Out of office reply

"Thank you for your email" it always starts. So does mine. Sometimes I want to put "wish you were chilling with me..."

Where am I? This time, Sweden. What am I doing? Getting some much needed rest and sleep. Well, that's what I say I'm doing. My partner would say I'm visiting future in-laws. Just like photography - same thing, different viewpoint. ;-)

Taking time away from work it actually really difficult when it's your own baby. So I've taken my new Nexus 7 tablet to do a little bit here and there in between the sleeping, meeting and greeting, and the babies running around my feet like ants.

But you know what, with all the hardship, life is good. Have a great.. what day is it? (When you're on holiday you forget what day it is!) You know what? Just enjoy your life!

A new build where I'm staying. Everyone seems to be 30-40, have 2 kids and a pet.
I feel like I'm in the Truman Show!

Angus D

Crazy folk!

Some weddings are entertaining. Some weddings are plush. Some weddings are just plain live.

I think I covered the last one recently.

Bes and Onur... Bes and Onur. They warned me. They did warn me. "There may be some craziness" they said. Now, I'm perfectly fine with that. In fact, I'm very happy with the threat. It means I have to bring not just my A-game, but some other ninja skills like being able to disappear into the shadows when people want to grab me to dance.

I brought my A-game. Yay! Failed at the extra stuff though!

I think they had a very magical day. I sat outside the bride's house, hiding inside my car like surveillance officers, camera primed, waiting for her to see her surprise chauffeur. Beautiful car. Horrible weather. Raining. Grey. Miserable. All up until about 10 minutes before she emerged. She was looking fabulous. The clouds parted in agreement.

As guests arrived, they all seemed, well, normal. No people dressed as clowns. No pantomime horses. Nothing.

How wrong I was!

Oh, and the bride and groom? Those folk, you know, who are the focus of the day? It was like watching people who couldn't get enough. It was like watching a couple who honestly had no idea of time. I was very thankful to be absorbed into their world.

Thanks guys. :-)

Angus D

Can you see the truth?

"What do you see? You people gazing at me?" These are the lyrics going round and round in my head. They were sung (I just found out from a film buff) in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Truly Scrumptious. ...What a name! But this (oh so random) song is going through my head because I was thinking about what we see when we see. How much do we "pre-see"? Prejudge? Call it what you like.

The other day I was chatting to some people. Chit chat. Chit chat. Huh?

I had that moment when you almost start gazing, staring, seeing something different in something that frankly shouldn't be new to you. A thing. An aura. An energy. Or something just plain weird! Sometimes, we just see nothing at all. I mean, how many times do we really re-see?

I've already shown this image to a couple of people. Some have interestingly given me an opinion that, at one point, had me bent double laughing. Well, these are the first images of the second set of my Alter-Ego project. Look at the image and make up your own mind of what you see. Maybe at the end of the set, you'll have to go back to the beginning and see again.

What do you see?

What do you see? 2

For all those starting the week on a day off, enjoy! I'm jealous!

Angus D

Explain this! Weird

Going through sets of photos. It's a rapid process. On the whole, I rarely go back to see the things that have been dropped on the proverbial editors floor. But once in a while, you go back and see something that your really, really, can't explain.

I had gone to do some reflective searching to see some of my past material and to see what I don't want to do in the future.

Learn from history. Let the future create.

Understanding techniques is also a crucial part of photography. Why did the light fall in a certain way? Was it intentional? Can you recreate it? Those are the signs of the masters.So I went on my pilgrimage of images, mine and others. I sought enlightenment of light. Purity. Holistic bathing. Maybe I'd see a spirit guide along the way. In fact, I wonder what creature my spirit guide would be...?

Anyway, something caught my eye. There are literally millions of images that immediately get chucked away. But in this one, I was wondering what trick of light I was looking at on my second pass. I really couldn't understand it because it looks like a ghost image like when you either have a long exposure or a blur from someone else. It looks like these things. Would be nice if it was. But none of these things were present.

I would love to say I knew how to do this, in the camera. I would freak people out. :-) But until I have words with my spirit guide, I don't know how to do this. I'm still trying to figure out what the hell I see when I see this!

An image immediately discarded

On closer inspection...

Angus D

Your images are safe with me. They look pretty good too!

Technology and change. It makes and breaks our "developed world" lives. Well, it makes and breaks mine anyway! In the last few weeks, I've been changing, upgrading, and generally looking up new nascent and needed technology to augment the heartfelt creative skills. ... Maybe we are all becoming cyborgs - funky technology precisely wrapped around a warm imperfect heart.

Proud to eat in public

I sat there watching TV. Spaghetti bolognese on my lap. Chowing down. Hungry. Ravenous. "Eat the plate too" type hungry. Now, like a typical man, when I got my plate, eyes became focused  on my feast. No wavering gaze. If I was by myself, I may have even dispensed with the interruption of the knife and fork.

And just like a true animal, after a few minutes head down, face full, my head popped up to do a quick scan of the surroundings making sure no other hungry creature is going to attack me and take my feast. Teeth slightly showing in preparation for any challenger. I scanned behind me. Eyes widened.

My girlfriend sat there. Mouth open as wide as her head. Lowering a ball of spaghetti the size of an adult fist into her mouth.

I was impressed.

She wasn't.

I'm still here! Soon won't be.

Forgive me. Please. I have been quiet. A dearth of facebook posts. No images. No blog posts. No Tweets. No Google Plus. People have thought I've disappeared. Maybe kidnapped!

Well, I haven't. Oh no. I've been doing a range of things. Some I love - travelling. Some I don't mind - helping my brother move place. And some I hate - tax returns. Seriously, if Hermione had a spell for sorting taxes, I'd be on my way to Kings Cross now!

Oh, and I'm soon to disappear. To another place. Another world. I will write a tearful goodbye before I turn my pack on this world. I've even got the tape, plastic sheets and good strong rope ready. It was fun while it lasted. But everything must come to an end.

I'm moving place. Wading knee deep in boxes. Living with a partner that packs so well she has to be sedated so I don't go to sleep under a duvet and wake up on the floor under a coat! She is truly an unstoppable force.

"Baby, where's my camera charger?"

"Oh, was that yours?!"

"Baby, where's my..."

"Oh, I thought you didn't need it."

"Baby. Please. Only pack your stuff. Please. Baby. Baby! Put, the box, down."

My cameras and lenses are being used as pillows at night just in case they go "missing". Better safe than sorry!

So forgive my silence. I haven't left you. The plan is always to move to better things, and as usual, I will keep you all updated. Now let me go and put that rope to good use!!!

Angus D