Don’t lecture me

Very pleased (and a wee bit nervous) to be giving a talk about my cctv project to the MA and BA photography students at Nottingham Trent Univerity on Wednesday 2 December from 11 to 1pm in the Djanogly Lecture Theatre at the illustrious University of Nottingham.  It’s cheap (well free) open to the public and ties in with the exhibition:
No Visible Means of Escape at Nottingham Castle.

Strange objects of desire #1

When I was a lad, learning to get pissed involved trying mild/bitter/brown ale etc. until you found something that didn’t make you vomit. Kids of today are spoilt and have alcopops. However I was pleased to discover a nod to tradition in the form of dandelion and burdock flavoured vodka. If that alone was not sophisticated enough, the bottle assures the discerning palette a continental blend of fruit flavours – so  then – that’s sophistication that contributes to your 5-a-day. Genius.

On one

Today marks one year of this blog – according to Len Grant, the average blog lasts three months, so I’m definitely (or is that defiantly?) living on borrowed time. So thank you to  you and we’ll see if we las another year (or month).

Holiday snaps

Some of my seaside photos are in the new issue of Grey – an online photography magazine produced by Greek photographer Constantinos Andronis, which features black and white photography (I suppose the name gives it away a bit). I’m very pleased because not only is it a really effective pdf magazine, but there’s some great work in it. So ta very much to Constantinos for asking me to contribute. Here’s a photo from Blackpool, which reminds me to remind you to visit Rank at the Grundy Art Gallery – you’ve got less than two weeks before the exhibition closes.

Are you?

No – I’ve no idea either.

Return of the native

Regular viewers may remember my School of Life holiday on the Isle of Wight with Martin Parr. Well I’ve just spent another week on the isle (this time without Mr Parr, but it’s just as weird). Stayed in Ventnor in the house frequented by Karl Marx (getting to be a regular thing this fellow traveling lark). To make matters more surreal Mrs Dave and I went to see The Stranglers in Ryde, but (alas) missed Chas and Dave who were on in Bournemouth.

Anyway, added a couple of snaps to my long running seaside saga series and noted the increase in CCTV – I wasn’t the only one – a flickr friend was also stalking the island, but we didn’t quite manage to meet up.

An outing to Dimbola Lodge (home of Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron) was enlivened by the appearance of the Google Street View car – who saw me snapping him, so drove up, so I (and he) could get a better view. There’s a prize to the first person to find me on Street View.

Which side are you on boys?

I don’t often comment on news items on this blog (mainly as I’m never in it init?). But the British Journal of Photography brings us the news that plod may be laying off 100 police photographers. Obviously I’ll be secondary picketing as soon as the thin blue line forms. Presumably the cuts won’t be in the Forward Intelligence Teams who have the important job of hampering journalists collecting evidence. Find out more here at FIT Watch.
The photo was taken on my recent jaunt to London – I’ve no idea what the police were doing in the Elephant and Castle and didn’t think it was worth asking them.

Wacky weeks

Ventured to our nation’s capital during the week for a portfolio review from three of Magnum’s photographers, which is about as good as it gets for a would-be documentary photographer. Showed my CCTV stuff (what else?) to Mr Mark Power, Mr Stuart Franklin and Mr Donovan Wylie,  the final score was I reckon 2 – 1 for Team Manchester. The event was held over two days at The Photographers’ Gallery’s new address (not that I’d ever been to their old address), which was handy for the Ben Sherman sale (not that I’m a mod you understand).

Wacky weekends

This weekend I’m at the National Photography Symposium organised by RedEye and the University of Bolton. It’s being held at Cheethams Library in the centre of Manchester. As well as hearing Chris Steele-Perkins I’ve taked about shoes to the Deputy Editor of the BJP and I’ve parked my bum on the seat Marx and Engels used to chin wag on – mind you I used to get p****d in The Crescent in Salford fairly regularly, so it’s not the first time I’ve been a fellow traveller. Not bumped into fellow Manchester Photo blogger Mark Page yet…

Tonight Matthew I’m going to be…

This year is the 60th Anniversary of the publication of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. It’s also the year I’ll finish my CCTV series (see lots of the posts below). Over at Vimeo there’s a short film I’ve done as part of the project. 
It might even be getting a screening (courtesy of a flickr friend) at: