Bad breaking 

27th March 2017

A bag the size of my cat stood neatly beside Alys as she warmly greeted me, soaked by the skylight at Birmingham station.

“Where’s your boat?” I asked.

She pointed to her feet. I was curious to see how the Mary Poppins bag transformed into a vehicle.

The toasty sun on our cheeks was a treat for the stroll but a bitch for the shoot. We walked along the canal to find inspiration of where to shoot Alys in the boat. 4 minutes of well-rehearsed boat inflating, a large red dingy emerged. I was impressed.

We shot a few frames but the game of composition, light, angle and engagement was challenged further by a drifting current and a fisherman who would never catch a fish.

She hopped back to land as we headed further towards a dinky and unusual bridge.

Finding our next spot I held my Hasselblad to my face.

The shutter didn’t budge.

Dark slide still in?

End of the roll? Damn I knew this situation a little too well. Digital it was then.

The next idea was for me to be in the water too via an island. Taking it in turns to float across we reached a precarious straw filled island. The wind was picking up so we held everything down using rocks as I reluctantly raised my digital camera. The screen went blank.

Battery?

Lens connection? Really???? 2 cameras?

One last try before I pulled in the back up digital…ok we ‘re alive again.

Crossing back to stable land I felt my bum getting soaked. A hole in the boat from the rocksWe really weren’t having much luck. Slightly irritated we both decided a change of scene was essential.

We prowled the perimeter of the industrial wasteland looking for an entrance. Over-confidently we strolled through a car garage to climb over the wall. As soon as I reached the other side I smiled.

It was a stunning wasteland over grown with moss and plants.

Alys modestly explained the vegetation as we weaved through exploring like puppies in a new home.

Despite our tools failing this shoot was a perfect combination of a stunning stroll, a little adventure and great company.

The second image due to my huge slackness is an editorial. I rarely use the word nice. It feels insulting but in this case I mean it in the most positive way possible. Eileen Hogan was warm, gentle and just incredibly…. nice. Chatting to her about similar passions I felt a connection and a sense of calm and enjoyment on this shoot. Her subject matter at the moment is gardens and this felt just like taking a walk with her through some tranquil floral gardens. Relaxing and meditative. OAO x