SolarPlexus

Image from a scrapbook of mine, going back about 18 years. I think this was an advert for Apricot laptops, I’m not sure.

There’s not a day goes by where I don’t daydream of hacking my way through a damp, cloying jungle and thrusting upon this sleek and wholesome beauty a brand new MacBook Air. “My hero!” she’d gasp, as I lugged the detestable old monoscreened monster out of her sight… ahem.

I went to the Brum Flickrmeet last Sunday, with photochum Andy, to view the Chinese New Year festivities at The Arcadian precinct. It was our first such trip, and we’ve since discussed a few points, which I’ll share with all three of my readers…

• The Flickrmeets are useful in helping to find something different, colourful and interesting to take photos of.
• Being surrounded by people with cameras gives more confidence, especially when photographing other people - something we’re all becoming very wary of. Andy was still uncomfortable taking photos of the crowd when kids were involved, but long lenses help to mask the actual intent. I think this says more about our newest cultural norms, rather than any issues Andy may have.
• At some points we felt like we were “taking photos for taking photos’ sake”, which you could argue is the objective. My guess is that this was heightened by being hemmed into one spot, and unable to move due to the crowd. Or, at least, feeling very inhibited about moving. Next time we need to move around to get different perspectives. Our site was initially very good, but soon turned into a liability.
• Andy was happier photographing the crowd, I felt the same at the time but felt completely different when processing the pics. I feel my performance ones are stronger.
• I was a bit deflated as I knew I was taking blurred shots (slowish zoom lens; forgot to take protective filter off; a monopod or IS lens would’ve been the cure). However, I felt better later when cropping for composition.
• Preparation is key with this stuff - particularly as far as location is concerned - a recce beforehand and a clear idea of the running order and location of the various events would really help.
• Due to the day’s schedule we couldn’t hang around to chat properly with the FlickrMob, though we hope to rectify that in due course.

I’m in tidy-up mode at the moment, and I rediscovered these pictures I took in Ludlow a few years ago. I reckon you’d not skip the full structural survey for this purchase!

Thanks to http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4761974.stm

My word, it seems to have happened a little early this year - and, by Jove, they’re already playing wall-to-wall Chrimbo songs on Real radio: makes one feel very festive, but my guess is that this feeling will peak too soon.

I like taking photographs. Not in any kind of professional sense y’understand, but as I get older I’m finding it more important to document things as I go along and I can think of nothing more convenient than taking a few snaps.

These days a snapper has to be careful about shooting pics of people, especially of children. I never knowingly make strangers the subjects of my pics, and I am at least aware of the issues.

On holiday, whilst entertaining my three-year old son in Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy, I spied a hamburger van with a horde of teenaged schoolkids around it. Their uniforms were all black. Next to this was a flock of white seagulls teeming over a bag of chips. The juxtaposition was startling. Since all of the kids had their backs to me I thought I’d take a distance shot of the scene as it was so interesting.

Imagine my dismay when two girls on a park bench starting calling me a “paedo” and shouting at the tops of their voices, laughing at the same time. I managed not to get too ruffled and stared at them for a moment or two, and subtly moved the aim of my camera - but notably didn’t stop taking pictures.

Fortunately for me they stopped shouting. Clearly in that situation discretion was the better part of valour. However, to appear ruffled in front of those peasants would’ve been just as bad.

As a father, and somewhat overly-sensitive, I have fretted about this incident. I know I shouldn’t feel personally insulted by the incident, but it still hurts to be smeared with something as abhorrent as paedohilia, even as a puerile joke.

Anecdotally, I heard of a professional photographer in Fife being reported for taking pictures of nude children on a beach. His argument was that he’d been taking pictures of this beach for years, wasn’t intentionally including the people on it, and it was the decision of the parents to let their kids cavort naked. We may accuse him of being a bit ignorant of the social climate but that’s all.

Needless to say, I have no pictures to show you of kids and seagulls so here’s one of sleeping ducks instead…

The image sums up this evening’s mindset. So, um, I’d probably best let the pic do the talking. Catalyst for the thought process is the near-empty booze glass. Go on, do I have to join the sodding dots as well?

Pete Ashton displays a view of something wicked that invaded his space recently. It reminded me of some beasts that I snapped last year in Greece. Veritable monsters. Must be the heat.

To get an idea of scale the flower head is around 120mm across, and was attracting these (hornets?) like a bogof at Tescos. The pictures are not particulary good as I lost the focus on the second one, but you’ll get the idea.

I noted with some interest this recent blog from Brum Blogger Extraordinaire, Pete Ashton. In it he mentions an old concrete shopping ‘quadrangle’ in Birmingham. I remember gaining access to the roof of Littlewoods way back in 1986-ish. Littlewoods department store forms part of this garrison, and afforded a different perspective to the norm.

If you look carefully at the big version of this picture you’ll see that the mid-eighties timeframe is confirmed by the ladies’ footwear - calf-enhancing heels all the way ;)

Took a trip to The Black Country Museum with Mrs Delete and MiniDoc yesterday. I’ve been before, I reckon around eleven years ago, and I guess there’s been development in that time but I really can’t recall what it was like.

It’s a worthwhile experience, probably best contemplated on a quietish day. The visitor really needs to take their time over the reconstructed streets in order to get a feel of what life was like. Of course, without smoke belching from heavy industry and poverty-stricken denizens, how life-like can this experience be?

One thing that certainly didn’t occur waybackwhen was an hour-long queue for ‘traditional’ fish and chips! Nor was the asking price of around £4.50 per portion a historical norm. Mind you, as a percentage of the current average weekly income, that’s probably incredibly cheap compared to yesteryear.

We resisted the urge to join the queue, opting instead to visit a quiet alternative cafeteria. The people in the chip line were entertained in turns by a chap riding a classic Sunbeam motorcycle, and a large lady in period costume yelling, ” ‘Av yow gorenny chips for the babbies? They’m ain’t eaten for a wik.”

Returning to the issue of costs: a chap we kept bumping into complained about the price of the whole visit. He wasn’t impressed that once inside more money had to be found for canal trips, fairground rides and the like. He stated that he would never come back - and was generally pissed off with everything. We thought it was good value, especially as we had a 2-for-1 ticket! At an entrance fee of £11 per adult head the place certainly doesn’t buck any trends - though I’d personally prefer this to be a little cheaper. Mrs D and I often whinge about the price of entrance to family venues. We stall our whinging with a “we’re living in the past” comment. How appropriate that we were out-scrooged by a Black Country chap visiting his own Past? Nice bloke though. Earthy, with his head screwed on.

Overall, a recommended place to see. Couple this with a follow-up trip to nearby Brummagem’s Think Tank - replete with exhibits from the old Birmingham Science Museum.