January 2022

A Year In Pictures

I spent some time going through my favourite pictures from 2021. I was worried that I might not have as many pictures to choose from, as we had spent so much of the year in covid restrictions and the lockdown of the first three months of 2021. When I put together my slide show I was really pleased with it. Every year I make a selection but I was really glad to get this one together as it was so nice to be working again. Also it was getting really busy especially around COP26.

Flying Haggis

I love seeing new works of art in real life. Its never the same on a computer screen or in a book. When you actually stand beside it and see the detail close up and in scale it is great. However imagine getting inside the artwork. A new artwork by the Scottish artist David Mach for the University of Glasgow celebrating the global reach of the Burns Supper and Scotland’s national bard was launched in virtual reality on Burns Night. The artwork called ‘The Flying Haggis’ was commissioned by the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Robert Burns Studies to mark the end of a two-year project, researching the history of Burns Suppers and mapping these events in the 21st century.

Artist David was so nice and a good subject for my camera. We had a bit of fun with Dr Paul Malgrati a Research Assistant on The Burns Supper in History and Today project at the University of Glasgow wearing the virtual reality headset. 

Looking Good at The Theatre Royal

I had a great afternoon with stars of Eastenders Adam Woodyatt and Laurie Brett who were reunited at Theatre Royal to star in Peter James’ Looking Good Dead. The show opened in January and was the first production to tread the boards at Theatre Royal as the restrictions on indoor events started to ease again. They were great fun and it was good to see they were as enthusiastic to get their pictures taken as I was to take them.

Down Town Glasgow Stateside

It was strange seeing one of my favourite old camera shops that I used to visit as a student, Quiggs Camera shop then Merchant City Cameras, become Gotham Image Lab on the set of Batgirl, which was filming on Parnie Street, Glasgow.  I was down for a look to see the filming and if something was happening that might make a picture. It looked amazing with all the huge American cars and shop fronts with dollar prices in the window. I used to park my Ford Cortina there when I was working in the bar of the Tron Theatre in the late 1980s. I still love to pop in for a coffee.

Sunset In The Herald

It is still nice to see a lovely sunset picture and to see it published in The Herald. I was coming back through Callander from a trip to Killin Perthshire. It had been a pretty grey day all day and as the sun was going down about 4pm the red sun just lit up the clouds and the beautiful Lake of Menteith. With my laptop beside me I had a look at the picture on screen and within 15 minutes it was sitting on the picture desk.

My Healthy Option

As most people will know I am not always a fan of the healthy option although that changed back in May when I was photographing the opening of the Juicy superfood and health bar on Byres Road. I was delighted to be asked along to cover the opening of the new second site at Silverburn. It was great to see Fallon Carberry with so much enthusiasm. Once again the food was pretty fantastic.