Word Filled Wednesday

I’m sure a photography blog without any photos isn’t the best idea in the world. I’m going to break the mould just because I’m that kind of guy. The aim is that for one day a week, a month, or even a year, I’m going to post words with no pictures. Welcome to “Word Filled Wednesday”. Don’t worry, it’s not all going to be words, I’m also planning a day where I will post a photo with no text.

Why?

I have the idea of writing a photography related book. I feel it’s a slightly odd, (hopefully) early midlife crisis decision, right before I buy that convertible sports car or motorbike. I’m not sure why this idea has popped into my head at this point in my life. I’m coming close to completion on a purchase of my first house so I’m not going to have a lot time for writing, or taking photos other than before and afters of home interiors; I’ll try not to bore you all too much with them!

I’m a little reluctant to release the exact subject of the book because there doesn’t seem to be any competition at the moment, though it’s likely I haven’t looked hard enough. The writers amongst you all may want to warn me of the minefield that I’m about to approach. I’m aiming small to start with. Creating and publishing an eBook, just a small enough challenge to almost be possible.

But why are you boring us with words? Save them for your book!

My memory can be bad for good ideas. I get ideas, and forget them and if I make notes of them on sticky notes they soon get lost, thrown away or deleted in a regular desktop tidy up. If I share my ideas with you all on my blog, there’s the hope that at least one person will remember and email me

“That book you said you were writing, how’s it working out?”

That one person will receive a personal assistant job offer from me when I become a famous photographer and author.

Dan

The Nicest of People

I’m not a person who overly enjoys confrontation. In most aspects I will do my best to avoid it at all costs. Call me a scaredy cat if you want, it’s just effort being wasted that could be put to use productively elsewhere.

If you’ve been following my blog, you may be aware that I have a particular fondness of light painting and night time photography. I tent to visit the places that most people don’t visit in the day, but at night. They’re quiet, calm and often eerily empty of light, sound and lifeforms, except maybe a sheep or two.

Last Friday I’d like to say the urge was upon me to visit the city for something a bit different, some urban landscapes. It was less of an urge, more a need to get out and get my light paint on and an arrival at a location because I couldn’t be bothered to drive any further. It seems laziness is a trait that’s creeping back into my life recently. I’ll make a note to change that, and likely wont read the note.

Shortly after setting up camp in Cardiff’s Bay area, more commonly known as Cardiff Bay, I composed and ran off a few test shots of the chocolate box that is the Wales Millennium Centre; a modern building with an interesting facia where carved/embedded/hollowed and backlit are the Welsh words and an English Translation “In these stones horizons sing”. Nice, but difficult to photograph in certain conditions, these being some of them.

I was wary of most of the people passing that were likely drunk but they stayed out of my way as much as I stayed out of theirs. Brilliant. All until one couple were passing in the distance when the male half of the equation appeared agitated. Not being Jeremy Kyle, I ignored them and I let them carry on without interaction. Who knows what this neanderthal was up to, or what he’d consumed. I wasn’t bothered that they walked infront of my shot either. Being an exposure of length, they would be invisible or a ghostly blur if they walked slow enough.

For reasons unknown, his attention was drawn to me. Excellent. Confrontation with a stone age man in the middle of Cardiff with too much kit setup to pack away and avoid. “You fu*cking taking photos of me and my misses bruv?” Wanting to correct his speech and question his use of swearing and his dress sense, this was nothing that a prod on the nose with a tripod couldn’t fix. Unfortunately, I didn’t resort to equipment related violence. Seeming not to grab the concept that I was there first, and that he walked infront of my shot. I foolishly tried to explain that I wasn’t taking photos of him, his misses, or his bruv, and that you couldn’t even see him in the photo, even letting him preview the above shot on screen. My technical explanation (gibberish) of long exposure photography and the persistance of his slightly embarrassed looking girlfriend managed to make him flee in terror, but not before asking if I was a “professional photogonerafer”. I think that’s how you spell it.

Drama avoided. And then I gave up on this location and moved to take photos that I am a lot happier with. So I thank him for that.