (ran, actually) into town to fetch the key from my friend I couldn’t stop cursing my luck; here was such perfect weather, and my camera was locked inside whilst the sun’s last rays started retreating.

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2108, 2012

Port Meadow

Joseph/ August 21, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

In between thesis writing and data analysis, I’m trying to make a little bit of time for photography when the weather is nice… you know, to keep my mental faculties sane, if for nothing else. So this afternoon, upon leaving the department and noticing that there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky (you’ve got to be an Oxford local to understand the importance of such a rare event!), I decided to go for a walk to Port Meadow, this time round trying my best to avoid all temptation of choosing

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1308, 2012

The decisions one has to make. . . for a picture.

Joseph/ August 13, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

So… how do I even begin to tell the story behind this picture? Well, I think I’ll take the short route. It was a nice afternoon, so I went out to Port meadow for a walk, camera in hand. The locals were around, happily mooing and chewing away. But then one of them strayed from the herd and went to drink from the pond. I ran as quickly as I could to approach the animal before it moved away. There was only one problem: I soon realized that between me and

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2607, 2012

St Aldates

Joseph/ July 26, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

A view of our college from St Aldates. I have been trying to get this street shot on a nice day and without too many cars, bicycles and pedestrians for the past three years. This week I was finally lucky.

1106, 2012

“Realising the Astronomy of the Future” ~ Philip Wetton Workshop

Joseph/ June 11, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Here are a few pictures from a workshop held last week in Oxford, which saw some of the leading scientists working on the next generation of instruments and telescopes converging in one place to discuss the latest developments. The workshop was made possible by the generous support of Philip Wetton. The inaugural Philip Wetton lecture, associated with the workshop, was delivered this year by the Wetton Professor Roger Davies.

2805, 2012

Reflecting on a Dream

Joseph/ May 28, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

I’m convinced that I could stay in this place forever and still be exhilarated by new sights every day. Here’s the latest snapshot of our college; one that I had in mind ever since I came to Oxford, but which for some reason or other never quite had the opportunity to capture as I wished – until last Saturday, that is. I hope you enjoy the picture and I wish you all a good start to the week!

2505, 2012

Light returns!

Joseph/ May 25, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Sunshine! Light, light, light! Oh glorious light! Here is a quick snapshot from this afternoon, showing Christ Church staircase bathed in light, after many days of bleak, gloomy weather.

1005, 2012

Richard Dawkins in conversation with Daniel Dennett

Joseph/ May 10, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

This evening I attended a conversation between Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett held at the Examination Schools in Oxford. The discussion between the two ranged fairly freely, but highlights from the evening included a brief discussion of language (arguably, the defining feature of humankind), the application of the meme concept to religious belief, and The Clergy Project. If I were asked to pick one enduring idea from the discussion, I think it would have to be Dennett’s suggestion for atheists to stay cool, as in his view religion is bound to

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3004, 2012

The Moments I live for ~ Take 2

Joseph/ April 30, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Yesterday evening, we had another of those rare and lucky moments of weird lighting. Here goes the result. I fully understand if you find it hard to believe that this scene actually occurred for real. It’s no wonder that everyone who happened to be in college at the time could not help but pause and take in the moment – and perhaps even attempt to snap a picture for posterity. Enjoy and have a nice start to the week!

2904, 2012

The Moments I live for

Joseph/ April 29, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Recently, the weather has been acting quite strangely, with instances of heavy rain followed by brief spells of sunshine, in turn occasionally leading to the fairly surreal experience of simultaneous rain and sunshine (although mostly, it has been just raining). This picture was snapped right at the time when one such swift change in weather conditions occurred. Initially, it looked very bleak and the sky was uniformly dark. Then, for a very brief moment the sun started breaking, albeit weakly, through some clouds, in so doing shedding some light upon the

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0603, 2012

The Landing of the Swan

Joseph/ March 6, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 1 comments

So yesterday very late afternoon, I went out for a walk by the river with the intention to mull over a math problem in my head. But I took my camera with me just in case. And I’m really glad I did so. After lingering by the river bank for a while, this splendid swan swooshed by, wings spread out as its feet touched down and created a splashy rift in the water, gleaming as the sparkling droplets caught the last rays of the setting sun. I snapped this photo with

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0103, 2012

Silhouetted Tree Addiction

Joseph/ March 1, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Yes, you got it. It seems like I’m currently addicted to this kind of scenery. The thing is that this sort of imagery evokes in me such serenity that it’s hard to resist posting. Enjoy the explosion of colours!

