Autolycus is a peddler and pickpocket. No one’s possessions are safe when he is around! But what he regards as ‘unconsidered trifles’ may be of great importance to their owner. In the same way what many might see and dismiss as insignificant, a photographer may spot and deem worthy of an image. A photographer too therefore is often a ‘snapper-up of unconsidered trifles’.
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By ‘looking over’ the places we visit with our cameras, that is properly looking at and seeing them, we are less likely to ‘overlook’ a great photo opportunity.
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Jane Austen is one of my very favourite authors and I couldn’t agree more with her remark that, 'If adventures do not befall a lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad'.
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Fences draw lines across our landscapes, towns and cities. They say, do not pass. This is my land, that is yours. Or they say, stay out or stay in, keeping domesticated animals from wandering and wild ones from attacking.
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How often have you said, there’s nothing of interest here to photograph? Not often, I hope! Look at things with a photographer’s eyes and you will almost always find a way to make them look interesting. A broom, a piece of rope, a paintbrush, a few vegetables. All of these and more are food for the hungry camera!
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A kitchen can tell you a lot about a home. Whether it’s a basic one in a simple home or a much more elaborate one in a grand mansion, the kitchen will reflect not only the physical nature of the house but also the lives of the people who live or lived there.
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When you come back from a trip you have tales to tell. You may start by describing the big stuff, the famous sights you saw: the Taj Mahal perhaps or the Eiffel Tower. But what often remains in the memory long afterwards are the small happenings that punctuate a trip. Those are the stories that you will return to again and again …
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The most famous sight in Tromsø is probably the Arctic Cathedral … except it isn’t actually a cathedral. Despite the popular name, this is a parish church, but a very substantial and eye-catching one.
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Sometimes little details can be as evocative as the complete picture, and perhaps never more so than when contemplating the past. Visiting the iconic sites of Herculaneum and Pompeii back in 2007 I found myself as intrigued by the small details of life in these cities as I was in the grand civic buildings.
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If you’re looking for summer warmth this isn’t the place to come. On my recent trip to Trondheim (south of the Arctic Circle) and Tromsø (north of it) I experienced some sun, yes, but also rain, hail, sleet and snow!
