You need this
A hot water bottle cover. Better known as a hot water bottle cozy. You have to look for it by name. Not a common request. They really are helpful. How about an authentic official shower cap from Buckingham Palace? Do you really need this/them? They were on limited sale in Scotland. They are for that certain someone who has everything.
Stirling Castle
More fog. The effect can be ethereal. Once upon a time I could not conceive that a photo in fog could be good. How do you focus in the mist? You don’t. And, the effect though unpredictable can be quite unexpected and surprising. It works for me.
Gargoyle
They work! Ornamental, yes! But, they were actually functional – gargoyles. Yes, I photographed in the rain and I was wet and my camera was wet. We both dried to go on to another day.
Tourist
It’s hard to make a highland cow photogenic in the rain and mud. Some places arrange to have cows available for a photo-op. It’s a sure way to get tourists to stop. Then again, the photo-op is about what you expect. And the cows are not particularly cute in the mud. I guess it was enough to have a pic. If this was all, I would be disappointed. Under the circumstances none of these images were worthy. It’s all good. I had many others and got images elsewhere.
Secret Garden
Way off down and away from the castle was a garden situated along a walk that took a while to reach. Not many people sought its serenity. The benches beckoned us to sit for quite a spell. Bliss. Peace. Tranquility. I don’t sit. I’m not a sitter. Colleen related to me the story of the Secret Garden. We sat. I was at peace. We held hands. The images don’t do justice to the moment. But, it triggers the remembrance of a cherished interlude. Thank you, honey.
Lighting
Light is everything. It creates the mood and tension in an image. Clouds are the intermediate palette upon which to base your background. Clouds can bring tension. Or they can direct light toward your subject. It is often fleeting to have the right light. Blink and it’s gone. I try to pay attention and take advantage whenever I can.
Painterly
Pointillism. It’s noise. Technically there is too much noise from the digital sensor. You can Photoshop. But, for the most part that would be more work. I like fog. It’s hard to photograph. But it does give a dramatic and different effect. Then there is timing. The early morning light changes quickly. Don’t give up; keep at it; things are sure to change if you wait a few more seconds.
Uphill
We use a fitness device to track steps and levels climbed. I’m not naming names. The pictures do not begin to give you the feeling of climbing lots of stairs. There were at least 500 to the top. And, there was no way but to walk. It was a lot of steps. Are you with me? Dumbarton Castle, who knew? I also found out that you can game the fitness device so I consistently did more levels and steps than Colleen. It drove her crazy when we essentially climbed the same levels day after day and my device recorded I had more levels than she.
Pottery
Still life. I think I don’t sit around long enough to really have interest in non-moving objects. My interest is more photojournalism. Or, sunset. So still life is an occasional subject. But I am always on the lookout for good light. And still life is more patient than humans – sometimes. When it works, it’s a good thing. Right!
Bee
I’ve gotten to where I get the occasional bee upon a flower. It’s pretty rare to catch one in flight. I have skill. But, I lack in action photography. I learned long ago that I am off by … that much. I am and remain at the mercy of serendipity.
Perefect?
Hardly. It’s not easy in the rain. Most enthusiasts leave their camera in their case in the rain. Water and electronics do not mix. There is unmistakable joy in feeding the pigeons. The idea and concepts translate though the focus and blur are present. We were wet. We were happy. I wish our timing had been better to catch a concert.
Best
Best Cullen skink in Glasgow? Café Gandolfi. How do they make this up? It’s online. And we were parked right across the street. Serendipitously! Purely! And, Colleen read the menu and we made a reservation. It was later we searched and found this restaurant to be rated. Ok! It was still pure luck that we dropped in.
Without a plan
You plan, you plot, you schedule. We did. We arrived in time to take the advertised tour of Glasgow Cathedral. We discovered they had stopped the schedule a while back. They were doing tours by request as people arrived. We got a private tour guide for a couple hours. I arrived without any expectation. I never worked with a plan, just a vague vision. Upon arrival the guard admonished the girls to use the exit side of the entrance; they had to circle back and around. We found out why the stained glass was modernized and replaced by donors and groups. I discovered you have to be on site in order to really know how things work. It all fit. We had a great day!
Too numerous
I limit myself to a post a day. Jules, long ago admonished me. Too many posts were too many and too confusing. So, I cheat. She never complained about more than one pic per post. Still… I pick by browsing Lightroom. And an image strikes me. Sometimes they are not perfect – most times. But there is this” je ne sais quois” look. Done. This one made me smile. You’re just going along minding your own business and then you are “struck.” It wasn’t even an image I flagged in my first pass. But, in retrospect, it’s different, out of my norm. … too many images, too little time… I know I have not gone deep into my library. It’s a regret, no time to dwell.
