The Guinness Book of World Records has become a common sight every Christmas; filling every bookstore, supermarket gift display and any shop where they can think of an excuse to stock it. It’s never something that’s interested me terribly. But while browsing a beautiful little antique shop the other day I came across a 1963 edition, printed while it was still a relatively new phenomenon, and I just had to buy it.

Instead of the holographic cover, flashy pictures and yelling titles, it’s quite British and restrained, while obviously finding great joy and pride in compiling weird facts. Is it strange that I find it much more exciting to read about what or who was the tallest, loudest and heaviest in 1963 than today?

Some of my favourite tidbits:

(This one for sheer weirdness. I wonder who holds the title now!)

Swallowing

The worst case of compulsive swallowing was reported by the American Medical Journal in December 1960. The patient, who complained of only swollen ankles, was found to have in his stomach, a 3-lb. piece of metal, 26 keys, 3 sets of rosary beads, 16 religious medals, a bracelet, a necklace, 3 pairs of tweezers, 4 nailclippers, 39 nail files, 3 metal chains and 88 assorted coins.

(This one because hiccup attacks make me panic, just in case I end up like poor Mr O’Leary. And I love the usage of the word “hicked”.)

Hiccoughing

The longest recorded attack of hiccups was that afflicting Jack O’Leary, of Los Angeles, California. It was estimated that he had “hicked” more than 160,000,000 in an attack, which had lasted from 13th June, 1948, to 1st June, 1956. His weight declined from 9 stone 12 lb. to 5 stone 4 lb. People sent 60,000 suggestions for cures of which only one apparently worked — a prayer to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes.

(And this one because it makes me laugh in horror. Does that make sense? Just me? Oh..)

Fastest Psychiatrist

The world’s fastest psychiatrist was Dr Albert L. Weiner of Erlton, New Jersey, who dealt with up to 50 patients a day in four treatment rooms. He relied heavily on narcoanalysis, muscle relaxants and electro shock treatments. In December 1961 he was found guilty on 12 counts of manslaughter from using unsterilised needles.

And then there’s the inside jacket cover lined with delightful newspaper quotes, such as:

“One of the most superlatively dotty and entertaining compilations to be published for years.” – Observer

“Will be devoured by recipients of all ages. Will be in high demand for Christmas Presents.” – Smith’s Trade News (I wonder if the person who said this got to see how prophetic it turned out to be)

“This book is a dilly” – New York Times (The word “dilly” is enough to make me love this one)

I’m looking forward to pages and pages of browsing, and for the first time I’m tempted to buy a current Guinness Book of World Records this Christmas so I can see how things have changed between 1963 and 2011.

Do you have anything from the olden, or even not so olden days that offers a glimpse into life at the time? I’d love to hear about it!

I’m always torn when I ponder my favourite season, whichever season I’m in feels pretty good to me at the time. I’m fairly sure my favourite season is spring, with all its joy, life and freshness, however autumn has to be a close runner-up. Every year I welcome it with open arms.

I love the colours, even here in England where half the leaves drop off without changing at all. I like the slight chill in the air; a new chill that is the promise of warm coats, beautiful scarves and new gloves to knit, rather than tiresome. The days are short and the nights are long, but not yet as impossibly dark as winter.

I like gathering warm blankets, dusting off my knitting needles, and bringing home pies (or baking them if I get the chance!) to eat with hot custard. I view autumn as the time to make your home as cozy a place as you can before winter sets in, and a time to hibernate and recuperate after a busy year.

Wherever you are, I wish you plenty of autumnal cheer!

(Photo taken at: 1/500, f/4.5, ISO 200)

My Nana is staying with us for a couple of weeks, visiting from Rhode Island. It’s the first time she has been in this country since I was about 8 months old. I like having her here, I’ve missed being around family outside of my brother, my mum and myself.

One thing that has struck me is seeing our life through the eyes of someone who is unused to our way of living. To me, we live in a dingy council estate in a dull and lifeless town. Our house is little and ridiculously built in a country full of rain and grumpy people.

