Daily Photo #232

In the spirit of the truly amazing cinema release of The Dark Knight, another nod to one of my life long obsessions - Catwoman



I haven't done a proper shoot with Linda in that mask as yet. Will have to rectify that one. (I guess the glasses/cat mask combination also marks a reference to Ghostworld!)

Daily Photo #231

It's Caturday!



And it's very warm. I need to get out and about and do some shooting of photos :D

Daily Photo #230

An alternate view of the Empire State Building, as manipulated through CS3 to give it an art effect.



I quite like this view, it's timeless and one of the most breathtaking man made landscapes I have ever seen.

Daily Photo #229

The Green Man approves of...



...the sunny weather!

Daily Photo #228

Words cannot describe...



...how much I love this building.

Daily Photo #227

From the China festival again.



These guys kept having to pause to dry out their mask/flowing silk trail.

Daily Photo #226

My lovely wife.



I don't think she has the pole dancing thing nailed down as yet.

Blogs that I love #2

Ummo has a fantastic eye for the cheesy, obscure and downright naughty. This has links to everything from ancient Dalek annuals to feta-cheese-tastic movies such as everything by Santo, the masked Mexican wrestler with a heart of gold.

Great stuff and where else can you spot such a love for 80's Doctor Who companions and bacofoil sci-fi sleaze?

Daily Photo #225

Another scene from the China festival.



Weather is a bit more stable today. Not sure what the plans are for this slightly sunnier sunday.

Daily Photo #224

In between dodging rain and tourists we went to the China Festival in Birmingham today.



This lady was sooo graceful and controlled with her movement. Some of the colours and sights were pretty spectacular!

Daily Photo #223

You can't move here for the plethora of teeny goths (or goffs) on a Saturday.



It's kind of like a Bela Lugosi/Avril Lavigne love in on many afternoons. With more hugging though.

Daily Photo #222

Coney Island.



It's not all about Grand Theft Auto IV, y'know.

Daily Photo #221

Still with the flower theme.



Blue blue blue!

Daily Photo #220

Things in my garden.



This comes to visit us each year.

Daily Photo #219

Linda and the Austin Powers Shaguar.



Yeah baby yeah!

It's a little sexier than her little Matiz I think.

Daily Photo #218

Beware the cat that moves between the seconds of time.



For she will eat your soul.

Daily Photo #217

This one is for cretinous internet trolls.



Abusing power is not good. I'm watching you.

Daily Photo #216

London in the rain 2005.



A bit like Birmingham but more glamourous I guess.

Daily Photo #215

Another Selfridges shot.



Uninspired today.

Daily Photo #214

I just love places that look abandoned or old.



This isn't abandoned but looks like it in this shot.

Daily Photo #213

I always thought this had an apocalyptic feel - shells of buildings remain as people sell their wares outside.



Watchout for the nuclear fall out!

Daily Photo #212

A different kind of groovy cat today, Linda.



This was taken at the Memorabilia show this year and I think it really captures her thoughtful side. Even though she was really bored at this point.

Daily Photo #211

I just feel like a lazy day.



Wouldn't it be great to be a cat? Sleep most of the time, eat and just laze around with no worries of deadlines or mortgages and the like.

Daily Photo #210

I have been feeling like I've lost my "photo mojo" of late. So, went out and shot the Selfridges building to see if I can get a bit of a creative vibe again.



Hopefully there should be something Linda related over the next couple of weeks as we haven't done anything new in ages. We just need to find a theme to settle on.

Blogs that I love #1

I think Dr Gore is a genius. His reviews cut through the bone and expose Hollywood's most well hidden and obscure B-Movie gems.

Three cheers for the Doc!

Daily Photo #209

There's something about a lady with a gun and a purple wig that I can't quite put my finger on.



And it's Friday. Now, to talk Linda into a new photoshoot for this weekend (weather permitting).

Daily Photo #208

Even pigeons in New York get the blues occasionally.



Still, it's one of the coolest places on the planet to just hang out. by oneself and watch the world go by.

Daily Photo #207

Still trying to avoid the knitting needle goblins. I am sure they hide under my bed until I am asleep in order to carry out their evil work.



Still avoiding thinking about England, fever still slightly there. The wallpaper has stopped shimmering which is a good sign (I think).

Daily Photo #206

Still trying to think of good times and good places. Antibiotics are kicking in with a double whammy of steroid ear drops. It's hard to stay awake as antibiotics tucker me out so most of the day has been spent just napping.



So, still trying to think of not being in Birmingham or being stuck inside with no energy and the sensation that invisible goblins are trying to stick a knitting needle through my right eardrum.

Daily Photo #205

As I am under the weather (ears/nose/throat), I am thinking of sunnier climes and nice stuff.



Flowers in the Bellagio. Feel the sunlight streaming through the glass roof and make a note to remember blue skies and arid air.

*deep breath*

Daily Photo #204

I think I'm in a theme here, after wandering through some sets I posted to my FlickR stream I found this from the same era.



Technically not a great shot but I do like the expression and vibe in this set of shots.

Daily Photo #203

I quite like this pic of Linda



It's about 12 years old and really doesn't look anything like how she usually looks I think. In fact, she looks a little dangerous and insane here. But then again, she is a little unhinged I guess ;)

Daily Photo #202

I really like this pic of Esther, Paul and Linda



Good times!

