Stories
Live in the moment.
It was an early spring late morning. The beach was calm and breathless, the wispy blue skies produced a delicate background. At the waters edge I positioned the tripod and attach the phone. In the distance three bird watchers with large lenses were surveying the area. I decided, as they were almost the only people on the beach, to give them time to gather their thoughts and hopefully leave. As I lined up the camera, on the phone, at the waters edge, and framed the shot, I was about to take, it became obvious to me that I had become the twitchers focus.
I really only had two options… trudge further up the beach with the hope of invading their scrutiny
Or just take the picture I had lined up, and put up with their stares. Although they did have at their disposal large grey ‘pap' like lenses I figured they were two far away to really trouble me, as was the only other person on the sand, a dark figure walking close to the waters edge a good 50 meters away.
The sky was beautiful and drew my eye down the beach. I would just take the picture I decided. Please don’t get me wrong I have had many occasions when people have seen me taking pictures, so this wasn’t a rare position to find myself in, it was really only the presence of their lenses that was unusual. I steadied the phone, rechecked the view, started the video setting , quickly undressed and walked down the beach.
The shadowy figure, while I could now make out was a girl, I couldn’t make out her clothing and doubted, from her prospective that she could see mine, or lack of it. As I returned to the tripod I was relieved to see that, while my bird watching friends were looking in my direction, not a lens and been raised. I dressed and inspected my work on the phone. The images were beautiful and exactly what I had hoped for.
As the time was getting along I made my way up the beach toward the twitchers, at the closest beach entrance. As I walked toward my feather loving friends I was aware that I was still the focus of their conversation. At times like this I have only two rules, the two s’s ….smile and speak.
“Hi….beautiful day!” I offered.
The tallest of the men replied ‘We thought you’d be going swimming?”
I laughed “Maybe later!” I said’ “I just wanted a couple of pictures!”.
“Well you picked a beautiful day for it !” The furthest man from me said.
“It so beautiful here…”, I added.
And they all nodded in agreement.
Over my shoulder I noticed that the shadowy figure was now heading directly for me and also towards the beach exist. I took off the rucksack I was carrying and started to bundled the tripod back into it. It was a little walk back to the carpark, from where I was and I didn’t fancy a slightly awkward walk back ,in close proximity to the girl who was about to pass. The twitches chatted among themselves and readied to leave.
“Hi!” The girl said to me, I looked up. “I saw you taking pictures…”
I smiled. “Im sorry if you saw…. too much..” I said, “But….” I started not knowing what else really to add.
“Oh No..” She said. “I was quite inspired …How did your pictures turn out?”.
“Great…” I said taking my phone out of my side jacket pocket. I quickly found a spot on the video that would impress . The girl looked at the screen and smiled broadly.
“Beautiful picture! I’ve always wanted to have pictures of me like that and never thought of using a tripod and self timer….” She said.
“I just use video..” I said “and then screen shot …then you can get the picture in one go!”
“I’ll have to get one of those….Amazon?” She asked.
I laughed “Yes…you can borrow this one if your feeling inspired”. I said.
At this point the girls face changed, “Really…?” She said.
I’ll admit this wasn’t an offer I had seriously considered she would take up when I had offered lending her the tripod.
As we chatted our twitching friends turned, without further comment and headed over the dunes towards the beach entrance.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this …” the girl said, “but I have a little time before I have to go back to work…so yes….if you have the time?”
I was a little taken back to say the least. “Yes I’ve got loads of time…” I said.
“Will you help me get this right…pictures like on your phone”. The girl looked intently at me
“Yes, of course I said..”
We turned and headed back down the beach toward the waters edge.
I set the tripod up and showed the girl how to fit her phone into the phone grip.
The girl let out a little “Ahhhh…” like she was giving herself confidence.
Moments later my right arm had become impromptu clothes rack, of skirt, blouse and bra. She tucked her underwear into her shoes on the sand.
“Ready …!” She said.
I pressed the video button the girl turned and walked boldly down the beach. I smiled watching through her phone screen . With her arms crossed across her chest she returned and then walked down the beach again.
“If I’m doing this..” She to me “I’m doing it properly.
“What about walking in to the sea…?” I suggested on her second return.
“Yes please….” She giggled.
I repositioned the tripod and moments later our second take was complete. I paused her video and she redressed. Releasing her phone and its pink case from the tripod , the girl looked intently at the screen and the events unfolding on it.
“That is fantastic !” She said “Thank you so much!” then added.
And with that she headed, barefoot, away in the direction she had first come.
I pondered life, my all too brief encounter and smiled all the way back to the car.
At no point during our impromptu photo session had we even introduced ourselves and for that the whole situation felt that tiny little bit more special. Today I had genuinely made someones day, they, in turn, had made mine.
