December 14, 2009
A quick snap taken in Glasgow. It makes me happy that digital camera & sensor technology has progressed so far so quickly to achieve shots like this even on my pocket camera.
George Square : Christmas Funfair 2009 Glasgow’s George Square on the first Saturday in December 2009.
Photo by SpoiltCat, on Flickr
December 24, 2008
I first saw the Levellers live at T in the park festival a mere month after their now legendary performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival 1994. I’d been a fan of their music for a fair while beforehand and was never likely to be disappointed but the set, and in particular English Civil War
I’ve been at a fair number of Levellers gigs since and although the drink is dearer these days, my knees are never as keen on dancing all night as they were and, tonight, the ABC glitter ball is a poor substitute for the summer festival sun, there is still no fear of disappointment. With many bands who have as large a back catalogue of music as the Levellers there is often the concern whether they’ll play only to promote the new album, will they still keep the old singles & chart hits in the set list and will they play my own personal favourites.
The Levellers are masters at crowd pleasing though — one of the reasons they have the reputation as a great festival band — and they know exactly the balance to strike. The ABC gig leans heavily towards the current new album Letters from the Underground
A regret? My intention had been to go watch the Levellers gig in Inverness the night before without camera with just the intention, and freedom, to enjoy every moment dancing and bouncing off the barrier in the front row. Maybe next tour I’ll organise both a photo gig and a dancing/drinking gig. I’m looking forward to it already …
[flickr tag=levellers]
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July 23, 2008
This year saw the fifth annual River Festival in Glasgow, centered around the Science Centre and the SECC on opposite banks of the River Clyde. Taking place on the Glasgow Fair holiday weekend, 19th & 20th July, this was my first visit to the River Festival, and indeed the first I remember ever hearing of it happening! The weather was “sunny intervals” and really quite windy at times down at the River Clyde. After I made a quick sneak preview visit to the festival on the Saturday afternoon I made plans to stay down by the river for all of Sunday.
As well as Silk Screens and Beach Vollyball, the River Festival itself had many visiting ships and boats ranging from the tall ship Loth Lorien to fisheries ships. The Fleetwood trawler Jacinta & FPV Norna berthed next to the Science Centre while the NLB Pole Star and two Royal Navy Hunter class minesweepers, HMS Quorn & HMS Middleton, tied up next to the Finnieston Crane. Other smaller steam powered & pleasure boats including the famous Clyde Puffer, Spartan, lay along the quayside on both sides of the River Clyde. Adrenaline and speed fans were kept happy by jet ski racing and freestyle displays from Lee Stone & Dan Ashcroft throughout both days as well as the chance to take to the water for powerboat & zapcat rides.
The atmosphere was great all the way from the Science Centre tower, past the Millenium Bridge and BBC Scotland to Bell’s Bridge and across the river at the Crowne Plaza hotel. The only negative being the chill in the wind when the sun hid behind clouds and the events at the SECC carpark and even more so at the Tall Ship Glenlee feeling somewhat disassociated from the rest of the festival. The display of modern & vintage fire engines felt somewhat out of place at a river festival, although I guess the water theme justifies their welcome attendance! It was a great day out with loads of photo opportunities and I’ll definitely keep and eye out for the River Festival 2009.
[flickr tag=riverfestival]
July 22, 2008
Glasgow isn’t renkowned for it’s beaches (having none!) but these days sand is commonly dumped in urban locations to provide a temporary beach for all those unfortunate inland city dwellers.
As part of the Glasgow River Festival 2008, the Glasgow Fair holiday weekend of July 19th & 20th saw a temporary beach volleyball court set up in the SECC carpark next to the River Clyde. Organised by the Urban Beach team alongside Beach Volleyball Scotland the event included Beach Kids coaching and Beach 4s. Long weekend lie-ins meant I only made it along to watch some of the Mens semis on the Saturday and the Mens & Womens Elite finals on the Sunday afternoon.
I’m not a big sports fan but I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of taking photos of sporting events and beach volleyball must be one of the best. The cliched expectations appear to be true and it’s a sport where the competitors tend towards being amongst the beautiful people – no doubt from spending plenty of time outdoors and it goes without saying they’re all fit! Beach volleyball is quite an easy sport to watch, the rules being the same as any other volleyball match I assume – a combination of tennis and basketball to my untrained perception.
In the end the mens matches proved easier to get pictures of being more desicive and falling into the routine of serve, set and spike it was quite easy to predict when and where the good photos would most likely be after watching one game. The womens elite final was more scrappy, more entertaining for the novice watcher in it’s back & forth points and there’s no denying the attraction of watching fit sports women compete in bikinis.
[flickr tag=beachvolleyball]
Well done to Barry McGuigan & Graham Riddle for winning the Mens Elite final and to Mel Coutts & Eilidh Smith for taking first place in the Womens Elite.
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“if only you could see what I've seen”
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