The Happy Train
Thursday 29 Nov 07 | Category: Travel
The Metro in Budapest is a happy little train. Hear its jingly-jangly greeting every time it enters and leaves a station.
|
Perfect photo
Wednesday 28 Nov 07 | Category: Other Photographers
I must stop stealing Tewfic's blog posts. Just as soon as he stops finding and posting gems like this.
Framed
Tuesday 27 Nov 07 | Category: My Photography
I took this shot at the Strahov Monastery in Prague. The windows are being replaced and all the old windows were, as you can see, stacked up against the wall.Perhaps it was the autumnal feel to the scene with leaves lying on the ground but it seemed to have a gentle melancholy to it. The windows, redundant after years of use, having brought in the light and offered framed views to people in the monastery building, are now stacked against the wall, awaiting their demise.
I de-saturated the colours in this image, apart from the red and the yellow, in an attempt to emphasise the melancholy feeling with limited colour in an otherwise monochrome setting. Click the image to see a larger version.
"There's beer in the fridge"
Monday 26 Nov 07 | Category: Travel
A Budapest blog! What an excellent idea.Well, I haven't had time to see any of Budapest's more well known tourist attractions yet but I have found one real gem already!
You know how tiring it can be to travel all day? You start early in the morning and you travel on trains, on planes and in automobiles. You spend hours waiting in anonymous airport departure lounges, you queue for check-in, you queue for the security check, you queue for the plane, you fight for a seat, you queue for passport control. Then, eventually, you arrive in an unfamiliar country, you're not sure of the language, the currency is a mystery and you don't have the faintest clue which direction you should head.
You know what we all really want at this point in our day's journey? We want to be met at the airport by a friendly taxi driver who drives us to our destination. We want to be greeted by smiling, friendly faces and we dream of being invited into a warm, homely, cosy apartment. Imagine the relief at discovering that we've found somewhere really relaxing to stay. How reassuring to be shown maps and guidebooks, to have the best local cafes and restaurants pointed out to us and to find that we have a clean and spacious place to call home for the next few days. And imagine the delight at hearing these magic words at the end of our tiring day:
"There's beer in the fridge, call us if you need anything".
I give you... Andras and Malna.
Cheers!
(This post first appeared on http://budapestguest.blogspot.com/)
Charles Bridge, Prague
Monday 26 Nov 07 | Category: My Photography
One of the locations that you simply can't leave Prague without photographing is Charles Bridge. It's a popular tourist attraction and I'd imagine that it's packed in the busy summer months. Even in November it was bustling throughout the day.These two shots show the bridge from different sides of the river Vltava. The first was taken from the castle on the west bank of the river and shows the Old Bridge Tower, from where the second was taken, looking towards the castle on the hill.
(click for larger versions)
Strahov Library, Prague
Sunday 25 Nov 07 | Category: My Photography
I try to keep a diary when I'm away and it's interesting to compare the differences between my observations and those in the guidebook. So, looking at these pictures of the magnificent Strahov Library this morning, I was interested to read:
"The stunning interior of the two-storey-high Philosophy Hall was built to fit around the carved and gilded, floor-to-ceiling walnut shelving that was rescued from another monastery in South Bohemia. The feeling of height here is accentuated by a grandiose ceiling fresco, the Struggle of Mankind to Gain True Wisdom - the figure of Divine Providence is enthroned in the centre amid a burst of golden light, while around the edges are figures ranging from Adam and Eve to the Greek philosophers."
Lonely Planet
"The library was very interesting."
Gavin Gough
Clearly I felt that the photographs would say more than I could.
Philosophy Hall | Theological Hall
"The stunning interior of the two-storey-high Philosophy Hall was built to fit around the carved and gilded, floor-to-ceiling walnut shelving that was rescued from another monastery in South Bohemia. The feeling of height here is accentuated by a grandiose ceiling fresco, the Struggle of Mankind to Gain True Wisdom - the figure of Divine Providence is enthroned in the centre amid a burst of golden light, while around the edges are figures ranging from Adam and Eve to the Greek philosophers."
Lonely Planet
"The library was very interesting."
Gavin Gough
Clearly I felt that the photographs would say more than I could.
