I shared the remains of Brough Castle with two Canadian ladies.  Both proved to be interesting, articulate company and we went on to explore the nearby Church together before taking a late Sunday lunch as a trio.  One of the ladies had celebrated her birthday the previous day so I donated a few prints, meaning digitalCG now has a truly international presence.  I'm looking forward to taking up their open invitation to Toronto when funds and schedules permit.

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Seeing as this marks the halfway point for my 2008 potw project I though a special trip was in order, so I headed 100 miles North to the Lake District for the weekend.  It was a good time for catching up with an old friend, for eating and drinking well and, when the brooding English weather permitted, for taking plenty of photographs.

Brough Castle, whose remains occupy a bleak windswept spot overlooking the A66, has led an interesting life.  Built in the late 11th Century it survived a double invasion by the Scots, two heavily destructive fires and a succession of owners who constantly remodelled and added features until it was finally left unoccupied in the late 17th Century.  Since then lots of the stonework was appropriated for further constructions like Brough Mill and the nearby Appleby Castle, leaving the structure somewhat derelict.

In 1920 the Minisrty of Works took ownership and carried out just enough renovation to prevent total collapse of the remains.  Now under the care of English Heritage only a small section stands along with the keep tower, pictured here having shed a corner in recent years.

3 shot HDR converted to B+W then toned.  As standard for potw, click through for large version.

Potw26

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Dear Daily Mail,

Computers, if you believe your own hype, are bad.  They create psychotic, gun-toting kids weaned on a diet of wargames and kung-fu, they promote the present proliferation of obese chairbound imbeciles, they empower troublemakers, subversives and perverts by providing anonymity in open forums, they ruin the music and film industry as obviously piracy never existed before the internet and they also erode genuine social skills and will basically be responsible for the western world's transformation into a race of retarded recluses.

Well, balls to that.  Thanks to VOIP telephony I called a mobile phone in Syndey, some 10,500 miles away, for half an hour yesterday for little more than the cost of a pint of beer.  I laughed, I cried and had a far better experience than a few text messages or a hastily scribbled postcard could provide. How could that ever be a bad thing?

Yours,

digitalCG

There are many places it's unwise to loiter with or without expensive camera equipment, but as I'm trying to rediscover my photographic self I thought I should perhaps jump in at the deep end, handholding 50mm shots at 1/8 sec and slower in a location where you perhaps shouldn't take your eyes off the peripheral shadows for that long.  It's given me the urge to go and find some empty buildings once again, so watch this space...

Potw25

The Saturday night 'Heaven and Hell' themed entertainment at Deva was one of those occasions where holding a camera just felt like the right thing to be doing, inbetween free beers of course!  Everyone was having a great time, God and the Devil had a live DJ soundclash and rumour has it there were even a couple of dancers causing a stir onstage...

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Honestly, you wouldn't believe how much I protested when told to pose for a quick picture.... it's a hard life at times!

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The last month has been one continuous blur.  One big, tumultuous, endlessly satisfying whirlwind of a blur, to be more accurate.  Which makes slowing the pace and coming back down to earth a tougher proposition than I'd like.  I think it'll be alright but sadly it'll be weeks before I find out.  In the meantime, back to taking photographs I suppose...

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Sometimes a casual snapshot surpasses the planned portrait.  This is one of my favourite candids so far!

Potw24

1 comment

It's strange when you're your own biggest critic, when you're the one heckling your work loudest, causing doubt and holding yourself back from who knows what.  It's the kind of attitude that really spurs you on to improve but then becomes incrementally more critical so you're never quite at the standard you're aiming for.  I suppose you could call it self-flagellating photography.

I needn't have feared, as reaction to early samples from the show has been very positive and I've now accepted that although I may not have covered everything over the weekend, what I have covered has been done bloody well indeed.  Perhaps when all this is done I may even be able to ask about next year...

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Well, Deva has been and gone.  The weather was fantastic, the show cars great, the atmoshere perfect and the entertainment top notch.  Sadly the photographer was lazy, insipid, short of fresh ideas, quite obviously distracted by his companion and possibly a little out of his depth at times.  This raises the question: am I actually a photographer or just someone who likes taking photos now and again? 

I don't doubt I can take a great picture, but can I do it consistently and in sufficient quantity when it's professional and not personal?  I just felt like when it really mattered this weekend I wasn't on top of my game and I hate letting people down, so it'll be an interesting week as I try and salvage something worth sending in. 

Anyway, here's an early favourite from the haul...

Potw23

2 comments

I've had no real time for photos the last few weeks.  Too busy sorting the bug, driving the bug, drinking, dating, holidaying and laughing to seriously take pictures.  Photography is my isolation and escape, my solo hobby and I've not been on my own much lately.  Consequently I'm not feeling quite so comfortable behind the lens as usual.

However, this weekend I'm an official photographer at the Deva Dubs 'n Rods Show so I suppose I'd better pull it together.  Lots of my friends will be there, lots of great cars and lots of entertainment, though I'll be expected to remain professional and produce the goods.  Personally I think the organisers are mad to trust me!

Keep your fingers crossed for good weather and I'll see you on the other side.  Here's my planet pano from last year's event... needs a logo in the middle or something.

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