I did it again and again and again, but it made things worse

It didn't make it any better over-clicking as I did. I'd seen some wonderful work by some fella me lad in Germany of all places. Go on, go and have a clickette on the link and then come back and tell me what I should do. If anything. Please.

Coming up soonish is the Boxes & Bellows blurrtastic readers compilation- with magnificent prizes and everything. Well, I might find some bit of tat to send the best one anyway. Do please send YOUR Blurr-esquian imagery to; 

wiesmier [at] hebrides.net 

with 'Blurry' in the title by Dec 8th and I'll see if anything happens sort of thing.  

Oh, I'm intending to publish the blurry snaps on here so if you don't agree with that, please don't send it.

I have been known to shoot colour

www.juliamcghee.co.uk

Mince pies are back

We have eaten a mince pie. It was very nice too. No dust to clog the lungs like last time I wrote about them - in 2011. It is that time of year again and I'm not best pleased. The over-consumptive proclivities rampant at this time is counter to my inner-most. Only the mince pies passed through my purchasing [and eating] filter without too much notice. And we do have a small Panettone in the house to keep the Panforte and Stollen company before we or our visitors eat it. We don't like cake really, but this lot just arrived somehow. Got into the shopping basket without us noticing so felt obliged to buy it and bring it home. As it does.

Meanwhile, young Dan Grassmantobe looks at my Zorki4 with it's Jupiter12 lens and is just about to remark "that's not a leica like my Dad's" when I snapped him up for posterior or something like that :-)

There was a run

And Stephan was there too.

How it feels

..at the moment.

Although yesterday I received a most welcome from a Mr Trellis, or it might have been Andy from, from somewhere down south in Engerland and all that. Apparently Mr Trellis or whatever the fellas name is has been reading this blog. Can you imagine? Must be resting now since he read the whole thing. In one day Eh? What's that all about then? He liked it though and that pleases me. I had a feeling that some one out there will like it, one day. Then they'll wake up, realise what rubbish it all is and get on with their life!

Anyway Mr Trellis - or can I call you Andy? Many thanks for the interest. I'll get back to you :-)

Playing with oil and the like

Mediobrome?

Heard of that? Me neither till I read about Leonard Misonne.

Well, this is my first attempt. Took the snap I printed before too lightly - see here - and then daubed it with oil paint. Then rubbed it off again a bit. And no, I don't really know what I'm doing.

There may be a hand print on it - sorry and all that. It wasn't mine but i won't blame anyone else as Eve will be unhappy and I'd hate that.

Phone snap of print with glare and curve of paper - just so you can see it's real.

The little doggie

Where it happens. Sometimes.

Eh?

NEver?

Yep, that's it. Or a bit of it anyway.

Do you like this?

You may not. Not sure I do to really despite the presence of a wall - albeit a mainland wall. It may be something to do with where you/we were born in time and place, how we/you have lived your/our life/lives and what have you.

I'm trying to recall something that, at the time anyway, had a big influence on my thinking. Now, I have trouble thinking at all. But once, when I was 'reading for a Phd' as they say, I got into Pierre Bourdieu. It all made perfect sense back then as I tried to cajole the theory to fit the facts that I was unravelling. Twas all about dentists if you want to know - demand, supply and the social milieu. At least I seem to remember it was. In Somerset don't you know. The research, not the Uni - that was oop north [or, down sarf from here].

I was going to write about how this informs our tastes - as it does. That Bourdieu fella had it sorted. I think. But now I want to write about it, it all eludes me. Gone right out of my head. The knowledge, it seems has fallen off its perch. The nail must have rusted away so to speak.

If you want to know why  it all made sense once, you'll just have to do the research yourself. But I do recall its worth it.

Be careful about admitting you like Jack Vettriano paintings for example.

Digging for .......

To be quite frank, I have no idea why Toots Wilson was digging a hole just outside his bothy the other day. It wasn't the snow he didn't like - I checked on that. Perhaps it was to keep warm. He certainly had his best gardening jumper on anyway - and lovely it looked too Sir.

Toots was on fine form though and soon we were sat in the warm supping black tea and making plans. Plans that came to fruition today with a sesh in his nice big darkroom making prints and everything. If you are lucky I might even show you one I made. 

If you are lucky and good.

Is this what the mainland is all about?

Yes that's Inverness. Where did you think it was? Tolsta Central?  Some bod going up when his world looks like it's going down. I might be wrong mind. But it looks like that.

And this is where the cruise ships go. Not all of them - obviously - but I have seen some go there - on AIS thingy. No idea why. Perhaps it's the murals.

But this is why I go to Inverness; It's the,... the..., whatever this is and however I did it. And I like it. You might see some more a bit like this. But I may not so come back to see :-)

Please.

Friday: Mr Claridge

I had a rush of blood to the brain the other day and lashed out to buy this booklette from the wonderful Cafe Royal Books. I was mesmerised by the images therein - the work really speaks to me. Not that I know much about the chap who did it.

He did this too. Go and have a look at his website to see more of this brilliant work.

