367-50 Week 52

Technically, the last full week of my 365 project. There's a lump in my throat right now, I can tell you.

5/11/12

So Monday opens with my big girl Siobhan exhibiting her cross stitch at the Oh Yeah centre in Belfast. No free drink, no nibbles and the exhibits were hung in the hallway outside the toilets. No-one was there which was a pity since much of the work on show was really very impressive. Vonnie's stuff was (as always) top notch and I was well impressed with the pictures submitted by Mark Reihill.

6/11/12

Almost forgot to take a shot today. Maybe this should be a competition - identify what this household object is and you can win a prize. It's a macro shot, taken with a Nikor 60mm and the object was found in my kitchen. Rude answers will be ignored.

7/11/12

Been a while since I went orbing. Had a spectacular shot planned but due to rain Sarah and I headed off to the tunnels which run under the railway tracks at Holywood. We both got a few half-decent shots and Sarah even managed to make her first ever circular orb, using her own camera on self-timer, tripod and using a long exposure.

8/11/12

Larne today again, but I think someone might have been trying to send me a message. This was the sight that greeted me as I walked out to my car at lunchtime.

9/11/12

I'm tempted to make this another "what is this" question. This is the contents of my daughter's coat pockets, emptied before I put it in the washing machine. There are: 12 assorted sweet wrappers, six doggy poo bags, one empty tub of sweets, three christmas crackers, 27p in small change, 5 used tissues, 2 hair bands and one elastic band. There was also some other stuff that can only be described as "unidentified."

10/11/12

The wee  men have been absent for a while. Today they came out to do some mountaineering in the kitchen. At one stage I managed to superglue my hands to the kitchen worktop and also glue lengths of thread to my hands.

11/11/12

Last batch of head shots for Belfast Roller Derby this afternoon, and this is the wonderful Trixie Toxin. All shots are now processed and available on dropbox for use on the BRD website and in the programme for the next bout at the end of the month. This was a big job. Hopefully within the next couple of weeks there will be a feature in the Belfast Telegraph on the team and it looks like they will be using my shots for the article.

So there goes the last full week of the 367-50 project. Four days left to do, so the next and last update from the project won't be that hard to do.

367-50 Week 30

Silence descended this week, a silence I can only best describe as "uneasy." It's strange, but when you're shouting/being shouted at you yearn for silence and then when you have silence you yearn for shouting.

What's that you say - this is a photography blog - get on with it? OK. I've made a slight change to the look of the blog over the last couple of weeks. I think that the black background works better with photographs? Double Bank Holiday this week for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Guess I should get out there and record it. My arse. As a fervent anti-royalist and republican (not the IRA-type, the not having a Queen type) the whole thing just seems like a monumental waste of time, money and energy.

4/05/12

I did however take the dog for a walk this morning to discover the Family Fun Day at Stormont. Lots of families, very little fun. They'd even wheeled Uncle Hugo in to present his show live just to make sure that no-one enjoyed the day. Had a nice walk, met a an old friend from University days and we had a bit of a natter and a cup of coffee. I still can't figure how she looks twenty years younger than me when we were in the same year at Queens. Damn. Anyway, I started thinking about doing something with the wee men - it's been a while. I also started thinking again about Slinkachu's approach where he creates "installations" of a kind by gluing the figures in place and leaving them there. That evening, armed with a box of random wee men and a tube of superglue, I returned to Stormont, a plan hatching in my little brain. I set about six scenes up around the paths and they turned out really well. I also made sure to take the type of establishing shot that shows the placement of the pieces a little more. I love the depth of field in this shot, but I got some other pretty good shots too. Shall we try to make it a wee men week? I think so.

5/06/12

I visited Stormont this morning, to find that five of my six set-ups from the previous evening were still there. On the way home I saw the empty bus shelter and had this idea. I waited until it was late afternoon/evening and the light was dimming before attempting this shot - the car headlights are a nice addition.

Later that evening, on my way home around 8pm, I passed the bus stop and there were two people waiting for a bus. And the wee men were still where I'd left them.

6/06/12

Took the box of wee men and my tube of superglue to work today. At the side of our wonderfully named office ("The Chalet") is a wall which is in the process of falling down. There is a line of bricks standing out from the main wall, and it looked perfect for two little walkers to stand on an survey the landscape. I sort of envisage the lady saying "one day son, all of this will be yours......." of maybe "I can see your house from here."

7/06/12

Ok - it's not a whole week of wee men, my apologies if you're devastated. I was working in Slemish College, Ballymena this afternoon when the whole school emptied at 2.30 because the Olympic Torch was coming along the Larne Road. It was raining and not the warmest, but I took my camera and took a few shots. One of the school staff (bear in mind I've only worked with the school for four years) asked me what paper I worked for. Every bloody togger in Northern Ireland seems to have taken a photo of the torch on it's travels, so I guess I didn't want to be left out. Once in a lifetime opportunity and all that.

