I’ve had a three day break over the weekend. Saturday the weather was wet and horrible. I watched the coronation on TV. Yesterday the weather was actually quite nice, and we had our own garden party after a fashion, which was very enjoyable, and most of us consumed far too much alcohol. Today the weather is wet and dull again. As a result I haven’t been out and done any photography. I did make a couple of images around the house.
Somewhere, in the middle of this I watched a short video on the photography of Ernst Haas. He had made an image of Richard Nixon on a TV screen. That gave me the nudge to click the shutter a few times during the TV broadcast of the coronation itself. I can’t say I felt inspired, but afterwards I thought about it. While the press might well have been in the Abbey and on the route. I was sat in the lounge. That is how I’ll remember the day. Through the TV, so why not make an image of that?
I guess I’m pretty neutral when it comes to Monarchy. I’m not a great fan, but neither am I a republican. If Charles slims down the whole affair, that, from my point of view would be a good thing. At the same time I’m not sure I’d want to see it disappear altogether. I was surprised how the death of the Queen effected me, to a lesser degree, the coronation also. Not so much the pomp, in fact, when Charles was in his “simple tunic”, had the greater effect on me. Long live the king! (.. and may he achieve lots of good for Britain, and the world at large in his actions, we have enough hot air already).
S.H.O.U.T. 