Notes of a Callow Type

Photo Post

2008-11-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

This past week has been one of the most gratifying and unforgettable weeks of my life. Shooting has been simpler and clearer to me, which is reflecting my thoughts here in London.

Starting the week up I finished my photo story on a shoe repair man in the Paddington area. These are two of the better shots, hopefully I'll be able to post my soundslides on it soon.

Economic and Diversity Shots : Paddington Area

Off Edgware Road

Oxford Street, The 5th Ave of London

Regent Street

Harrods

Food Halls

Reflection in London tour bus outside Harrods

V&A Museum in South Kensington

Jewelery exhibit

Front entrance to the museum. The reflection tuned out pretty nice.

Liz really saw this connection between the photograph of the two boys in Hampstead Heath and this recent photo of the all so identifiable image of the tube. I really loved her interpretation and the comparison makes the images a little bit more interesting.

Circle Line

Exploring on Edgware Road

Richmond Park

South Queensferry, Scotland

2008-11-04T10:16:00.001-08:00

This weekend I went to Scotland and stayed with a Host family. I stayed with a lovely woman named Beatrice and met her daughter Janice, as well as Janice's family. They were very kind people and I had a very relaxing and nice weekend. The coolest part about South Queensferry are the bridges. The two bridges are both called the Forth Bridge, the red one being the rail bridge and the other for cars. Even though I have a nice portrait of Beatrice, I promised not to put a photo of her on my blog. Halloween was very fun. I spent it in Edinburgh with other Syracuse students who were on a weekend trip and my costume consisted of all my own clothes, just put together in a way that made it somewhat appropriate.

Swansea, Abergavenney and Bristol Trip

2008-10-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Swansea Bay in Wales

My First stop was Swansea, Wales. I went there so breathe some fresh ocean air and visit my friend Matt. Matt goes so Swansea University, but is originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was a great experience being on a college campus in the UK. There were lots of difference compared to Syracuse, but at the same time, being on a large open campus with big buildings and scenic views, it was reminiscent of Syracuse for me. All of Matt's friends were very nice and I found it slightly discomforting that they are more interested in our political elections than most American students. The coast was beautiful and I enjoyed my stay in Swansea very much.

I left for Abergavenney, Wales on Wednesday by train. I love taking the train because I get to people watch and look at everything around me. When you think about it really, looking out the train window is like looking at a moving photograph. Like looking through a lens, the train frames the world for you. So there was a girl sitting quitely in the booth in front of me and across from her were two guys getting drunk on their way. They were being quite loud and crewd, so the conductor I figure told them to get out at the next stop, because they did. One of the guys on his way off the platform, tapped the window where this girl was sitting and made a very discusting act towards her. This girl seemed like she didn't exactly have the most confidence in the world, so the tears started. She began to cry a lot and all I could think was how I wish the guy had made fun of me instead. It's not fair how mean people can be sometime. I'll never forget that moment for the rest of my life. The picture is a reflection of her in the roof of the train. I didn't look at her in person until I got of the train.

Prince Charlie, The Prince of Wales

Of all the places I chose to go in Wales by myself, the Prince of Wales decides to go at the same time, Abergavenney. He was opening up a historical landmark called the Tith Barn. So I guess I went to the UK and saw roayalty. Breaking the stereotype much?

The Brecon Beacons

Bristol

Distict Train to Richmond

Richmond Park

Trpping for the Week

2008-10-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Swansea, Abergavenney and Bristol. Hoping for some fun times, good photos and nice people.

PHOTOS

2008-10-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Running to catch mommy

Stranger on Portobello Road

Old man in sitting on Brick Lane

Probably the best Tube photo I've taken. The reflection provides an interesting view of the train I'm standing in and I really like the head within the head.

Graham looking very abercrombie & fitch, but I actually really love this shot.

A sun bather in Hyde Park on a lovely Sunday afternoon.

Cole getting his game on in the club

Luke and I like going to clubs when we really should not.
"You have a gentle smile" -David Mountain

Happy Birthday Julia! I hope it was everything you wanted it to be and more. Keep rocking the streets of London and looking beautiful.

Birthday Weekend

2008-10-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

Photo by David Mountain

It was my birthday yesterday. 20 years old, that means I'm not a teenager anymore, whatever that means. I would like to thank all of my friends here in London who made my birthday the best one I could have ever asked for. They are my family and I will never forget this unbelievable chapter in my life. I would also like to thank all the great birthday wishes from my good friends back in the States and all around the world. Without your presence in my life, life wouldn't be worth living in this extremely messed up, but beautiful place.
I went out to take pictures today and I probably should have left my camera at home. My laptop is still broken and it is very frustrating. Thank you Lucas for so generously sharing yours with me.

2008-10-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

I fell asleep last night listening to the Presidential debate last, needless to say i had nightmares.

This morning I woke up 20 minutes late for my 9:00 AM advertising class. I was really mad because, one I rather skip a class than be late for it and two, i love my ad class. My professor is this really cool guy, with a great English style to him. The way he teaches really allows for our own interpretations and that's what I like most. I ended up going in for the second half of class and just tell him what happened and that I was sorry. He was totally cool about it and I enjoyed the second half of class. After class I went back to eat lunch at my flat before I went to my 2:00 PM class. I skyped my friends Lisa and Kristin which was really nice and then went back to school. Class was short today, just reviewing for the midterm.

Dave just read a really good poem to me. I enjoyed it a lot, as do I enjoy his company.
I'm going to celebrate Juliette's Birthday now.

BANANAS

2008-10-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

I have to keep this short because Luke has so graciously allowed me to use his laptop while mine sits broken, needing a new operating system. This weekend I went to Amsterdam with a group of amazing people. We roamed about the streets of the city trying to see as much as we could in a 36 hour period. We had good times and we had some bad times, but we stuck it out and made it home alive. It was an amazing trip overall. But of all the things we did, the Van Gogh Museum was the best. Not only was it amazing seeing the paintings up close and personal, but as I was about to leave, I heard my name called. I turn to the right and my friend Inslee Coddington from home was standing right there. At first I thought I was imagining her, but she was real. Studying in Sweden, she also happened to be visiting Amsterdam at the same time. We couldn't chat long because we had our respective groups, but that was definitely a highlight from my trip.

(Side note: I saw some of VP debate and I thought I was having a bad trip, but not really)

We got back a couple days ago, and since then I've been a bit spacey one could say. But today I went to the Imperial War Museum and the British Museum. It felt good doing some educational activities here after ignoring them for so long. The War Museum was really heavy and made me, Luke and Skiba a bit sad. But then as we were leaving I saw a bunch of school kids walking happily along and it made me happy again.

I miss you so much...come to London and make sense of my life.

2008-10-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

Helen was born in the mid 17th century and was sent to the future to destroy mankind. In an unfortunate accident, her time capsule landed face first and she hit the front part of her head, erasing her memory. She has not tried to kill me yet, and as her roommate, I am thankful. She does have these moments where she says things like, "your clothes, give them to me" and her eyes glow red and she seems to zoom in and analyze the probability of destruction.

I really like a lot of her photos and I enjoy living with her. She is kind and she cleans well, like any good woman. She has never gotten a black eye and not because she doesn't need to be re-told things, but because she could beat me up. She is also very attractive when she is on the war path. I pity those who challenge her kindness. There are rumors that she is the female incarnation of Achilles. I saw her open palm slap a horse once.
Written by David Mountain. Do not be offended, he is usually much worse.

Friday in Nature, Saturday Recovering, and A Beautiful Sunday

2008-09-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Luke, Liz and I went out to Hampstead Heath and spent a wonderful afternoon among trees and open fields. But before we left, right as I was walking out of my building complex, I met a woman from Iraq. She didn't speak a word of English, so I had some slight communication problems to say the least. I talked to her for a while, even though she probably didn't understand a word I was saying to her. I couldn't tell if she was homeless, but it appeared no one was with her. I reached in my pocket to give her some money, but she refused, kissing her lips with her hand and then pointing to the sky. I was really surprised at her overall kindness toward me photographing her. It was really cool meeting someone that I couldn't speak to and coming away with that experience.
There was beautiful light and we finally broke out the frisbee and tossed around for a while. It felt really nice and made me relaxed and tranquil. We went back after the sun went down and prepared for a crazy night out in London, where I got to see two of my friends studying in Madrid. It was a great night, one to remember, at least what I didn't forget.

