Sky mirror by vikdaddy

Sky mirror

A few friends and I have just watched Stephen K. Amos live. He's a comedian I found funny when I first heard him in a radio interview a few years ago. I hadn't heard much from him since despite his increasing fame, and came across some half price tickets. Since purchasing them I was told that he was "not very funny" and "inoffensive" - two statements that don't bode well for a comedian. They were wrong on both counts; he was hilarious! I've never seen a comedian better at 'riffing' off the audience - he's just naturally funny. Perhaps they were basing their opinion on a sketch show he had on prime time TV, but you can't judge a stand-up on a bland series of broadcasts that bow to the lowest common denominator - the mass public.

When it finished I had a few minutes spare, so I used it to go to my car to get my camera and tripod. I went back to take a few photos of the Sky Mirror, a renowned sculpture by Anish Kapoor that sits outside the Nottingham Playhouse.

Without much time and with people around I didn't have many opportunities to take this shot. So, my composition suffered, and I needed to crop it in post-processing slightly to get a composition I was more pleased with. I also increased the clarity and contrast, made it more vibrant and increased the highlights.

I'm sure you've seen the images of the earthquake in Japan. The subsequent footage of the tsunami roaring across the land, taking everything along with it, seemed almost unreal. It was like an effects-laden big budget disaster movie. The saturated media coverage left me a little numb, as I sit near an LCD screen at work that had BBC News 24 on all day. I was fascinated yet horrified, and by about midday I just wanted to switch it off. It truly is nature at its most powerful.

Canon 7D, f/8, 2/1, ISO-100
Ooh, he's ace! Seen him too - and he was so drunk he started telling the same joke again, he didnt have a clue until the audience said something.

Nice photo, I love the contrast and the deep colours.
March 12th, 2011  
very nice!
March 12th, 2011  
Very nice shot! Love the clarity and colors!
March 12th, 2011  
Gorgeous shot..... just gorgeous....
March 12th, 2011  
Gorgeous reflection and love the colour of lights.
March 12th, 2011  
Interesting shot and interesting location.
March 12th, 2011  
I love Anish Kapoor! This is an excellent shot of his sculpture and its surroundings.
I am actually contemplating visiting the UK only to see the Orbit in London when it's ready.
March 12th, 2011  
I love the colours here - so much going on.
March 12th, 2011  
Just seen Omar's story come to an untimely end. Haven't felt this moved since the first time I saw Léon's do similarly.

Damn. It just feels so wrong. So much unfinished business.

Damn.
March 12th, 2011  
@eyebrows I know what you mean - I felt the same. But you have to admire the audacity, that no character is bigger than the story..
March 13th, 2011  
Oh definitely. It ended well. The street unchanging (Michael the new Omar, Duquan the new Bubbles...) and the powers that be climbing higher. So many amazing stories and moments... bit of a void now!
March 13th, 2011  
@eyebrows I know, I felt this sense of emptiness/sadness when I had watched all five series, and a slight jealousy whenever I heard of anybody watching it fresh. I've been seeking something to fill that void you mention, Boardwalk Empire is good for that (but not great).
March 13th, 2011  
Hrm, I may jump on to Generation Kill next, or Tremé, but I think I'll leave it a while in either case, my DVD player (and sofa) need a rest!
March 13th, 2011  
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