I tell you one thing I’ve neglected of late, Dear Reader, and that’s my flora photography but I’m feeling rather inspired at the moment having just watched a preview of Chelsea Flower Show on the TV. Whilst I’m not one for formal gardens, there were some amazing plants featured on the show which just made me want to pick up my camera and try and capture their beauty as best I can. I don’t seem to have taken many flower photos of late, but at one time they used to take up the bulk of my output – I feel there’s a time to revisit the floral world and see whether I can come up with any new ideas.
I did actually pick up the camera today as having repaired my flashgun, I decided I need to practise using it as the last few batches of photos where I utilised it were of mixed results. The camera tends to always be in Manual mode (as opposed to Program, Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority) which means that I’m the one making the decisions, not the camera. This then means I need to make the decisions for the flashgun which when working with closeup subjects is more of a black art. A bit like riding a bike, you can fall off a flashgun and graze your knee… no… it wasn’t that… oh yes, once you can you never forget, so I’ll be out and about this week with the 580EX flash in tow to get back into the swing of using it.
After the success (and enjoyment) of the Kashmiri Curry (from first principles) I’ve been scouring my bookshelf, as well as the Internet, for any recipes for Indian food where they are made from scratch. With only one curry under my belt, I’m now dismissive of any that are using bought pastes, or powder mixes… I was even dismissive of any that used Garam Masala. Of course I don’t think I should be getting beyond myself, and it may be a bit premature to have planted all those spice plants, and as for all those takeaway leaflets I’ve printed up… well!
Andrew Skelton: 
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