2902, 2012

Night descending and Lights Flickering

Joseph/ February 29, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

This picture was taken on the same day as the previous two. It shows the Meadow Building of Christ Church at nightfall, after the grounds emptied of people and it all became very quiet. Those little orange lights seemed to be the only apparent signs of life in an otherwise silent setting completely devoid of any activity. This picture comes with thoughts about a person whose light still flickers in the hearts of all those who happened to cross paths at some point. An inspiring person who encouraged and cheered up

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2702, 2012

Sunset Trees

Joseph/ February 27, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Well, yesterday the late afternoon light was beckoning and the scene slowly turned into this. Have a good start to the week!

2002, 2012

Once upon an afternoon in Cornmarket Street…

Joseph/ February 20, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

So, this week I shall aim to upload a picture every day – all snapped in Oxford. Here goes the first one; I had not been up to any candid street photography in ages, so it felt good to give it a shot after so long. I hope you enjoy the picture. Have a good start to the week!

0402, 2012

Just over a year later…

Joseph/ February 4, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

I can hardly believe that a whole year has passed since I created this photography blog. Well here we are, 89 posts and over 300 pictures later. (You can view my first ever blog post here.) I had little idea then how many thousands of people from all walks of life would visit this blog over the ensuing weeks & months, many taking the time to kindly write to me to share their thoughts about the pictures and to express their support. Well, let me take this opportunity to thank one

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2201, 2012

Stargazing Oxford

Joseph/ January 22, 2012/ Uncategorized/ 2 comments

On Saturday, 21st January, Oxford Astrophysics held the event “Stargazing Oxford” as part of the BBC’s Stargazing LIVE string of events across the country. It was an occasion that brought together the whole of Astrophysics at Oxford (and many people from the Physics department at large) to bring astronomy to the general public. The hugely successful event saw about 1,200 people attending, which makes you think that the particle physicists were quite right when they said that astronomers have it easy when it comes to public outreach! But joking aside, I

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0612, 2011

Sights in the sky

Joseph/ December 6, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

At long last, I’ve taken a new picture. This evening was particularly cold, at least according to my perception, although I maintain that 2degC should be deemed cold by anyone. Anyway, I was on my way back home from college when I was met by the sight of Jupiter and the moon staring back at me from behind Tom Tower. As I hastily took out my camera, I expected that I’d be shooting a couple of pictures and move on. However, I soon realized that clouds were moving quickly and that

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0711, 2011

The Call

Joseph/ November 7, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Right. So basically you haven’t stopped asking for Oxford pictures. I have to admit that the last Oxford-themed photo was posted quite a while back; in fact, now that I check, it’s been over two months since the last one. So here’s an Oxford picture for you. Again, I’m afraid this one was taken a few weeks ago (alas, the weather has changed much since then!) – but I guess this should whet your appetite for the time being! Also, for those of you who want to view all the past

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1908, 2011

The Magic of Christ Church

Joseph/ August 19, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

It is perhaps quite ironic that very often I realize what a privilege it is to be studying at this place only when I’m looking at the pictures. And that always reminds me that sometimes we forget how lucky we are.

1308, 2011

The Great Hall

Joseph/ August 13, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 1 comments

Seeing that currently there’s so much excitement about the last Harry Potter movie I thought I’d upload an appropriately themed picture of the Great Hall of Christ Church, the interior of which was replicated in studio for the shooting of the films.

0708, 2011

Hay Stacks

Joseph/ August 7, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

A snapshot taken during a walk in Christ Church meadow, which served as a nice break from programming and scripting. As the sun began to set behind the trees, it provided some nice lighting on these haystacks, which happen to be amongst my favourite photographic subjects.

0407, 2011

The hidden side of Christ Church

Joseph/ July 4, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Here are some pictures of the hidden side of Christ Church – the parts of college that are closed to the public (and for the most part to members of the college too). These pictures were taken during a recent insider’s tour of college. This collection of twelve images which I truly treasure should help you get an idea of what the old, hidden parts look like – from the wine cellars beneath the buttery to the door that inspired Lewis Carroll in his story of Alice and from the ancient

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3006, 2011

Of Oxford Dons

Joseph/ June 30, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Here is a snapshot of a very fleeting moment – a picture which will hopefully serve the purpose of showing you that scenes such as this one can indeed still be encountered in today’s modern world. It does not get much more Oxford than this.

1906, 2011

Studying

Joseph/ June 19, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Right, for the first time ever in the history of this blog, I am posting two unrelated pictures on the same day. The thing is that I’ve just been in the college study room and couldn’t help notice this cute little cow busy at work. Now, let me make one thing clear. No part of this image has been set up. The bear, the books, the mug, everything was there and I did not touch anything. So there you have it. A picture that should illustrate the studious atmosphere of this

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1906, 2011

Night in St Aldates

Joseph/ June 19, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

What do you do on a rainy Saturday night? You wait at a window sill with you camera in hand for about an hour, until someone walks in front of a car that happens to be facing in your direction so that you get a blurred silhouette against the shiny ground that adds interest to your composition. Well, at least that is what I did. And I can tell you that when you stare at the same place for that long you do get to see some quite amusing things happen.

