The first print is being made

Monitor calibrated – check, Gamut warning checked – check, correct paper profile selected – check.  Well here goes the first print is being produced.  Wish me luck – I’ll need it.
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Brushes Painting

Practice, practice practice and then more practice. This seems to be the only way to improve with my drawing as with so many other things in life. There are some individuals who are hard wired to be able to produce some master piece without putting in the hours. However, these are rare individuals – for the rest of us it is the slow grindstone of practice. The good thing for me is that I feel I am showing progress. Whether that is progress from abysmal to not very good or perhaps a bit better I have no idea and frankly I don’t care. I am enjoying this and that is all that matters.

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Sent from my iPad

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iPad and the olympics – just don’t mention Flash

Well I’ve done it. I’ve registered an interest to buy tickets for the 2012 olympics. It is a once in a lifetime experience and I want to be part. I’d love to see the athletics but these tickets are going to be the hardest to come by – so we’ll wait and see.

So I went to the olympics site and wonder what, if anything, would be near where I live – nothing could be simpler – just net your post code and the computer will tell you what is in your area. Well I suppose that is what happens if you do that on anything other than a iPad/iPhone. If you do this on the aforementioned machine you hit the usual problem ‘ … Your device has not got flash…’ or words to that effect. When will this arrogance end? When will Apple agree to join the rest of the world and allow Flash on their machines?

I know this is an old refrain but I will continue to bang on about this until something is changed.

Sent from my iPad

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Me after my latest episode with the dentist

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Sent from my iPad

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Part one of the root canal surgery

One down two to go!   This hurts and so I am feeling sorry for myself.  However, I’ll survive.   I can’t complain too much as I haven’t had any work done on my teeth for years so the work now sort of evens that out.  I’m not too sure at the moment – woe is me:(
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Better late than never – Lady Gaga and Ace of Base

I have just watched the Alejandro video on youtube and thought I have heard that song before.  I realised that it is VERY similar to the Ace of Base song ‘Don’t Turn Around‘.  A new revelation for the world?  Well no.   There is a whole section on Wiki about just this subject and indeed Gaga herself acknowledges the debt she owes to Ace of Base.   Better late than never to the party I suppose. 
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Why are 150 words so difficult?

Contactsheet_-_2010-07-28-09-1

150 words that is all I have got for the statement of intent for my ARPS portfolio.  150 words.  This isn’t much and yet it is one of the greatest challenges when you are writing to distil your ideas down to  such proportions.  Churchill, one of the greatest word smiths of the english language found this very difficult – what chance have I?   At the moment I have only got 93 so have another 50 to play with.  However, the first draft was just a wild stab in the dark in a vain attempt to get something down on paper – the hard work starts now.  Drafting and redrafting – this is going to be so painful.

Anyway on a more positive note I am almost there as far as the selection is concerned.  Almost but not quite.  I need to give this another day or so.  Perhaps I can think about this when I am having root canal work this afternoon.
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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Living with Edward 2nd

I have just spent the best part of a week working through the pipe rolls of Edward the 2nd.   It has been back breaking work but really worthwhile as it has provided me with a huge amount of information to work through.  The next step is to sit back and let the implications of what I have discovered sink in and then try and fold these into my historical research.  

The enduring impression I have is that Sir Humphrey would have felt right at home in the 14th century court.  The most wonderfully bureaucratic episode was when Edward 2nd was captured and brought to his estranged wife’s court.   In this act the governance of England is passed to Edward’s son, also Edward.  However, from the clerk’s point of view, the most important item was that the pipe rolls of the King had been correctly sealed and passed over to the new king’s clerk.  The old king gets perfunctory mention compared to the sealed rolls.  I think this says a great deal about what it is to be English. 

Now back to the ARPS portfolio and having more dental work – I’m not sure which is worse. 
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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It’s hard work this selection process!

Day three and more tears and frustration!  This is to be expected as I slowly work through the combinations of photographs that work well together as a portfolio.  I am now on the 5th iteration and I think I am finally getting somewhere.

You have to submit 15 prints around a theme – no problem there.  However, they have to be a coherent display rather than 15 great shots of birds.  this is where it gets more difficult.  You have to display the prints in three rows, so that is 3 rows of 5 or twos rows of 7 with one on its own – balance being the key here – I have chosen 3 rows of 5.  The first row is about flight, the second about small birds that you might find in your garden or local park.  These have been settled and work well.   The third rows is the one that is causing the real problem.   

This is about breeding and the circle of life.    So I want to capture the courtship, nesting, chicks and death with these prints.   Boy has this been difficult and I am still not finished – just how do you capture the circle of life in five prints that hanging together in some coherent whole?  Well I am still working on that but I feel I am getting close.  However, the whole thing could collapse and I could be jibbering wreck  crouched in the corner.  Oh the joys of trying to get a distinction!
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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It’s getting a little crazy..RULES RULES RULES

Well I am now starting to really edit and re-edit my selection.  To be truthful I am starting to drive myself a little crazy!   There are so many rules for the nature submission that I find myself second and third guessing the judges.  An example is ‘ no sign of human activity must be shown…’   what the hell does this mean?   You try and apply this in the most literal sense and you could end up with no photographs at all.  I have decided the best thing to do is now let things settles for the rest of the day and go back fresh at it in the morning.  I’ll be glad when this whole thing is over.
 

Simon Marchini LRPS

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