Random iPhone Photography

A wonderful sunset over Sutton:


The more prosaic reality of Sutton:

And the even more horrific reality of my commute:

That kinda went downhill, didn't it? :)

Debenhams Doesn't Want You To Advertise It

H&M lets you embed slideshows of its advertising campaigns. Yet Debenhams doesn't allow you to embed its adverts.


Opportunity: Missed.

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The Good, The Bad & The Uke

Some gratuitous Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain to see me through the afternoon:


The Anonymous Famous Face

I saw this on the side of a bus the other day. It was striking, in a slightly Bet Lynch sort of way... 

Scarlett JohannsonStriking enough, in fact, that I went to the Mango site to see the rest of the images. And I discovered something I hadn't realised: the model in the image was a famous actress, one I've referred to before on this blog. Yet, when I'd looked at the image I'd had absolutely no idea it was Scarlett Johannson.

In fact, I'd noted this one in passing a few weeks before, and equally not noted its star content:
read more...

The Anonymous Famous Face

I saw this on the side of a bus the other day. It was striking, in a slightly Bet Lynch sort of way... 

Sj1
Striking enough, in fact, that I went to the Mango site to see the rest of the images. And I discovered something I hadn't realised: the model in the image was a famous actress, one I've referred to before on this blog. Yet, when I'd looked at the image I'd had absolutely no idea it was Scarlett Johannson.

In fact, I'd noted this one in passing a few weeks before, and equally not noted its star content: Sj2 And that got me thinking…


Mango have clearly spent a lot of money on these images: for a skilled photographer (Mario Sorrenti), because the images are great. But also for a "name" - an actress, not a model - and that's what these images are making me question. Was it worth it? If she isn't instantly recognisable - and this is far enough from Johannson's traditional image to make me think that she won't be for many -  and the campaign isn't trumpeting her identity, is Mango getting its money's worth here?

And if not, what made them use her? A quick Google search reveals that the news that she was the new "spokesmodel" for the company is all over the celeb gossip blogs. And perhaps that's it - the readers of those are the perfect demographic for Mango clothes.

But I can't help feeling that celebrity endorsement has become so prevalent that its impact is diluted to almost homoeopathic strengths...

A Comparison

I am annoyed.

On Saturday night, some lackwit managed to clip my (parked) car, scraping and cracking my front wing. The damage isn't significant, and experience has taught me that even if it was, reporting it to the police is utterly pointless. So the culprit will get away scot free.
On Sunday evening, I made a mistake driving through an unfamiliar area, and ended up in a bus lane by accident. There's a bus lane camera right there, so I'll probably end up £60 poorer for an honest mistake. 
And the contrast between the two is exactly why so many people in the UK are feeling a rather significant lack of justice right now. Damage to someone's property: no punishment. Mistake with no impact on anyone else: £60. Britain in 2009.

 

Autumn is in the air

And the trees…

The Edge of Autumn
The Edge of Autumn

Remains of the Leaf

Remains of the Leaf
Remains of the Leaf
The skeleton of an autumn leaf, spotted in Holborn

Mother Courage & Her Children

IMG_1262

Once upon a time, I had plans to write a review here, but this photo sat as the sole content of the draft post for six months. So, facing up to reality, I'll just share this photo of stage set and audience, done using AutoStitch on the iPhone.

Charity for Time Travellers

Charity Books

I assume whomever donated The Best Bed & Breakfast 1998 to our office charity lending library is under the illusion that we have a couple of time travellers in the office.