Hay Bails and Wide Smiles.
It was late spring. There was still enough late afternoon heat in the reclining sun to warm the skin. The autumn harvest had begun and large circular hay bails littered the previously beige swaying corn fields.
Driving past a recently bailed field I was completely taken by the beauty of the random hay bails stretching across the huge field ahead of me.
“That is a photo opportunity...” I thought to myself. Parking the car, I made my way up to and then through a gate leading to the field. The gate was unlocked and open to about a person width. As a rule I never enter a locked gate unless a public footpath or bridal path sign is indicating a right of way. Not that I’m a vehement anti-trespasser, but climbing over a locked gate simply feels like it causes bad karma to me.
Once in the field I wandered a little way from the entrance, so as to be less visible to the passing road. I set up the tripod and attached the phone. As I surveyed the field in my foreground I became aware of a presence behind me. I turned to see a man in his later years, in jeans, red checked shirt and wellingtons, leaning on the gate that I had so recently passed.
“Hi!”, I smiled.
“Afternoon”, He replied, “Do you have permission from the farmer for that?” he asked in a quite bemused manner.
I explained that I had just stumbled upon the field and was just going to take a couple of pictures and than I had no intention of touching or interfering with anything in our current foreground.
“Well the farmers very reasonable, but he prefers to be asked about such things, when it comes to folks on his land”.
“Where would I find the farmer at this time of day“ I asked.
“Oh he’s closer than you think, as I said, he’s very reasonable and it is said very good looking”, the man grinned and looked at me over small glasses that were perched on his nose.
The penny in my head dropped. “Your the farmer?” I offered.
“In one!” The man grinned again.
“I’m sorry...” I said, “Do mind if I take a couple of pictures in this field. The hay bails are beautiful. I promise I am not going to touch or disturb anything”.
I walked back to the man, reclining on the gate.
“That would be fine”, he added, with another smile, “Go ahead!”.
“You can say no, and I’ll understand...”, I started to qualify...”but would you have any issue with me walking across the field without clothes.
I did feel that this explanation of the nature of the image, about to be witnessed, would cause much less impact than words such ‘nude’ or ‘naked’.
“You want to walk Five Ache field naked!!” The farmer confirmed and grinned broadly .
“That’s it exactly!’, I smiled hopefully.
He thought for a moment. “Would you have a problem if my wife watched too? She just in the car!”.
He gestured toward a Landrover parked on the grass verge to the left of the gate.
“Yes…of course…” I said. Suddenly I was far more committed to the project than I expected to be.
“Mary, can I borrow you for a moment..” He said in the direction of the car. I heard a click and slam of a car door. He was joined by a kindly face shapely woman who was dressed almost exactly as her husband.
“Mary this man is going to take some pictures in Five Acker….but he wants to do it naked!’.
“Wow!” Mary smiled towards me.
“Hi, Im Wil…” I said, thinking that introductions at this point were probably the order of the day.
“Graham…” the man said “…and Mary”.
“Hi Mary!” I said.
Mary smiled broadly.
“I know this might seen an odd thing to do, but I think it will make a great picture”. I offered, more to keep the conversation flowing then really to furnish Graham and Mary with any more information.
I returned to the tripod followed by my grinning observers.
Setting the phone on the tripod I framed the shot and said.
“I’m just gonna walk straight down the field and come back…” They both nodded.
As I double checked the view, I heard Mary whisper to her Graham.
“Could Mary take a picture?” Graham asked.
I smiled.
“It’s your field!” I laughed. “Would prefer that you take it when I’m walking away rather then when I’m walking back…” I asked.
They both smiled and nodded.
With the phone in video mode, clothes in a pile next to the tripod, I started my transit across the field, between the hay bails.
I walked about 10 meters and turned, not wishing to push my luck with the kind farmer.
I could see Graham and Mary staring at the phone screen. Graham looked up.
“You need to go further to your left!” He shouted.
I pointed and he nodded. I moved left and walked a little further.
“Go further down the field….” Graham added, “It looks great!… Try not to look down quite as much”. He then added.
I was literally being directed through my own photo shoot. Now almost half way across the field I turned and Graham gave up a double thumbs up. I turned and walked back to the pair of them.
As I went to pick up my clothes Graham asked “Can we have a picture with you, this is a day I don’t think we will forget quickly”.
How could I refuse. I secured Marys’ phone in the tripod and she set the self timer. I positioned myself between the pair of them and smiled.
As I dressed Mary showed me the pictures she had taken . I thought they were really great. Although the picture of the three of us didn’t leave much to the imagination, let me put it that way.
“Not one for your Mother!” Graham offered.
Mary laughed. “Maybe not, I might have to edit that a little!” She said.
I smiled “Thank you!” I said.
Some sacrifices are definitely worth it.