Riot Act.

I shall spare you my usual 'shpeel' on the subject matter. I would hope the pictures speak for themselves!

More from this album at http://www.flickr.com/photos/51731306@N06/sets/72157625685326260/

It's where it goes so wrong, that it can go so right.

Rifling through some draws back home, I came across a masterpiece of photographic history, a Nikon RF10.

This fully plastic, fully automatic camera, once belonged to my grandfather and has not been touched in years. With this in mind, i blew away the cob webs and set about reliving its formative years

Even in its hay day the RF10 was nothing special. Developed for the masses in the early 90's, it was for those who wanted no frills.

With a fixed focal length of f/4.5 and a similarly immovable 34mm lens, its just a case of picking it up and pressing the button.

As is always the case of these things, it is their imperfections that grow on us with age, we develop a sympathy for the unloved.

The grain on the film is clearly evident in every shot and with its fully automatic nature the tendency to reach inside ones pocket and snap away at any given moment means some fantastic and unplanned shots.

A few nights out with this baby and I'm hooked on it.

Beyond the Highlands, lies this place.

Better late than never is a term I have uttered on many occasions, although never in a connection with my professional commitments I might add.

But it is now time to utter this phrase in regard to a collection of photographs taken way back in the summer on a brief visit to the Highlands of Scotland. So....better late than never!

In the small town of Nairn I found myself walking along endless beaches, strolling through fields, navigating my way through thorny undergrowth and clambering over ruins of ancient castles.

The castle in question, Rait Castle, is currently the subject of an ongoing debate about the state of its repair and the the possibility of restoration. Obviously I am hugely in favour of preserving and restoring such historical sites as physical bookmarks in time, especially one with such a gruesome, yet fascinating story behind it concerning rival clans, a disloyal daughter and relentless bloodshed.

More information on the current situation of rait castle, facts about its ancient architecture and a more in-depth account of the ghosts that haunt the place, visit http://www.saveraitcastle.org/.

Aside from these tombstones to once great architecture there are many more wonders are to behold. Beauty does not present itself in the guise of sunny beaches and glamour, but has more of an autumnal and sensible nature about it.

I find myself actually enjoying the cold bite of the wind, the powerful rolling grey clouds and pride myself in doing so. It feels right. It feels very British.

Unfortunately the visual complexity of some of these photographs does not lend itself too well to the small format of the blog. Apologies for this. You may find it easier to view them via the flickr link below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51731306@N06/sets/72157625514335547/

Allow me to Tumble

Here is a new page i have set up on tumblr. It is by no means a replacement for this page but it is far better to view some of my preferred photographs from over the years.

http://eddabneyphotography.tumblr.com/

'The Ruskins' @ Koko (supported by 'The Joker & The Thief')

Its been a while since i strolled down Camden Town, and upon doing so, this fact struck me as a bit of a shame. Its a superb example of Londons ability to accept everything and offer even more.



Hopping off the 253 from Stoke Newington, i bounded into a rather jovial stride down the high street, roughly aimed towards Koko. There was good reason for this positive disposition, as i had heard nothing but good things about both the bands i was due to take pictures of and was glad about the fact that my ears were going to me penetrated with something that wasn't of the electronic genre. Now i must state here, my love for said music knows no bounds but, as with everything, a change from the norm is rather nice occasionally.



First up, 'The Joker & The Thief'. This trio is made up of two old school friends of mine, Justin Gartry (guitar) and Dan Grabiner (vocals, drums and other random pieces of percussion), accompanied by Josh Elliot (Saxophone and accordion), were hands down one of the best live performances i have seen in a long time. Now, i am by no means an aficionado when it comes to this genre of music, or be it any for that matter. However their blend of rock, indie, folk, blues and god knows what else, struck me as original and inspired, especially their rendition of 'All along the watchtower', Bravo lads.
Now We come to the main act of the evening, the band for which i had been summoned to capture in action with my unique skills and ability, I give you 'The Ruskins' ladies and gentlemen.



With a mixture of indie, ska and folk music, they were just the sort of up beat vibe that the crowd were craving for after their tasty starter. Eamon the front man on vocals, with Dave on drums and Ricky on bass (and lets not forget some truly unforgettable MC'ing from Mr Marcus Adams), had the crowd, right from the word go, eating out of his palm. You really got the feeling that the crowd would quite literally jump on que for the man, and they did just that.



With more (stage) invasions than the Roman army the band stood their ground and played on, all i can say is, why these guys aren't signed after all the good press and reviews they have had, i simply do not know!



Have a flick through the flickrr link below for the full album of the nights events and please note the pictures above on this page are in chronological order i.e the first two are of The Joker and The Thief etc.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51731306@N06/sets/72157624902007873/

London Fashion Week 2010 & 'Angel Jackson' Afterparty

Over the last few days i have been assigned to one of the years most important dates in the fashionistas calendar, London Fashion Week.



With shows across london from Somerset House to the disused Euro Star Platform at Waterloo it is the fashion world as a whole strutting its well heeled and bejewelled stuff in our humble city.
I must admit given the press and aire of importance given to the event over the years I was mildly unimpressed by what I came across.



