Day XIX

Like the extra late collection just outside the Post Office and the melancholy music traditionally played at the end of a silence of rememberance, this is The Last Post.

Today's photograph takes my door (stripped of as much evidence of my alerations as possible) back home, back to its' humble industrial estate beginnings. A steel fence now stands blocking access where once my door would have stood to grant it.

Though a very simple photograph, this took far longer than expected to shoot. I had to wait, and wait (ad infinitum) until a car pulled up at the corner shop just aback the street and thoughtfully left the engine and lights running, this boosted my shutter speed to a stunning 1/6th at ISO3200 ... enough! I could have used Flash but, I'm stubbornly dedicated to using prevailing light ... natural or artificial, as long as it's there to be used with a modicum of bodging. That and I know that if I had given in, gone the easy route and used Flash, I would have been absolutely crucified as a hypocrite and never allowed to forget the day I, Owain John Anthony Cecil Dimas McDougal Shaw, used Flash and how I hate using Flash ... unless it's for cleaning the variety of surfaces found in the kitchen and bathroom!

Anyway, I thought it fitting to take the door back there for this final post; back to where it came from, as tomorrow I will be returning home to where I come from ...

Day XVIII

Today we fringe upon something vaguely related to one of the issues in Kelly's blog:


Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a sheet of falling MDF? No, it's the above photograph in Gert Lush High Resolution!

Recently, in my ever-increasing hours of evening boredom alone in my room, I have been prone to some comfort eating which was probably at its' worst yesterday evening and I initially thought when I woke up in the night feeling really sick, that this was to blame. Later I realised that the same thing had happened the last time I cooked the meal I ate yesterday so, that was probably it, but, I still don't think the comfort eating is a good thing! Now feel much less sick and have gone down the Domesticated Birds Scale of Sickness from "Parrott" to a level more like "Budgie" ...

Another little vice is bottles of Ale, I like the taste of Ale (in the absence of readily available Scrumpy) and there's probably a little bit of comfort drinking here but, at least how I justify it to myself (perhaps sub-consciously) is that it's to help me get off to sleep so I can be bright-eyed and awake in the mornings to greet Hugh!

Dragging some relevance to the world outside my room in, using a high-powered winch and a Land Rover: With societies many wrongs, ills and injustices sometimes comes the phrase "How do they sleep at night?" ... this was also a Horlicks advert. In relation to this and moreover my own matters of moment, the text for today reads: "Whatever helps you rest ..."

Day XVII

If you want to see this bigger, go here. If you don't, don't.

Spent a weekend doing very little more than watching Green Wing and a four-hour text exchange with Annie. Today's photograph of the corridor in my flat when everyone else has gone out is all to do with the fact that most of my time is now spent "Behind closed doors ..." ... how thrilling, in every possible way.

Day XVI

Owing to current shortage in the Tripod department, today's photograph took almost as long as one of my outdoor missions to complete, as it was a long struggle to get something on the upper end of the sharpness scale ... with my decision to shoot in near darkness and a prevailing shutter speed of close to one second, expecting something comparable to a Scalpel or a Chef's Kitchen Knife was out of the question but, I was determined to obtain something, at least, above the level of Primary School Scissors or a Plastic Knife from a disposable cutlery set. Something you wouldn't necessarily need a metal ruler and cutting mat for, but might need to have parental supervision to use when trying to replicate at home from the steps Neil Buchanan (Pat Sharpe would have been better for punning but, I have now fulfilled the urge to use his name in all this ...) shows you ... Anyway, the end result should look something like this:

Being mirrored and pretty much visible at the resolution in the image above, I haven't made this one available at Gert Lush High Resolution for closer textual inspection ... Sorry!

Today I'm feeling quite content, had an enjoyable night last night and despite not doing anything more than go to the shop (something which is often the answer to our problems, if the problem is a lack of food; or perhaps sugar, because you can buy a Creme Egg ...) today, I am still Feeling Strangely Fine.

