And so the return once more

On the train now, well on the way home. Good time to be going as a huge influx of Rugby League supporters engullfed Kings Cross!

Hopefully get chance to process some of the pictures I took over the remainder of the weekend.

I got some 35mm processed while I was there and I want to scan some in. I also took the same shot with film and digital so it will be interesting to be able to compare.

I tried a totally new (to me) kind of black and white film whilst I was away. Onken BP had told me about Kodak BW400 CN C41 black and white film, which is processed as colour (hence the C41) and printed on colour paper. It seemed to give some interesting results, coping particulalry well with a range of tones and not clipping either highlights or shadows.

Anyway, nice to be coming home, even though it means work on Monday.

At the Tower

At the Tower of London

A Bit Disappointing

The weather didn’t help (nor did the nagging headache from sleeping in a too-warm bedroom). I’d expected more from my earlier fleeting visit to Brighton but we set off home earlier than planned, none of us particulalry impressed.

I would highly recommend the Brighton museum and library though if you’re here. They have a great cafe here as well as really interesting exhibitions.

So, a quick canter on the shale beach, fish and chips on the shoreside, a walk around the pier. Then walking back towards the Royal Pavilion, looking more movie set than 18th century royal palace.

A nice cold drink and a warm pancake round things off nicely.

Oh, and I was able to get a portable hard drive near the station on the way back so that’s a relief!

Now speeding through the countryside (well, ish) back to Victoria.

Off to the seaside

Getting ready for our last trip further afield today with a train journey to Brighton.

I’ve been once before, for a business meeting, and wanted to come again with a little more time to look around.

Looking at the weather forecast it looks like we will be in the best place too.

Look out for seascapes, shots of the pier, the royal pavilion and other Prinny-related things, and the odd candid portrait if I get chance!

Oh, plus chips, ice cream etc. Well you have to at the seaside, don’t you :0)

Get Smart

Very funny film, never expected to see The Rock kiss another man – and for it to be so funny.

Sadly, in other news, I was unable to get any B&W film at the local Snappy Snaps (sigh, what is the world coming to) so only digital pictures of Highgate.

Plus problems on the underground so wasn’t able to buy another external hard disk to clear my memory cards off. After getting through the best part of 8Gb at Notting Hill carnival yesterday I am I’m dire need as the laptop has no space left now.

A Visit to Karl

And others of course, at Highgate. When we got there we could only visit the East cemetary but there were plenty of interesting people as well as classic Victorian funereal sculptures.

Now off back to Fulham Broadway to see Get Smart!

Adventures in Windsor

Well Legoland actually. Can’t believe we spent more time queuing than on the rides.

Frightened myself silly on the Dragon rollercoaster!

At the end of our 1st week and not much photography. Hope for more inspiration next week.

Sitting in the shade

At the V&A, looking for inspiration for my exhibition pieces. Not getting very far though!

Nice to sit and enjoy the garden here though.

Beginning to think about my exhibition

So – having managed to bag a solo exhibition, I need to think about what I want to include.

I’ve got quite a lot of freedom; as many images as I want, whatever size I want, any theme/content I want.

What I want to do is shoot some stuff specifically for the exhibition – it isn’t until January and they only need the final mounted work a couple of weeks before, so I have plenty of time.

However, I want to have a narrative for it and I’m not getting any stunning ideas at the moment.

I’ve only had two ideas so far.

The 1st has been around the idea of things being in plain sight and yet ‘hidden’, either because we don’t notice them or we stop noticing them because we see them so often. I was thinking about things like the person painted on the side of the house in Cannes, which nobody seems to pay any attention to but that in the photo I took of it, it jumps out amid the jumble of the old town.

I was also thinking about those little gems you find on buildings, or benches, railings and the like. Little pieces of architectural interest that people don’t seem to have the time to see.

I’m not sure I could hang an entire exhibition on it as a theme though.

My 2nd idea was some kind of representation of time – a day in the life of… Or even just a representation of how different times of the day/night are ‘owned’ by different people. I was thinking about things like when I hear my neighbour come home at 2am (he is a taxi driver), or my other neighbour who works shifts in a bakery. Or the kids on their way to school, or the people in suits commuting to London on the station every morning.

I think I like this idea because I am sometimes surprised by the kinds of people I see when I’m in a known location at non-standard (for me) times. It’s fascinating seeing how the train station changes depending on commuter rush-hour, school run, office workers, shoppers, teenagers and people not working, etc. And then how it all changes back again as the flood turns back the other way.

Hmmm, need to think a bit more.

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Originally uploaded by Haysie1

Wakefield Gay Pride on Sunday and there were some stunning glamorous people there.

This lady towered over me in killer gold heels and a short red dress. Not a look for the shy and retiring – and I can only envy their ability to walk in those shoes!