record of the week

what to do?

2010-02-22T12:18:00.001Z

...with some photographs. It is a question I occasionally ask myself. Who is going to be interested, and for what reason? So when there is an image like this one, that I am not 100% certain about (in that I kind-of-like it, but am not confident that it is good enough to share), it ends up never leaving a hard drive on my desk.

And that doesn't seem right either. So here it is; an experiment. I like it because it is quiet, calm, a private moment before sleep, it does look like typical Erica. And I'm not sure, because there is not quite enough of her face (does there need to be?...) and sometimes the shape of it all seems confusing, distracting...

But maybe it is better that you get to see it and judge for yourself than if it is left to slowly drop down lower, just one of the rows and rows of thumbnails.

more on cameras

2009-01-11T18:23:00.001Z

I am still thinking about this whole camera buying, and by extension testing and reviewing thing. I also just re-visited an old favourite photoblog of mine, belonging to Sam Jarouvnah at the Daily Dose of Imagery. He always impresses me, not least with his blogging stamina! I really like his bold, wide angle record of city life, especially as Toronto gets proper seasons and doesn't just look the same all year round. Anyhows, on scrolling back through the days I came across his note to a snow bound Christmas Eve shot:

I’m playing with the Canon 5D Mark II and so far it's been really great. The resolution and the detail is remarkable. And after shooting hundreds of frames for over an hour in snow storm it proved to be really weather resistant. The camera was completely wet and the wheel at the back was frozen so I had to break the ice to turn it but the camera came out unharmed and performed great. I'll post more impressions later.

Now that is what I call worthwhile camera testing. None of those stupid test cards or set up shots in studios and endless specification disection. Sam's review is of the kind that would have me outside Jessops on Monday morning, waiting for them to open. Well, almost...

Camera testing for me usually takes the form of trying to shoot in dingy artificial light and get a decent photograph. Cat Power came for Christmas, should really watch that at some point...

MIR-1 37mm at f/2.8, 1/125th sec, 800 ISO

As a footnote to anyone in Hull. Next time you're near the St Stephens shed, take a quick look at the massive photographs of the great Hull lifestyle that you all live, that have been blown up on the walls in there. Check out the terrible chromatic aberation left totally uncorrected. Now when the image is going to be 30' high, that might be the occasion on which a little pixel peeping might just be worthwhile...

on cameras

2009-01-10T17:40:00.007Z

A friend has asked me to share some of the knowledge that I have surely amassed over my many years as a photographer and give him some advice on buying his first digital SLR. It is not the first time that I have been asked for camera buying tips and surely not the last, and of course I am always happy to share my thoughts. I get to pretend that I know what I am on about.

The thing is, I am not sure that I can actually help. I am always reminded of Mike Johnston (TOP hero) and his advice on buying a digicam a while back. Though he made his point back in May 2007, I am sure it still stands up fairly well. His wise thoughts, based on experience? “I won't keep you in suspense. Here's the upshot: they're all shit.”

Harsh I guess. But also true if you are actually interested in learning the craft.

taken with my phone; soft, fuzzy guesswork (with optical slave SB-26

on floor, ~~camera~~ phone right)

But what about dSLRs? Does our consumer marketplace let us budding visual artists down in the same manner? Well I am going to venture that the opposite is probably (almost) true. And no thanks to any marketing department or camera reviewer. You might get a slightly gloomy dark viewfinder, or jpgs that bear a passing resemblance to a watercolour, or end up cursing a crazy system of buttons and menus (you’ll get the hang in the end). But all said and done, the camera will do what a camera should do. Of course some will do it better, but in general that has more to do with how much you spend and what is most important to you as a potential photographer. And better is subjective and not a simple black and white thing; an amalgam of a bit sharper here, a bit slower there, a handy feature here and a strange omission there. In short, choice certainly is not all it is cut out to be.

