Rudderless on Sunday

Today, after staying in bed till NINE THIRTY, I decided to go and shoot in the Elephant and Castle area of London and then head west-ish to the Brixton/Clapham in search of urban grit.

Well, I got to Elephant and Castle, but when I came out from the underground I was navigationally discombobulated. I couldn't tell my north from my south-south-east. Elephant and Castle is basically a huge traffic roundabout (gyratory for the Americans) and pedestrians get to cross this roundabout by a series of tunnels where no doubt, they keep muggers. Fortunately it was Sunday today so all muggers were off duty.

Weathered
Detail from a derelict shop front, Elephant and Castle
Copyright 2009 Paul Davey. Buy this image here.
Click to enlarge.

After wiggling my way round the roundabout in a roundabout fashion, I ended up roundabout where I thgought would be the best place to proceed west or thereabouts. Don't ask me the name of the road, but I can assure you that it was still a London Road and I had not stepped via the tunnels into a nether world. I think.

I proceeded in a westerly direction, guided by the aeroplanes on their approach to Heathrow. I zigged and zagged through the quiet Sunday streets looking - hunting - for photographic opportunities until I found myself by the arches supporting the railway line into Waterloo.

Stacked Boxes.
An interesting piece of architecture, Lambeth
Copyright 2009 Paul Davey. Buy this and other images here.
Click to enlarge.

I love railway arches but sadly it appears so do many other people and the once grunky arches are now all boringly refurbished with neat roller shutter doors. My quest for urban grit was quashed. Whenever I did find a smidgen of ghetto grime, I attempted to photograph it. Alas, my efforts were not spectacular. And it started raining. I'd left home not ninety minutes before with just a few well art-directed fluffy white clouds in the sky. Now my camera's almost non-existant weather sealing was being challenged by H20 droplets. Yep, its not waterproof. Or showerproof. And neither is my camera bag.

Old Pipes
Detail from a railway arch, Lambeth
Copyright 2009 Paul Davey. Buy this and other images here.
Click to enlarge.

Now, I do love London but: Why, when for many, many centuries it has rained every second day or thereabouts have they not yet passed into law that commercial buildings must have a canopy that covers the pavement? I come from Zimbabwe where senior government officials happily drive through police roadblocks carrying headless torsos. Where stealing a man's hard-built business is considered not to be a problem and where child molesters are looked upon fondly as loveable rogues. But design a building that does not offer the pedestrian shelter from the rain and all hell will break loose. And It only rains for three or four months in Zimbabwe - and even then it has the decency to rain from 4pm sharp till about 4.32pm - and that is it!

Locked
Detail from a railway arch, Lambeth
Copyright 2009 Paul Davey. Buy this and other images here.
Click to enlarge.

I got wet.

Eventually I made my way to Waterloo and got on the tube to go home.

Naturally, by the time I got home, Noah had beeen stood down and the sky was once gain blue with cute, fluffy white clouds. I had a brief look for action on Redbubble but there was not much to be had, so I decided to go on a second shoot, just walking from my house through the Mitre Bridge Industrial Estate and then back along the canal. Not very inspiring, but s usual, I did manage to find a few half opportunities, so I took them.

Linear Security
Mitre Bridge Industrial Estate
Copyright 2009 Paul Davey. Buy this and other images here.
Click to enlarge.

One shot I didn't take was of some "yout's" in silhouette crossing a bridge. They saw me and subjected me to a bit of verbal abuse. "Stop fuckin' abusing my fuckin' human rights!" one of them yelled. "Please God, give me the chance to show that kid what abusing his human rights actually is", I wished. I'll say no more, lest I end up in jail for the crime of wishing kids these days would have some mannners.

Derelict Office Block
A 1970s office block that's been abandoned by the Grand Union Canal in Harlesden
Copyright 2009 Paul Davey. Buy this and other images here.
Click to enlarge.

I had a wander around the grounds of the derelict office block I have visited before, amazed at the amount of shoes left lying around... I took a few more broken window pics and yet again chickened out of actualy entering the building. Its spooky.

Mast
Willesden, London
Copyright 2009 Paul Davey. Buy this and other images here.
Click to enlarge.

Well, as happens in this modern world, the sun lowered in the sky and I walked slowly along the canal, stopping to see whether what I thought might make a shot actually would (it seldom did). Unfortunately there wasn't much by way of quality in the evening light, thanks to a distant bank of clouds weakening the sun's rays, but the stroll along the canal towpath was good anyway as I calmed down from being yelled at by the "yout's".