It was, as it essentially should be, simply a place where people interested in clothes and such can come together, admire each others work and comment where necessary. In this respect the bitchiness and pompous nature that we have come expect from this industry does not harbour itself in the people who really matter, the designers. It is however very clearly evident in the people who seem to attach and feed off this industry, though genrally better looking and dressed to the nines, these people have more in common with a leech than you would expect.



My feelings aside, as is similar in many warps of life one cannot survive without the other.
During the few days that i attended, i was surprised to find myself peering at stalls and being genuinely impressed with what i had seen, and no this wasn't just in the lingerie section.....though mostly!



The 'Angel Jackson' After party was a huge success with all sorts of weird and, lets not forget, wonderful people. With enough free pink champagne to floor even the hardest of exhibitionists, everybody had a smile on their face. Congratulations are most certainly in order.



Here are a few pictures, and a link to the album in full, enjoy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51731306@N06/sets/72157625011671588/

Morning London!!

I shall not say how or why i was to find myself wondering along the embankment of the Thames in the small hours of the morning, but the fact is i was and as per usual i was camera in hand.



Being the spiritual heart of the city, the Thames has always been very special to me as it is to many Londoners. It was this wistful idealism of the river and the city that i have tried to capture here.



Here are just a few pictures from that early morn.
Battling with the low light, i used what was naturally there to create some romantic effects, in the shake of the camera, the natural colours and maybe a bit of tweeking in Lightroom/Photoshop.

Farr Fest '10

Morning dear readers! Today i have the pleasure of unraveling yet another pictorial library. Like a young archeologist opening a ancient roll of parchment, eager and brimming with excitement but ever so delicately.

Last week i had the good fortune to attend Farr Festival. Near stevenage this was a small event hosted by a great school friend of mine.

With numbers not exceeding six hundred or so, this was very much a personal event, a sort of glorified party in a field and if i dare say, reminiscent of early American High School films where it seemed like the done thing for everybody to gather their pick up trucks in a circular formation, in a field, with head lamps highlighting the fact that 'Brad' is just about to down a whole keg of Budweiser.

The fantastically run down Caravan, creaking under the wait of intoxicated young party goers, perched on the edge of the festival and the gratuitous use of hay bails as outdoor furniture, only personified this idea bubbling away in my head.

I have to applaude the 'Farr' family for the tremendous speed in which they organised this event as it was merely a few months ago i first heard the idea arise as a way to raise money for the local vicarage.

What the surrounding parish must have thought of the rowdy crowd that descended upon the small village of Newnam, i do not know but from what i gather, much was raised and the event was a roaring success. Bravo lads and i look forward to next year!

On the more practical side of the actual taking of the pictures i used this opportunity to 'Cross Process' some of my material! Fiddling around with the tone curve in Lightroom CS5, i can produce an aged effect, one me that does not come naturally to the modern day digital camera but one that is evocative of old film cameras.

I have an old Nikon RF10, a fully automatic compact film camera which belonged to my grandfather, it is its defects and poor quality that i like and it is this style that has become so fashionable these days, sparking, which i am sure you have noticed, the rebirth of many lomo cameras like the Diana and the Holga. If i were to suggest anything, if you really want to make this faded romantic effect, invest in an original Medium format camera.

Enjoy the pictures and until next time my fellow bodies, toodle-oo!

More pictures can be found at this link, http://www.flickr.com/photos/51731306@N06/sets/72157624728074864/

Secret Garden Party '10

As predicted i have once again been swept up in a whirl-wind of neon lights, rubber dingy's, merry go rounds and blurred vision.

Yes indeed, as promised i have returned virtually skipping to that fantastic tradition that is the 'great british festival'.

This time it was a rather lengthy, four day excursion, near the town of Huntingdon, at one of Britain's more recent, up and coming festivals, Secret Garden Party.

What i witnessed over the course of the four days i spent amongst this rapturous crowd, was the undeniable ability for the modern man to entertain his or herself and i was simply in awe of the hundreds upon thousands of ways they find to do so.

This is not something that is unique to the modern man, no this is wrong, i am wrong. Man has been finding ways to keep himself amused for years so pondering a bit more on this thought, we can come to the conclusion that i have indeed simply spent the last few days taking part in some ancient ritual, be it Roman, Pagan, Ancient Greek or Inca.

We as a species have been doing this for years and this festival is simply one more piece of glorious evidence that we have become pretty damn good at it.

One can wonder from place to place, through fields of tents, over wobbly bridges, passed mud pits, writhing with intoxicated young gentleman and among all the ridiculous and brilliant people you meet, they all have one thing in common. They are happy, every last one and it is that which makes this festival what it is.

Nobody is there to make a point and look cool, even the cool people, and if they are they look silly. This is a fun loving festival, drawing much inspiration from what i guess the original festivals of the 'good old days' our fathers love to reminisce so much about.

I will say that due to the perpetual grin laden across my face throughout my time there and my eagerness to wear a Lamp Shade on my head, the photo's that follow are by no means my best but as a document recording fond memories and lovely people, they are as good as any others i have produced, enjoy!

p.s. If you like these there are plenty more from this joyfull frenzy of a weekend on the following link. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51731306@N06/sets/72157624493894419/