A mishmash of road works and my camera

12 August

Our borough council is working on surfacing one of the major routes in to town; about time too really. I’m sure that we will all feel the benefit of it when it’s finished, even if there will be moans about the delays it causes. However, it doesn’t end there, oh no no no … Warwickshire County Council has also decided to do resurfacing work on another major route, but at the same time. The delays and chaos that will cause is beyond measure. Don’t forget my friends, we already have the A444 and the A47, both major roads in their own right, pass through the town centre. And then folks wonder why I call the place Dorktown.

No matter how much I enjoy photography, in reality I’m only a so-so snapper. This came to me some time ago really and I saw it clearly last night while I was looking at photos on Facebook where there is a string of photos of insects, shots I can only dream of getting. Why is that? If you were to look through my photos after a day’s shoot, you will find that there is no real emphases on any one subject area. You are likely to find candid street shots, real ale pump clip shots, flowers and colourful displays in shop windows and market stalls, maybe even the odd shot of a bird or two.

Can you see what I mean? It’s all a mishmash of images. OK, fine, among them there will be some really nice shots among them, even the odd good one; but no outstanding shots. I believe that is because of the general mishmash of my normal work. Why is that I wonder; I have all the kit and it works fine, including a tripod that rarely gets used. Part that it is down to having to use a mobility scooter when out and about and carrying a tripod on there is even more difficult. I know from experience that a tripod helps a lot when it comes down to camera shake.

Using a tripod is one thing then; another is all the various controls on a modern camera. Before I set out on a shoot I always set up my camera on what I hope will be the right settings for the day. Invariable they will need to be changed at some point. It’s at that point that things start to unravel for me. Having changed to settings, I forget that I have done so and so the next shot will be totally spoiled by the settings I’ve set. It’s not the camera’s fault of course, it’s my fault. And that is why I am likely to remain just a so-so snapper.

My regular readers will of course know I am a Harry Potter fan – the books and films that is, not the actors as a group, or as individuals. Actually, not so long along ago I saw a photo of Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley and she looked as if she had been abusing some sort of stuff, she really did look rough. Anyway …

The other night I started reading Goblet of Fire for the third time, and it struck last night that in the next one Harry sees the threstrals for the first time. Luna explains that he can see them because he had seen death at first hand, so why hadn’t he seen them before I wonder. Rowling will probably say it’s because he saw Cedric Diggery die towards the end of Fire. But he Harry saw his mum die didn’t he. OK, he was only one year old at the time, but surely that would have had the sort of effect on him as seeing Cedric die. So why hadn’t Harry seen the threstrals before. Oh, of course – artistic licence … … …

I’m sat here looking at lovely sunshine out the back, but as much as I’d like to be out there, I’m not sure it can actually to do it. There’s danger there though, in that I become far too timid to go outside. What I’m hoping to do is to get out on me scooter tomorrow for the market and then take it from there.

Today’s photo …

A wild primrose.

Today’s funny …

What do you call man with a rucksack on his back and salt and pepper on his head?
A seasoned traveller.