Walkabout Lens?

Walkabout Lens?

I have always thought that the concept of the "walkabout lens" was a red herring, as it doesn't mean anything. The idea of a multi-purpose lens that will cover any eventuality that life throws at us seems compelling enough, but in reality do images really happen that way? In general I think that the likelihood of something just spontaneously happening right in front of us is a bit unlikely, but then again I say to myself, well, prove it then.

So I've looked at perhaps half of my 5000 or so EPZ pictures just to see how many times something has just jumped out at me, crying "Photograph me!" and my camera and lens were already poised ready to shoot. We'll fit them into this blog, that's for sure.

My first thought before I even looked was this one. How often do we come across a fluorescent pig on a ladder in a mill pond?



I was passing here and probably never will again, but I did see the potential in this shot. It's a service station being revamped for a different supplier, but I call it The End Of Motoring, a more apocalyptic vision.



I looked at the rock, saw the shadows, shot the picture, then it was gone.



maybe not earth shattering, but useful as a stock shot for something, and the moment was very brief.



Not every day we have a rehearsal performed in front of us. Very random.



We were at Moseley Old Hall and a peacock walked up to us, swirled around, posed, pranced and generally was totally engrossed in having its picture taken. It would have been rude not to have had a camera ready.



And finally, it's not every day that Frankie Valli comes down off the stage, walks right up to where we are sitting and kneels down to sing to our friend's daughter. Action photography, plus the answer to the question what does Frankie Valli have in common with a pink fluorescent pig?



I think these are various degrees of what this blog is about, with the pink fluorescent pig, Frankie and Alice in Wonderland being the strongest contenders. So, three images out of how many years of photography? Having said that, i wouldn't have wanted to miss the moments, so keep those cameras and even those walkabout lenses at the ready!