Most useful photographic accessory….

Gothenburg Lanterns

are feet. I forget which photographer said this, during a lecture, but I know what he was getting at. In this day and age everyone is a photographer. And I know that everyone doesn’t aspire to be a professional, but still it is a shame to see people not taking the best photo they could. Walking a little closer to the subject could help , for example. Or actually standing still to take the photo. Moving photos are a whole genre to themselves, but I don’t think that’s what the tourist in a hurry is aiming for.

The second useful thing is a good supply of patience. Working with Polaroids really requires this – because there are only so many shots you consider and reconsider whether a shot is just how you want it. This does mean, on occasion that you have to stand in one spot for half an hour or longer, waiting for the conditions to be right. Either for the light to change or for a street to be empty of people.  For me , Polaroid is the camera equivalent of “slow food” – quite ironic since it started out as the fast version !

And at the risk of repeating myself, I am still very impressed with the improvement that using a monopod brings. I can probably hear a little voice out there saying ” I told you so “.

It seems too bare to post without adding a photo, so I am just having to add images from the archive . This is probably my favourite photo from the Gothenburg series.

PS – Still on my travels – after big train ride from Sibiu am back in Budapest now. Had reviving morning at the Gellert baths and now ready to take some more photos.

Sibiu and the other cities – how did I choose them ?

Rome in the Rain

While I am in my “little updates from the road” mode I thought I’d answer this as I am frequently asked this question.

There were several things that triggered this project in the first place and one element was to use the Polaroid film I had left in an interesting way. However, I didn’t want to retrace my steps and photograph cities where I had already taken a lot of Polaroids. For this reason Edinburgh wasn’t included. Or Lisbon or even Dublin – all cities with great appeal.

In the end the choice came down to a mixture of cities that I already knew well and others that would be new to me . I think it would have been pretty hard work to photograph 12 unknown cities in this way. It was hard enough to keep up with the preparation as it was, not to mention the languages.

I also was trying for a bit of a north/ south  “old’ and ‘new’ Europe mix. There was only one city that I wasn’t totally keen on photographing ( I’ll not name names to stay diplomatic ) and interestingly this city was much harder to do. The one non negotiable city , from the outset, was Sibiu.

From my first visit to this city , a VERY long time ago,  I adopted Sibiu as “my” Romanian city. Its not really something I can explain. I’ve never had the luxury of so much time here as this trip though – in the past it was always just a quick day or so, maybe 2 nights when I was doing the tours here.

 So it has been  a real pleasure to see the city doing so well. I’ll do a  fuller post on Sibiu in due course.

As before, photo from the blog archive. Its raining so heavily I really couldn’t choose anything else !

Teeny weeny update from Sibiu

Don’t have very long online so this will be a very unpolished update – I’ll polish it up a bit the first chance I have a bit longer online.

Mainly I’ve been impressed with just how easy the trip to Romania has been so far. The last time I came here by train  was 10 years ago and crossing the border was a real carryon – So  I was slightly dreading how it would be this time. Hurray – quick look at passport , nothing else. In other respects I’ve felt quite nostalgic about my trip from 10 years ago – but this aspect was a real improvement !

Sibiu was also City of Culture 2007 and I think this must have speeded up a lot of the renovation work. Mostly I think it has been done very nicely – a few things are a bit of a pity. The changes to some of the distinctive dormer windows in the main square alters the character a little and I think the main square has lost a little character too, mainly from the removal of a row of trees. But on the other hand it has become a very accessible pedestrian area linking to the main street which is also pedestrian now and gives plenty of room for the cafes to spill out onto the street.

Weather reports have been for torrential rain most days – fortunately in practice this seems to mean sunshine , with spells of rain. Even so , it does mean I’ve been working hard to do as many P0laroids as I can while it is bright and dry.  If I can get my quota done by tomorrow or Monday then I plan to take a bus to a little village on the edge of town and do some more rural shots too.

Well, noone came to claim the computer , so my update isn’t that short after all. It is liable to change though, when I have a bit more time.

Budapest – a little update.

Performers from the Edinburgh Fringe 2007

So, city number 10. I am slowly getting towards the final run. I thought that Budapest might be quite a gentle city to do – I have been here before and already have my bearings. Or so I thought. Actually I realise that I don’t know the city that well after all – a lot has changed in the 7 or so years since I last came. And my routine in those days followed quite a fixed pattern so that I knew a particular route pretty well – even giving a city tour !

