Winter Festival 2006 – Glow Trail

After last years rather interesting ‘Fire’ themed winter festival in Newcastle/Gateshead, this year the theme was ‘Glow’. Well on Saturday night we finally managed to get out and wander around following the ‘Glow Trail’.

I have to say I love it when these kind of things are on. There was a wonderful atmosphere, with whole families and groups of people wandering around Newcastle, intermingled with photographers with tripods and the usual christmas party goers. You wander around, looking up and down, searching out for the next ‘purple’ bit to be seen. Also, the highlight was the Vampire Rabbit, a strange gargoyle, hidden above a door on a back street of Newcastle which was finally given its rightful time in the spotlight (literally).

The trail itself didn’t progress into Gateshead, covering just the area from the Castle, down to the Quayside and along to the Law Courts, but there where other sites, including Saltwell Towers which had exhibitions (or simply nicely lit buildings) that I would have liked to have investigated.

One of the wonderful bits was the opportunity to climb up inside one of the supports of the Tyne Bridge. The art installation was called ‘The White Night’ and was hard to spot unless you had the brochure in hand (which we didn’t, so thanks to Caroline for noticing it!). A few of the photos above are taken inside it. As you stood there you could hear the cars going over the bridge far above.

[tags]newcastle, photos, flickr, glow trail[/tags]

Canon captures the photographic urge

Canon produced one of the best adverts ever (along with the Sony Bravia advert). It captures the wonderful feeling of being in the photography mood – a place that takes you away from the world, and into a little space viewed through that lens. The music is kinda fun too.

I was recently in the cinema and they played BOTH of these adverts one after each other – I was in advert heaven.

Enjoy.

View Quicktime Movie.

[tags]canon, advert, quicktime[/tags]

Famous photographers given the ‘Flickr’ treatment

Reading this blog post I couldn’t help but get the same feeling I get sometimes when browsing Flickr, especially some of the ‘critique’ groups. My person favourites are the Bresson, and the authors sig from the William Eggleston one (“George Spelvin [Nikon D200, Nikon D70s backup, 17-35 f/2.8, 80-200 f/2.8, 4GB Microdrive (2), Photoshop CS, Epson 2200]” – classic!)

The Online Photographer: Great Photographers on the Internet

[tags]photos, photography, humour[/tags]

Capturing the moment

IMG_8488

IMG_8488, originally uploaded by t-lo.

Nothing harder than capturing that moment.

I used to kayak in my yoof! Great fun it is too.

[tags]flickr, photo, kayak, canoe[/tags]

Goodbye Durham

Goodbye Durham

Goodbye Durham, originally uploaded by iambigred.

Not many people will know this, but I moved up to the North East in 1987, to Durham. I lived there for 2 years, and carried on attending school there for a further 3 years, till I left for university.

I have some wonderful memories of Durham; the half price trips to the cinema on North Street (I specifically remember The Tall Guy and Child’s Play for some reason, probably because they where 15s and I wasn’t :) ), fish and chips from Bimbi’s, and Canoeing on the river near the Wear. (not far from this photo). We used to know the people who lived in the pink house on the wear, and that was a wonderful place to visit.

The river was very much a part of our lives – we lived about 30 seconds from the path that wanders behind St Oswalds, along and down around the river. My Nanna even has her ashes scattered from Prebends bridge.

I really don’t go back to Durham enough, and when I do its to all the wrong parts, and usually on a Saturday when its too busy! I need a day just wandering through all my old haunts, to recharge the old batteries (and to take some photos of course).

So not goodbye at all, thankfully just Au Revoir. See you soon.