But through her eyes all the houses are different from what she’s used to (“Look at the roofs, I’ve never seen anything like that!”). The town is exciting, and our house is beautiful, comfortable, and cozy enough for her to comment regularly on how lucky to live somewhere like this, and in such a quiet and nice neighbourhood as well. The weather is perfectly decent (incredibly  we’ve had next to no rain since she got here), and she can’t get over how friendly everyone is. It’s making me think about the way I see my life.

My mum chats to everyone. I like to talk to people and tend to get on well with strangers and new acquaintances, but nothing like her. If I leave her for a second in a shopping mall or anywhere really, I’ll come back and discover she’s made new friends and usually in the brief time I was away has somehow managed to tell them my entire life story. On a street where everyone minds their own business, she knows most of the neighbours around us, and leaves notes for the milkman with information she’s found on his mother’s medical condition.

Now I know where she gets it from. Nana is the same. She’ll start talking to anyone we run into in a shop, café, street, anywhere… and the wonderful thing is that in this supposedly dreary, straight-faced country and town, everyone she talks to is more than happy to stop and chat awhile. She keeps telling us how friendly everyone is here, and I can’t help wondering how much of our interpretations of the world are the result of preconceived ideas. I’ve lived and/or worked in London for the past five years and my experience tells me that most of the population are in a rush, with little good to say about anything. But now I’m wondering how much of that experience is accurate, and how much is because that’s what I expect from our bustling capital city.

The other thing Nana is astonished by is the sheer age of everything around us. In the States they’ve had no time for anything to get truly old, nevermind ancient, whereas England is steeped in history. I work next to the remains of the largest Roman town outside of Londinium. Last night, after having a perfectly English cream tea in a small building built in the 1500s, we happened to drive past the Long Man, who has been on the Sussex hills since Stone Age times. We have endless documentaries on TV about ancient British history, medieval stained glass or even the surprisingly interesting history of British ceramics. Just as a few examples.

Her amazement at these things has made me realise how much I take for granted around us. I’ve always loved old, pretty things, but have never really considered how these things are our heritage. Museums and National Trust sites are not just a source of entertainment and curiosities, they’re a precious way for us to see how our culture has changed, developed, merged with other cultures and developed more over thousands of years.

Showing Nana around our country and our immediate surroundings has given me more pride in the British part of my identity. Of course there’s the inescapable futility of politics, the grey, grey days, the smog that is returning to  London with a vengeance; but there are the things to be proud of as well. To balance out the grey of winter, we have a glorious array of colours in the spring. The rolling countryside even a few minutes outside town is some of the most beautiful I’ve seen anywhere, and living in our countryside and cities we have a wonderfully eclectic population.

Sometimes I’m not sure whether I’m supposed to be American or British, and to be British often seems to mean taking on the self-depreciating demeanor so recognised and accepted as part of our culture. But seeing our country and people through fresh eyes has made me feel quite proud of our strange little nation, pretty darned patriotic in fact.

(St Pauls Church - Covent Garden)

So, it would appear that there was a flaw in my NaBloPoMo plans. I forgot that I was going to be away from internet for the first few days of the month. Instant fail. Except… I’ve taken up drawing again over the past couple months. (bear with me… it’s related…)

I’m still very much learning; I’m happy with a fair number of my drawings, but I feel like a beginner. Over the years my perfectionism has caused me to quickly give up on drawing each time I’ve begun. After all, if I can’t do it perfectly why bother? But it’s the perfect way to really absorb the details in the little things all around me, it makes me calm and happy, and this time I’m determined to make it a part of my life.

I’m training myself in the good kind of stubbornness and have been forcing myself to finish the drawings I start, even if they seem to have gone wrong on the very first line. To my delight I’ve discovered that even when a drawing feels hopelessly doomed, when I see it through to the end there’s always something in it that I’m proud of.