Mike’s point was not to put off a potential camera purchase, no matter what your budget. Again, here is where choosing that SLR should follow a similar thought process. If we take the approach that we are selecting a means to an end (to take pictures), then it takes that tricky, specification-comparing decision process out of the hands of endless hours with Google and firmly back in the realm of ‘a good use of your time’. That done, the best is still to come; so get on with it and get out looking for that glorious, northern British January light. Pick a little silver box and accept the endless limitations – and go and make pictures. Pick a black chunk of high tech glass and plastic – and go and actually learn about depth of field, why people like me spend £600 to own f/2.8. And go and make pictures.

taken with my D200, SB-26 remote triggered, on floor, camera back left

To close, and I hope clarify, I would like to share a little more of Mike’s views on digicams, point-and-shoot boxes, digital instamatics, call them what you will:

I don't mean "shit" as a pseudo-hip way of registering a connoisseur's disapproval of the demotic or an enthusiast's disdain for the democratic. I mean that despite their cunning little shiny bodies and technologically marvelous innards, as cameras they're little stinking turdlets of fresh, steaming excrement. Yageddit? Poo. Stool. Just north of camera phones. And when I say they're all shit, I don't mean most of them are shit. Eighty percent of them are horrible, outrageous, awful, a swindle on the public and a fraud perpetrated on their purchasers. And the other twenty percent are really bad. Bah-dum-pah.

What a guy.

Oh, there is another point, vaguely worth making here. The pound is not about to rally anytime soon, camera prices will only go the wrong way...

new favourite food

2008-12-22T22:03:00.003Z

I think that today, this might be my new favourite food. Mmmm, crispy seaweed.

Delicious, and with good nutrients from the sea. What more could you want from a snack? Get down to the Asian Superstore on Vicars Lane if you are in Leeds, it is better than dry old turkey at any rate.

Seaweed lit with my new blackdrinkingstraw gridspot... (http://lightingmods.blogspot.com/2007/06/diy-black-straws-snoot-grid-part-1.html) on SB26, 1/2 power, optical slave, through the snack from camera left. Main light is a bare Viv 283 dialed down to 1/16th with a VP-1, camera right. Shutter slow (1/6th ish) to get some ambient (monitor), f/9 for a bit of depth of field.

More small flash lit stuff here: www.flickr.com/photos/recordcollection/sets/7215760833860...

I party at Red

2008-07-29T21:10:00.011Z

It was Red on Thursday. My favourite nightclub ever. This place is fantastic, I always have a great time shooting and a great time full stop - the atmosphere is guaranteed to put a smile on my face (even when I am tired and grumpy*).

I have had the honour of being their official photographer and have been documenting the nights for the past year now. As a photographer, the challenges of shooting in a dark bar, with constantly changing coloured lighting and fast moving dancers on a packed floor are not inconsiderable. But man, what a great crowd to work with!

This time I was working virtually entirely with ambient light - there was often plenty of it, just not always where I wanted it to be. I didn't have a flash with me, so I had a go at using the built-in Speedlight on my D100 for some shutter-drag fisheye pictures. The trick here was in not underestimating how puny this flash is, so requiring a close subject. Once I figured how close I needed to be to the subject for them to be lit about right, I ended up with a shutter of about 1/2 second at f/16 to give me some trace of the ambient lights.

My aim at Red is to capture the atmosphere of the party, to see everyone lost in the music and the lights, to share the moment these people are enjoying. It is so cool to be there with my friends too.

A rare treat.

* Yes, occasionally I do get grumpy. But not often.

an apple a day

2008-07-21T11:08:00.004Z

Well, who would have thought it? Back after so long.

I thought that I would have a go at re-animating this blog as a kind of sketchbook for some photography ideas. I have just moved house, indeed city, to get to a point where I can begin to properly call photography my profession. Inspired by some of the people who have been unwitting mentors and inspiration to me for the past couple of years - David Hobby of Strobist fame, Mark Johnston and his friends at The Online Photographer and many others - I know that using the internet and harnessing the power of the blog is a great starting place to get things moving.

My good friend Hollin mailed me this morning to let me know that the Mac Format article I contributed to - he regularly writes for that fine Apple related monthly - is out in the August edition now. I couldn't wish for a glossier introduction to the wider world. I am sure even Mac Format readers get married or have photogenic offspring and need someone to record such events (though many are creatively able enough to do that themselves I am sure – though that does lead on to other ideas that I have had). But I knew that anyone reading that article with the curiosity to find out more, would have to have somewhere to go… so maybe here to? Hello if you have looked me up from the magazine to my website to here! Thanks for visiting.

So I will be keeping this up, ideas, plans, news, oh, and probably some photographs too. Because that is what it is all about.

Catch up with you soon then?

what summer?