Philosophy Hall | Theological Hall
Hands
Friday 23 Nov 07 | Category: My Photography | Photo Competitions
I've been putting together a selection of images for a themed competition. These five images showing people's hands won't be in the final selection but I do like them and so thought they were worth posting to the blog. The theme of the competition is, loosely, "people". You can tell a lot about a person by their hands of course. And these hands in particular give away a lot about the people they belong to.
I was pleased with the picture of the woman praying because it seems to say a lot about her religious devotion without even showing her face. Hands tattooed with henna are something you can see often in India although I was pleased to find a lady wearing a sari with such wonderfully sympathetic colours. Those reds and oranges really go with the henna. The man pouring sweet Jalebi mix into hot oil didn't seem to be doing a roaring trade although he was wearing the grubbiest t-shirt in the whole of India so perhaps he wasn't a great advert. The old man's hands, placed on his knees like that, were an obvious subject although he seemed slightly bemused by my request to photograph his cigar. He shrugged his agreement and kept perfectly still, even, I suspect, holding his breath. Sometimes being a strange foreigner can be an advantage. Lastly, the lady's hand on the photo on the right is holding out an offering of flower heads. She was selling small newspaper parcels of flowers to devotees at the Pushkar Camel Fair. Pilgrims would pay a couple of rupees for the flowers, take them to a nearby ghat and release them onto the water.
So, let's hear it for hands. In fact, let's give our five-fingered friends a big...
I was pleased with the picture of the woman praying because it seems to say a lot about her religious devotion without even showing her face. Hands tattooed with henna are something you can see often in India although I was pleased to find a lady wearing a sari with such wonderfully sympathetic colours. Those reds and oranges really go with the henna. The man pouring sweet Jalebi mix into hot oil didn't seem to be doing a roaring trade although he was wearing the grubbiest t-shirt in the whole of India so perhaps he wasn't a great advert. The old man's hands, placed on his knees like that, were an obvious subject although he seemed slightly bemused by my request to photograph his cigar. He shrugged his agreement and kept perfectly still, even, I suspect, holding his breath. Sometimes being a strange foreigner can be an advantage. Lastly, the lady's hand on the photo on the right is holding out an offering of flower heads. She was selling small newspaper parcels of flowers to devotees at the Pushkar Camel Fair. Pilgrims would pay a couple of rupees for the flowers, take them to a nearby ghat and release them onto the water.
So, let's hear it for hands. In fact, let's give our five-fingered friends a big...
Prague: National Museum and Old Town Square
Friday 23 Nov 07 | Category: My Photography
I was in Prague for a few days last week. The weather on the first day was pretty dreary. It rained a drizzly rain throughout the day, which made it difficult for me to get photos that made Prague look very inviting. I don't mind the rain but the low cloud can make everything look a little flat and uninteresting. It's a good day for photographing interiors! Or, as a Canon magazine ad currently says, "Overcast days are black and white days".
I headed for the National Museum, which is a strange place, stuffed (if you'll forgive the pun) with glass cases filled with animals and birds that have spent more time in the hands of a Taxidermist than they might have wished. Whilst the exhibits weren't all that exciting, the central staircase and interior was wonderful.
"if trilobytes and taxidermy are not your thing it's still worth a visit just to enjoy the marble splendour of the interior"
(Lonely Planet)
One of the few benefits of drizzly, grey days is that it's the sort of weather that can benefit certain subjects. One of those is cobbled streets. Or cobbled squares in this case. This is the Old Town Square in Prague with the magnificently named "Church of Our Lady Before Tyn" illuminated in the background. The damp cobbles can sometimes throw up pleasing reflections so I chose a low perspective to try and emphasise that. The only problem with damp cobbles when you're trying to photograph from a worm's eye view is that you get a soggy bum.
I hope to post a few more pictures from Prague in the next day or two although I'm going to Hungary on Monday so the Prague photos might begin to fight for space with new ones from Budapest. Click on the images below for larger versions.
Prague National Museum and Old Town Square
I headed for the National Museum, which is a strange place, stuffed (if you'll forgive the pun) with glass cases filled with animals and birds that have spent more time in the hands of a Taxidermist than they might have wished. Whilst the exhibits weren't all that exciting, the central staircase and interior was wonderful.