Learning to finish what I start, even when it’s not going according to plan is a very big deal for me. (Aaand here’s the link back to the start.) I’ve missed four days worth of posts this month, but where previously I would have said, “Oh well, I’ll try again next year, or next month…” the new stubborn side of me says, “Whoops, well that didn’t go to plan, better try and rescue it then huh?” I’m away from internet again in a couple days, but instead of giving up I shall just have to do my own little making up and post double some days to make up for the missed ones. Sorted.

And now because I’m bored of making excuses for myself I shall do a double posting today to make up for a missed day. Time to end this one and start fresh with something else.

Filed under: Thoughts ]]> http://blog.vrindawebb.com/2011/11/06/stubbornness/feed/ 0 Vrinda Walk Softly http://blog.vrindawebb.com/2011/11/01/swooossssshhh/ http://blog.vrindawebb.com/2011/11/01/swooossssshhh/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:25:02 +0000 Vrinda http://blog.vrindawebb.com/?p=949 ]]> That’s the sound my life makes as it rushes past me. This past few months feel like they’ve gone by faster than any before. So much has happened, so much has changed.

I feel like I’m missing life as it flashes by, I’m taking no time to stop and think and take anything in. Partly for this reason I have decided to take part in the NaBloPoMo challenge this November of creating one blog post a day. This post could be something long and well-constructed, or it could be a brief thought, a photo, a drawing; anything.

My main aim is to regain my grounding and my ability to articulate thoughts and ideas, and to reconnect with the glorious people out there in the blogosphere. I’m looking forward to discovering treasures written by fellow bloggers this month. I’m up for the challenge and the oh-so-rewarding adventure of the thing.

But tonight it’s late.

Until tomorrow…

xx

Then finally, at long last, I began to find some designs I liked…

When I shared the results of my searching in this blog post I discovered from all of your wonderful comments that I’m far from the only person struggling in search of the perfect camera bag. You’d think bag companies would begin to catch on to this gap in the market! ((Hello any bag designers reading this!! Take notice pleeease?!!))

After much musing, browsing and listing pros and cons for each of the bags on my shortlist, as well as all the bags that you shared in your extremely helpful comments on that post, I settled on… *drumroll* … Porteen Gear.

I was nervous as I was waiting for it to arrive. Had I made the right choice? But the second I saw this bag I was in love. It immediately felt like I’d owned it forever.

(Photo taken at: 1/1250, f/1.8, ISO 100)

Let me talk you through it’s amazingness. This starts all the way from the ordering process.

For the fabrics you can choose either one of her listed pre-designed bags or, and this is where it gets fun, you can choose every single one of the fabrics yourself. For the accent fabric you can pick from any of 73 gorgeous designs, and as if that choice wasn’t difficult enough (I wanted all of them!) you can also choose the colour of the outer canvas (which is treated for water resistance), the inner lining, strap and the leather on the flap.

(Photo taken at: 1/400, f/1.8, ISO 100)

Robyn responded quickly to my many questions about delivery (I very had a small window of time in which I could get it), fabric choices and so on, always handling any indecision with patience. The bag was made and delivered well inside the time I’d told her I needed it by, and was beautifully packaged with love and care.

After hours of to-and-fro-ing between fabric combinations, I went with the red and gold paisley accent fabric, brown canvas, dark olive lining, olive green strap and chocolate brown leather, and it’s a thing of beauty.

(Photo taken at: 1/500, f/1.7, ISO 125)

The dividers are not removable, but they’re soft and only attached at the ends so are easily shifted to fit whatever gear you have, or shifted to the side altogether to make a larger space. There’s also a large flat pocket at the inside back of the bag, and on the front there’s a large zip pocket and plus two smaller ones to tuck in little things and lens caps, and a pen pocket.

(Photo taken at: 1/1250, f/1.8, ISO 100)

The thing that consistently surprises me most is the size. The bag looks on the small side, it’s one of the things that I was unsure about. I’d resigned myself to the idea of only being able to fit my camera and a lens or two, but this is like magic. I can easily fit my 550D with 30mm lens on the body, plus my 50mm, 85mm and 70-300mm lenses, as well as spare batteries, SD card case and any other pieces I need with me.