Chips
Ubiquitous Chip restaurant was near the top of every list for restaurants in my online search. We were curious. The name derived and was counter to chips – they served none. The food was pretty. The service was great. We were glad we came. I think probably once was enough. That’s just my opinion. The potatoes were good.
Style
I wish I had a better picture. I don’t. I probably shouldn’t bother to post this. I did. Some things strike me. Where have I been? This is totally new fashion for me. It’s tights? Stockings? It was a stocking and tight seamlessly meshed to give the appearance of shorts, stockings, and leggings in one swoop. The effect is oddly eye catching. If I had another view you’d catch on. Meanwhile, this mom was escorting a group of school kids to the museum. I found this vaguely disconcerting.
Willow Tea
Who knew? Cranston – Stuart and Catherine. They invented it. He thought of it; she ran with it as his biggest competitor. A famous architect of the time designed her Willow Tea shop. It’s all retold in the Kelvin Grove museum. And! We had a reservation that very afternoon. How neatly serendipitous is that! Really! The décor was as it was shown in the museum right down to the distinct high-backed chairs. My research assistant (wife) outdid herself this time, for sure! Chuckle, I was tickled pink!
Duck
Rain! What’s new? We ducked into a card shoppe to avoid getting soaked. Even our umbrella was too feeble. Great Britain, Scotland, Glasgow… don’t much care for 45. In fact, I would daresay that they get it better than most do at home. It’s nice to know that you can fool some of the people some of the time. And, the rest are there to remind you that the world order is not entirely insane. I don’t suppose our fearless leader can/would find a welcome in the UK.
Oh! Don’t forget Boris. He’s about as popular as our own dear leader.
Buchanan Street
Fifth Avenue, Rodeo Drive… Buchanan Street, Glasgow, the mere mention of the name connotes an image – shopping. Buy? That is up to you. it was a (naturally) rainy evening and the action was in full swing – DJ’s more than a few, antics, and plaid underwear. Tourists and locals all mingled and enjoyed.
Woe
There, but for the grace of God… Thomas Cook, venerable travel agent to the wealthy – you book and they coddle you from start to finish – up and went, belly up – fini – closed, shut, bankrupt. They even ran their own airline. Thousands upon many more travelers were stranded in the midst of holiday. It was shock in Scotland where we traveled. And the effect was still evident in Glasgow where planes were parked forlornly on the tarmac the day we departed. We were on our way, tipping our hat to the stranded and counting our blessings.
Things they tell you
How would we have known? You travel. Your local guide tells you facts you had never considered. Being fat was a sign of wealth. And the wealthy also traveled to the “continent” for their portrait to be commissioned to a famous painter (of the time). In this instance, the lord was young and not yet corpulent. So, the painter painted up his hands and face. And then, the lord paged through a catalog and picked out a body to be painted and matched. Voila! Fat and rich! Who’d have thunk…?
Brig o doon
It follows after I mentioned Brig o doon (yesterday)… the movie and the musical. Colleen adored the movie. I was indifferent having heard of both and having avoided them in my life until now. Here we were. Memory. New and fulfilled. Priceless. We had dinner (unplanned) in the nearby restaurant/inn – where the wedding reception was being held. Cullen skink, but of course! And, we both still smile at how it was a perfect day brought to us by the British Airway pilot action that never happened (cancelled). Just like the rain, if it does, go with it. Happiness is working without a plan.
Rain
Every day it rains – in Scotland. Maybe once in a while… it doesn’t. But, mostly it’s safe to expect rain. We were at Brig o doon. A quaint church was there. it was still functional. The retired ruin of the previous church was across the street. And, we chanced upon a wedding with bag pipe and full kilt regalia. The groom wore a traditional suit and the bride was in white. Umbrellas. Sun. Rain. Kilts. Something for everyone. Yes, all on the same day!
Scotch
Scottish things. Harris tweed vest? Cullen skink? Ummm, that would be a fish chowder with smoked haddock and potato… think rich, delicious clam chowder in America – no clam, of course. Good! We searched it out and Colleen loved it from the first taste. Thereafter, we sought it again and compared preparation in various restaurants. Eventually, we barbecued some haddock and made our own version. She enjoyed each and every try we made. The unappetizing “name” is derived from the Scottish town of origin for the recipe and the shank (skink) bones used for the broth, hence Cullen skink. “Skink” in West Virginia refers to a small pesky lizard. Me? I was bemused and ‘passed’ on the whole culinary experience.
photobackstory 