Daily Photo #201

You might have guessed I love moody evening skies.



I really have to get out and shoot some decent sunsets at some point this summer.

Daily Photo #200

A random Linda portrait.



Taken a couple of years ago but I think she looks cute in this one. Not that she doesn't look cute otherwise but I like her facial expression on this one.

Daily Photo #199

I like this shot of Coney Island



Two people in the deserted wilderness of an outdated themepark.

Sums up my life really.

Daily Photo #198

I just can't let go of the cat theme, can I? This was taken on Roosevelt Island and is a campaign to help the cats there.



It seems like a good cause and I liked the kitsch/almost punk rock style of the layout in this flyer. that's what touched me about NYC, a lot of locals seem to care about their cats and I saw at least 3 campaigns to help out with feral cats in Manhattan. Looking after them and rehoming them is a big issue. I gave about $10 to various causes but it never seems to be enough. You can head here to read more. And if you're on the upper west side, have a look here.

Daily Photo #197

It's blowing a gale here. Winds must be approaching at leat 60MPH so here's a photo of nicer times with more stable weather.



Vegas, March 2008.

The Darjeeling Limited

Is it possible to fall in love with a movie?

Words cannot describe how much I *loved* The Darjeeling Limited. Everything about this movie was perfect. Watching it was akin to something like a catharsis.

I'm not sure why but Wes Anderson is just the most amazing living auteur; his movies are the most evocative creations known to man. I just cannot understand how he taps into such a pure vein of feeling and rhetoric that many films do not begin to approach.

The discourse of brotherhood/family and parental responsibility just tap into something inside of me. It's like the movies touch upon my own familial history and weave this amazing pallet of emotion I cannot begin to approach.

If you haven't seen Darjeeling, Rushmore, Royal Tenanbaums, Life Aquatic or Bottle Rocket; you haven't lived.

His use of music is evocative of Scorcese and Tarantino but don't let that put you off.

Daily Photo #196

Keeping with the animal theme, here's another of Buffy.



It was raining cats and dogs today ;)

Daily Photo #195

Today has been a bit of a quandry.



If I was a llama, I'd look a bit puzzled like the one in this image.

Daily Photo #194

Cats do rock and after a funny old week, this one happens to keep me sane with her surly attitude and cynical gaze.



Buffy is truly the ruler of our household.

Daily Photo #193

In the honour of being stuck in the middle of rural Staffs today, here's a picture taken in the middle of nowhere in Morocco.



Don't you just love being a pedestrian when there are no pavements and traffic is zooming by at 50mph?

Daily Photo #192

Yep, another NYC shot as I am missing the place bigtime.



The Empire State Building at sunset really is an evocative sight.

Daily Photo #191

Another view from Roosevelt Island.



Still feel quite jetlagged. Roll on the weekend...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Daily Photo #190

One of my favourite NYC landmarks.



It's been abused during the movies Cloverfield and Zombie Flesheaters but there were no zombies that day. Too warm for them. Thank god for the dude selling water halfway across as it felt every liquid had bled from my pores.

Daily Photo #189

Coney Island.



Remo Williams and Chiun (Master of Sinanju) were not around on that day.

Daily Photo #188

Still oh so tired and missing the Big Apple (big time). It's cold and overcast here (bah!) but I have some great memories from the last few days.



This one was looking over the Hudson River. Blue skies ahead!

Daily Photo #187

Still oh so tired. Gotta back up the images I shot from the laptop onto DVDs and sit in front of photoshop for x amount of hours but I don't think that will be happening today.



So, here's one I prepared earlier. Today is going to be spent catching up on a little more snoozing, nipping into town and paying some bills and hoping that the post holiday blues will not be descending upon me.

Daily Photo #186

Another image from the NYC set, including two of its most memorable icons.

Radio City Music Hall.

Yellow taxi cabs.



I'm home, jetlagged and knackered. Sod the rules, I'm gonna grab a couple of hours of zzz's as some annoying tosser insisted on shifting her knees against the back of my seat for the entire duration of the flight. See you on the flipside.

Daily Photo #185

I really don't want to come home. Seriously. I walked up from Battery Park to midtown but stopped off at the WTC site. It's changed a lot over the last few years but there is still a silence there that cannot be defined. I was wandering through the conduit in the Financial Centre and stopped for a moment. I heard a particularly mournful saxophone being played but then realised there was no tune, only random notes. It then hit me that it wasn't a sax but a noise coming off the metal work. I like to think that it was the voices of those lost, still trying to remind us and communicate but it was more scientific than that I guess.

Anyway, as an aside, this image would make David Lynch proud. This is situated off Roosevelt Island.



I have too many pics to process! Hopefully I shall get them processed and Pshopped over the next couple of weeks. Flying home tomorrow.

Daily Photo #184

Spotted these guys in St. Mark's. They seemed pretty cool and were happy to be photographed.



The first few turned out a bit posed but after waiting for a while I got this one which seemed a little more relaxed and less forced.

The story on these guys is that they are travellers, heading across the USA and are hitching from Rochester NYC to Hawaii.

Daily Photo #183

My view on Friday night.



It was a bit smoggy but you get the idea. Not sure what is happening today but must remember to use extra sunblock.