(Photo taken at: 1/800, f/1.7, ISO 125)

Even packed like this, it still leaves a generous amount of space at the top…

(Photo taken at: 1/1250, f/1.8, ISO 100)

…where I can sit my large 580EX II flashgun quite comfortably. When the cover is buckled down it’s all perfectly snug.

The whole thing is ideal for me. My kit is safe, and the bag is soft and squishy and doesn’t scream “camera bag!” whenever anyone sees it. The craftsmanship is wonderful, the stitching is tight and safe, and the shoulder strap is wide enough that it doesn’t cut into my shoulder even when the bag is full and heavy.

And as a final touch, inside the bag was a little leather business card case and a small pouch that is perfect for all my spare camera and flash batteries.

(Photo taken at: 1/500, f/3.5, ISO 100)

I can only think of two cons to this bag. Firstly, while the canvas of the main body is treated for water resistance, and I’ve never felt even the smallest amount of dampness through it, the flap that covers the bag is not waterproof.

The leather panels that form at least half of the flap do help in this respect, and the only time the lack of waterproofing has been something I was concerned about was when I got stuck in a torrential downpour with no umbrella. In this case I discovered that the thick padding of the flap absorbed the rain and held it, so even though it required drying out once I got home, my kit was still snuggly and dry.

Like I said, this hasn’t been something I’ve worried about (although I’m considering buying a water repelling treatment before the autumn rains return), but in interests of a helpful review I thought it worth mentioning.

(Photo taken at: 1/400, f/3.5, ISO 100)

The second con is not necessarily a con for everyone. The flap is fixed down with only one buckle around the centre. This fits securely and is adjustable to keep the kit protected whether the bag is stuffed to capacity, or contains only a few items. However, while it keeps the kit in, it doesn’t keep people out.

I work in a very pickpocket prone area of London and I’m a trifle paranoid about my kit after having it stolen once. I would like to have it a little more guarded from prying fingers. Even if it was maybe two buckles instead of one in the centre, I would feel less nervous when in crowds.

However, neither of these issues are anything that could have a negative impact on my complete adoration of this bag. I’ve been using it for a few months now and love it more each time I reach for it. The leather is still impeccably shiny, and the fabric has not worn so much as moulded itself to fit my kit.

I’ve found my Camera Bag of Dreams.

(Photo taken at: 1/2000, f/3.5, ISO 125)

This photo is sadly not mine, I was too busy blowing the bubbles.

Photo by the wonderful Becky, edit by me.

(Photos taken at 1/2000, f/1.7, ISO 125)

Becky’s Molly enjoying a run in the sand.

(Photo taken at 1/4000, f/1.7, ISO 125)

The sun was setting as the tide went out..

(Photo taken at: 30", f/9.0, ISO 100)

But by midnight it was high enough for this to be the view from the end of the garden.

A perfect end to a perfect day.

Photographing people, some well-known, all dolled up in their black-tie best, there to enjoy great entertainment and give generously to a touching cause… I was excited about this assignment.

(Photo taken at: 1/25, f/1.4, ISO 800)

The venue was the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge. A grand place. The crystal chandeliers in the upper foyer and ballroom were far taller than me (although, as my also-taller-than-me little brother would say, that’s not so difficult..).

(Photo taken at 1/50, f/1.4, ISO 800)

Upstairs, preparations had begun for the guests to mingle with every comfort. This included drinks of course.

(Photo taken at: 1/60, f/1.8, ISO 800)

Champagne and, fittingly, beer provided by Tiger beer.

(Photo taken at: 1/100, f/1.4, ISO 800)

Then the guests began arriving..