I spent a lot of today struggling to think of something to write on the door actually; and one of the (more sensible*) possibilities was something I remembered having said to a friend: "Appreciate the good times, but don't take the worst for granted ..." and that leads to what toda''s text actually is: "Something I said ..." being relevant to me today and it's mirrored to show this reflection (... and thinking about things I've said to help other people and how I can think about them for myself ...) visually ... through a reflection.
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* Amongst other less sensible options put forward by my brain was: "Ancient Chinese Proverb say: Man with milk, not always man with cow ..." which does mean something ... in the context of a milk delivery at a supermarket ...

I'll leave it at that, before this becomes a non-sensical Tour De Force ... as opposed to a non-sensical Tour de France, run on Unicycles, perhaps with the opening stage held in London, England ... or something crazy like that ... !

Day XV

A bit like the now delightfully retro Semisonic album recently re-discovered in all its' glory, today I'm Feeling Strangely Fine. Nothing has changed drastically but, I always seem to enjoy myself in classes, looking forward to leaving my flat this evening too! Also, in a thrilling game of cat and mouse with the wind and clouds I narrowly managed to cheat Mother Nature out of a drenching ... 1-0! Back of the net!

As you've come to expect, and don't say I don't spoil you, like a recalcitrant camel travelling across the temperemental University internet, is the Gert Lush High Resolution image.

One of the things playing on my mind at the moment is the prospect of housing for next year and, to date, having nothing remotely sorted in that area. There's one nice possibility, but certainly nothing definitive and this is the most excited I've been able to get about the whole thing!

In the traditions of vaguely strapping this onto something current and relevant in the world (a bit like a bodged bicycle rack made out of some bungees ...), in my mind, at least, I've linked this to the general uncertainty surrounding most things in the world right now. The Environment, Energy resources, The Economy are all really quite unstable and unsure of where we might going at the moment. It isn't just these issues either. So, like almost everyone, if I stop to think about it: "I don't know where we are going now ..."

Day XIV

Whilst continuing with my downward spiral, I did do something positive and went back and had another chat with the driver of the buses that are parked on Haydn Road all day. He's a really nice bloke and was the first passer-by to really take an interest in what I've been doing. Was good to chat with him, probably did something for both of our days ...

Having not posted many links, I will post another with little or no relevance to Photography unless you really strain hard and look at the, simply excellent, Photoshop work as being linked to the issues of Documentary Truth. I'm posting it because it really made me chuckle, I give you, Dave Benson-Phillips as Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'.

Allowing you see every last rivetting detail is the Gert Lush High Resolution which can contain a double-decker bus, sideways.

Our text for today comes from the emotions of yesterday. Had an alright day; got up, did the door, did the blog, went to our Seminar, talked about Camera Lucida for a seemingly interminable amount of time and then even managed a semi-decent evening not really thinking about the negatives and just enjoying what came along, I was feeling quite good ... Until something got to me and I lost all calm.

The text is an ironic, modern-Pringlist reflection of the fact that (my music taste hasn't changed since I was 13 ... and) forgetting about or ignoring something will not make it go away. In the real world; outside my brain (the weapon of self-destruction that can launch in 45 minutes), this is most commonly seen with Global Warming; something the world and mass media (or mass media and the world, if you prefer), with the exception of the Guardian which is so environmentally conscious it's offices are a treehouse that also serves as a protest base for those opposed to the widening of the A303, seems to care little about until the next new report or study comes along showing how ineffective we have been at reducing emissions. It's suddenly headline news for about five minutes, maybe ten on Channel 4 or Newsnight, before something else comes along the next day and we forget about it again ... until it comes back.

"I guess if we ignore it, it'll probably go away ..."

Day XIII

Aiming for a slightly less depressing tone, today I'm still going for a summary of thought but, in a round-about way slightly more positive and one of the things that keeps me here, plodding along with things as they are ...

Short of the usual introduction, today's photograph in Gert Lush High Resolution lies just beyond the underlined words.