2007-12-18T00:05:00.001Z

DSC_9763 grad.jpg, originally uploaded by altitudezero.

Here I am, distractedly disjointedly blogging. Perhaps 2008 will see more activity here?

I have no idea.

back to skool

2007-11-08T22:07:00.001Z

DSC_1657 m.jpg, originally uploaded by altitudezero.

Been at Hull College learning some new (maybe) stuff. This is a post to test out blogging from Flickr. There is a link to my photostream there in the sidebar. Lets test...

stanley

2007-08-25T09:00:00.000Z

This a favourite shot of mine, taken with one of Puplet's E-1s at an event we photographed back in June. Looking at it now I can see how another light, something really subtle (reflected through an umbrella?), to bring up the right side of his face and body would transform it.

Details I like are the soft diffuse north light from a tall window out of frame left and the blue room at the back lit with a remotely triggered flash. I would love to go and do it again, but better.

watch the birdie

2007-08-22T17:39:00.000Z

I have been asked by an old friend if I would shoot his wedding next May. We were in a band together in the late 90s and used to hang out in France doing extreme sports... I wonder if it will be a bit of a rock and roll style event? I expect that the wine and the food and wine will be fantastic if his parents have anything to do with things, I can't wait!

This shot is so you know what to expect C... just stay calm and remember to enjoy the day.

new

2007-08-16T22:21:00.000Z

Improved? Not really, but here is a first post for a while. Not really back by popular demand, but at least the comments box on this should work better than on my old template... I am thinking about what I should do with the old blog(s). Suggestions welcome.

The photograph was my desktop picture for a while, but now I have this picture of Tobias. Here it is for all to see... who knows where it is?

aeria microcosme

2007-04-16T22:42:00.000Z

Buy this record. Even better go and see them live and then buy the record. And a copy for your best friend. There are more pictures to see at my Flickr account. Click a picture, then on 'all sizes' for a bigger version. And then buy the album.

like rock and roll

2007-04-15T21:29:00.000Z

How nice to be back in the Lot, smell the springtime and catch up with a couple of old friends... Respect to Jynx for keeping a legend alive. 374,000km and counting.

last night

2007-04-12T23:09:00.000Z

...Different city, different country. It was beautiful and tonight we're back in Hull, seemingly in a different world. Thanks Aeria and friends but of course especially my little brother and Paulin. See you soon and I promise I'll be in touch with a few more souvenirs from the evening.

- edit: have been wondering why I didn't burn out the distracting cymbal stands at the bottom right in the first place... this is a new version of the picture now that I am not tired.

panda

2007-04-03T22:51:00.000Z

Will it still be there? This original Panda, one of Giorgetto Giugiaro's masterpieces, was parked outside 21 rue de fleurance at New Year. I'll look out next week.

the end

2007-04-01T22:24:00.000Z

of an era... For some the start of a new one. For some, but not all. And it was a strange place to be as a onlooker. A company closing down after years, a sad place to be.

dance bunny, dance

2007-03-28T21:07:00.000Z

From the cute bunny a couple of days ago to this one, just 30 meters away. According to the YSP website: "The unbounded energy of Large Nijinski on Anvil Point is of a more malevolent nature: a hare performs an insolent, powerful dance on the point of the anvil." Quite.

party

2007-03-27T23:16:00.000Z

time? Soon then...

spring

2007-03-26T19:34:00.000Z

It must be here, this bunny rabbit told me. He was eating grass in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park on Saturday, but didn't mind me taking a couple of pictures.

turning japanese

2007-03-22T22:25:00.000Z

Not that I understand a word of the language though. Which is why seeing this short film at the Lamp, in Japanese, without subtitles, just left me with no choice but to make up my own story. And take some pictures.

rocky

2007-03-20T21:44:00.000Z

This is The Rocky Nest at the Lamp on Sunday evening. They are fantastic and I took pictures. See you soon for more band pictures! My, myspace is popular these days... packed with greatness even?

factory

2007-02-25T16:02:00.000Z

Derelict cement factory in Cahors. Slightly different from Hull's run down Victorian industrial buildings, but no less perfect for turning into a gothic night club and music venue. Maybe one day Aeria will play there, until then I can't wait to see them on the 11th April.

