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Showing posts from October 18, 2009

Photos Say It All

If you ask me what Coventry offers to tourists, I would say that the photos in this post say pretty much about it, which is regrettably not much. I walked a a bit along the canal to Brimingham.  Oh, if you don't know, all geese in the UK are property of the Queen. I wandered around trying to find something interesting to photo in the city centre without success.  Coventry takes the three steeples for its landmark buildings.  Out of boredom, I made them four.   I'm sorry to say so but this is pretty much about Coventry.

Two Questions in Kenilworth

Kenilworth is a beautiful little town.  There are two things famous about it as I'm aware, namely, the Kenilworth castle and the Kenilworth Road. I'm yet to visit the castle.  BUT the Kenilworth Road is where I have travelled along for a number of time.  The first question is why the Kenilworth Road is so long and straight. ^The Kenithworth Road The first possible answer springing to mind is that it is Roman.  If that's your answer, obviously you're not thinking at all. ^An old stone wall in Kenilworth The answer is related to the car making history of Coventry.   The Kenilworth Road was actually built by the car makers, then basing their HQ in Coventry, for test driving.  The answer is so obvious!   ^A meadow which is no lack of in Kenilworth The second question is, why people clean up the roads in the densely vegetated Kenilworth covered in fallen leaves. If you're living in the UK, you'd know the answer. BY USING AN OVERSIZED LEAF BLOWER

Big Bubble Campus

^A fallen trunk by a pond in the Tocil Woods, Warwick Uni Did logical reasoning play a part in building a university in a big bubble campus in the middle of nowhere? Surely, one saving grace of such a campus is the spectacular natural beauty to be admired in any time.  The Tocil Woods in the midst of the Warwick campus is a case in point.  BUT students don't go to the university to admire the nature.  Well, at least this have never been a major part. ^Walking from one building to another miles apart around the campus is great if you don't have a timetable packed with lessons.  The time so spent multiplied by the days with classes throughout a year and we will be closer to the stupidity of the idea. If you asked me, I would say going to the university is the one last step before being brought into the reality.  Students study in the university and interact with people, including the academic and working folks.  The working folks, people living in the reality! Now wal

Photographing Multiculturalism

^A future biological scientist as she introduced herself to me when I asked for her permission to photograph her.  I didn't seek her out but she was just sitting across the table and I was with my cameras.  She was photogenic and I didn't have a choice, did I? The going-around asking people for photos goes on.  In reviewing the photos and from what I've learned during my stay here, I was struck by one thing interesting about the UK. As compared to the US, UK isn't a really multicultural nation.  Far from it.  Out of the national population, there is around 95% white people.  BUT (this "but" is ubiquitous in conversations among the Brits)  I have the impression that the perennial talk of the nation is whether the minority would be a threat being so sponsored in welfare and competitive in employment. Now if you are from another country and wish to be a British national, you'll have to meet a whole array of criteria.  Among them, the candidate has to pa

The Flying Company

What fun it is to wander around the street with a camera, bumping into people and asking for permission to shoot!  Here in Coventry, UK, I am working on a photographic project about people in the street. I simply packed my cameras, two Ricoh GX200s, a CX1 to be exact plus converters and filters, and walked around town.  It is a shame to say so but Coventry is not really inspiring for its streetscape.  I worked around the boredom by asking people to be photographed.     So here are some of my works.  I went into the boys near Coventry University and, with their permission, photographed them for the best of their skateboard stunts.   I went into two young lovers and even got the chutzpah to do kisses for some photos.  The young lady was too shy to say yes.  The young lad, as you can imagine, was readily to accede to my shameless request. What a shame, Nevin!

Commuters, Viewfinder

I am doing some travelling on the train here in UK.  The GX200 with the viewfinder on has been wonderful here because unlike in Hong Kong, it seems to be a gadget unknown to many.  The way I shoot photos by looking head-down into the viewfinder has been a head-turner. So without any idea of what I was doing, I had succeeded in taking some close-up candid pictures of the commuters.  I hope that I can write again when I settled down from the travelling.   ^I have always liked the reading culture in the western countries.  Look, even the train driver read when there was still time before the departure.    

Time's Up

Time's up. Take a break. Enjoy your Sunday!