It's lovely to have the coast nearby

Whenever we go away it's lovely to come back. Even if it's windy and cold. So wonderful to have the coast so close with long sandy beaches to wander along.

Here's one I prepared earlier. [for Coelyne of The Coelynes]

....and here's one from our little sojourn on the mainland. Envious eh? Well, it was just lovely and all that.

There we were, worrying about the state of the sea...

It was a tad breezy and the forecast had been showing gales. Windy gales that makes the old tub that passes for our ferry bob around a bit. I even noticed a group of girls at the Stornoway Terminal whose parents were taking a bucket on board. Maybe they were thinking ahead. We weren't that keen on the ferry trip to be honest. Eve and I.

Myself and Eve that is.

But the wind abated or blew up our backs or something and the tub crashed and banged just a wee bit. We were OK. The bucket did come out though. Only it wasn't for ill beings but rather to collect monies from the captive audience as the girls did some Highland Dancing in the bar to raise monies for Children in Need. How good was that?

I was armed to the teeth with the best camera money can't buy. It had a proper lens, and other bits. The film was Polypan-f rated at 25asa. I couldn't go wrong.

I didn't

Don't you just wish you had been there?

I shall be taking these to the darkroom :-)

We've bin away

We were on the mainland. Braved the ravages of the Minch and the Stornoway ferry and spent time showing off our blue rinses with the Saga Louts of Stathpepper. Had a fine old time listening to Ronnie and his tinkling ivories - or whatever it was that was making a racket in the corner of the main hall of the hotel. Missed out on the Bingo though since gambling is not my thing.

I took a snap or two while we were away - but not this one. Just found it again this morning. When we lived in Engerland this was just over the road and the weather at least was like this while we were away.

Little bit of snow here at home now. What's that all about?

We take a walk on the nice side

I walked under here. How brave am I? To be totally up front with you, and I usually am, walking under there was a doddle. If one can doddle on the Western Isles. It wasn't the Sabbath after all. And the bridge is nice - as bridges go. I've walked and driven across it many the day and thought nothing of it. So going underneath was not too traumatic. Although of course, post under bridge walking syndrome may affect me in later life.

I'd been on the beach near here  with Mr Toots. Walking, snapping, that sort of thing. I had a camera with me and all. One of those SLR things with a lens and everything. And old movie copy film inside [Polypan-f] rated at 200asa - just because I want to. Stuck the film in old re-used ID11 for a while and I do belive it looks ok. To me anyway. I may be suffering from PUBWS though so be careful if you want to try it.

What's your motivation?

I haven't got any today. I'm like that little HHHCB who lays unconcerned on the settee/neg store happily warming up the negs for me with her furry bot. My mtoivation has vanished, drooped of it's metaphorical perch or something. Please don't tell Eve. She doesn't read this but will be onto me like a flash if she hears about it. I'm consoling myself with the lovely works of the late John Tavener.

You may have noticed a preponderance of hats on here recently. I have no idea why this is as I never wear a hat myself - except when it's cold and wet. Which, I suppose is most of the time at this time of year - but apart from that, you'll never see me with a hat - oh yes, apart from on that tv vid and everything. But never ever again!

Mr Toots has no such issues in the head covering department as one can see here. The great man modelling his latest in the window light. Unfortunately the world suddenly moved as I took the snap, I wasn't ready for it - slow speed on the camera front and all that - so we got a bit of blurr. That's OK isn't it? Tell me that's OK.

I think I may have created a rod for my own back.

I think that's the saying I meant. I started a Friday post of other photographisers I rather like and so far my likes have come easily. For example, this one comes easily to mind. But how many more will come to mind I know not. We shall see.

To which, this week's snapper is the great Jean Gaumy. I know that's cheating a bit since he is a Magnum bod [as is D'Agata a little surprisingly - whose work I also like somewhat] but his 'Men at Sea' work is outstanding. With old fishing boats littering up the harbour in Stornoway, some of which actually venture out to sea from time to time, it is both amazing and great to see this work. Rather him than me I must say. The book is just fab BTW.

If you know anymore commercial fishing photography of note - preferably B&W, I'd love to hear about it.

I might have something

.....or I might not have something.

I had fun though. Wasted a roll of Chinese film, annoyed a pal of mine and generally had a fine old time. I was trying to 'do' something new but as yet I am rather undecided as to whether that something has revealed itself.

I might have to look at the negs again and see what else I can find. The images are all overlapping for some reason but I think that's adding to the images. I think.

I was seduced

Saw this little little beauty snuggled in its black coat and thought that should be mine. In no time at all I'd parted with the 99p and it was mine. A Pentax Espio 170sl to be accurate. Nothing but the best for me! I'd seen some lovely reportage snaps from this fella-me-lad in the far-east taken with a similarly named P&S camera and it seduced me into thinking "if I had one of those, I'd take pictures like that". I was wrong.

Down[the]town Stornoway.

But then I think I might have the wrong camera. He had an Espio Mini I see - and that makes all the difference - probably. Apart from the different location, film, development technique and skill. Apart from that.

It was only 99p though. It was worth a try wasn't it?