"if trilobytes and taxidermy are not your thing it's still worth a visit just to enjoy the marble splendour of the interior"
(Lonely Planet)
One of the few benefits of drizzly, grey days is that it's the sort of weather that can benefit certain subjects. One of those is cobbled streets. Or cobbled squares in this case. This is the Old Town Square in Prague with the magnificently named "Church of Our Lady Before Tyn" illuminated in the background. The damp cobbles can sometimes throw up pleasing reflections so I chose a low perspective to try and emphasise that. The only problem with damp cobbles when you're trying to photograph from a worm's eye view is that you get a soggy bum.
I hope to post a few more pictures from Prague in the next day or two although I'm going to Hungary on Monday so the Prague photos might begin to fight for space with new ones from Budapest. Click on the images below for larger versions.
Prague National Museum and Old Town Square
Lord Mayor's Fireworks
Tuesday 20 Nov 07 | Category: My Photography
I was in London with Barry last week to photograph the Lord Mayor's fireworks. Knowing how Barry prefers to get a high-level perspective on his subjects I managed to wangle our way onto a balcony of the National Theatre, which provided a pretty good vantage point.
Better still, we were in the company of a couple of members of the theatre who invited us to join them in a glass of red wine. Looking down at the crowds squashed up against the railings of the Embankment and on Waterloo Bridge, it was certainly a more civilised way of getting some shots.
Unfortunately, I couldn't quite get to an angle that would allow me to get a closer crop on St. Paul's Cathedral whilst still including the fireworks - and they did seem to be over very quickly - but I did get a couple of shots that show some of the buildings along the river and the fireworks overhead.
Better still, we were in the company of a couple of members of the theatre who invited us to join them in a glass of red wine. Looking down at the crowds squashed up against the railings of the Embankment and on Waterloo Bridge, it was certainly a more civilised way of getting some shots.
Unfortunately, I couldn't quite get to an angle that would allow me to get a closer crop on St. Paul's Cathedral whilst still including the fireworks - and they did seem to be over very quickly - but I did get a couple of shots that show some of the buildings along the river and the fireworks overhead.
Le Manoir
Tuesday 20 Nov 07 | Category: Entertainment
For a birthday present earlier in the year I received a voucher for lunch at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons restaurant in Oxfordshire. We finally took the opportunity to go recently and I must say that it lived up to all expectations. Usually, the merest hint of unnecessary flamboyance or showy pretension is enough to send me scurrying in the opposite direction. I don't like meals turned into carnivals and I shudder at the prospect of waiters flouncing around me whilst I try to perform what is, after all, simply an every-day necessity - eating my lunch.
I needn't have worried. Lunch at Le Manoir was a real delight. Apart from squirming a bit in a jacket that I rarely wear these days, it was a very comfortable experience. The waiting staff were the very definition of understated, the food was delicious - really delicious and the whole experience was remarkably unfussy. I think that my experience of what I can only think to describe as "upper class" restaurants before now has been of establishments that want to show how "upper class" they are. Waiters fuss and make a show of pouring wine (not a tricky task in my experience), menus are complicated and sometimes unintelligible, everything is done with a "look at how posh we are" flounce and both the food and bill are apt to leave a nasty taste in the mouth.
Le Manoir is very different. Perhaps because it really is top notch and so isn't trying to prove anything. It just is spectacularly good. Waiters and waitresses move silently through the restaurant and, remarkably, they're friendly. There's no hurry, no palaver, no sense of being out-of-place. It felt like somewhere that you could pop into for a quiet lunch if you were nearby. Yes, the wine list could more appropriately have been called a wine novel (hundreds of pages) and yes, there were several wines listed at over £1000 a bottle but there were also reasonable offerings and we didn't go thirsty!
It was also interesting to take a walk around the vegetable and herb gardens before and after lunch. Nice to think that the pumpkin soup I enjoyed had been made from pumpkins taken from the garden and interesting to see the small mushroom farm down by the stream.
I know Mr. Michelin's stars are much more sought after but Le Manoir gets the thumbs-up from me. Will I go back? I might have to wait for another generous birthday present but yes, I think I might.
