Doon the Watter

C'Mon In

Monte Carlo Or Bust

The Monte Carlo Rally started in Glasgow Green today.
For me, a car-related event is almost as interesting as a paperclip-related event. If I enjoyed watching people driving cars, I could easily go and stand on a bridge over the M8. But there were sure to be a few opportunities for finding pictures, so I went along. And it was a beautiful day, so I'm actually having to work hard to pretend any kind of grudgingness.
This was pretty cool, though. It's the first car to set off, and the guy driving it competed in 1954.

Monique

This is Monique. Monique Quinn. She's agreed to help me work on improving my lighting technique whilst she's visiting.

Fortunately she seems to be a very patient sort of person.

Museum as Web Page, circa 1998. Just Needs <blink>!

This is almost exactly the same shot as just a couple of days ago, but rather more garish because they were setting up lights and a stage for some event. I thought it was pretty ugly. Then I looked at it some more and thought it was pretty cool. Now I think it's both - ugly and cool!

The part that made me see the good side was realising just how garish and over-the-top the museum is anyway. This is not an understated building and it doesn't exactly have subtle decor. So sure...magenta and blue lights. Why not? Bring it on!

More self-portraiture...

I've been experimenting with teeny-tiny catchlights this morning. On the back of the camera I thought it looked terrible. On screen, I think I'm starting to like it.

That's not just a backlit eyebrow hair...it's a backlit grey eyebrow hair. Sigh!

Doulton Fountain Redux

This evening I took another walk into town and to Glasgow Green to get some more pictures of the Doulton Fountain, this time with the fountain and the People's Palace lit.
Already the evenings feel like they're getting lighter. 5:30 and there's still some colour in the sky. I love that!
It was handy for the photo as well - hand held and no IS...I'll take all the light there is, thanks.

A Symmetric Visit To The Museum

I've spent the last week writing code, just to be sure I'm keeping at least vaguely competent there. Whilst I love (really love) making my living from photography, I'm constantly aware that I'm pretty much on the limit of making enough to live on. So I'd better be sure I can drop back into coding for cash if I really need to. Plus it's a lot more fun now I mostly just code on a whim.

But, after that splurge of photography through December and the start of this year, a week off was making me pretty restless. So out of the house all day today, Coffee (and yummy banana cake) in CCT early in the afternoon. Then a visit to the Kelvingrove Museum. A trip to the museum is always a bit of a thrill for me. I love that building. And they have one of my photos in their Scottish Prehistory section! I've never been very good at faking nonchalance about that.

Figurehead

She just lies there whilst Govan burns!

Guardian Cat

Why yes, actually, I am shooting pictures of random cats in graveyards. Why do you ask?

Kelpies

Yep, it's the Kelpies at the BBC. Still working on it. I like this one differently. I'm not yet sure I like it enough. Hmmm...which almost certainly means that I don't like it enough. Darn it!
Actually, I like it a lot. The people going into the BBC help, I think. But it still needs to be better.

Fog

Today was nice and foggy and cold - a bit of a relief from the warm, windy, rainy winter so far. Fog, of course pretty much requires a trip to the Necropolis.

And I walked back along the river and took a few more after-dark shots.

Night

For the longest time I've been meaning to take the tripod and get some after-sunset pictures around the Kelvingrove museum. And, as is my habit, I never remember.

This evening I was at the Riverside Museum at sunset, and the sky was quite pretty. So I wandered up to the university and took some pictures looking over the Kelvingrove anyway, lack-of-tripod be damned. They didn't come out too terrible, so I took several more photos on the way home too.

Riverside museum

Kelvingrove

The IMAX Theatre

Squinty Bridge

Squinty Bridge

St Mirin

I took another walk down to Paisley today. The sky was a bit more interesting this time.
In the 6th century St Mirin, or Mirren, also came here. But he went to the additional bother of founding a football team. Or something like that...I'm a bit shaky on the history.

I'm not clear about why they put his statue outside the cathedral rather than the football ground.

It's Science, Innit!

The Science Centre and a brief break in the weather.

Paisley Abbey Front Door

Oh but they did like their concentric arches!

And today's lesson was: it's good to charge up your spare camera batteries; it's better if you then remember to put them in your bag!

Random Things

I was going to take a day off work today since it looked like it was about to chuck it down before I left the house, but in the end I decided to throw the camera in the bag anyway when I went for a coffee. And, as is annoyingly often the case, I think I got more usable pictures than when I'm working to a plan. I guess the lesson is: plan less, shoot more.

So this is just some random grabs as I wandered around. Loved the stormy skies when the sun was on the squinty bridge!

Spring!

We're about two weeks into what's conventionally called "winter". And yesterday, I turned the central heating off. Does that seem right to you? It's really nice not to be freezing my arse off. And not to be slipping and sliding down the hill when I go for a walk. But it doesn't feel quite right.

I enjoy the change in weather. I often say that my favourite time of year is whatever comes next. I do like the snow and the ice (but I really like when it goes away). I love the sun and warmth, but am relieved when it turns to rain and cool. And another warm January is hardly the strangest bit of weather that's ever happened.

Last year at this time was really windy. 3rd January (I think) a big chunk of my roof blew off. Which resulted in all kinds of issues, major and minor. One of the minor ones was that the starlings didn't nest in my attic last year. No doubt 10 weeks of me going up there several times a day most days to bail out the rain water collecting in a load of plastic tubs, and all the racket of the roof finally getting fixed sometime in mid March, didn't make them feel like it was a good spot to raise a family. They've been nesting here pretty much every year for the 20 years I've been in the place, and I was slightly nervous that 2011 would turn out to be the last time.

But today I heard skittering around up there. And two of the cats were very excited at the window. So I watched with them and soon enough a starling appeared on the gutter and flew off. And a little while another (or maybe the same one...I'm not a great distinguisher of starling faces) flew back carrying a twig.

A twig? It's the 4th of January. Are they building a nest? It really must be spring.

Doulton Fountain

I have some photographic plans for this fountain. The big problem is that they're pre-dawn plans. Ugh!

Riverside At Night

I took a wander by the Riverside Museum this evening.

I probably didn't need to mention it was the evening. Right?

New Show in February

I learned today that I've been accepted as one of the artists in a show of "International Art" to be exhibited in Wisconsin through February and March this year. I'll have three of my photos of standing stones included. Which is nice!

Sunrise in Kilmartin Glen, March 2012

Glasgow University Cloisters

For the last couple of weeks I've not removed the 40mm lens from my camera. All the pictures in this recent series of posts have been shot with it. The idea being that I feel the need to get more familiar with most of my lenses and probably the best way to do that is to not chop and change, but to use just one at a time for an extended period and shoot every day. It's too soon to say if it's helping, but I'm certainly enjoying the experience. The last time I spent so long just using a normal (ish) length lens was when I had a Zenit 12 in the 1980s. Normal is good - there's a phrase I don't say very often!

Self Portrait With River

Reflection in the window of the Riverside Museum. Happy New Year!