The Four Happy Snappers
You may from time to time have seen reference to the “Three Happy Snappers” in my stories. That’s me, Dave and Lee. You don't need to know anything about me that I haven't already mentioned, so let me give you a brief introduction to the other two happy snappers. Dave is a web guru (whatever that is) and a fine art graduate. He, his wife and the youngest of their three adult sons are rarely seen in public, preferring to hide in their homely forest cottage that would have the Brothers Grimm reaching for their quills in imagination fuelled fury. Outside his day job, Dave looks after the website of a famous person, but I can’t tell you who it is of course. Client privileges and all that. He’s also my younger brother, which means I’ve known him for approximately five and a half decades. I was confined to my bed with German Measles the day he was being born at home in the next room, and when consulted by village elders on what I thought about my new baby brother, I apparently replied that he was ok, but on balance I’d rather have a new Thomas the Tank Engine train set. Choo choo!
Lee joined our world twelve or thirteen years ago, when he was invited to come and play football one Friday evening and was immediately accepted into the group on a long term basis. He used to sell glasses from a shop in Falmouth, made by the family business in his native West Midlands. Nowadays he works for a local electrician in the village where he lives, running the shop, keeping the appointments book up to date, and advising me on camera gear. His daily commute takes approximately one minute in either direction - on foot. Just occasionally, we lure him away from the village, but he does seem to be growing roots in the few years since he and his wife moved there from Falmouth. Before he came to Cornwall, he also had a famous client. He's not taking on new customers these days, but for us chosen few, he can still rustle up a new pair of varifocals at a price that tells me I shouldn't have gone to a certain optician on the High Street. I’ve never had a famous client by the way - or even any clients at all for that matter. I once bumped into Little Mo from Eastenders at Gatwick Airport. Does that count?
From time to time, the Three Happy Snappers convene at one location or another to take photographs at sunset, have a bit of a catch up with each others’ lives, discuss the football and enjoy a slow pint of hop based infusion before heading for home. And to my amazement we were going out for the second occasion in under a month. This time we’d agreed upon Land’s End in early August. The heather should be looking good around then. It was great at the same time last year. We'd grab some food on the way down, and then spend the second half of the afternoon among the heather. With any luck we’d get some nice light towards the end of day.
But what’s this - a fourth happy snapper gatecrashing the party? Well I remembered a message I’d had from one of you. Step forward artisan cheese maker Lloyd, who was making an extra visit to Cornwall this year. You know Lloyd - king of the super long exposure. I don't know if he has any famous clients, so you'll have to ask him I'm afraid. He usually arrives in quiet November, armed with a camera bag and good intentions, so being told that he was coming here in the middle of summer was a bit of a surprise. It so happened that his brief holiday coincided with our outing to Land’s End, and he was staying at nearby Cape Cornwall too. And yes he’d be delighted to meet us at Land’s End and update the locals on exactly how much it costs to park there if you don’t have a postcode that begins with “TR” or “PL.” It was the fourth time I'd met him here over the last three years. A spleen venting nine pounds and fifty pence this time. Ouch! I get to park here for free.
Half an hour later, after wrestling our way through the hordes, we were sitting in the hotel grounds, supping four frighteningly expensive pints and planning our sunset shoot. Ever the tech tart, Lee was demonstrating the remote shutter contraption he'd recently acquired to operate his phone camera from six paces away as the four of us gurned inanely at the birdie, waiting for the Google Pixel that he'd perched perilously close to the edge of the bench to topple onto the concrete below. Somehow it survived the drop. It might have been the best picture of the day.
What didn't appear to have survived this far into August was the heather. This time last year it was here in abundance, but today much of the growth was already distinctly brown and patchy. Plan A was looking a little bit shaky, so it's a good job that there are plenty of other things to take pictures of at Land's End. Although somehow, the small patch of heather that I did find in the right place made it into the image. It was easier than this last year. Strange when it’s been so colourful elsewhere around here recently.
It's always great fun when the three happy snappers get together. Even more so when an honorary fourth joins the party. Although we did ask him to bring some cheese next time. Who doesn't love cheese?
