Paths

The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character.

Going for an almost 320 mile drive today to get a picture, passing through the Cairngorm mountains and up to the capital of the highlands, Inverness. Truth be told I am going for a little more than a picture. But, a great shot at Carrbridge of Scotlands (allegedly) oldest stone bridge with a great sunset would be nice. It'd be a tough trip to go back on a nicer evening to get that shot. But I guess that's the kind of choices I have been making lately.

I have been on an unfamiliar path for a while now and I haven't been taking the time to look around and see what is going on, assessing my surroundings and asking myself questions. I think the questions we ask ourselves shape our path. I have travelled a fair amount recently, looking for new paths to follow and I have been disappointed at where I have been.

Time for a new direction, via Inverness if nothing else.

;

Falkirk Wheel

I have several pictures of the Falkirk Wheel through these pages, partly because I live so close to it and partly because I have never got a photograph that I have been really happy with.

I spent the magic hour taking shots there this evening, it was a lot colder than I thought it would be and was annoyed with myself when I realised that my down jacket was in my car!

I posted these two photographs, the first one a HDR shot from the west side and the second is a silhouette shot from the east side. I like the silhouette shot as the structure cuts between the sunset and the darkness. I am sure that if I had stayed longer I was have been able to get some stars in the photograph, perhaps I'll do that next time.

After a particularly challenging day it was good too spend a couple of hours recharging my Chi and watching the sun go down.

Return to The Hague

A knee jerk reaction to a water leak in my apartment in The Hague last weekend also provided an opportunity to catch up with friends, take coffee and shoot photographs in the glorious sun! The leak turned out to be a five day long saga that is way to boring to go into here, but it was eventually resolved by a drainage engineer from Glasgow (obviously).

The weather was great which was much to my surprise, sunny every day and a little cool which provided me with ample opportunities to take photographs in between appointments with plumbers/buying washing machines/drainage engineers/clients.

I was also reminded how much I miss The Hague and the atmosphere around the city. I am never surprised now by the crowds of tourists and the happy go lucky "niceness" of the Dutch. The owners of my favourite places still remember me and ask when I am coming back. My answer to that question raises some uneasy feelings from within. Especially when 'something' is leaking to your downstairs neighbours apartment.

As always, I have collected together a few shots from last week below. The bronze sculptures are from the Museum Beelden aan Zee (Museum at the Sea) and the outside exhibition of  (by Tom Otterness). It's really worth looking around if you are ever there. Click the thumbnails for the large images :-)

 

 

 

Glasgow University

It was an interesting wander around the University of Glasgow on Sunday. It dredged up a lot of old memories from my time at Glasgow (Caledonian) before I started at the University of St Andrews. I spent just over three months in what is quite possibly the worst place I have ever lived. I think the excitement of living on my own at 17 clouded the fact that the dampness was spreading throughout the flat. When I passed by it on Sunday it looks like it has been renovated. I will never forget the time that the bailiffs appeared at the door looking for the landlord. Fun times!

The walk around this area and the memories that came to me didn't dampen (ouch) my spirits though. It was a great day out, much better than the last trip to Glasgow, mainly because it was in an area that I knew a lot better. There was only three of us on the trip and it was great to meet someone new, Ash, she was a splendid guide for the day as well!

I've posted the photographs that I like below. 

 

Reflective Practice

Recent circumstances have left me thinking a lot about reflective practice. 

Reflective practice is a process by which you: stop and think about your practice, consciously analyse your decision making and draw on theory and relate it to what you do in practice. Critical analysis and evaluation refocuses your thinking on your existing knowledge and helps generate new knowledge and ideas.

I was first formally introduced to this idea when I was enrolled in a teaching in higher education diploma. Primarily I was encouraged to have a teaching / demonstrating program before the lesson and to reflect on what went well and what could be done better by reflecting on the experience afterwards. It is a particularly powerful technique for advancing teaching standards.

I think this had been drummed into so much that it has crept into all other aspects of my life (perhaps subconsciously). I realized this recently with website consulting work that I have been doing and my photography.

I spend a lot of time reflecting on what went well in my photography and things that could have been better and why. After a recent meeting I also found myself wondering what could have been better and did I miss anything out; more importantly would I get the chance to rectify this? 

Easily done with photography, not so much with a paying client.