Some things improve, some get worse.

The prints I ordered came through, very pleased with them. And now I can totally recommend Peak Imaging. Had a few issues to start with involving print sizes and dpi, a little apprehensive because of this, last thing I wanted was to blow £100 on posters to find them the wrong colour, all pixeled or cropped incorrectly. Turns out saving everything as a large JPEG was a good idea.

As for delivery time. What delivery time? I barely finished the order before they showed up. All I can guess is they must have an artistic future teller on stand by, he knew what I wanted before I did. Must cross his palm with silver when I see him.

And then for the framing, I had to get them safe and sound behind glass (or plastic as is the case), the law of sods would get me eventually, there’s only so long I can handle A3 prints before I bugger it up and scratch them. Or drip coffee on them. Or have them trampled on by involving myself in drunken shenanigans. And so, the quest began for some frames, solution? Wilkinsons. Bless all the little students, thanks to the shops having moving in and starting term deals I was able to get 7 frames for around £36. A lot better than the £40 price I was quoted per frame somewhere else. Mind, they were going to clean the glass for a small charge as well. Maybe when I’m rich and famous, but in the meantime, plastic will suit me just fine thanks.

Last hurdle was picking the prints I wanted framed, and I still don’t know if I’ve made the right choices. Lesson learned, pick the prints I want ‘before’ I order them. Although, I think I have Christmas presents sorted thanks to my error.

Now the only thing left to do, is hang my offerings for all to see.

I’ve spoken to the manager of Tilley’s Bar, and I don’t think I’ve heard anyone sound so positive before in my life, also, he didn’t have a white beard. Unexpected considering his name. Turns out I may have a window of opportunity, the next artist hasn’t completed his work for display yet, and the current work has been up for some time, meaning its due for being taken down. So cue Dave, I will not stand for bare walls! And I have wanted my work up in this particular bar for some time, I’m not as regular as some people who visit the place, but it’s my favourite watering hole in town, seeing my photographs on show would make me smile. So damn hard.

There was even talk about having the open night sponsored by a drinks company. Free crate of Duvel? Now that’s how you bring in a crowd.

If all this fails however I will need another plan, and I have a few ideas, nothing concrete yet but at least I’m being proactive. Sort of.

Posters for sale!

Prints sure aren’t cheap, and then I still need some frames for each. Lets hope this plan pays off.

I decided a while back that I want to get my work displayed somewhere, something akin to an exhibition, it just seems like the right thing to do. Sure I have Flickr, and this here blog, but despite the surprising number of views I just don’t think it’s enough. No offence intended. I cant help but feel that should the right people see what I have to offer, something opportunistic could come from it.

Initially this didn’t mean anything to do with monetary gain, the thought has always been in the back of my mind however, who wouldn’t like the idea of being paid for doing something they really enjoy. And after the wad of cash handed over for the prints to even come close to this chance, I sure hope someone helps a soon to be hungry Dave out.

On a slightly related note. I managed to find yet more photos from my earlier days of shooting. The sheer amount is daunting, but just try to make me delete them. I have a plan to post the unedited versions here at a later date, I don’t think I should post them under he Pocky Pic title, but maybe more as a poll. Maybe an X Factor of photography, X Photker? No, that doesn’t work. But the winners live, the losers. Most likely headed for the recycle bin.

If I get any opinions at all that is. Otherwise. I’ll work something out.

Harmonious Harmonica Honed Horrendously.

Alliteration baby, its the future.

As some people may know, I have picked myself up a shiny new harmonica, two actually. Much to the disdain of my co-workers, except one, who salivates and stares, hindering my progress. But when I get a moment to myself I blow and suck like there’s no tomorrow, and thankfully I neither blow nor suck! (negatively speaking). I’m not blowing my own trumpet here, but I find it a fairly simple instrument to just pick up and make noises that sound pretty darn nice, it has so many things going for it.

-It’s small, so I can take it with me wherever I go.

-It isn’t too complicated for a begginer.

-As mentioned already, great sound, you cant help but feel like your in a dusty bar in the wild west.

-And cheap! Yeah, I’m not jumping in at the pricey end for starting, but name another instrument so cool for less than £10.

It gives me a good feeling, like this is something I want to keep doing. All too often my hobbies find their way into Narnia. I have a guitar, bass and set of drums, all sat in my cupboard. I like to pretend there’s a lion back there rocking out with some kings and queens. Roar(k) music. But they aren’t getting this any time soon, its just too much fun. And besides, the lion might get his mane caught in the metal, I keep catching my moustache in it, and yeow. It isn’t pleasant.

The other thing keeping me going, is having a goal to strive for. For now I can play the odd part of the odd song and the whole of Frodo and Samwise’s slo-mo orgy soundtrack. But what I want to play, is this.

For those that don’t know, this song is played on the anime Cowboy Bebop, during an episode called Sympathy for the Devil. Just watch it, it’s great.

Pocky Pic #6

I have been told this is my best photo. So not sure why it wasn’t Pocky Pic number 1, but here it is, better late than never.
It was taken in Leazes Park some time last year, well, since its cherry blossom you can probably guess it was spring. What made this different for me was the fact I adjusted the colours in the exact opposite way that I am used to. Pretty much all photos before this had whacked out contrast and would normally be pretty vibrant. But here, I tried a much more muted tone.
Shot on a 50mm at 1.4 and about as close as the lens would focus. I like it!
Looks like something you could buy on canvas at IKEA though.

There wasn’t enough time, so I made more of it.

The morning. My waking nightmare. The time where the whole world forces me to go against my very being.

I want to be in bed.

I don’t sleep too easily, I often stay up well past 12 finding tedious things to occupy myself, web comics, videos, music, or updating a blog. For example. But when I finally decide on sleep it simply wont come, I understand there has to be a cooling down period, a time where all thoughts of tomorrow are swept away and the day before is cast into memory. But try as I might, an easy sleep eludes me.

It’s the constant gibberish that makes its way into my mind that keeps me awake, there is no shut down, one minute I’m thinking up new one liner jokes (which are swiftly forgotten). The next it’s an idea for what I consider a fantastic piece of art (last night was the thought of encasing intertwining strings inside a perspex cube). How does someone ever sleep with a world of random bouncing around like this? My solution, imagine the next day as if you had a super power. Works every time.

This explains why one day I say I want night-time and sunrise photos, but end up with none. My bed when I finally get to sleep, is the nicest place on Earth. And I will fight tooth and nail before I leave it. Recently however, this cycle was broken. I had an awful sleep, as usual, but I was out of the house near 2 hours early for work, camera on my back. I felt so sick of wanting, but not doing. So, I did. Sunrise was missed (just) but I didn’t care, I was out before most and cycling along, barely awake and planning on capturing images of people in the same state. This didn’t happen, but I might have got a very nice picture of a lamppost in the morning sun.

The point is, I managed to get up, get out and get some photos. And for that alone I’m pleased. I can whine about having no time (rhyme), but in the end, I can sleep when I’m dead. Problem with that is I bet memory foam wont feel so comfy.

Please.. no more water references.

In the search for some of my favorite photos to share with long time blogger Al, I found myself swimming, no. Drowning in a sea of forgotten images.

The move from laptop to brand new desktop left my entire collection scattered among the music, documents and general tat that occupies my worryingly poor performance external hard drive, the banks of this alarmingly deep lagoon. Except if these banks burst the data won’t just get out. It will disappear.

And as I swam to the surface, gasping for air I would find an appealing photo bobbing near me. After dragging it to shore and performing the necessary first aid this photograph has a second chance at life.

If I could avoid it I wouldn’t use anymore water based metaphors, but going through these long forgotten files made all the memories come flooding back. I’m trying to use my camera more and more, but in doing so I’m leaving more and more behind.

Time for a salvage mission.

Pocky Pic #2-5

I never enjoyed going to Sunderland much as a kid, then I never really knew why. But the whole place just feels miserable, to me at least. Everyone out shopping seemed perfectly content on such a grey cloudy day, then again most people I saw were in the main shopping centre, its as though all the time and effort has been concentrated into making that area acceptable, and the rest left to fend for itself.