time for dinner

2007-02-24T22:18:00.000Z

Just been out and drove round for 45 minutes trying to find something to shoot. It was raining, I am tired and standing out in the cold for fun for once didn't inspire. So this is from Wednesday, on our way for curry...

churchy

2007-02-17T17:02:00.000Z

Just had a really encouraging e-mail from a friend who also works freelance. This is an old shot from last September, but I was thinking of places to go and take pictures and remembered the evening Den and I went to the churchyard in Hedon. I was having a bad photograph day, but I would quite like to go back at some point and have another go. If at first you're having an off-day, go to the pub and come back later... and looking at this blog has got more even more excited about going out do more night photography.

long

2007-02-16T20:58:00.000Z

Time is what you need when light isn't on your side. This is back in Hull after some posts from Toulouse. This time armed with a sturdy tripod and eyes in the back of my head... not the nicest neighbourhood.

wet

2007-02-14T13:13:00.000Z

Another wet winter evening pavement shot. I am so glad the days are getting longer though.

down the street

2007-02-13T22:44:00.000Z

I wanted to continue with the theme. This was taken a few minutes later, walking through the rain to find a coffee,... or was it a beer? I keep looking at this picture and kind of liking it, but am not sure whether it is actually any good. Does a lomo conversion let you just pretend that bad pictures are alright really?

new year

2007-02-12T18:21:00.000Z

A little winter colour. This was New Year's day, Toulouse Capitole, taken from upstairs in McDonalds. Un Royal Cheese s'il vous plait.

alternatively

2007-02-10T23:37:00.000Z

...we do that in black and white. I kind of like both, what to choose?

industrial

2007-02-10T18:17:00.000Z

Den was going to meet me to take some photos that morning, but then he didn't get up. I went out on the spur of the moment just as night was falling. Next time I go down Wincolmlee on my own at night I think it would be safer to have some company... pictures tomorrow Den?

when

2007-02-01T16:18:00.000Z

It is just a matter of time. The photographic year has been getting off to a start, I have plans, there will be plenty of it in 2007. And more here, soonish. Promise.

parking

2006-12-20T16:41:00.000Z

Taken from the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. I liked the shapes and the cold light.

seaside

2006-12-18T17:58:00.000Z

I am not entirely sure that I am happy with this image, but I thought it would be nice to post something anyway. Walking down the front at Bridlington a few weeks ago I thought the contrast between the choppy sea and the calm in the harbour was interesting. The colours I have ended up with look cold. It was quite.

where

2006-11-23T22:14:00.000Z

...on earth have I been? Well mainly to London Kings Cross and back... about 10 times in the last two weeks so far. But I did see these guys again on my travels. They were heading back to Hull to record a quick demo at the weekend and they left me their MySpace address. Nice to see you Alex, Shane and Jack.

rockers

2006-11-12T22:57:00.000Z

Sorry, no new pictures in a while, so here are a couple of shots from Bristol.

love

2006-11-04T13:55:00.000Z

Because you can't have one without the other.

tuesday

2006-10-31T17:43:00.001Z

She would never say where she came from
Yesterday don't matter if it's gone
While the sun is bright or in the darkest night
No one knows
She comes and goes

find

2006-10-31T12:56:00.000Z

I went through the pictures from the Wardrobe gig last Wednesday again - I didn't think I had any really nice ones. But I found this, 50mm f1.8 again, meant I could shoot at 1/40th sec in a dark bar. Great news really.

jazz

2006-10-26T14:20:00.000Z

Went to the Wardrobe in Leeds last night with Emma and friends. It was almost as dark as Santiago's, but not quite.

purple

2006-10-25T15:36:00.000Z

A snap from my trip to Bristol. Just thought it was a great tree to park a purple Type2 next to.

windy

2006-10-22T16:12:00.000Z

It was a nice autumnal day for taking pictures at Skidby mill. I like the shadows cast by the sails on the side of the tower.

work

2006-10-19T13:57:00.000Z

Apparently lomo is sooo hip hop. Good job that worked out then. I did some pictures for this guy down in Bristol. A good friend of mine who is working hard making music.

amp

2006-10-12T20:52:00.000Z

Well while that Macfiend is on the phone to his ladyfriend - and despite the rather nice Argentinean Malbec just to my left - there is just time to post a picture today. H liked this one... somehow fitting, so here we go.