Saturday was pretty bad; everyone was feeling a bit under the weather. Night came, and I was still feeling lame, but I went out anyway and met some pretty cool people in Shoreditch.
Sunday I woke up refreshed and feeling much more ready to spend the day in a productive manner. After a goodbye breakfast with some sorority sisters, me and Luke went to Russell Square and met up with our friend Jake. Dave, Taylor and Andrew came a bit later and we tossed the disc around again under cloudless skies. Then we headed over to my friend Pat's place for a relaxing afternoon of T.V., hookah, and horribly unhealthy food to eat. I really love the 7 photo series of Luke I posted, but I can think of someone who might appreciate it more than I do.

Luke Warm, a changed man.

2008-09-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

2008-09-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

Sunny Weather, Sad Feelings

2008-09-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

Today was absolutely gorgeous outside. The weather has been unbelievable this past week, nothing what I expected. Hopefully it will last for a while, but I’m really looking forward to fall. This morning, after sleeping a couple hours, I got up and met my mom for breakfast before she left to go back home. The couple of times we ate breakfast together was in Marylbone, the neighborhood her hotel was in. It was really nice sitting at the outside tables, being able to watch people pass by in such and easygoing manner. After we ate, mom came through by purchasing some staple grocery items for the flat, one of which was lots of toilet paper. We then checked out this really cool Button store that apparently has been around for a long time. It was closed, but I can always go back, unfortunately for my mom she can’t, at least for a while. Her taxi dropped me off and that was the end of my mother in England. It was really nice seeing her in this environment because it’s been a while since I’ve had a vacation like experience with family, blood speaking of course.

When I got back to my flat, my roommates were all still sleeping, obviously considering the night we had. So I cleaned a bit and consequently starting the awaking. It was a pretty lazy day to say the least, but I did make a very good purchase to watch streaming football. We caught the second half of the Manchester United vs. Chelsea game, only 8 pounds for a year, definitely worth it.
Later just around sunset Luke and I ventured out of the flat for a walk, feeling cooped up. We took the tube down to South Bank and walked up towards the Thames and onto the Embankment tube and back to our place. There was a really nice crispness to the air, almost like a true fall night. We took some photos, but we weren’t really feeling it much. I got a decent shot of the eye, but it’s the eye so not that interesting. Then we stopped to shoot outside a carnival game and I saw this couple making out. I don’t really like the photo that much, but I just wanted to post it. When Luke seems sad, it makes me sad, sometimes.

2008-09-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

These are photos I took during a day spent with my mom. I have to go shoot down at the Thames right now so I can't write about the day now, but I will be posting later tonight.

Bath

2008-09-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Lacock and Bath.

2008-09-18T04:05:00.000-07:00

The main man for The Lady Luck Club, who played at the Festival of the Thames

A street vendor down by the river

A little boy, who after his 10 seconds of fame and admiration of the London crowd, wasn't very happy about getting down from the stage.

I left the concert field area because I really needed to pee. Ada came with me because even I was nervous about the amount of people around us. We had to go to the portapottys to the side of the field and I noticed a construction wall blocking off areas away from the Thames. I looked through a hole and stumbled upon this shot. A man taking a smoke break out back. I think the lighting is really cool, and reminds me a lot of the photographs my photo class were admiring in class by Gregory Crewdson. It almost looks like a staged set, but it's not.

I took this when my mom and I went out to a Lebanese restaurant. I really love how her clothing blends in well with the environment.

Mother In Town

2008-09-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

Liverpool Street tube station

Speakers' Corner

2008-09-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Hyde Park and shot a speaker at the famous Speakers’ Corner. Terminator 24 was his name and he often referred to himself as Lucifer. Some things I actually found myself agreeing with him, but for the most part it was a lot of nonsense.

Shoreditch

2008-09-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I traveled to Shoreditch by myself to meet up with Julia, Liz, Graham and Ada. It was great not going with the group because I was able to stop and take photos at my own will, and not hold-up the group. Shoreditch turned out to be even cooler than Camden in my opinion. So many young people were out on the streets or grabbing drinks at open lounges. We decided to stay the evening and that is when I started to get some cool shots.

camden Town

2008-09-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to Camden with Liz and Luke. It was a very interesting part of London that we were seeing for the first time during the day. There was a much younger demographic, and more “artsy” than most of the other parts of the city we’ve been to. Ironically enough, my shots were very abstract and “artsy.” In general nothing much was going, so we just walked around backstreets and residential areas, admiring the beautiful architecture and charm. We found a pub called George the IV, which had flowers covering practically every part of the building on the outside. It had a wonderful old pub smell to it, with your typical working English men gathered in patches, drinking their pints. Now you know when you’re in a pub that doesn’t cater to your average tourist when two visa cards get declined because they don’t ever have to take American credit cards. So Luke saved the day and paid for our drinks. We went back home and had some friends over for a relaxing night.