Which is a huge shame, because I passed some areas that could be really appreciated. A bridge over a grassy area surrounded by white cliffs maybe 30-40 foot up and looking out onto the river. At one end of the bridge you had a huge fenced off wasteland filled with asbestos warning signs and at the other, a B+Q.

Now I’m not having a go, the photographs I take seem to lead me to places like this, so maybe I don’t show places for what they are truly worth. But I haven’t felt so down just stepping into a city before.

That being said, I’m sure the night-life is fantastic!

Now with added bag!

The plan was simple, but the execution, awful.

 

Its been some time since I have done any low light/night photography, so with having Sunday off I decided to get a nice nights sleep, wake up before the sunrise, and snap away. Those who know me may think this preposterous. “Dave? Awake?!” But I assure you, awake I was at 3:10am no less. Yet here’s the thing, I didn’t stay awake and so at no later than 3:11am I was tucked away in dream land for another 5 hours, being chased by Elvis impersonating gangsters I should say. That’ll teach me.

 

And here I am now, 8:45 and gulping my first drink of the day, Morrisons value tea with added bag. No milk so I’m on coffee whitener, I think it adds.. something, mainly just white. I’m planning on today being quite long as far as taking photos is concerned, so once I get a packed lunch sorted I’m off on my merry way.

 

The current semi-plan is to catch the metro to Sunderland. The last time I took a single photo there I was using the trusty (not rusty) Pentax K1000, shame I lost the negs from those days, it would be good to look them over and see how my style may have changed or improved (hopefully). That was the first time I really wished for a digital, I remember passing some building work somewhere off from the main station, it was winter, and one of those cool clear evenings. Someone was cutting on the second floor scaffolding behind the green safety mesh, and sparks were raining down onto the path below. It looked like snow passing a street light, but 100x times brighter. And there I am, wrong film, wrong ISO, wrong lens and in a hurry to get to work. I took the shot, but all I remember of it was a severe disappointment. Would having a digital have made any difference? I could have tweaked near anything afterwords, so maybe,  but I tell you what.

 

Anyone who uses film, in the past or presently, maximum respect. I simply don’t have the patience and foresight to pull it off. Save for a couple of nutjobs, you all rock.

 

Teas gone, time to roll.

Pocky Pic #1

So here we have the first picture uploaded to the blog.

The first thing I should say is this was primarily a test shot, trying out a new lens, the 70-300mm VR. Now for years I’ve had a zoom lens, but nothing too great, and fairly old. Sharpness was an issue. Also, I’ve not had a stabilised lens, so all in all this seems like a sound replacement.

As for whats going on in this shot. Pile of wood. More detail? A building in the middle of town, which for as long as I know has never been open, is finaly being knocked down. Just up from the Tyne Bridge and near the woeful Linekers Bar you’ll find buildings not too different to something you might find from I Am Legend. Should you pass by at night I’m certain you’ll meet some of the characters from the same film. But yes, one of he concrete monsters is being gutted, and like a team of wombles all the waste seems sorted into neat(ish) piles. There was even a pile of books, all identical, mixed among mounds of bricks. Interesting? Kinda. Worth a read? I doubt it.

A serious contender?

A new Nikon micro camera announced. I thought it would be worth considering, use my current lenses, smaller body, all that jazz. But I could in theory get the same if not better results on a Sony compact. And I havn’t bought that yet.

No, I think I fell into the new things trap. If I want the quality I’m after, in a smaller size, I’ll just get a basic SLR. Or talk about doing such a thing at least.

Sticking with the photo talk I have given a selection of pictures to be displayed on a friends blog, before I even post a single of one here. Great news for me as even someone looking at anything I’ve done gives me a certain level of pride, but to see some other artists work sampled by mine makes me a tad less confident.

I don’t consider myself a great photographer, and compared to a lot of the pictures I have seen on the site. Well you get the idea. But I tell you what, it makes me want to get out and shoot. And anything that makes me think that, is awesome.