outside

2006-10-11T09:56:00.000Z

Like yesterday, but colder and in Hull. Emma Rugg at the Tap & Spile back in August, but from the outside.

both

2006-10-10T20:18:00.000Z

I have a thing for reflections. Looking at stuff from the other side, seeing stuff inside out, bounced back at you all mixed up. Two in one. This is Cahors market in June, a picture of summer for a dark autumn evening.

public transport

2006-10-09T23:55:00.000Z

Sums it up really. Then again, when I got back to the car 10 minutes later, I found a parking ticket on my windscreen...

old pictures

2006-10-09T08:18:00.000Z

There are some old pictures that never get used for anything. Sometimes they are even favourite shots for random reasons. A prime example is the croissant picture. It is not my kitchen or my croissant.

a great day

2006-10-05T23:51:00.000Z

Told you so... It is what real friends are for.

immi

2006-10-03T01:08:00.000Z

Went to see Imogen Heap on Sunday evening at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. She was great.

depth

2006-09-19T10:06:00.000Z

Look, small depth of field. Which means you can read the spines of the three CDs pulled forward on the shelf, but not the slightly more embarrasing ones a whole inch further back. Thanks 50mm f1.8.

sharp

2006-09-18T23:46:00.000Z

Like Tobias' claws when it comes to his favourite toy (a two year old piece of Christmas gift wrapping), the 50mm is quite sharp. Here is an early trial shot with it. Maybe more to come...

wait

2006-09-06T19:55:00.000Z

I llike this. I like the character standing against the yellow bus stop. And wow, the beauty of derelict concrete?

downtown

2006-09-02T09:46:00.000Z

Having actually taken some pictures, it is now officially Concrete of Hull Week.

crikey

2006-09-02T00:14:00.000Z

It is remarkable what you don't notice most days. Like this very large gate, slap in the middle of Hull city centre, featuring the simple but striking use of the word 'cheese'. I like it. So, what haven't you noticed today?

.010 - .046

2006-08-15T10:51:00.000Z

Just because I haven't posted a picture for weeks. I changed the strings on my guitar last night, they shine.

gothic

2006-07-27T23:34:00.001Z

Is my other blog getting to nerdy? Who cares, here are some cat legs... Tobias likes thunder storms at the moment, he is like a gothic cat.

gloom

2006-07-26T10:56:00.000Z

The air is heavy with expectancy. There will no doubt be more thunder storms before the week is out. Like the one that happened while I was trying to have dinner outside this pub. From a horror movie.

cat snacks

2006-07-23T00:52:00.000Z

Tobias is so black. He makes my kitchen look like an operating theatre...

rock action

2006-07-16T22:42:00.000Z

For an enjoyable part of this Sunday I stood in a very hot field. There was at least 35 minutes of serious rock action.

emma

2006-07-14T08:32:00.000Z

On Wednesday night I was at the Tiger's Lair (Sports Bar and Cabaret Club) and then later at the BBC Studios to see Emma do a short live session and interview on the Late Licence show. It was a nice change and of course a challenge, shooting in low light, high contrast conditions. Luckily the D100 produces perfectly good results at 800ASA. I was quite happy with these and there are a few more pictures of the evening on my other blog.

contrasty

2006-07-10T16:02:00.000Z

Oh look, Picture of France of the Day Week has overspilled into a second week because there are more than 7 pictures. I like this one because it is contrasty and the sky is blue. It was apperitif time with Alexis and Murray in Toulouse.

toulouse, france

2006-07-09T00:54:00.001Z

Through a gate, a courtyard in Toulouse, 4L, yellow headlights. Difficult to find more French than this. I guess it is Sunday, so the officially last day of Picture a Day of France Week. But I am sure that there will be more when I get round to picking them.