Cleaning and Ducks

2008-09-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

08/09/08

Today I woke up and decided with Luke, my other roommate with no class on Monday, to clean our entire flat from top to bottom. I mean we really cleaned, everything from dishes and laundry to vacuuming, and overall organizing. It felt great, especially when we were done, but it completely wiped me out. We went to Hype Park after to get some fresh air and explore a bit, but I wasn’t thinking clearly and just wanted to sit down. After sitting on a bench for a while, with nothing having grabbed my attention, I decided to go home and come back at night, hoping for some more interesting photos. My one post will show you exactly just how captivating some of the things I was seeing. Wish me luck for the night shoot; hopefully Hyde Park is nicer than Central Park, sorry Mom.

Regent Street Fair

2008-09-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

07/09/08

On Sunday, Liz and I ventured out of the flat, down to the Piccadilly Circus tube station, and walked up Regent Street, and back to the flat. There was a wonderful street fair going on, with food vendors and store promotionals all along the closed street. My eyes seriously couldn't stop to focus on one thing, simply because there was so much happening, people watching alone was the best part of the street fair to me. I felt really cooped up, and going out one way on the tube and walking back was really nice and relaxing. The following photos were taken as we walked north back home.

This Picture is for Dave. The street fair had all sorts of really weird "attractions" so to say. One of which was an old New York car or something with a naked blow up doll. I found it absolutely hilarious, and deserving for the post.

The we ran into Hagrid and Dumbledore. Harry Potter obviously originated from England, this moment made the little kid and me go crazy. They came out of nowhere and seemed as though their path collided with ours, because we found both of ourselves in the midst of a huge crowd in matter of seconds. Curious as to what was happening I looked up and a gigantic Hagrid man was hovering over me.

There were amusement rides like carousels and Ferris wheels, which added so much color to the grey sky and dull buildings. The light made peoples’ faces stand out and made for a decent photograph.

2008-09-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

(06/09/08)
Today I went to Abbey Road and saw the recording studio responsible for The Beatles. It was really cool, especially because I grew up loving The Beatles and still do. Then I went back to the flat, which is now what I can truely call my home. When I went back, Graham and Ada left and I was alone for several hours. I spent most of the day catching up with one of my best friends in the States and finally had a day for me. I relaxed and spent my day in solitude. I took several photos at Abbey Road, but I'm only posting one picture I took of myself. I don't even like it that much, and it is definitely no the best photograph of myself, but I'm posting it because I spent today for myself.

2008-09-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

03/09/08

First off, let me say my apologies for the delay on posting. Wednesday was Liz’s birthday! After foolishly waking up for my 9 a.m. class, which wasn’t actually meeting that day, I headed back to the flat with high expectations for the rest of the day with one of my best friends. Dave and I accompanied Liz to Wellington Square in Chelsea to her old home. It was a beautiful day, with soft light and the neighborhood was absolutely charming. Liz seemed to be in heaven, while Dave and I just seemed to follow, enjoying our own time in a mental solitude so to say. The Westminster Underground station was especially cool in comparison to most. We only saw it to transfer to the District line, but I found the lighting and architecture unlike any of the other stations; it looked like the Metro in D.C. almost. After we saw her old house and walked around for quite a while we went back home and had beautiful dinner, all vegetarian for Liz of course. We then had our first pre-bar in the flat, which was a ton of fun. The night went on and needless to say it was crazy.

04/09/08

Thursday was a very slow day. I was, how do you say, tired. Me, Luke and Dave removed ourselves from our beds and traveled over to Faraday House for our 2 p.m. photo class, as if 2 p.m. seemed like 2 a.m.. That was probably the most productive thing I did all day. I enjoyed sitting in class more in the state of mind I was in because I felt very focused on certain things more intently. It was easy to listen to one voice, rather than be bothered to move, talk to other people or make many comments. I was thinking clearly, but let me tell you when it came down to speaking, the words were not coming out. I feel we all have days like those, regardless of what we do the night before. I went to be early, excited to see Stonehenge in the morning.

