Posts from 2008
2008 has been a great year for getting out and doing things. Jo and I are off to England and Wales later this week for our Christmas and New Year holiday, the fourth international trip this year, so I thought I’d post my end of year review ahead of schedule.
I’m not that good at small talk. I’ve spent much of my life being the quiet one in the room, in a group, in the office or at a party.
Henri Cartier-Bresson, on the topic of the photographer’s intrusion on everyday life. Poetic, apposite and worth remembering. …approach the subject on tiptoe, even if it is a still life. Let your steps be velvet but your eye keen; a good fisherman does not stir up the water before he starts to fish…refrain from snapping rapidly…
I remember the time when those planning on doing their Christmas shopping had no choice but to psych themselves up for a battle in the shopping centres of the world; mixing with other well-willed gift givers and spending as much time waiting in queues as actually selecting presents. Engaging in the madness of the weeks…
This evening, I shall mostly be out with my camera and tripod, photographing the local harbour. Too cold. Perhaps another evening :-)
Not a direct copy of Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” but definitely inspired by it.
Watch this video and you’ll be glad you did. Watch it right to the end, when all will become clear.
Taking portraits is always a great opportunity and I enjoyed taking photos of Manuel and his wife Carolina this past weekend.
Our small Christmas tree is now standing illuminated in our office in Bern.See more FliCHr Switzerland Christmas photos at Flickr.
A wintry view of the Lorraine Bridge, near the main train station in Bern, Switzerland.
This is one of those shots which just seems to work, despite the fact that it came about purely by accident. Well, mabye not by accident, but not in a planned way. It was taken in the bathroom of a conference centre near Zurich at the end of October, when I was shooting the conference…
The “Zytglogge” (literally, time bell) stands in the middle of the Bern, at the junction between the more modern shopping streets and the older, lower city. It was originally constructed in wood around 1220 as part of the old city wall and served as an entrance gate and prison. Once the defensive nature of the…
As in previous years, if you’re a Flickr photographer in Switzerland, please add a tag to your photos of Christmassy subjects to wish all of our “Switzerland fan” friends abroad a Merry Christmas! This year’s tag is __flichristmas2008__ and the photos are here… or will be, when there are appropriate photos! Please only tag photos of…
My favourite quote: “I know that our slogan says ‘Think differently’ but our real slogan is ‘no refunds’” :-) Update: It would appear that Fox Entertainment strikes again. The video clip has been removed from YouTube.
First opened in September 1883 after a 21 month building phase, the metal bridge spanned the gorge between the upper end of the original old city of Bern at the Casino and the area of Kirchenfeld to the south. The 41 metre high bridge was built along with 5 kilometres of city roadways by the…
The story of our Cablecom episode began when we looked into the possibilities of additional English cable channels at home in the Bernese Oberland. After several years of having just the most basic and outdated BBC Prime, which runs episodes of shows like Keeping Up Appearances and Dalziel and Pascoe as repeats several times per…
Jo and I bumped into a couple on the train home from Milan a few weeks ago: a British guy working for the British Embassy in Bern, and his Russian fiancée. After talking about all sorts of stuff, including life as Brits abroad, we were invited to this year’s St. Andrew‘s Dinner to celebrate the…
I’m feeling generous: there are now large images online which my Flickr contacts can download at full 1920 x 1200 resolution, for use as a computer desktop wallpaper. For those lucky enough to have two screens, the images will match up to provide a panoramic image across both screens. Let me know if you’ve used…
A personal review of my years with my previous employer in Brienz, primarily for my own photo bookshelf.
I’ve spent time finishing off and uploading the last few shots of my Permanent Tourist calendar for 2009. The calendar, which I am publishing through the Lulu website, costs £28 plus postage and is printed at 34.29 cm x 48.25 cm, with coil binding, white interior paper (100gsm weight) and full-colour interior ink. It contains…
