The Reflexive: Down to London

Newcastle upon Tyne

I’m currently on a train headed down to London. We just left Newcastle and we passed the city of Durham. From the train window, I got to see Durham Cathedral. It is spectacular. When I was visiting Brougham Castle in the Penrith area, a few weeks back, I got to talking to a retired history teacher. He told me places I should visit in England and Durham, for its cathedral, amongst other things, was on the top of his list for places to go. It will have to be another time though as I’m onto the next phase of my journey.
I spent most of the last month pet sitting. As I've mentioned before it's a great way to be able to do this crazy travel thing. Though sometimes the pet sits can be...interesting. One of the sits was for Mac, a Rottweiler. He was older, but still strong as hell. On one early morning walk, he was being aggressive towards another dog and he broke free from his collar. Yikes! I was horrified. The other dog owner was terrified. Luckily Mac’s bark seemed to be worse than his bite, because he just ended up sniffing the other dog and the other dog was like, whatever. That will certainly wake you up in the morning. The other dog I sat for, Rosie, an English Springer Spaniel, was much easier to care for, though she had a lot more energy. We took walks by the River Tyne and she was very happy when she could just frolic in the water. On one walk, she found a rubber ball. I wanted to play fetch with her but she wouldn’t give it. After a while I realized she was trying to bury it somewhere. At one point she had dug a pretty big hole. It was certainly deep enough. I even said to her at one point, I think you got it Rosie. But I guess Rosie's standards are for hole digging are pretty high because she ended up just taking the ball home. Well whatever the pet sitting situation, it take me to some great places.

Jovie with Laser

Bobby

Sweet Rosie

Mango the purring machine

Mac, the big lovable teddy bear, except on walks

I love getting to the point where I feel like a local as I navigate the streets, knowing the shortcuts and side streets. I feel like I’m in a rhythm and flow. I feel a connectedness. That’s what I want, I think it's what we all want. At the same time I’m full of wonder as I’m looking upon new things, new people and new places. I saw Roman ruins, classical Victorian buildings, 13th and 14th century churches and beautiful parks. I like watching all the people coming and going. In Newcastle, I loved sitting on the Millennium Bridge. Doesn’t every city have a millennium something? It’s a pedestrian bridge that has benches where I’d sit and gaze out on the River Tyne and the subsequent bridges crossing it. It was one of my more serene moments. Then I ask the usual questions to myself; What’s it all about? What I’m I doing? What will I do when I finish this? Or will I forever be on the road somewhere? I guess that depends on how long the money lasts. I even still ask, what do I want to do when I grow up? But regardless of those questions or any self doubt or regret, I remember to keep it going. I’ve been thinking about embracing things that are authentic, especially in a world that seems very inauthentic right now. One thing that is authentic to me is photography. As y’all know it’s my favorite thing but in the last few months I’ve started to indulge in street photography.

Gateshead Millennium Bridge

A sunny day in Corbridge

Angel of The North by by Antony Gormley (1998)

I like most genres of photography and I’ve always admired street photography, but I never really pursued it. I think one reason is because I though it was sneakingly stealing peoples images, which I guess it is. But you also got an opportunity for something great. I was always so enamored with some of the masters of street photography, like Vivian Maier. She is unique because she took hundreds of thousands of photos throughout her life and never showed them to anyone. It wasn’t until after her death that someone discovered all her photos. While in Newcastle, I went to a retrospective of photographer Franki Raffles at The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. She is classified more as a social documentary photographer that a street photographer but I saw many of her photographs of how people were living and surviving. And in turn, capturing an intensity in their faces. I only recently realized is that with street photography, there is a chance, a moment, to capture something magical. To capture someone’s vibrancy, emotion and expression. That’s exactly what I tried to capture in all my years of shooting burlesque shows. I loved some of the expressions I captured, especially through the eyes. A lot of the street photos I’ve taken so far are rather ordinary. A lot of people I come across are just on their phones walking down the street. But it’s up to the photographer, as one photographer once said. You’ve got to be ready, you’ve got to anticipate. That is the same logic for shooting burlesque shows. I can look ahead down the block and see what’s going on there. Maybe there is some sort of juxtaposition I can capture. Maybe the way the sun is hitting the subject or they way they are reflected in the store window will be the magic. Of course, I think, some of the most brilliant shots are people in action. Think of kids in NYC on a hot summer’s day opening up a fire hydrant. It could be any type of action that will lend itself to those expressions and emotions I’m looking for. I’ve only got to make sure my camera is ready to capture the magic, when it happens. I’ve already yelled at myself for missing opportunities because I was out of focus. But like any type of art or genre of photography, you’ve got to practice and hone your skills. Luckily in the next 2 weeks I will have plenty of opportunities on the streets of London and Paris.

I think if you want to get an idea of my experiences so far and how my mind works, this one afternoon in Corbridge really sums it up. I had an opportunity to visit Corbridge Roman Town, which are preserved ruins of a Roman garrison town that has its origins from the 2nd century. There was also a museum that had many excavated artifacts. It truly was an enlightening and utterly fascinating experience. A few hours later, I went to Grant’s Bakery in the center of Corbridge and ordered an almond croissant. It was the best pastry I’ve ever had. I thought, if I had to choose between Roman ruins and the almond croissant, I think I would go with the almond croissant. Did I mention that they warmed it up for me as well? Pastries and parks, croissants and culture, muffins and museums; that's what I'm about. Anyway I’m forever grateful to be able to do this. After Paris, I’ll be heading back up north in the UK and then will be in Glasgow by the end of April. I’ve never been to Scotland before so I’m looking forward to that. Check out my photos from the last month. That's all for now. How are you?