Last time you saw the University of Manchester’s new “Learning Commons” building it was still being finished, back in early July. It’s now open and myself and some of my students got a tour of it today: off this lady here (pictured through a window separating a corridor from one of the private study spaces). And it’s impressive, too. Even if I didn’t help design it 🙂
Third Manchester picture in a row. Among other things I was filmed today as part of some contractual arrangement or other. Three five-minute takes and it was done. While the preceding talking head was shot I snapped this shot of the cameraman (the one who looks a bit like Rimmer out of Red Dwarf at the back) and director: it captures them quite well I think. Just as well as I was too busy to take more than about three or four photos today.
This couple were pictured outside the Sackville Building at the University of Manchester this morning, which was incidentally another beautiful, but chilly one.
Do I talk too much on this blog? Do I need to say why I find this picture aesthetically pleasing? I’ll leave it.
Worked at home on a dull and rainy Sunday so not much to take a photo of. You might as well see this, therefore. It’s just the outline, the detail and colour will be added next time, after this has had time to heal. Which, going on how itchy it is, it’s doing properly, I just wish it would speed up a bit.
Busy day at work to end a busy week, and a busy month. Sometimes you’ve just got to admit that the most photogenic thing you saw all day was the rear view of a pretty woman on the walk home to the station. One chance to snap it, taken. I nearly cropped this to just show her bottom half, which works quite well with the leaf, but her hair is too good to omit even if it untidies the composition a bit.
This blog is one of my personal diaries as well as a gallery, so occasionally you get pictures because they have meaning, even in a small way; and not because they are particularly accomplished photographs. Today is one of those.
This is Joe going off to school fully on his own for the first time, as opposed to being accompanied at least part of the way. I suppose there is no going back from here. Which is fine, good luck to him.
We are still above water, for now. Let’s move on to other things.
This photo is not bad considering I was slumped forward, half-naked, on a bench, sticking my camera over my shoulder and shooting blindly, while in the middle of a four-hour session, the first half of which was marked by stoic acceptance, the second half by suffering and pain. Yes, my tattoo is under way. This is Clare at work, you may see here again in a few weeks’ time.
The Boy can still be enthused by models of worlds with trains in them, all lorded over by men of a certain age with, presumably, a slight God complex. But I do admire the skill that goes into their creation and some of them really are very fine miniatures. However, I got more interested today in taking photos of the people (almost, but not quite, exclusively male); this one was the best, I thought, mainly because he had good lighting. They all had this look of intense concentration, however.
All the students arrive all at once, and it’s both the most hectic time of the year as well as the most optimistic, in some ways. Everyone’s fresh, we meet people for the first time and learn about their hopes and aspirations. Scary time too, for them at least. Hence the ‘Purple People’ who have dotted themselves around the campus, and they’re being used, as you see here.
Significant academic year for me too. I am on sabbatical in the second semester and from mid-December to late August will not be in Manchester at all. January – June I will be in Australia. Looking forward to it…
Joe has appeared on this blog more than anyone, but then again, my genetic heritage is invested in him, so I guess that’s understandable. If we can persuade him to practice enough, he might even open for Iron Maiden one of these days. Although they’re probably all dead by now.
