A Google+ Photo Journey
I was browsing Google+ today, leaping from stream to stream like a social networking salmon, when I thought to myself: wouldn’t it be good to find a picture from someone’s stream, post it here with a note describing why I liked it, leap randomly via someone who’d interacted with that stream in some way to discover a new picture, and repeat a few times thereby giving me something to post on my site? And then I thought: no, that’s not good at all. That’s the opposite of good. And then I decided to do it anyway. Here are five shots from five streams browsed one after the other for no other reason than that I wanted to. It’s the best reason there is. So, first off was a quick look at my Street Photographers circle, one of the two main circles I’ve created that I check numerous times a day. And the first photo to catch my eye was this shot entitled “Love, Work, Create… Ride” (although I think it should be live not love) by Garth McKay: Lovely warm tones from the low sun behind the camera and gorgeously lit with that same light reflecting off the store windows and into the street; this creates some great shadows and reflections onto the road surface. The bike neatly framed with the words around it is excellent too. Someone who liked that photo was Andre Behrmann so a quick scroll down his stream brought me to this: Great sharpness picking out all the textures especially in the foreground and obviously lovely symmetry here. Particularly nice is getting the natural light from the sun directly overhead so as to cast great light and shadow right down the middle of the photo. This shot led me via one of the commenters on it to the following photo by Thorsten von Eyb: Three things I love about this photo: firstly, it’s the moment in the centre of the shot; the hug in the middle of the crowded scene and the working of the camera phone by the hugged individual. Secondly, there’s the angle of the shot; always nice to see something off the vertical or horizontal and in a crowded shot like this it works well to convey claustrophobia to me. Finally, of course, it’s the woman in the white trousers who – for some reason (ahem) – is actually the focal point for the picture. Liking Thorsten’s shot was Serein Lee and I know I’m always going to see good shots from him so off to his stream and this shot is the one I wanted to pick out: The girls are...
Dining Outdoors
I don't see the appeal in eating a meal outside. Not ever, and especially not in October in England. Outdoors can be very noisy. Why would anyone want to eat where it's noisy? I know it can be noisy indoors too but it's a different type of noise; there are often fewer pneumatic drills, buses rolling past, or people asking if you want to buy the Big Issue. And it's cold outside in October in England. The sun might be out but it's a weaker sun than just a few weeks ago with less radiation getting through the increased depth of atmosphere. And the wind has an edge to it as it blows across the food and strips it of its microwaved heat. A cold meal? How dreadful! And outdoors has insects; things that walk and slither but most often fly and either land on the food or hover in front of the face as part of an elite insect distraction team while covert crawlies swipe tasty morsels from the ends of forks or stand in gravy and stick two antennae up at you from the plate. There's less protection from meteorites when you're outside. Indoors you've usually got at least one roof over your head but it's typically two or more. There's tiles and insulation and floorboards and plaster to slow down those meteorites to survivable levels, plus there's a better chance that the lump of rock will shatter before it gets to your table. That means you get to finish your meal. Outdoors? Not a hope! Cutlery everywhere, a smashed plate spinning to the ground, and your dinner partner nursing a horrible case of missing-half-a-head. Why, people? Why would you want to eat outside? Outdoors dining? Two words: airborne plague. One word: door. Airborne plague has not mutated to the stage where it can open a door so performing a little mental arithmetic quickly tells you that you're better off eating indoors unless you're the sort of weirdo who enjoys dinner conversations along the lines of: "How's the meat?""It's a little tough and I'm not keen on the sauce.""Your nose has fallen off and there's a steady stream of blood and mucus running down your face onto your plate.""Well that explains why the garlic paté doesn't smell so overpowering." You're not one of those weirdos, are you? No! Outdoors dining? I don't think so! For #StreetPhotography curated by +Tatiana Parmeeva +Thorsten von Eyb +Maria Roco and for #StreetPics #StreetSaturday Google+: View post on...
An Army Of One
An army marches on its stomach. It's a saying accredited to Napoleon Bonaparte who was many things – a great leader, French, an Emperor, a supporter of voting for Pedro – but not, it seems, very good at anatomy. Generally in battle an army marches on its feet; it's faster for one thing. This, certainly, was the way in which Wellington instructed his troops to move when facing Napoleon at Waterloo. The French worm-like manoeuvres were distracting at best. Whilst they did present a smaller target to riflemen the position made them susceptible to being trod on by the stiletto-wearing (don't ask; long story) Dutch-Belgian army, allies alongside Wellington's British-German forces. It was this that did for the brigades under the control of Marshal Ney at La Haye Sainte and the rest of the battle is history. #SaturdayHistoryLesson – #StreetPhotography – #StreetSaturday Google+: View post on...
Inspiration
This is a picture – and a story – of a man named Ray; that's him there in the centre of the shot. Ray is a helpful chap and quite bright (there's probably a pun that can be worked in there with his name but I'll skip over it). Ray's the kind of guy who stops for a strange woman when she asks if she can make use of his umbrella so that she can send a message to her friend without risk of electrocution in the rain. That strange woman is not quite as bright as Ray and doesn't realise that death is unlikely from water-soaked lithium ion phone batteries unless they happen to be in the process of falling from a block of flats towards an unprotected skull at the same time. But Ray's bright. And Ray thinks to himself. I'm not wet, he thinks, because I'm sheltered by this umbrella. And this strange but dim woman isn't wet, he continues to ponder, because she's wearing a coat. But, he continues in his head, that phone in her hand – were it not for my helpful nature – would be wet in these conditions. That phone, he concludes, is better off being dry than wet. And then it strikes him! No, not the lithium ion phone battery but, rather, an idea! Inspiration comes upon Ray as he stands there waiting for the strange woman to finish her electronic missive and he leans in towards her to share what he has just thought. "Wait until it stops raining you moron!" shouts Ray. Satisfied, Ray wanders off contemplating a new career as someone who uses his bright, helpful nature to aid people in making common sense decisions by yelling in their faces. In his wake a slightly dim woman stands with mouth agape looking shocked for several seconds until a rivulet of rainwater bridges the gap between the battery and circuit board inside the plastic casing of her phone and sends an arc of electricity into her arms killing her instantly. Google+: View post on...
Stylish Lady
It's always nice to see someone take a little bit of effort when getting dressed up to have a nose around town and catch up on some gossip with an old friend. There's also a lot of bravery in deciding to wear these particular clothes and sporting this particular look and I think it's to be applauded and not lambasted in any way. Everything about this style is carefully thought out and there's not a thing about it I don't like; C&H plastic bag, pink jacket, and those shoes with that hair is just wonderful. And since her friend's wearing some pretty shoes I'll contribute this to #ShoesMonday curated by (deep breath) +Olga Kafka +Laura Harding +Terry Fabre +Mee Ming Wong +Bernd Schaefers +Paul van de Loo +Pablo Luis Gonzalez. Google+: View post on...
A Bit Of Brighton
Today my house is home to two workmen who are installing new windows, fascias, soffits, guttering, and a flat roof; this is day three of four days of work. My wife babysat the house for the first two days and I've got the final two days. The final two days… of TERROR! I don't like having strangers in my house. To be perfectly frank I don't like having anyone in my house. So, to distract myself from the stomping, banging, drilling, more stomping, clanking, clanging, heavier banging, thumping, and knocking (feel free to add your own favourite onomatopoeic word here as it's probably happening too (not moo, though; that would be daft)) taking place in all the rooms I'm not hiding in here are a few photos from a short jaunt to Brighton that took place over the weekend. Look at the pretty sea! And the seagulls! Ignore the scary men in the house! And relax. Google+: View post on...
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