John Morrison

Not really a theory. The sales from the last three days have doubled my sales for February (though mostly modest sums)...

Thanks for spotting...

Yes... all my books. Some I've written. Some I've borrowed from friends and never returned. Some I bought from charity shops. They were mostly stored in a friend's attic while I lived in the camper-van; too many books might have broken the axel! While travelling, I had a Kindle... which was perfect...

Yeah, some perspective required. “If I got a paper cut, that’s a tragedy. If you fell down an open manhole and died, that's comedy” (Woody Allen)… Your posts are utterly, utterly, utterly pessimist. If uploading pix to Alamy is such a waste of time... then stop!

There's an old adage in business that "Half the money you spend on advertising is wasted. You just don't know which half". It's the same with stock: I know that some of my pix will be repeat sellers, while others (including some of my favourites) will probably never sell at all. However, this knowledge isn't available to me at the moment I press the shutter; it's always hindsight. If I had a way of knowing which pix would never sell... I wouldn't bother taking them! 😀

Is there one pic which really sums up the event?

Licensed this shot today of an old man sitting in the Fleece Inn, Bretforton, taken four years ago. He was there with his family to celebrate his 97th birthday, so I took some additional shots with them all together… and emailed them the results. A month ago I decided I needed a photo to hang on the chimney breast. But which one? I thought I might get bored with one of my landscapes, so I chose this image: the simple composition, the dignified demeanour, that Mona Lisa smile, the glass (more than) half full. I emailed his family to let them know, and enquired, delicately, whether he had celebrated his 101st birthday. And I’m happy to report that he has! So Douglas Harrison, who I only met for a few minutes, looks down from my wall and, I like to think, doesn’t judge me too harshly...

Many thanks, Clare. It's one of those "hardly worth shooting" pix, yet here it is... in my newspaper of choice!

Used in a 'Health & Safety' handbook, perhaps? 😮

Only three?? We can do better than that. So, what do you reckon... Nikon or Canon??

Thanks... but it will be under a pseudonym. Touchy subject... 😟

Yes, I have most of his books. I'm busy writing one myself, which a library or bookshop would put on the same shelf as God is not Great. Hitchens is my touchstone for lucidity and well-argued prose. We'll raise a glass in his memory...

If anyone seizes my tackle, there'll be trubble...

I've been 'apprehended' by military police (near Sellafield, BAE in Barrow, Menwith Hill, etc). When I'm approached by unsmiling men with semi-automatic rifles, I tend to forget about my rights for a few minutes... 😮

Too many people think that all it takes to 'lay down the law' is a loud voice and an overbearing attitude. Security guards aren't used to being challenged... especially by people who know more than they do about our rights and responsibilities...