Beautiful little story. Felt like it could almost be an edition of Number Nine, if fleshed out a bit. Or does it just need a final shot of Morrison's fish counter after an unfortunate incident with the new manager in post!
Okay, the weather in Scotland is horrible but the scenery! Stranraer on an overcast day looks both incredibly depressing and awesome at the same time.
After you mentioned 'Huis Clos' I looked it up. So that is where, 'Hell is other people' comes from! I knew it was Sartre but I ddn't know the play.
As someone who has always suffered from travel sickness I felt for Craig. But I felt even more sorry for Mark and Robert!
Re your reading club, sex used to be a taboo topic, not something discussed in the open, and I think it was better like that. People nowadays assume that not wishing to talk about it is a hangover from Victorian prudery but I don't think it is. I think not talking about sex, just as you wouldn't tell you neighbour about your latest bowel movement, is probably the best approach. Intimacy gets lost once you start talking about sex as you would about how best to clean your roof. And there's something distasteful about the hordes of women writers, possibly sex maniacs lacking a proper hobby, who insist on thrashing out in the minutest detail something best left unanalysed. A certain kind of legalistic mind, once it has lost the ability to judge a situation and character with skill, has only legal agreements about consent to fall back on.
We once missed a connection as we were heading to Oban … free taxi .. 4 of us …. About half way towards Oban we got diverted .. and in those parts the diversion meant an extra a70 miles onto the journey .. which was already close to 50 miles …. The poor taxi driver told me she had never been this far west before …. We stopped for a rest break and she then informed us she could not drive anymore … I had had a beer .. the other two folks were elderly and didn’t want to drive .. so my wife stepped up and drove the rest of the way to Oban .. (about 50 miles) … I wonder did she (the taxi driver) ever make it home … or did she pick someone else up along the way to help with the journey … oh and it was a big old black taxi too :)
Ha! I’m now very curious about the mysterious stranger who ended up on the wrong end of sick… What a crazy (well-told) story!! As for shooting from the hip, that has never worked out for me in the end (not that I’ve done it much).
I’m all for experiments like this. I’m not sure consent is always necessary or possible, especially in public places. I don’t expect photographs to be truthful or reliable. I don’t expect novelists to gain consent from their fictional characters, so why should photographers?
This was a bit of a nightmare I have to agree but well told Neil! The pictures bring it to life and it's obvious you shot from the hip but that angle did make me feel a bit uncomfortable viewing them, it emphasised a sense of intrusion. Nevertheless it's a good example to bring the issues of photography ethics to the forefront of our minds.
Wow. My first thought was “so glad I wasn’t in that car”. Gross! :)
I am fascinated that you took these images “from the hip.”
Like Lin said, I don’t love the angle either, but the ability to capture authentic moments without bringing out the camera fascinates me. I think the whole question of consent would take a much longer discussion, but thank you for bringing it up.
Personally, if I found out later that I was photographed without knowing, I wouldn’t like it, but would I like to photograph that way sometimes? Yes. Hmm, lots to think about…
Beautiful little story. Felt like it could almost be an edition of Number Nine, if fleshed out a bit. Or does it just need a final shot of Morrison's fish counter after an unfortunate incident with the new manager in post!
Thank you! As ever with such encounters, I lament that I didn’t follow up. Again, the attraction of fiction comes up!
Okay, the weather in Scotland is horrible but the scenery! Stranraer on an overcast day looks both incredibly depressing and awesome at the same time.
After you mentioned 'Huis Clos' I looked it up. So that is where, 'Hell is other people' comes from! I knew it was Sartre but I ddn't know the play.
As someone who has always suffered from travel sickness I felt for Craig. But I felt even more sorry for Mark and Robert!
Re your reading club, sex used to be a taboo topic, not something discussed in the open, and I think it was better like that. People nowadays assume that not wishing to talk about it is a hangover from Victorian prudery but I don't think it is. I think not talking about sex, just as you wouldn't tell you neighbour about your latest bowel movement, is probably the best approach. Intimacy gets lost once you start talking about sex as you would about how best to clean your roof. And there's something distasteful about the hordes of women writers, possibly sex maniacs lacking a proper hobby, who insist on thrashing out in the minutest detail something best left unanalysed. A certain kind of legalistic mind, once it has lost the ability to judge a situation and character with skill, has only legal agreements about consent to fall back on.
Thanks Keith. Strangely enough there was very little intimate detail discussed in the book group. You might enjoy this review: https://neilscott.substack.com/p/book-review-porn-an-oral-history
We once missed a connection as we were heading to Oban … free taxi .. 4 of us …. About half way towards Oban we got diverted .. and in those parts the diversion meant an extra a70 miles onto the journey .. which was already close to 50 miles …. The poor taxi driver told me she had never been this far west before …. We stopped for a rest break and she then informed us she could not drive anymore … I had had a beer .. the other two folks were elderly and didn’t want to drive .. so my wife stepped up and drove the rest of the way to Oban .. (about 50 miles) … I wonder did she (the taxi driver) ever make it home … or did she pick someone else up along the way to help with the journey … oh and it was a big old black taxi too :)
Blimey. Sounds similarly traumatic.
Very enjoyable story! Like some other readers, I'm really looking forward to the next episode!
Ha! I’m now very curious about the mysterious stranger who ended up on the wrong end of sick… What a crazy (well-told) story!! As for shooting from the hip, that has never worked out for me in the end (not that I’ve done it much).
I suspect, given that he was a fan of Benny Hill and Alf Garnett, that he was flyering for Reform, which is the camp right-wing party in the UK.
Ahhhh. Interesting that he was so mum…
Great toe-curling post, if a little ethically dubious.
Thanks Jon! It’s something I am still working on.
I’m all for experiments like this. I’m not sure consent is always necessary or possible, especially in public places. I don’t expect photographs to be truthful or reliable. I don’t expect novelists to gain consent from their fictional characters, so why should photographers?
This was a bit of a nightmare I have to agree but well told Neil! The pictures bring it to life and it's obvious you shot from the hip but that angle did make me feel a bit uncomfortable viewing them, it emphasised a sense of intrusion. Nevertheless it's a good example to bring the issues of photography ethics to the forefront of our minds.
The whole episode makes me realise why we should make more fiction. A friend of mine suggested making a short film. One day!
Goodness ! That WAS an eventful day 😳… and an interesting tale to tell 👍
Wow. My first thought was “so glad I wasn’t in that car”. Gross! :)
I am fascinated that you took these images “from the hip.”
Like Lin said, I don’t love the angle either, but the ability to capture authentic moments without bringing out the camera fascinates me. I think the whole question of consent would take a much longer discussion, but thank you for bringing it up.
Personally, if I found out later that I was photographed without knowing, I wouldn’t like it, but would I like to photograph that way sometimes? Yes. Hmm, lots to think about…