8/06/12

Damn if I'd didn't sidetrack myself from more wee men shots. Went off to shoot the Fresh Meat intake session for Belfast Roller Derby this evening. Fresh meat means new recruits, by the way. Great fun was had by all, and coming from someone who does Aikido, falling over has never looked like so much fun. There's a real family feel to BRD and seeing daughter number 2 giving it a crack this evening was amazing. The session was run by the extremely able Lil' Miss Guttersnipe, who even had a hug for me at the end of the evening. BRD travel to Dundee tomorrow for a bout - how I wish I was going with them!

9/06/12

Back to my photographic desecration of Stormont. This slightly germanic-looking mom-and-pop set up has lasted the longest. It was still there today, and this must be due to them being placed under a barbecue stand on a picnic table. The fact that it's rained all week might also have something to do with it.

10/06/12

This guy has a certain something - the confident stride, the way his head is turned, the path bending and fading out of focus behind him. I'm not sure what it is but I do like this this shot. The colours work quite well - greens and blues seem to be quite pleasing for some reason. I've enjoyed getting back to the wee men this week. The idea of actually putting them somewhere and then leaving them has also been an interesting exercise. By today (i.e. Sunday) of my original seven pieces, only two remain in place. What happened to the others? Guess thats why it gets interesting.

Post-script
I think that one other thing that I've learned from this week and the wee men shots is that my previous preferred macro lens (Sigma 105mm f2.8) is not as good in terms of sharpness and colour rendition as the second hand Nikkor 60mm f 2.8 I picked up about a month back. Anyone interested in a second-hand Sigma 105mm give me a shout (michaelbarbour902@btinternet.com). It's in a nice zippy padded pouch and hasn't see much abuse. Pretty good condition all round - make me an offer.

367-50 Week 28

Week 28 has arrived. It's funny to think that there are over 700 views each months on this blog and no-one bothers to leave a comment. This is, after all, the internet where opinions are like assholes - everybody has one. I thank you.

Things continue to be fraught and I continue to be a mess. I start back to work on Wednesday and am not sure if I'm ready for it or fit for it. Hopefully I'll get at least a day of mooching around the office answering e-mails and catching up on 'phone messages before I have to go near other human beings. I'm going to concentrate on portraits this week, and specifically family portraits. For reasons that I'm sure I don't need to explain.

21/05/12

Monday morning - I had suggested to my sister that she might like to get some shots of her on her big flash 500cc motorbike. We tried some panning shots on a country road and some posed shots in a car park.  I liked this one - it's less about the motorbike and more about my sister. It was hell getting her look at or near the camera and stop blinking.
Since the shit hit the fan (so to speak) Sharon has amazed me - she stopped talking long enough to listen, understood why I was so worked up (today particularly), sympathised and generally stepped up to the plate for me. Given that we generally can't stand to be around each other for too long, that was pretty amazing. She's not a bad spud, once she stops talking.

22/05/12

I loved this shot of Conor the moment I saw it on my computer screen. He's a talented young man, a wonderful artist, smart, funny as hell and great fun to have around. He's also miserable and spends a lot of time feeling down, unhappy and anxious. Today it was anger and anxiety, the splint being a result of the former. I've always felt that I've failed Conor in so many respects, and never felt like he got enough of my time. Now when he needs someone to lean on, I'm so messed up with my own problems I feel like I can't give him the time and attention he needs. He's a sensitive lad and I think he's soaking up my low mood like a son-shaped sponge. He's trying to talk and I need to try to listen. I wonder how much of Conor's unhappiness is a result of things I have done or failed to do?

23/05/12

My eldest, Siobhan, who is now 23. I was married and had Siobhan by the time I was 26. That's scary. Siobhan has been a rock for me lately, always there to listen to my shite, prop me up when I needed it and tell me the hard truth when it was required. She's made sure I'm not on my own too much but gives me space. I've missed seeing as much of Siobhan as I have recently. She's always been special - some of my fondest memories are of looking after her when she was tiny and her mum was back at work. God but I loved that time when it was just her and me and there wasn't a problem in the world couldn't be solved by a story or a song - usually about dinosaurs. She's now in the position of trying to look after her father. She doesn't like photos of herself, by and large. I hope she likes that one.

24/05/12

One of the strangest requests when taking a shot of someone has to be "don't make me look like a chipmunk." This is daughter the second, Katie. Katie and I lived together through thin and thinner for just over four years. We haven't been talking too much (or maybe at all) for a while but this evening we made a start on at least flagging up the sore points. And smoking rollies in the back garden. Katie has a sharp tongue but a good heart. Katie is also a stunningly beautiful girl who does not look like a chipmunk. She's smart and studies stuff at QUB that I can't even spell. Internal parasites anyone? Of all my children she's the one who looks most like her mother and least like me, but hey, you can't have everything.

25/05/12

My youngest child, and a little ray of sunshine in my life. Sarah is possibly the most resilient child in the world. Alway cheerful (although that worries me at times) and always wanting to talk and do stuff. She keeps me busy, keeps me on my toes and is always ready with a hug.