Not my best day's shooting, but there are a couple of 'interesting' images...

Light on

A cold, post Christmas Sunday had me itching to go out and take some photographs. I had been ogling lots of other photographers' websites and was inspired. I didn't have time to travel far, so I decided once again to walk from home and see what I could dig out. I thought I'd pay close attention to how the light works on objects and see what I could come up with...

Pavement: Into the Light
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative
Click to enlarge

A Wife-Beater Meets an Appropriate End
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative
Click to enlarge

Slow Dance
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative
Click to enlarge

Tracks
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative
Click to enlarge

West London Sunset
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative
Click to enlarge

Hot Cross
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative
Click to enlarge

Zimbabwe: Too little, too late.

On Thursday, one of the world's most respected moral authorities, Bishop Desmond Tutu at last, at long, long last said what has been needed to be said for many many years: "Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe must resign or be sent to The Hague for the "gross violations" he has committed..."

Well done, Des, you're the man!

Now to be fair, Bishop Desmond Tutu has spoken out against Mugabe before, but his words were tempered with the hopeless, 100%-ineffectual-in-Africa, "diplomacy". Diplomacy has no place in a continent where, with a few exceptions, brutality seems to be first law.

On this occasion, he was blunt and to the point. And very quickly, the voice of the other (more self-appointed) moral authority, the United States, chimed in (jumped on the band wagon?) via the vocal chords of Ms Condileezza Rice who said, "it is "well past time" for Mr Mugabe to go, saying a "sham election" has been followed by a "sham process of power-sharing talks".

D'oh!

Saint Desmond and the Angel Condi need to learn that whilst we now appreciate their words of condemnation for Mugabe, they should have been said many years ago.

Africa's gravestone should bear those words: "Too little, Too Late". For that is how it has always been.

The Developed world has a duty to protect the citizens of Africa. They should be protected from both the developed world and the highly exploitative 'emerging' world - that's you, China. Most of all though, Africa needs to be protected from Africans.

This vast continent of 934,283,426 people living in 54 states has known nothing but exploitation either as victims of the rest of the world or by their own leaders whose promise was always to deliver them from evil.

From north to south, Afrca has seen a continual sequence of civil wars, military coups, uprisings, genocides, disease and brutality. The whole world sees Africa as a mineral free-for-all, robbing the continent of wealth in collusion with its leaders. Disease, unrest and turmoil are the tools of the exploiters. The meagre income from the exploitation funds yet more violence as arms dealing scum wrest cash from the hands of the regimes. (Stop violence, shoot an arms dealer?)

And when the people of Africa say, "enough!" all it gets is useless, hopeless, pointless "diplomacy". Stillborn UN resolutions and verbose, but toothless statements of condemnation from the EU and other 'blocs'. Late, as ever.

Use Force!

Britain, the EU and the United States along with all other G20 countries have the power - more than eough power - to force sanity back into Africa. Yes, I said it: FORCE sanity back into Africa. Force accountability into its leadership. Punish the punishable! The Hague would be the busiest place in the world!

Darfur, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone... all are cases of completely avoidable crises. That they eventually resolve themselves is not thanks to anyone; that they were allowed to escalate to what they became, is down to those who say they know better but who refused to act, preferring the band-aid of diplomacy.

Diplomacy is just talk. Africa needs action. Immediate, authorative action the minute a crisis looks likely.

If the developed world forces sanity back into Africa the right way, they can give the continent a genuine rebirth, a genuine rennaisance. They can convert a market of a billion penniless people into one that has enormous wealth from exports and more importantly, cash to spend on imports. From the developed world! Everyone will win.

And now, some reading for you:

This woman deserves a Pulitzer Prize for saying it how it is. She is in my view, the best writer on the Zimbabwean situation. If you want to understand what it is like in Zimbabwe, subscribe to her website and spread her words.

Walk along the Regents Canal

Yesterday was one of those lovely, crisp winter days. The sky was clear, and looking out of my window, I knew that I'd never forgive myself if I stayed indoors, out of the cold. It was very cold.