Our text today is once again and born of my modern-Pringlist education (and also an inability to stop listing to old Millencolin albums) and summarises thoughts along the lines of: No matter how much things aren't quite ideal here; if I weren't here it would be altogether worse as almost everyone I know and care about has gone away to University as well; those who haven't are in jobs for a year before they do go, and regularly state that they rarely see each other. It's brilliant when we all come back for the holidays but, it's not like that all the time and so today, with some nice mirror-like glass I am reflecting on the fact that: "The grass will never be greener on the other side ..." ...

Day XII

Ahem! Testing, Testing, One, Two, One, Two ... Let's go nuke Moscow! I shall start today's post, and this new week by detailing a few changes ...

Firstly, I changed the principle text on the door (after re-painting all the white bits to be in line with current Daz guidelines) to something a bit more obvious and engaging of the viewer/people who stare at me when I'm out doing this ...

Secondly, after something of a miserable weekend (mostly spent in my room feeling a bit sorry for myself, like a puppy with one of those daft collars on after an operation) I was somewhat lacking in motivation to do Newspapers today so I've decided to start using my door to express thoughts more personal. At the moment I am reflecting outwardly the affectations of my state of mind, but it may not be strictly limited to that ...

For a closer inspection of my stencilling skills, click to view in Gert Lush High Resolution the underlined words just back up there ...

Today's text is what modern Pringlists call a "neat little phrase" that in the best traditions of Herr Pringle covers a lot of things, over a long time, very concisely. It's also written upside-down, this was not due to an imbalance in my cochlear, it was, also in the most logical traditions of Herr P done for a reason ... That's enough about my former-German teacher, I'm starting to sound like Barthes bleating on about his mother!

"I want the world to turn upside-down again ..." is a reflection of the fact that a lot has changed in my world since starting University in October. Some of this is good, some bad. It seems that the good and the bad in my life have flipped around ...

Before, I was absolutely happy with my friends, with all aspects of my life apart from my Photography, which I avoided and was therefore not bothered by after a while, I just forgot about it as I did other things.

Now however, it is the opposite, after I leave the classrooms (where I am happy to be with the people in this group, and enjoy myself) I have nothing to engage myself with other than my work, which is at least now bringing me pleasure and satisfaction. That in itself most certtainly not a bad thing.

When I return home, the old friendships remain as they were and my old life returns. I fit back into it like my very worn shoes. I forget Photography quite happily and enjoy life with people, something I do all too little of here despite being on good terms with my flatmates and you good people of Photography. Everything flips around again ...

Day XI

Another day, another door!

Once again, available in Gert Lush High Resolution.

Today's story is courtesy of The Daily Telegraph and reads: "Teachers to ballot on strike over pay." so I've gone off to a school after "home time" when (almost) nobody is there and, for the second day running, borrowed a bin to prop my door up!

Got a weekend to dedicate my thoughts to possible alterations to this project; a new issue of the Ever-Lowering Standard; more of Camera Lucida and of course, to Stelios from Easyjet ... just thought he deserved a mention!

Day X

Today's sensual seminar explored the nuances of Newspapers and their various party pieces ... as well as Combine Harvesters! I was absolutely in my element!

To indulge those with a thirst for gratuitously large images, if not on this occasion show anything with much extra clarity, I continue to provide links to things (photographs mainly) in Gert Lush High Resolution ...

Today's headline is courtesy of The Independent (or 'Indescribably Boring' to Hugh) and, as you may or may not remember, reads: "Freedom for Gaza (but for one day only)" with the story being about the temporary breach of the border between Palestine's 'Gaza Strip' (not an adult establishment despite what you may read in the Daily Star, infact mere allusion to that is probably enough to put me in Hamas' bad books ...) and Egypt.

The location is an indescript industrial estate car-park with a one-way system 'in play' and the words 'No Exit' conveniently placed there for me. Ironically, I was asked to leave because the security guard wanted to close the gates and end my time within their borders ...