I had  also not bargained on the weather gods. Today was positively torrential. The forecast is for more of the same for the next four days – possibly alternated with merely light showers.  Polaroid does not like dark gloomy conditions. And Artistic TZ is particularly unimpressive in such circumstances. 

Still, on one of my forays into a  Budapest bookshop (of which there are many, and thankfully most have foreign language sections ) I read a little from the book of Polaroids made by Andre Kertesz. He is a  favourite photographer, and near the end of his life , after the loss of his wife, he started to experiment with the “new fangled” Sx70 camera.  The results he achieved with very limited material are amazing and I will be buying a copy of the book when I get home. Interestingly there is a comment in the book that , although he was frustrated by the limitations of Polaroid film , he felt you should become familiar with the limitations of your camera and then work at the edges of these limitations.

Btw-  a little photo from the archive to accompany this post as I can’t add photos en route.  Just a little taster for the festival atmosphere that will be hitting Edinburgh in about a month. ( Well, the film festival is already in full swing )

- Little Tuesday update – Weather Gods happy again – the sun came out ! I took advantage and worked flat out.  Took loads of shots, all kinds of Polaroid film from expired to very expired to Artistic TZ. Possibly too much information if you aren’t a photographer !   The expired film came out dark and was very squishy but the ATZ  looks pretty good so far – not green and manipulated really nicely. I concentrated on the Buda side today , since that is where my hotel is for this part of the trip – I did get  completely lost at one point and walked for what seemed like miles. The one good thing is that if you go down hill then you do come to the Danube again at some point.

I’ve been using a terrific guide book by Andras Torok  ( 2007 edition) – Budapest – A Critical Guide . It isnt’ showing up on amazon for this edition but it is worth trying to track down if you are coming to Budapest. I’ve used a previous edition (1997) and so I was delighted to find he had updated it. I have read a lot of guide books and this one is up there in my top two favourites.

Five on a Friday

Black and White Bluebells

Apologies for the late appearance of this post. I am in full “trip preparation ” mode – and things get a little hectic. None the less, I know that if I let a week slip off the radar it will be harder to pick up again. So here are another five.

The book of Happy Endings. This is just a wee gem of a book. Short stories – so they’re perfect to just pick and read one at a time. In fact, I enjoyed the book so much that I did do this, just to spread the enjoyment. They are all based on real stories as researched by the author and retold in her own style.  One of the particularly touching stories ,”Hungarian Kiss” ,was even influenced by the book afterwards.

Heading further east, I was reminded of this singer, Souad Massi,  this week , when I was discussing synchronicity with a friend. I’d loved this Algerian singer’s music for a while, and though she is based in France, hadn’t managed to hear her in concert. A couple of years ago I was travelling by train to London and making one of those “Artist Way” inspired lists of “20 things I want to do in the next 12 months” – and one of them was  to see her perfom live – wherever in Europe I’d need to go. As advised by a regular Scotland to London traveller ,Creative Voyage , I’d bought my copy of Time Out at the station before departure. And, you’ve guessed it,  discovered she was performing in London the very next day, and as if that wasn’t enough, about 5 minutes from my hotel .

I didn’t manage to visit this artist’s shop,  Rob Ryan ,while I was in London – it only opens at the weekends – but his work is wonderful. Very distinctive , and often gracing book covers, his  designs are paper cuts – but of an intricacy that is astonishing. Nice interview with him here . One of these days I’m going to save up for one of his prints.

Edinburgh is slowly getting busier – the film festival is on just now, having moved from the August slot . And for the next two months the crowds will keep piling in. Although not exactly a secret, this cafe – No 28 Charlotte Square  run by the National Trust for Scotland  -  is slightly hidden and provides  an oasis of calm, even when the Book festival is in full swing  just across the road. There is a lovely little outdoor section right at the back if you are there on a sunny day.

Finally, always good to highlight an Etsy favourite. I love this accordion print from Etsy shop  “Roadside”  run by Jayme McGowan. Her technique of prints based on 3D installations is quirky and original.  I bought this print a while ago and also one of her cards – but I’m not sure if I’ll ever send it to anyone !

Please to add your own “Five on a Friday” in the comments or on your blog – let me know and I’ll come and visit.

Also, I’m thinking about doing an edition of some of my prints in black and white, following on from a request – what do you think ?