Merge with the sky. King's Place is a new building beside the canal, housing amongst other things, a classical music venue and gallery spaces.
Click to enlarge.
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative

Convergence, King's Place.
Click to enlarge.
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative

I have for a while been thinking about doing a walk home from King's Cross along the Regents Canal through Camden, so weighed down with my trusty Manfrotto tripod (ball head) and my bag of camera stuff, I took the overground train the Euston and zig-zagged through the streets, under St Pancras Station and eventually ended up at the Canal where my favourite old warehouses are being redeveloped into scenes of swankiness. They have helpfully placed displays with artist's impressions of the finished development. Tragic. The soul will be ripped out of those old buildings as they are "sanitised" by the architect's pen.

Warehouses awaiting conversion.
Click to enlarge.
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative

But I will save ranting about that for another day. Perhaps when the redevelopment is complete. In the meantime, the lovely brick facades are still there to be appreciated in all their decaying glory.

Warehouses awaiting conversion.
Click to enlarge.
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative

I absolutely love the Regent's canal - its part of the Grand Union Canal system and I have cycled along it from Limehouse Basin to Watford - or the other way to Brentford several times. Every time I've cycled, I have wished I'd brought my camera - but I cannot carry a SLR on my bike - too much stuff already what with my Camelbak etc. I have long intended to get a compact camera to take with me on cycle rides. I digress.

Water Under the Bridge. I like the simplicity of this image.
Click to enlarge.
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative

So unencumbered by my bike and my Camelbak etc, I had my camera and decided that rather than go for the scenic or urban landscape shots that abound (in everyone else's camera) I'd do a little more on my abstracts project.

Languid Liquid 2.
Click to enlarge.
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative

It was quite breezy so chances to photograph languid, oily ripples were few, but I did get some shots. I also got buildings, bridges (the underside) and the Maida Vale tunnel. The last of the autumn leaves were floating on the surface and created a gorgeous contrast between the blackness of the water and their own bright colours.

The House By the Canal.
Click to enlarge.
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative

Under the Bridge.
Click to enlarge.
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative

Naturally, as I was hitting my stride photographically and nearing Little Venice, my camera battery died. I think it was a combination of the cold and the fact that it is an ancient battery is why it died after only 60 exposures. I also believe my ancient lenses guzzle power. Growl.

Maida Vale Tunnel.
Click to enlarge.
Copyright 2008 Paul Davey Creative

I met up with my friends Ian and Heather and went to the Regent where I had a visitation from Mr Cider. Four times. Thanks Ian, thanks Heather!

Grand Union Canal...

I shot this pic on Saturday evening. I walk on most days through the Kensal Green cemetery, onto Scrubbs Lane, down to Mitre bridge and along the Grand Union Canal towards Ladbroke Grove. Its not much of a walk and its not even that interesting although with the cemetery on the far bank with its trees and undergrowth there is a lot of wildlife - I've seen foxes there and also a decent variety of birdlife.

On the right of the towpath asI head towards Ladbroke Grove is the beginning of Willesden Junction on the main line into Paddington - and the strangely named North Pole railway yards where the Eurostar trains are maintained. Its a busy place - constant trains to-ing and fro-ing and quite a contrast with the still waters of the canal. I like.

There's quite a community of narrowboats and houseboats. The boats in the picture above are permanently moored just by Mitre bridge and then towards Ladbroke Grove there are a number of narrowboats which seem to be semi permanently moored - just long enough to avoid the wrath of the Waterways dude.

I always thought of the people who live on narrowboats as funky alternative types - and there are those aplenty - but there is also a large part of the community whose main purpose in life seems to be avoiding work of any sort, avoiding paying for anything and avoiding at all costs anything to do with soap. That said, I wanna get a narrowboat (not nearly as much as I want to get a Dutch Barge) because it would be a great way to unwind, putt-putting along the canal through the countryside...

At the Ladbroke Grove end of the towpath there is Sainsbury's and another permanent mooring site on the far side...and there lies, for sale, a 22 metre LuxeMotor Dutch Barge (my favourite type) just waiting for me to win some cash on the Lotto. She is beautiful, with lovely classic lines, but definitely in need of a bit of TLC. The owner wants £250,000. The boat ain't worth that, but the location is. Apparently.

On the Sainsbury's side of the canal are some benches thoughtfully put there for the enjoyment of the local losers, boozers and other assorted ne'er-do-wells. Occasionally they attempt to engage me in converstaion which triggers off movies in my head that involves me forcing them to tidy up their discarded cider cans and other rubbish.

I'd better stop writing now because I feel myself slipping into rant mode...