The Four Happy Snappers
You may from time to time have seen reference to the “Three Happy Snappers” in my stories. That’s me, Dave and Lee. You don't need to know anything about me that I haven't already mentioned, so let me give you a brief introduction to the other two happy snappers. Dave is a web guru (whatever that is) and a fine art graduate. He, his wife and the youngest of their three adult sons are rarely seen in public, preferring to hide in their homely forest cottage that would have the Brothers Grimm reaching for their quills in imagination fuelled fury. Outside his day job, Dave looks after the website of a famous person, but I can’t tell you who it is of course. Client privileges and all that. He’s also my younger brother, which means I’ve known him for approximately five and a half decades. I was confined to my bed with German Measles the day he was being born at home in the next room, and when consulted by village elders on what I thought about my new baby brother, I apparently replied that he was ok, but on balance I’d rather have a new Thomas the Tank Engine train set. Choo choo!
Lee joined our world twelve or thirteen years ago, when he was invited to come and play football one Friday evening and was immediately accepted into the group on a long term basis. He used to sell glasses from a shop in Falmouth, made by the family business in his native West Midlands. Nowadays he works for a local electrician in the village where he lives, running the shop, keeping the appointments book up to date, and advising me on camera gear. His daily commute takes approximately one minute in either direction - on foot. Just occasionally, we lure him away from the village, but he does seem to be growing roots in the few years since he and his wife moved there from Falmouth. Before he came to Cornwall, he also had a famous client. He's not taking on new customers these days, but for us chosen few, he can still rustle up a new pair of varifocals at a price that tells me I shouldn't have gone to a certain optician on the High Street. I’ve never had a famous client by the way - or even any clients at all for that matter. I once bumped into Little Mo from Eastenders at Gatwick Airport. Does that count?
From time to time, the Three Happy Snappers convene at one location or another to take photographs at sunset, have a bit of a catch up with each others’ lives, discuss the football and enjoy a slow pint of hop based infusion before heading for home. And to my amazement we were going out for the second occasion in under a month. This time we’d agreed upon Land’s End in early August. The heather should be looking good around then. It was great at the same time last year. We'd grab some food on the way down, and then spend the second half of the afternoon among the heather. With any luck we’d get some nice light towards the end of day.
But what’s this - a fourth happy snapper gatecrashing the party? Well I remembered a message I’d had from one of you. Step forward artisan cheese maker Lloyd, who was making an extra visit to Cornwall this year. You know Lloyd - king of the super long exposure. I don't know if he has any famous clients, so you'll have to ask him I'm afraid. He usually arrives in quiet November, armed with a camera bag and good intentions, so being told that he was coming here in the middle of summer was a bit of a surprise. It so happened that his brief holiday coincided with our outing to Land’s End, and he was staying at nearby Cape Cornwall too. And yes he’d be delighted to meet us at Land’s End and update the locals on exactly how much it costs to park there if you don’t have a postcode that begins with “TR” or “PL.” It was the fourth time I'd met him here over the last three years. A spleen venting nine pounds and fifty pence this time. Ouch! I get to park here for free.
Half an hour later, after wrestling our way through the hordes, we were sitting in the hotel grounds, supping four frighteningly expensive pints and planning our sunset shoot. Ever the tech tart, Lee was demonstrating the remote shutter contraption he'd recently acquired to operate his phone camera from six paces away as the four of us gurned inanely at the birdie, waiting for the Google Pixel that he'd perched perilously close to the edge of the bench to topple onto the concrete below. Somehow it survived the drop. It might have been the best picture of the day.
What didn't appear to have survived this far into August was the heather. This time last year it was here in abundance, but today much of the growth was already distinctly brown and patchy. Plan A was looking a little bit shaky, so it's a good job that there are plenty of other things to take pictures of at Land's End. Although somehow, the small patch of heather that I did find in the right place made it into the image. It was easier than this last year. Strange when it’s been so colourful elsewhere around here recently.
It's always great fun when the three happy snappers get together. Even more so when an honorary fourth joins the party. Although we did ask him to bring some cheese next time. Who doesn't love cheese?