(Photo taken at: 1/60, f/1.4, ISO 800)

Will Travers, the CEO of Born Free, and his mother  Virginia McKenna, one of the founders of the charity and a long-time campaigner for the causes it supports, greeted Alistair McGowan & Ronni Ancona, who were in turn joined by Bill Oddie…

(Photo taken at: 1/60, f/2.0, ISO 800)

(Photo taken at: 1/160, f/2.0, ISO 800)

…who seemed to be enjoying himself rather a lot.

Then, Joanna Lumley arrived. This may be a good time to mention my small obsession with her. I adore her. (For an example of why, watch this: Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights) Every minor celebrity who had arrived so far had turned out to be rather… normal I suppose. I recognised them, but they were people like any others, who you wouldn’t notice if you didn’t know who they were. I was a little afraid that it would be the same with her.

(Photo taken at: 1/160, f/2.0, ISO 800)

To my delight I discovered that it was not. She is everything I imagined. The most electric, vibrant, truly delightful woman I could hope for her to be.

(Photo taken at: 1/160, f/2.0, ISO 800)

She gave her full, undivided attention to every person who approached her, even those who timidly touched her arm to ask if they could have their photo taken with her. Every person who mentioned her to me that night suffixed her name with, “Joanna Lumley…isn’t she divine?” or “..isn’t she stunning?” to which I would agree. And she wore a dress I covet greatly.

But enough of my hero-worship.

Dinner was called and the guests retired to the ballroom for their gourmet meal and the promised entertainment. Once they were comfortably seated, the night was opened with a blessing by two Buddhist monks.

(Photo taken at: 1/60, f/1/8, ISO 1600)

This was the first time I got to challenge my new 85mm 1.8, and I love it! It was perfect for an event like this. Fast enough for low light (except when someone decided that “mood lighting” meant pretty much pitch black) and long enough to capture candid shots without intruding on conversations or blocking the audience’s view, but wide enough to be able to capture the environment. It’s definitely one of my cannot-be-without lenses now.

(Photo taken at: 1/125, f/1.4, ISO 1600)

Downstairs the final touches were added to elaborate dance costumes…

(Photo taken at: 1/50, f/1.8, ISO 1600)

…and when the guests had finished their meals, the dancers came up to perform.

(Photo taken at: 1/80, f/1.8, ISO 1600)

(Photo taken at: 1/60, f/1.8, ISO 1600)

A Balinese dancer performed a traditional tiger dance…

(Photo taken at: 0.4", f/9.0, ISO 1600)

…followed by two Katak dancers who twirled and whirled on the stage…

(Photo taken at: 1/15, f/3.5, ISO 1600)

…before being joined by a group of traditional drummers.

And here I have to insert a gratuitous, “Excuse me, over here..!!” shot:

(Photo taken at: 1/250, f/1.4, ISO 1600)

On the left is Donal McIntyre, whose undercover shows used to scare and enthral me as a youngster, before he became too famous to go undercover himself. He was actually the host of the night, but didn’t hang around on stage long enough for me to capture many shots of him speaking. On the right is his very lovely wife who was ever so friendly and chatted a while with me. And in the centre is the one and only Jimmy Choo.

And back to the event.

Joanna Lumley stepped onto the stage after the dancers had finished, and loosened both heart and purse strings with a few rousing words about the cause that had brought everyone there…

(Photo taken at: 1/125, f/1.8, ISO 1600)

…before handing over to the much-venerated Nicholas Parsons, who was to host the  grand auction in aid of the Wild Tiger.

(Photo taken at 1/250, f/1.8, ISO 1600)

There was a wonderful variety of options to bid on, from  beautiful tiger-themed art, to days learning how to make chocolates, and a journey on the real-life Orient Express.

(Photo taken at: 1/250, f/1.8, ISO 1600)

And with the end of the auction came the end of the event, and the end of my night.

Like Cinderella, I crept home as the clock struck midnight.. although as far as I remember she didn’t have to get the train home from Euston alongside fellow late-night travellers with sleepy, bobbing heads, in a carriage which echoed with the soft sound of  snoring.