Flickr Favourites

Green and Orange

1. Green, 2. flower, 3. flower, 4. <bring bring

Created with fd’s Flickr Toys

 

Oh dear, the mosaic tool and the colour picker are just too much fun to use.  Have a busy day ahead, but couldn’t resist playing along again this week with Mitsy’s Flickr Favourites.  This didn’t turn out how I intended at all, but that is part of the fun, to see where playing with the colours will lead you. I’d say orange and green is pretty low on my list of preferred colour combinations so  I was surprised to see that this is how my choice evolved today.   You can play along as well and leave a link on her site.

Treasuries…

I do like doing treasuries – its like creating your own little gallery. And they are somehow quite meditative to complete – and very easy to do when you use the poster sketch tool. I think they are a crucial element of Etsy and one of the factors that help to build a strong community.

I managed to do two today one at the “normal”  Treasury  with a Polaroid theme and one at Treasury West - with a more girly flavour.

12 City Project – Istanbul

Istanbul - 12 City Project.

A quick glimpse at some of the work in progress. Istanbul is city number 9 in my series of 12. I particularly wanted to include this city to provide a bit of real contrast with the Western European cities. In each city I have tried to photograph one or two very recognisable locations , but apart from that have shot images purely for their personal appeal.  This has revealed an interesting aspect – that many cities are not immediately identifiable, once you are away from the iconic spots. Maybe some of the photos from Istanbul will also fall into this category. However most of them have a very clear sense of place.

I particularly like this shot because it was my view for breakfast every day, and also the roof terrace where I did all the manipulations in the evening. Supplied with cups of tea by the kind hotel staff and with a gentle breeze coming in off the sea.

As well as processing my images from this trip I am also already preparing for the next 2 cities Budapest and Sibiu at the end of June/beginning of July.

Five on a Friday

I’m enjoying compiling these “Five on a Friday” blog posts – and glad to see your contributions too.  It just seems a nice way to make unexpected discoveries.

Being in Istanbul has reminded me of one of my favourite books – Ali and Nino by Kurban Said. This is a beautifully written tale, set in Baku in the run up to the first world war. A love story between the Muslim Ali and Georgian Christian Nino, it gives a fascinating insight into the traditions and history of the region.

Karine Polwart - A scottish singer songwriter with a real gift for writing gently inspiring songs. One of them has even been adopted by a lot of primary schools here as a kind of school anthem – “I’m gonna do it all” from the album “Scribbled in Chalk” . I’ve been known to sing it to myself if I feel I need a bit of a reminder . An engaging performer live too – I’m hoping I’ll manage to get along to her performance in Edinburgh this summer.

 Well, the “Five” seem to be taking a mostly Scottish flavour this week, so sticking with that , the classic Scottish film Gregory’s Girl from 1981. Very well known, since it was made so long ago, but if you’ve never seen it , then it will be a wee treat for you.

Tunnocks Tea cakes and caramel wafers - two classic Scottish biscuits – they seem to have stood the test of time , even though they are hardly the healthiest choice. They are as much symbols of Scotland as Irn Bru and whisky. I’ve also discovered a wonderful Scottish designer and illustrator, Will Freeborn , who just happens to have done sketches of these famous biscuits in his journal and is selling prints  of them on Etsy.

 And if you are going to be in Edinburgh then Tiger Lily is an interesting place to go for coffee or a cocktail. A quirky interior with shiny mirror mosaics and a hefty dose of very bright pink – but also a calmer area with huge cane chairs.

Thanks for joining in with your Five on a Friday – I’ve enjoyed reading them . Add yours in the comments or write a blog post and I’ll come and visit.

Also do check a couple of posts back and see if you were one of the winners of the giveaway that I ran in May.

Etsy Spotlight

Etsy Spotlight week 2

The second in my series of posts putting some other Etsy sellers in the spotlight. This week’s selection has , by accident rather than design, rather a jewellery theme.

First up is a very unusual Rose brooch by Meltem who is from Istanbul. I love the quote she has in the accompanying description -

” The great Anatolian philosopher, mystic poet Mevlana says
“You consist of thought. The rest remaining is the flesh and bone. You become rose garden if you think of rose, you become thorn patch if you think of thorn” “

* Note – I was curious to fnd out more about Mevlana – turns out it is the poet better known as Rumi to Western readers.

The design also has very interesting echoes with the shape of the celtic pins used to attach tartan shawls in the past.

Next an unusual scroll ring by Studio618 – I love the lightly hammered finish. 

A nicely made map pendant by MadMaggieDesigns - this particular one  is of Cornwall. Her suggestion is to use them in your own jewellery pieces.

And finally a pretty silver beaded bookmark with “Hope” stamped onto a silver tag by TKDesigns. That kind of gentle reminder can never go wrong.