Man did I ever have a great time exploring the abandoned buildings of Soviet Base “V” the other week, and this was one of my favorite spaces (lame pun intended). And, much like the ‘We can be Heroes’ Soviet mural I posted the other day, from a building on the came compound, this mural is one of those typical Soviet propaganda paintings you run across in abandoned Soviet military bases. I guess they were pretty proud of their cosmonauts. What I thought interesting is the “space shuttle” looking thing in there. I’m pretty sure the Soviets did not have one of those, though they probably pilfered the plans for one and may have been planning to build and launch one. I processed this shot to two songs: David Bowie’s Space Oddity, and Peter Shilling’s Major Tom, both great songs!
painting
I realize that this is not the typical fare from me, but I felt somehow moved to bring out something a little different for the first workday of the week. We all need a small measure of peace and beauty in our lives every once in a while, no? And so it was for me what I walked into Monet’s beautiful gardens in Giverny, France; I was in the midst of true beauty. The tripod, however, was in the car! No worries, my trusty Nikon D700 was more than capable of being handheld while giving me the sweet brackets I needed to bring this shot to you all. While the weather that day was overcast and wet, I think this shot still allows me to conjure up the inner peace I felt standing in this little slice of heaven. Hey, it inspired Monet, right?
By the way, I chose the song A Small Measure of Peace, by Hans Zimmer, from his soundtrack for another of my favorite movies, The Last Samurai.