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0906, 2011

The RadCam.

Joseph/ June 9, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

I haven’t uploaded a new picture here in a while. But I see that all you loyal followers of my blog kept visiting daily. So here is a new picture for you. This snapshot of the Radcliffe Camera was taken some time ago on a late afternoon. It’s not common for Radcliffe Square to be nearly deserted, so this presented a fairly rare opportunity.

2805, 2011

The Sheldonian at night.

Joseph/ May 28, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

I know. As soon as you read the title of this post you probably thought “The Sheldonian… again?!” But bear with me a moment. I invite you to look again at the pictures of this place which I’ve posted in the past – and I am sure that the first thing you’ll notice is that no two photos quite ever look the same. And indeed, whilst the building is the same old one in each and every picture, the light plays its magical game in an infinite number of different ways.

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2505, 2011

Michelle Obama visits Christ Church

Joseph/ May 25, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

The U.S. first lady, Michelle Obama, visited our college today whilst meeting a group of school girls of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school. As expected, the level of security was super high – and even as members of the college we had an incredible amount of restrictions. But in the end I managed to take a few pictures. I should be posting the full set later, so stay tuned!

1805, 2011

The Sheldonian

Joseph/ May 18, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Every Oxford student begins and ends their journey here, at the Sheldonian Theatre. The official entry to the university commences with a matriculation ceremony in this place. Throughout their time spent in Oxford, they will surely have attended many debates, concerts and other events held in this most beautiful of Oxford buildings designed by Christopher Wren and built between 1664 and 1668. And the culmination of all those years’ efforts is marked by a graduation ceremony held in the same building.

1505, 2011

Majesty at Night

Joseph/ May 15, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

It is 1am. You are tired and about to leave for home. But when you’re met with such a scene (and you also happen to suffer from the condition known as obsessive photographic disorder) you simply sigh and resign to the calling. You slowly take out your camera and the reluctant side of you tells you that you’re crazy because you already know that you’re going to be spending more than just a few minutes, first waiting for that cloud to move just a little bit more to the left, then

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1205, 2011

The High

Joseph/ May 12, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

A late afternoon capture of The High Street in Oxford as the sun reflects off familiar buildings like Shepherd & Woodward, The Varsity Shop and Oxford University Press. A traditional black cab can be seen coming from the direction of Carfax tower (considered to be the centre of the city) heading East along the High in the direction of Magdalen Bridge.

1005, 2011

Cliché

Joseph/ May 10, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Well, I am all too aware of how cliché it is to take a picture of a bicycle in Oxford with some famous landmark in the background, but hopefully you have not seen this angle before. I hope you enjoy!

3004, 2011

The Freind Room

Joseph/ April 30, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 1 comments

The magic of the golden hour works its wonders upon the Freind Room of Christ Church, here seen side-lit by the setting sun on a lovely Friday afternoon.

2804, 2011

The deer in the Meadow.

Joseph/ April 28, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Now, I know that the title is not very original, but the thing is that I haven’t seen deer in the Meadow since last Summer, so I honestly can’t think of a better title, probably because all I want to say is – look, there are deer in the meadow! Pity I did not have my telephoto lens with me; I’ve had to make do with a crop from a wider picture. They are super shy, so I won’t be expecting them to come closer any time soon.

2704, 2011

Back in Oxford

Joseph/ April 27, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

So here I am, back in Oxford – and after getting rid of the weight of my bag and grabbing some food, I went out for a walk in Christ Church meadow which right now could easily be mistaken for paradise. Here’s a picture from the lot I took this afternoon.

1604, 2011

‘Who says Science has nothing to say about morality?’

Joseph/ April 16, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

On Tuesday, 12th April 2011, Sam Harris came to Oxford to speak about the ideas presented in his new book ‘The Moral Landscape’ and afterwards held a discussion with Richard Dawkins in what was their first pubic appearance together. The event titled ‘Who says Science has nothing to say about morality?’ was held at the historical Sheldonian Theatre which was packed both with Oxford students and other people who came from other places in the U.K. The event was hosted by Oxford Atheists, Secularists and Humanists in conjunction with the British

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1004, 2011

Bliss.

Joseph/ April 10, 2011/ Uncategorized/ 0 comments

Right now Oxford simply feels heavenly. The gloriously beautiful weather, the long and bright days after switching to daylight saving time, blossoming flowers, the pleasantly fresh smell of grass, the sight of boats and punts on the river. It’s simply beautiful. And here is a picture to hopefully give you an idea of what I mean to say.