Take out the papers and the trash...

...from a photographer's notebook

...or what do Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller have to do with Bath, England?

I often write in these pages about that trusty old “Gray Matter Gramophone” that so often fires up between my ears and behind my eyes when I’m out shooting.

And, oh my, did the old GMG crank up – on multiple-play at that – at the end of a delightful visit to Bath last November.

Lots of fun shooting this motif-rich place that goes back to the time of the Roman Empire, but is quintessentially British, of course. If you know me, you might expect the ol’ GMG was well stoked for the occasion with lots of Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Holst, and perhaps a pinch of Delius…

But I was not expecting some mysterious force to slip in the old Coasters hit from 1958, “Yakety Yak” at the very end of my visit, as I was walking back to the First Great Western Railway station for my return to London

Read more »

Poor wretch - must have a cold bummy!

...from a photographer's notebook

Detail from "Jack-in-the-Cone?- a Bath Moment" ©2014 Steve Ember

Do, please, forgive the lack of ultimate sharpness; the image above is detail from a larger image that was, in turn, a tiny crop from a quite wide street capture, taken last November in Bath England...

During that first visit, I enjoyed shooting not only the classical architecture of this inviting town, which traces its history back to the Roman Empire, whose legions built thermal baths here, beside the River Avon (although they, no doubt, had a more "Romanesque" name for it), but also greatly enjoyed capturing the lively street ambiance. 

One of the many pleasures I derive from my photography is the "discoveries" that sometimes jump out at me while editing the results of a shoot - little smile-makers that I may have missed while shooting, but which my camera certainly did not.

Here's one I hope will make you smile, as it did me this afternoon.

While editing my images shot along Abbey Street, my eye was drawn beyond the comely lass to the huge ice cream cone protruding from a shop window, and the even more curious chap who seemed to be springing out of the ice cream, like...umm...a Jack-in-the-Box!

As I zoomed in on the attractive couple who'd just passed by that window, it seemed to me she was saying, with a wicked, playful lilt in her voice, "Poor wretch - must have a rather cold bummy!" Naturally, she may well have been commenting on the architecture of the nearby Pulteney Bridge, or telling her companion they were going to be late for their train back to Paddington...but I think I'll go with my first impression!

Anyhow, I was inspired to work up "Jack-in-the-Cone? - a Bath Moment," as a new Photo Note Card design for ice cream (and street capture) lovers everywhere.

And, next visit, I must stop by that shop on Abbey Street, and see if the ice cream is delectable as the unique window display suggests ;-) 

©2014 Steve Ember