Clootie Well

So the story goes that way way back in the day the ancient Celtic people of the Highlands believed in a multitude of Gods.



Not just one, which even superstitious I struggle with the concept of, but they seemed to think there were a whole bunch of these shiny deity type figures hovering here and being meaningful there.



Clootie Well was believed to be an earthly manifestation of one of these gods in the guise of an unusual spring which, seemingly from nowhere, pops out of a very unassuming hillock.
As part of a healing ritual the locals would dip various garments, cloths, rags, (and it would appear, teddy bears!!) into this natural spring.



Then the now rather soggy object were to be tied, strapped, hung or shackled to a near by tree, usually with a message about the person, there name and illness and instructions if you will, which, in my own opinion should really have been given to a doctor! The idea behind this was that the object's gradual deterioration would be mimicked by that of the ailment.



Like many ancient rituals, today this looks rather silly. In the same way that a wizard at Stonehenge during the summer solstice looks utterly ridiculous with his robes flapping in the wind like Jesus in a wind tunnel. The rags hung on the trees just don't really seem to fit into the glorious Highland landscape, making it resemble a favorite location for Celtic flytippers rather than an ancient holy well.



I would like to say at this point, to the many groups of people who hung nylon shirts and rubber based shoes, for your sake I hope all this really is mere superstition for other wise your friends are surely dead and they are waiting for you in the afterlife (hmmm!) ready to beat the stupidity out of you.



Rant over, I do rather enjoy the presence of these places as they stand
as a memorial of how far the most of us have come, both religiously and intellectually...or maybe i could just remove head from arse and simply say that it takes a nice picture!



Enjoy the pictures and come back soon.

Jezebel

For this posting, I find myself back in West Londons boutique heart.

The Jezebel Loft parties are a 5minute ride on your single speed from the heart of Londons well known Notting Hill, so close to Ladbroke Grove you would have barely finished making your roll up and a quick jog with your hood up, down Harrow Rd from the pleasant surroundings of Kensal Rise and Queens park.
With such affluent suroundings it is no wonder the Jezebel parties are what they are, and that is a bloody good laugh.

Moseying along with Roo Kendal to help with the photography for the evening, I had to pinch myself every now and again to keep my mind focused at the task at hand. Through no fault of my own you understand, the somewhat raucous atmosphere with its party goers wearing facial expressions of gay abandon, a stronger man than I would loose concentration.

It is easy with such parties for the atmosphere to be pompous and unfriendly having have found it as such within similar settings in the past, though on this night there was a distinct air of a friendly nature.

The passing crowds are more than happy to stop in front of a que of 20 or so people down a corridor to 1. have their picture taken upon seeing the camera. 2. have a wee chat and 3. offer me with a sip of their drink if not a whole one from the bar.

The majority of the evenings shots were take from inside our own little studio. With a people bursting through the doors all night, we had no shortage of models, some shy and hesitant to take the lime light and others who simply couldn't get enough.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

A massive thank you to all those involved in the organisation of the event and another big thanks and accreditation to Roo Kendal and Zoe Hitchen for the evenings photography.

-If you have any problems with the above pictures please do no hesitate get in touch. My information can be found to the right hand side.

Blow Pop - Blue Mountain re-launch!

The last few days of January saw Bristol's music loving community give the finger to what ever detox they may or may have not have endured in this new years first few weeks for an evening that I shall certainly not be forgetting in a hurry.

Blop Pop took the bull by the horns and kicked open the long sealed doors of Blue Mountain for the first time in many years, ushering its eager crowd to the feet of such big name DJ's as Evil Nine, Zombie Disco Squad, A-Skills, and JFB as well Blow Pop residents, Bristols finest, Real Nice, SWAY 2, Stereo 8 and Steve Redux.

I have done my fair share of club night photography and would never really validate it by putting it on my blog or even look to publish it further than facebook but this was no ordinary event, they were no ordinary DJ's and for me these are no ordinary pictures.

If your ever in Bristol i urge you to look up Blow Pop, see what they are doing and join in. Every time they so much as go near a sound system the roof is raised, they are pant wettingly good....i speak from experience!

I'm always on hand to take event snaps like these so if your indeed of someone with an itchy trigger finger to mingle at an occasion of yours, get in touch!

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/