How do the colours look on this then?

come on in

2006-07-08T16:51:00.001Z

Sad, but whoever lived at this house in St Cirq didn't get many visitors.

colour of light

2006-07-07T09:23:00.000Z

This is spot metering and what it does. The church at St Cirq Lapopie, mid-morning sun streaming through a window and onto the floor.

the light

2006-07-06T11:13:00.000Z

You can't take photos without light and down in the Lot Valley it is of such a wonderful quality. This is not a remarkable picture in itself, taken from the bottom of the garden, but it is the combination of place and light that is nice. The question is, would it give more of a feeling of place if I superimposed a picture of a wild boar, a rotting 2CV and a dusty cellar full of mountain bikes and bottles of Cahors red in some kind of crazy composite image?

chance

2006-07-05T15:47:00.000Z

One of those grabbed, shooting on the move shots that mainly don't work out. I got lucky this time with my dad walking through a tunnel in Rocamadour. 1/4 second at f10 I think and spot metering that hit on the subject, though I think I was shooting from my side.

gambetta

2006-07-04T13:59:00.000Z

The chap behind the fountain is Leon Gambetta, an interesting fellow by all accounts and a fine figure to feature on the second Picture of France Week picture. Just to his right is the bell tower of College Gambetta (where I went as a youngster), which used to be the university in Cahors (College de Quercy I think) and probably where the great man learned his latin and geography too.

For those who requested, it is Picture of France Week. I will try to post a picture every day this week from my last trip.

work in progress

2006-07-03T01:05:00.000Z

I shot this in a small back street in Cahors. The house has clearly seen some changes over the centuries, a home is never truly finished... there are always changes to carry out, improvements to make. I wonder at what point it became a good idea to replace the medieval stonework with cinder block though?

ugly ducklings

2006-06-24T23:53:00.000Z

I did it like this
I did it like that
I did it like this
I did it like that
I did it like this
I did it like that
Now Ugly Duckling's gonna take you back
I did it like this
I did it like that
I did it like this
I did it like that
I did it like this
I did it like that
Now Andy Cooper's gonna take you back

To the planet, rock
I used to produce hip-hop
Poundin' rhythms with my hands on my school desk top
'Till my teacher would make me stop
I'd wait for recess
Then I'd beat box at a pop block contest
At home I'd slide across my kitchen floor
Doing moonwalks
All I needed was my windbreaker and some new socks
Not to mention the extension cord adapter
To attatch a little radio that was my ghetto blaster
I remember making my first songs, no sound board
Just messin with the tape deck pressin record
And Pause
There were flaws in the tape and hiss
But now I'm an Ugly Duckling and do it like this
We take a beat in a rap
And then delete it to track
Then keep repeating it back
'Till it's completed intact
So that the people react

Out of they seat and they clap
From the petite to the fat
On every street on the map
So when my brother laughed and my dad said it was a fad
I went into my room with a pen and a pad
And wrote a little rap about my fat cat
Now I'm the cat with the phat rap
And I did it like that

inside out

2006-06-23T22:40:00.000Z

The doors of Cathédrale Saint-Etienne in Cahors from the inside and the out. What nice doors. Maybe more old French doors to come, like, who knows hey?

the week that was

2006-06-21T16:10:00.000Z

I love St Gery. I love the D662. That is where I was last week.

new ep

2006-06-19T22:32:00.000Z

A brand new EP by a very favourite band of mine. The Mogwai t-shirt just happens to be reflected there, but for once they weren't the real magic, the record of the week. Toulouse was nice and they made Toulouse nicest. I hope that one day I may see them play, until then thank you, Agora Fidelio, for the music.

square

2006-06-02T20:03:00.001Z

It is Friday, but this cheered me up no end earlier in the week. Like nerdy things do. It is the lifeshirt and uncool beyond words. There should be an option at the bottom of my iPhoto window...

if only

2006-06-02T00:52:00.000Z

Self portrait time. Most of the time I wish that I could make a noise like Mogwai do. I realise just how glorious the noise is each time I really hear them.

yes! I am a long way from home. And I am truly sad today, like you are when you realise how far there is to go on a journey that you didn't want to set out on. Like when you realise that no matter how hard you wanted to trust, a lie, in a moment, can turn into hours and days of grief. And then who knows what is true anymore?

powerbook

2006-05-30T20:46:00.000Z

Just how powerful is a PowerBook?

minster

2006-05-28T18:06:00.000Z

On Saturday I went and found Den taking pictures of musicians in York. Here is one that I took, not a musician though.

what I saw

2006-05-26T23:30:00.001Z

this evening. Can kind of hold 1/15th seconds after a couple of pints of Wold Top on a Friday after a tiring week. Just thought that the light was nice.

humber

2006-05-21T23:39:00.000Z

The skies finally gave us a little clear light just as the sun was going down today. It made the beauty of Hull on a Sunday evening apparent.

stairway to...

