Trip to Durham

On Thursday, 11th September, Jane and I took a trip to Durham, arriving a minute before the time she predicted – fairly remarkable for a journey of two hundred and forty-eight miles, and although I did take a short detour to a garage no longer selling petrol, and went twice around one roundabout to check my bearings, I can only conclude that she expected me to make those mistakes!

The destination was the Marriott County Hotel, and incredibly, a space beckoned in the crowded car park. Two trips later, my impedimenta were lodged in my room, which I can only surmise the staff mistook for a sauna - it took me nearly a minute to turn it down to 16˚C, and more than half an hour before I could consider it moderately cool!
I was there to do a workshop on Lightroom and Photoshop CS3.

I then set off to find Caroline Smith, Craig Richardson and Jason Candlin my contacts within IMI, none of whom I had met before. It was not long, partly due to everyone being tethered to mobile phones, I also met up with Stephen Owen, who was anchored to an iPhone (I think just to fill me with envy! Or perhaps it was to remind me there are earlier adopters of technology than me!) Steve was in truth Apple's Man for the Show. All were bubbling with vitality, keen to help and determined to make the Show a success. I was made to feel completely at ease straightway.

The first event from my standpoint was to grab my two cameras and walk the short distance over the main road and up the cobbled road across a bridge to a waiting boat, Caroline was to be the last person aboard, and then we would cast off.

Here was my chance to capture some images that would be used in Friday's workshop – we were lucky enough to have some weak and milky sunlight, so after a 'banking' shot of the boat at the river's edge, I focussed my attention on taking portraits of the more animated passengers or those whose faces were familiar – results are in the IMI Boat Trip Gallery on the right. Enjoy.