Ice-cream and fighting

Oh my diddy! It's the beginning of 2012!

While I sit here with a smile on my face listening to House of Pain, Jump Around, playing on the radio (good memories), having just finished the last of the chocolates, cakes and enough sweet things to give you diabetes overnight, I have to think about where I've come from, where I'm going, and what I need to get there.

I solemnly promise... No wait. I swear to... What is that thing where people go to court and promise to tell the truth? Well, I do that. And I promise to end 2012 more than I am in 2011. How's that?

As people go back to work and I start mine, all I can think to myself is that everything has to be about moving forward. Images looking more amazing. Images looking more fitting and often deeper. Soul searching scenes.

I look around me and with people having the troubles they do, I see a number of people taking a deep breath and getting ready to fight for success in 2012. I see them getting ready to fight for their existence. To fight for their happiness. One thing is for certain in uncertain days is that there is a sea of potential to nourish our lives. We have people around us to give us energy when we are doubting ourselves. Seriously, we do. No matter what you see on the news, the majority of the world is not full of evil people sharpening knives and eyeing areas of your back.

I plan to shoot more, put myself in more inspiring situations, drown myself in more ideas so I can nurture a soul in my images. And failing that, I'd like to get enough money to buy some Haagen Dazs Strawberry Cheesecake ice-cream. :-)

Welcome to the new year. See you all soon.

A new dawn shot from my phone while relaxing a the house of close friends.

Angus D

I absolutely hate it! Banned from taking pictures. :-(

I've been banned from taking photos. Again. Can you believe it?!

It happens when friends and family don't want me working at their wedding. Which is funny because when I end up a groomsman, I end up working just as much as if I was behind the camera. Cheating b......

Anyway, I do get to look at pictures because inevitably they all send me links of wedding photographers to see if they are, in my view, any good. I'm always happy to do this because even if I am not doing the job myself, I hate seeing people using the wrong tools or services for their needs. It really does grate on my nerves. Fingers down a chalkboard grating. ... Our kids will never know what that sounds like! I digress.

I was drip fed a series of links to photographers websites. Good stuff. I pass my all seeing eye of Sauron over them. Burning red flames and all. Normally, I can tell within about 3 seconds whether I will like them or not. 1, 2, ahhh I like! But sometimes it's 1, 2, what the hell?!

I just had one of those moments.

Now, I'm in the business of art. Art is in the eye of the beholder. That is always true. But when someone asks me what I think, it's my eye that gets to behold. And I saw something that made my eye wince like I had tried to drink lemons through the iris of my precious eye of Sauron. I saw a picture of a baby. The baby was in a lovely little wedding frock with a nice big pink bow at on the side and she was smiling with such cuteness. But... Big "but"... The baby was in a position that only an adult would be in, but no baby would ever naturally be in this position. Ever. Everevereverever! It was like taking a model from the cover of a mature womans magazine, with the model lying down on a couch for example, then instead of a woman, you have a baby.

There are a number of pictures I've seen of babies doing what they wouldn't normally do or in positions they wouldn't normally be in. They are often funny. This one, not so much. All I could think is, I'm glad the people that wanted that picture didn't choose me. I honestly think when I saw that picture, a little part of me vomited into my cringe centers. I'm so glad that the lovely people who come to me like my work first and foremost.

Not a normal sight

Angus D