2006-05-21T00:10:00.000Z

I love the stairs. Just had to post them. And look, there is a small dog in the middle of the shot.

the usual

2006-05-20T23:28:00.000Z

Den, chasing birds. Me, crawling round the place looking for a different angle. Hornsea beach on a Friday afternoon. It is nice to have a new car.

monday

2006-05-08T20:35:00.000Z

There was this zebra in the park. Den and I went to see reptiles, but I don't like animals in cages. I would rather see them run free. Even wooden ones.

time for sleep

2006-05-08T01:15:00.000Z

Tobias knows when it is time for sleep. Cats aren't often wrong about this kind of thing.

looking back

2006-05-06T18:39:00.000Z

I have always had this thing about taking pictures of reflections. And taking pictures of myself in reflections. This is one that I took not so long ago.

red

2006-05-05T10:41:00.000Z

Majors and I are having a photo competition. This month the theme is Red, as in Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain. Maybe one of my entries.

back

2006-05-04T14:42:00.000Z

This is the back. I am back. Things carry on as normal. Nothing really changes.

what, more cats?

2006-04-19T19:46:00.000Z

Mmm, and a juicy pigeon too. Tobias has been after this fellow for a few days now. I think that a bird dumb enough to sit around like this deserves to get gobbled up. Watch out juicy pigeon...

cat picture

2006-04-18T20:29:00.000Z

This is Sootie. She has the widest eyes in Hull.

goodbye car

2006-04-17T20:00:00.000Z

Well, Black and White Photos of Toulouse Long Bank Holiday Weekend is over. This is something I took while over there though and now that the old Rover has covered its last kilometre (of 340-odd thousand), here is a fairwell.

a sunday evening

2006-04-16T22:28:00.000Z

Same place, a few hours later.

a sunday afternoon

2006-04-15T10:33:00.000Z

I forgot to clarify that it is going to be Toulouse in black and white, though you may have noticed that detail already.

part tou

2006-04-14T23:09:00.000Z

Two for the price of one today. I love the sight of pollarded trees - a typically french sign that spring is on the way. This is on the walk from the city centre towards le jardin des plantes.

toulouse photo weekend

2006-04-14T22:31:00.000Z

We went to Toulouse a while ago to visit Murray. Now I need to practise black and white conversions. Toulouse Daily Photo Blog reminded me that it is called Pont St Pierre, I think that it is the newest bridge in the city...

welcome home

2006-04-13T20:03:00.000Z

He was asleep upstairs on his bed. But with the sound of the car pulling up, the squeak of the gate, or just the key in the door, he is there to welcome me home. I love Tobit.

campus

2006-04-12T18:17:00.000Z

I took this on my way home. Hull University campus, Graduate Research Centre and the fusty geography and economics building. One for Dan then...

so long, and thanks...

2006-04-11T23:38:00.000Z

What better way to follow up a couple of pints than with some fish and chips? Except our usual chip shop had run out of fish. That will teach us for drinking beer on a Monday night then...

time for a beer

2006-04-11T23:34:00.000Z

D and I fancied - never mind that it was Monday - a beer. The only place to go for such a thing is the Gardener's Arms. This is a terrible picture, invaded by a shrub, but it was darker than it looks and in those circumstances, a handy wall is the best place to shoot from. eh?

photo shoot

2006-04-10T17:16:00.000Z

I have been post-processing the pictures that I took yesterday afternoon for Mikol's business venture. She has been building up a stock of necklaces in preparation for a website launch and speaking to some local craft shops. Eventually. In the mean time I have been messing around with lighting, Nikon Capture, raw files, but no necks. So, how does the necklace look?

eh?

2006-04-09T20:41:00.000Z

...Mikol goes away for a few days to a conference and everything just goes to pot round here. I am not going to explain this picture, but needless to say D and I were doing nerdy stuff with wires and software. mmmmm raw files.

this side of the moon

2006-04-09T20:36:00.000Z

It was a little late to blog on Saturday by the time we got home from Jazz and Liza's. So Sunday is going to have to be a two picture day to make up. This was taken at 450mm equivalent with the (other) cheap zoom. Wow, the moon is closer than I thought...

conversion

2006-04-07T21:11:00.000Z

So I took the picture, but phantasmion did the B&W conversion.