26/05/12

This is a slightly off-centre portrait of s slightly off-centre lady. My auntie Carole is a bone fide one-of-a-kind. One of the most generous people you'll ever meet, always looks out for those close to her and always tries to do the right thing. Carole is my late mum's younger sister - she left the little town we all grew up in to join the RAF and saw the world at least three times. Failed relationshops, divorces, deaths - she took it all as life threw it at her. As Uncle Colin would put it, she is a "card carrying alcoholic" who represents the drinking gene in our family as passed down by my grandfather, through Carole, to me. Shapeless and very bad drunks all of us.
Carole cares, and her flamboyance can put people off at times, but she was one of the few people who understand what I was saying to her and could actually empathise with what I was saying without taking sides or making judgements. All before the sun had gotten above the yard arm. Who else would hand you an envelope containing 100 brand new and sequential £5 notes on a whim?

27/05/12

Last shot of the week meant a trip to visit my dad. When the sun comes out, my father wastes no time and strips off, sits in the sun and burns himself until he is the colour of a lobster. Since the football season has ended, we were actually able to talk about stuff. He liked the copy of Sarah's school photo I'd sent him and was keen to hear about our stall at the car boor sale this morning. I joke about my dad because he doesn't like to talk about sensitive or difficult things that involve feelings. Partly that's down to his personality (quiet, taciturn and solitary) and partly due to him being a product of his generation. Born in the 1940's he (I think) is one of a genration of men who simply don't talk about they feel or like to listen to someone else talk about they'e feeling. However, he's always constant and you always know what to expect. There have been times in my adult life where he was quick to offer a bed when it was needed, and he adores all his grandchildren, even if he does have a tendency to sign birthday and xmas cards "W Barbour." He also was wonderful when my mum was terminally ill, looking after her right to the end. And he still wears the wedding ring round his neck on a chain.

So - there you have it. seven family portraits. I've missed Ellen (due to a combination of her still being angry with me and revising for exams) and Rory (due to him living in England. I'll get Ellen next week by hook or by crook and Conor and I will be visiting Rory at the end of June for a weekend in Nottingham.

367-50 Week 22

Week 22. Who would have thought it. It's the Easter holidays - dead space. I'm looking forward to seeing some prints I've ordered, with one eye on the judging for the City of Belfast Photographic Society annual exhibition. I fear that I have way too many portrait shots and not enough for the landscape and general sections and too many colour shots, not enough black and white. Anyhow.....here's this week's shots.

9/04/12

It was a very dull Easter Monday for the annual jaunt to Donaghadee. Old home town and all that. Except there's a reason why I only visit once a year. I think the notion of retiring there has gone off me. I couldn't stand it. Or perhaps Donaghadee couldn't stand me. Either way, the only way I could make the trip (and the photo's) look interesting way to resort to cheap post-processing trickery. Or HDR as it's also known.

10/04/12

Easter Tuesday and yet another dull and grey day. We took advantage of a free photoshoot at the new studio in Jessops (although studio is a bit of a grand title for a room with a light box set-up) and then headed off for a bite of lunch. Outside the cafe was the "pop up" MAC with it's rainbow coloured shutters. I hung about for a while but didn't get too many decent shots. This is maybe the best of a poor selection. One to bear in mind perhaps for a rainy day.

11/04/12

This is the engine of my car. It's still quite nice and new under the bonnet, not that I'm under there that often. Today's excuse was getting a small boy to fit a new headlight bulb - way to go Halfords, Boucher Road. I keep forgetting that for some strange Scandinavian reason, my car has five cylinders - that's right - count them. 5. God knows why.

12/04/12

Miniature daffodils shot with the Lensbaby with a 0.4 macro lens screwed on the front. A package of Lensbaby accessories arrived today via Amazon. Macro lenses, wide-angle lens, telephoto lens and a creative aperture kit. Lots of playing ahead. I'm liking the Lensbaby but suspect there's a lot more practice needed due to the hit and miss and fully manual nature of the Lensbaby.

13/04/12

Three small girls on a trampoline - who could resist that sort of photo opportunity? Given that I'd spent the whole day getting prints ready for our annula exhibition judging tomorrow morning I was fairly hacked off with photos. But, as I said, who could resist?

14/04/12

This was the picture which did best for me today at the exhibition judging. I had entered this in a competition last year to be included alongside some of Carrie Davenport's music photography at the Ulster Hall and was chuffed to have it chosen. I then submitted in in a NIPA round and had it rubbished by a very conservative judge. Anyhow, I thought I'd give it a rattle again for the exhibition since it's a shot that I have a lot of affection for. It's actually an old picture, taken in 2010 with my previous camera (Nikon D80). I reprocessed the shot using a few more tweaks to convert it to black and white, which gave it a fuller range of tones than in the original version.

15/04/12

This was supposed to be a ladybird. I was working in the front garden when I spotted the first ladybird of the year. I dashed inside for my camera but by the time I got the Lensbaby attached and screwed in the x4 and x10 macro lenses the ladybird had (quite literally) flown away home. However, a rather large bumble bee arrived and was happy to pose for a few shots. More entertainment for the neighbours who found me lying face down on the lawn apparently pointing my camera at the grass.