(Photo taken at: 1/200, f/1.8, ISO 400)

It has been a very long time since I last wrote anything for this blog. All the blogging “how-to”s inform me I should just begin again, pick up where I left off without apology, as if I was never gone. I contemplated doing this. They must know what they’re talking about, right? But in this instance, it doesn’t feel right.

I feel like I need to, well.. to explain I suppose.

This hiatus in writing has not been merely because I’ve been too busy, or because I couldn’t be bothered. The truth is I hit a block. I hit a big, massive, “Who do you think you are to be talking about photography like you know something?” block. You know those voices that appear in your head and tell you what you should do? (No? Just me? hmm) They can be rather mean.

They tell me I should know everything there is to know about photography before daring to say a word about it, and never ever let on that I’m learning with every image I capture. That I should take every photo with pre-determination, never resorting to split-second decisions and occasional pure flukiness. And they tell me I should always be prim and oh-so proper if I ever want to achieve that much aspired-to status of Professional.

But I’ve missed it; the writing, and especially the taking photographs out of the sheer love of imagery. Apart from the jobs I’ve taken on in this time (Some exciting things! More about those soon..) I’ve picked up my camera far too sporadically. So this is me telling the mean voices in my head to get lost.

I will take photos because it makes me happy. And I will write because the words are desperate to be free. I shall do both imperfectly, because I am imperfect and proud of it.

I very much hope that you would like to join me on this journey of discovery. I’d be ever so glad of the company!

(Photo taken at: 1/800, f1.8, ISO 400)

Filed under: Thoughts ]]> http://blog.vrindawebb.com/2011/06/26/the-journey-of-discovery/feed/ 0 Vrinda Cow Parsley Spring http://blog.vrindawebb.com/2011/02/13/sophie-headshots-and-a-walk-in-the-park/ http://blog.vrindawebb.com/2011/02/13/sophie-headshots-and-a-walk-in-the-park/#comments Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:12:33 +0000 Vrinda http://blog.vrindawebb.com/?p=783 ]]> This week it was like Christmas all over again, x50. I’ve finally been able to replace my stolen lenses! Never again will I take my equipment for granted.. it’s been five days and I’m still giddy with excitement.

So the timing couldn’t be more perfect for the wonderful Sophie to request some headshots for her acting work. Naturally I jumped at the opportunity to try out my new lenses, and to have such a lovely model for the afternoon.

Our first stop was the British Museum, where I’ve always wanted to test how the glass roof of the Great Court diffuses the light. I wasn’t disappointed.

Look at the smoothness in the lighting! Like we’re under a giant softbox. Delicious.

(Photo taken at 1/250, f/2.2, ISO 100)

(Photo taken at 1/800, f/1.4, ISO 100)

(Photo taken at 1/500, f/1.4, ISO 100)

We used the grand staircase in the centre of the Great Court for a few full length shots…

(Photo taken at 1/1000, f/1.4, ISO 100)

(Photo taken at 1/200, f/2.5, ISO 100)

…before deciding that we were already more than satisfied with the results so far and we moved on to try our luck in the first glimpses of nearing-end-of-winter sunshine outside, where we took a few more headshot-y type portraits.

(Photo taken at 1/4000, f/1.4, ISO 100)

(Photo taken at 1/4000, f/1.4, ISO 100)

(Photo taken at 1/800, f/2.5, ISO 100)

We quickly agreed we had plenty of photos to fill Sophie’s requirements and we moved on to some less formal camera fun.

(Photos taken at 1/4000, f/2.0, ISO 400)

(Photo taken at 1/640, f/2.8, ISO 400)

(Photo taken at 1/2000, f/3.5, ISO 400)

(Photos taken at 1/1250, f/1.8, ISO 400)

This was a fun-filled few hours out in London, and I’m very happy with the results. I think my time without a camera has done me good, I seem to be taking photos more consciously and deliberately, with better results… but that’s a subject for a whole different post. For now suffice to say, I’m back!