05/09/08

Friday, me, Luke, Ada and Graham went to Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral along with many other students at Faraday. The bus ride was hard to sleep on, but I really enjoyed listening to our teacher and guide for the day, Richard. His British accent and aged voice put me in a very sedative mood, but had very interesting things to say, especially on the history of London. I really enjoyed a set of buildings he pointed out as we headed away from the city. They were artists’ studios, which had large windows with beautiful craftsmanship, and were especially tall, so that the artists could bring large canvas into the flat safely and easily. Once we got to the Cathedral, I was mostly excited to get off the bus, but it was strange going into a church after letting so many years of not going, but it was absolutely gorgeous building inside. The stained glass windows are what always get me. I didn’t find them something I was drawn to photograph necessarily, but I could look at them all day long. I was trying to find special moments and different shots in the Cathedral, purely because I didn’t want touristy shots and I knew everyone else was on top of each other shooting. I luckily got a shoot of a mother, Helene and her daughter Talia Halton, looking up closely at a to scale model of the Cathedral when it was being built. They are visiting England with the rest of their family from Ottawa, Canada. The town of Salisbury was really cute, but it was so easy to tell the parts of town that have been around for centuries and the parts from the past 5 years. Luke and I ate at this old Inn. The food was pretty bad, but the place was very quaint.

Living Strange

2008-09-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

After my first class today, along with casual conversations with friends, I’ve been thinking about how much the environment in which you surround yourself can influence your state of being. For instance, the family environment in which you grow up in tends to be a large part of your preparation and overall attitude for life once you leave it. As I continue to live in this foreign country, in which many things are still unfamiliar to me from my normal environment, I have been seeking out people who seem to be what I view as an outsider, coalesce with their environment.
Today there was beautiful light. The appearance of the sun reminds me of being in Syracuse again; when the sun comes out, you notice it as if it’s been gone for a year. When the sun’s rays peak through the dark clouds, it seems as though it is merely pointing out the special things about this city.

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I met a man today named Phil James; he looked to be about fifty years old, but was probably only forty. Reeking of alcohol, he approached me outside of a pub from down the street as I was taking a picture of the BT tower. Quite close to my face as he began speaking, enquiring about my camera, I didn’t find him to be someone I should be alarmed by. Although, he had an intense manner to him, which made me more compelled to keep a conversation with him, rather than divert him off to another person along his way. After only two minutes of speaking with this stranger, he confessed to me that he thought I was someone “real.”
I can’t help thinking whether what he said was something he said to anyone who stayed long enough to have a conversation, or was he able to make an accurate depiction of a stranger in five minutes of conversation. I said thank you to him and then asked him he minded showing the tattoo he had on his wrist. It was an “Oasis” tag, a band from England that started in the early nineties. We parted ways as he winked at me saying, “I’ll see you again when I read about you making millions from you photographs,” and all I could think about was how real of a person Phil James was.

First Night, Early Morning

2008-08-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

This is the first shot I took at my new flat in the center of London. The guy in the photo is my new roomate Graham. Graham and Ada both live with me along with my three other great friends Liz, Luke and Dave. We live right off of Edgeware Rd, two blocks up from Hdye Park when you get off the Marble Arch tube station. The community is mostly Arab, which means great food and people. On Saturday, the first full day we spent in the flat, I went shopping at an open market on Church St. It was a great choice, especially when we got two dozen bananas for a pound! And it just a much more visually appealing alternative to an ordinary supermarket.
London is an absolutely amazing city, with great people and an array of things to do. Today I went to the Tate Modern to see a photo exhibition called "Street and Studio." It was fantastic and I even got to see one of my favorite photographs by Paul Stand. Looking especially at the Street photography gave me a ton of things to think about while I shoot in this great city. The diversity has especially impressed me, even coming from such a metropolitain area. I cannot wait to continue shooting such a unique and interesting city. Late night conversations in my flat have assured me the next four months are going to be an experience of a lifetime.

Looking forward

2008-08-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

As the summer comes to an end, I have an unbelievable trip ahead of me. The past two months have consisted of everything I know, a summer camp I've been going to since I was 8-years-old. Now, I am off to another country, one that I have never been to before. I hope this blog will help you see a little bit into my travels and experiences as the semester goes on, but more importantly how and what I see through my camera.

This is one of the last pictures I took from the summer. It was during a traditional candle lighting ceremony, in which a 10-year-old girl named Laura Durkee watched in awe for her first time. I thought the lighting was beautiful across her face, and the moment unparalleled.