Been out taking pics again on Sunday...

I was out and about on Sunday, taking pictues on a special 'Talk photography' forum photoshoot. The venue was Bolton abbey in North Yorkshire and as the weather steadily improved throughout the day, I had a great time snapping away. In fact it was my first photography 'day' for a few months what with work being busy and all that.

I also enjoyed my Sunday lunch too. Emma and myself dropped in to some posh gaffe called the 'Devonshire' and although I had my suspicions that it may be pricey (2 helicopters on the lawn), I was still quite shocked to pay 40-odd quid for lunch, just for the two-of-us.

The food was great, although the prices did leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

You can see the piccies here.

Winner!

I had a nice little surprise last night when I found out that I'd won a photography competition that I'd entered.

The subject for the entries was 'movement' and I posted a picture that I took in Blackpool on my little Sony T9 digital compact. I think this goes to show that the main thing that counts with photography is spotting the right moment to capture and framing it well.

The world famous photographer Herni-Cartier-Bresson, called this the 'decisive moment' and in in this age where so much emphasis and importance is put onto the equipment, its nice to 'escape' from that and use a camera like the T9 which is refreashingly simple to use.

The competition was run by Talk Photography. An excellent resource for any snappers out there :-)

Sunday night down at the Tavern

Have you ever stopped to think about what tales float around your local pub?

I visited a friends pub this evening and was in the unusual position of knowing quite a few of the patrons propped up round the bar and as I chatted to some good old friends, I began to think about how things in life change for everyone, not just me.

from the Landlord who's music career appears to be going quite well thank you very much, to other people who have recently made some pretty momentous decisions in life. It seems that wherever I looked, there was a tale to be told and it may be the journalist within, but I really enjoyed hearing each and every one.

There are millions of conversations that flow around those four walls, from cars to careers and holidays to honeymoons. My friend Elliott was holding a special wedding party and as he was telling me about his wedding day two-weeks ago, down comes his new bride, wedding dress et al! My congratulations to them both and as he told me about eating pate on crusty bread with Champagne by the sea, my senses momentarily left the licensed premises to join them, an invided guest to their special beach picnic.

Not all the talk was happy, but it was all wholesome and as I write the final lines for today, may I encourage us all to take notice of those around us, especially if we call them 'friend'.