I needn't have worried. Lunch at Le Manoir was a real delight. Apart from squirming a bit in a jacket that I rarely wear these days, it was a very comfortable experience. The waiting staff were the very definition of understated, the food was delicious - really delicious and the whole experience was remarkably unfussy. I think that my experience of what I can only think to describe as "upper class" restaurants before now has been of establishments that want to show how "upper class" they are. Waiters fuss and make a show of pouring wine (not a tricky task in my experience), menus are complicated and sometimes unintelligible, everything is done with a "look at how posh we are" flounce and both the food and bill are apt to leave a nasty taste in the mouth.
Le Manoir is very different. Perhaps because it really is top notch and so isn't trying to prove anything. It just is spectacularly good. Waiters and waitresses move silently through the restaurant and, remarkably, they're friendly. There's no hurry, no palaver, no sense of being out-of-place. It felt like somewhere that you could pop into for a quiet lunch if you were nearby. Yes, the wine list could more appropriately have been called a wine novel (hundreds of pages) and yes, there were several wines listed at over £1000 a bottle but there were also reasonable offerings and we didn't go thirsty!
It was also interesting to take a walk around the vegetable and herb gardens before and after lunch. Nice to think that the pumpkin soup I enjoyed had been made from pumpkins taken from the garden and interesting to see the small mushroom farm down by the stream.
I know Mr. Michelin's stars are much more sought after but Le Manoir gets the thumbs-up from me. Will I go back? I might have to wait for another generous birthday present but yes, I think I might.
OK Commuter
Tuesday 13 Nov 07 | Category: Entertainment
It's been a while. How are you? How have things been?
Me? Oh, I've been pretty busy with one thing and another. Thanks for asking.
Unfortunately, the .Mac web site, from which I'd hoped to see great things, has been experiencing "some speed issues in Europe". I liked being able to update my site from anywhere and the iLife software was easy to navigate but the speed of uploads and downloads was little more than ponderous. I struggled along with it for a while, wondering if it might have been something in my set up but after several e-mails to and from the .Mac support team they finally came clean and admitted to a less than sparkling performance on their European-based web sites.
I'm sure that it will improve but until it does I'm back with a proper ISP and a piece of software called RapidWeaver, which is proving to be first class. I've put all of these new web pages together with it and managed to integrate it with a customised PhotoShelter installation that will go live as soon as I've finished populating the photo galleries. The advantage of the PhotoShelter site is that it will allow me to sell prints and photo licenses online with the minimum of daily management from me. Whilst the Digital Railroad web site was also excellent, it doesn't yet offer the levels of integration.
I'm quite excited about the new site and the way that I'm hoping it will work. You can get a preview of the image galleries by visiting http://archive.gavingough.com.
I'll be posting more to the blog in the next few days so we'll be able to catch up.
In the mean time, you might like to entertain yourself by compiling your own Top Five Commuting Tracks, in the manner of the Guardian's "OK Commuter" column. The one below, from a correspondent you may be familiar with, was published in last Monday's Office Hours supplement.
Guardian's Office Hours
Me? Oh, I've been pretty busy with one thing and another. Thanks for asking.
Unfortunately, the .Mac web site, from which I'd hoped to see great things, has been experiencing "some speed issues in Europe". I liked being able to update my site from anywhere and the iLife software was easy to navigate but the speed of uploads and downloads was little more than ponderous. I struggled along with it for a while, wondering if it might have been something in my set up but after several e-mails to and from the .Mac support team they finally came clean and admitted to a less than sparkling performance on their European-based web sites.
I'm sure that it will improve but until it does I'm back with a proper ISP and a piece of software called RapidWeaver, which is proving to be first class. I've put all of these new web pages together with it and managed to integrate it with a customised PhotoShelter installation that will go live as soon as I've finished populating the photo galleries. The advantage of the PhotoShelter site is that it will allow me to sell prints and photo licenses online with the minimum of daily management from me. Whilst the Digital Railroad web site was also excellent, it doesn't yet offer the levels of integration.
I'm quite excited about the new site and the way that I'm hoping it will work. You can get a preview of the image galleries by visiting http://archive.gavingough.com.
I'll be posting more to the blog in the next few days so we'll be able to catch up.
In the mean time, you might like to entertain yourself by compiling your own Top Five Commuting Tracks, in the manner of the Guardian's "OK Commuter" column. The one below, from a correspondent you may be familiar with, was published in last Monday's Office Hours supplement.
Guardian's Office Hours
