I met with one of the guys who is looking at the new internet business with me. I kind of expected there to be a financial obstacle to get in the way that would render this whole thing useless and fruitless. Again, I am pleasantly surprised that no such issues seem to exist. Sure we would need to raise many £millions of other peoples money, invest it and turn into something even more significant. However, I have now got to the point where my normally very sceptical brain is fast running out of excuses as to why this would not work. The whole thing is extremely exciting and needs to be further developed and then mashed together into some kind of exciting ‘pitch’ that will give it some more form and reality. My reckoning is that it has a 5% chance of succeeding as we sit here today (this is a vast improvement on 0% from a few weeks ago). Only more time will see how that develops and what %ge we can build that into.
Friday night saw Claire come round to review her portfolio of fully processed images. I did the full works including a sexy slideshow and full Adele soundtrack on a full iMac display. I think she really loved the photographs and stayed to have a chat about some of the images and to have a glass of wine whilst chatting about life and the marketing world in general.
Saturday we decided to shoot off down to the south coast and stay overnight in a B&B. We travelled down early and landed in Weymouth. We wandered along the seafront and watched a slightly odd military bridge building display that I am sure was to mark some commemorative event but we didn’t spot what that was. After a refreshing cup of tea we decided to mooch over to Osmington Bay and grab a lovely relaxed lunch at the Smugglers Inn. What a little gem and so close to Weymouth itself but poles apart in terms of feel and ambiance. After filling up we cruised along the Jurassic Coast and went for a stroll along the beach at Lulworth Cove and watched a couple of mad heads swimming in what must have been an icy English Channel. The tide was fairly high and the sun poking its nose through now and again made the cove light up and bathed us in a warmth that dispelled the chill of the bitter southerly wind in a second. Up on the cliff tops was a different matter. The wind was ferocious and made standing upright on the top overlooking the coast quite difficult. We sought more shelter and decided to head off down to Durdle Dor and its renowned arch. Parking up we made the trek down the hill to the top of the cliff overlooking the beach itself. I was a little surprised to be encouraged to walk down the less than inviting steep steps onto the beach itself but did so with good grace and a little trepidation. The trip back up again was not quite so welcome but blew the cobwebs away from the lungs and made the calf muscles burn. It is no wonder the bay is so well photographed. It is a beautiful and quite serene place. I will return one day in the Winter and photograph it myself, if not only because it is one of those lovely venues one should have visited and tried to do justice to.
The evening saw us head towards our destination via Corfe Castle and on towards Swanage for a few drinks, a meal and a listen to some Blues in a local bar. The next morning we headed off to look at Kimmeridge Bay, a place I have visited and photographed before. It also is beautiful but the tide was fully in which benefitted only those with sails and kites attached to them out in the bay itself. We headed back towards Weymouth and on to Portland Bill. I don’t recall visiting here before but having lived and grown up close by I can’t imagine why not! It is stunning. I am now desperate to return soon to photograph the whole of the area itself maybe spending a week or so just exploring and searching out the best shots. Again, the lighthouse itself is well photographed but that isn’t an excuse to ignore it and not capture your own images of such a wonderful part of the country.
Today has been spent working again on the new internet project and making final preps for tomorrows commercial shoot in Wokingham and then meeting up with my friend who is 32 today! Happy Birthday Benjamin! My ‘quiet’ week has also jammed itself up with various meetings with experts on IT, Marketing and hopefully maybe even an Assistant Photographer!! Watch this space as they say, exciting times are afoot….
Claire Richardson kissing goodbye to shyness!
Cowgirl Claire
Squash Imagery 