In The Shadows of St Giles

Performing in the Alcoves we had an incredible mix of talent. From the beauty in both visual forms of The Two Sopranos and Yan Shi. All talented in the sound they produced and the beauty you see in front of you.
The Martians and the distinctive sound that Gerry produces. Holding an audience in fits of laughter, especially in their rendition of Britney Spears Hit me baby one more time. Watching them religiously almost every day they performed John and Houston were at times at their wits end as to what was going to happen next in their show. And of course they do let the audience know of the true danger of Scotland’s most deadly animal the Wasp!

Just beyond the alcoves you have Pop and Mike, the Balloon men . True masters of latex.

The kite seller walks the stretch of street by the alcoves. The smallest kite in the World always a big draw during the Fringe. Ask Tom Hanks, he bought a few during one of his visits to the High Street.

Quick at The Draw

With all that’s going on in the High Street it’s impossible to photograph every show. There are always a few disappointed people that I haven’t had a chance to photograph.
This year not being around to cover all the time slots made a slight difference. So again my apologies to my friends in the street performer community for not catching more of you yet again.
But I do hope that at least the big group shots as always are something that no one but me has the control to get fifty or more performers together in one place. And as always a memento in a very small form of your visit to the Edinburgh Fringe.
Big thanks as always for giving me the few minutes of your time to get the shot. And allowing me to wander round getting photographs before everyone, even I have woken up. Remember to get in touch if anyone wants bigger files, of anything you see online.

Luck of The Draw

There is one thing that draws me to the High Street during the Festival more than anything else. It's street performers.

Without them the crowds would be non existent. Yet as the Fringe has grown on the High Street over the last few years the restrictions that are imposed on them get harsher and harsher.

Street theatre is the hardest, and yet at times the most beautiful theatre most of us will experience. It's hard because as Theaker described a few years ago some crowds can be "Vampires" they'll take the time to stop, watch and enjoy but not give. Having a hundred or more people walk away without even saying thanks or dropping a couple of £'s in her hat.

Watch the pathos and humour of Pedro and be moved to tears as he plays with the heartstrings of the audience. Join the ranks of the adoring fans of The Space Cowboy. Marvel at the skill of all the masters of High street, Parliament Square and Hunter Square, as they enthral their audience. You to can become part of their show as you join in the game to gather a larger crowd. From clapping and cheering and whistling. We stand and watch as the "sheep" are drawn in. We cheer, at the youngster fingers in her ears as the crowd gathers ever larger around her. The little girl so expertly balances a coffee on her head another draw. And the caterpillar of children become Guantanamo the Early Years to a master of mirth like Stu.

Seth and Christina pulled out all the stops for this years Festival. Putting on the most impressive water balloon fight, I wasn't going anywhere near to photograph!

Todd Various had moved out of the shadows of the alcoves, to perform full circle shows.

Sham and JP you just couldn't stop this year. As the rain seemed just to keep on falling, they just keep on performing. The crowds as always kept on watching!

Then Gwen and George got married this year too, everyone was invited, everyone was involved! The Balloon Men Pop and Mike supplied the flowers, a guard of honour of fire torch juggling. With Herbie Treehead as Minister of the proceedings. Their Wedding on the High Street in the shadow of St. Giles. A street show Wedding in the tradition of a Circus Wedding. The Centre ring the High Street Pitch. Everyone dressed in their finest attire shared their joy in the beauty of the show that unfolded before us.

For all of the above to happen there's the morning draw. Before most people are anywhere near heading to the High Street or even out of bed sixty or more performers take their luck in their hands over the thirty slots available to them around the Mile. It can sometime mean no shows for them days on end; or with luck on their side shows every day; weather dependant.

In the end it's about you and me who watch, who laughs and who cries. We wince at the jokes at times. We marvel, always marvel at their skill. But whats most important is that we do dig deep and give a few £'s for all the enjoyment we take away.

Never Mind The Bollards

I came back, after last year being my last. It was my last Exhibition. I have sold all my camera equipment. Apart from a few weekends this year I’ve not seen the world through a cameras viewfinder.
In the time between August last year and August this year was the changes they have made to the High Street. With automatic bollards stopping traffic from entering the High Street we have had a few performers taking advantage of a few extra show before the Fringe took over the street.
The other change for me which was an advantage was of course the extra bollards which had now been added as street furniture down the length of the High street. I of course had spent a few days checking each of them in turn, and more importantly remembering where they are. On the High Street with as many distractions as there are, there are probably a few people with knee injuries which if they ever take Edinburgh Council to court over it could easily be a hefty bill.
The older more unstable ones as I already mentioned I have a method of making a little more stable. Although there were times it comes down just to weight distribution and as soon as you hold a camera to your eye everything changes.
One problem in wanting a higher outlook is that so does everyone promoting their show. There are times of the day that there are not many bits of street furniture left for anyone to stand on.
I should employ a strong street performer for a few days just to be carried around standing on their shoulders. Maybe next year.

Where's Buffy When You Need Her

I spend more time standing in one or two places on the High Street than anyone else, apart from the human statues. One of my vantage points was next to that of the cast of Dracula from Black and White Rainbow.

Every day they were on the street, every day the images they managed to conjour with a coffin, a couple of girls and a set of fangs were breath taking. Some of my favourite magical images come from them. My thanks to them for just settling down on the street. No fuss no fanfare just striking and thought provoking imagery, a draw to almost everyone who passed, who just had to take a flyer.



Not only that but they had a close up magic routine which had everyone bemused even the puppets who stopped by. Yet another of their theatre show was The New Magic Show.

Their third show at the Fringe was The Bacchae.

If I had thought about nothing else on the High Street, not been constantly searching and thinking about other images. I could have happily stood on my bollard watched as the light constantly changed and the images I saw before me evolved into something better. Then dived for whatever angle I needed to take up to get the photograph I wanted.

Vampires on the High Street, where was Buffy when you needed her. Well for this cast and crew no slayer needed to gain a number one slot in my eyes.

The World or Edinburgh

In my youth I wanted to see the world. The World constantly shrinking with air travel. The Far East intrigued me. Japan and Korea their arts, their cultures.
I’ve dreamed of travelling to so many countries, but alas after one trip abroad I found I had a terrible fear of flying.

So discovering the Fringe, when I discovered photography, I found the whole world came to Edinburgh and my need to travel to see the world and meet its people became almost redundant.

Now I have friends from all over the world and I’ve never left Edinburgh in twenty plus years.

Who Needs Harry Potter when you have James James

Table magic is a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours on the High Street.

The routine such as cups and balls may go back thousands of years, and you can guess that the jokes that go with it are probably available in Roman and Ancient Greek.

So when someone such as a master like James James uses the immortal line like “Cup I, Cup II, Cup III.” He’s quoting one of the first ever magicians ever to perform the routine.

Watch any performer and everyone has lines they’ve probably heard from somewhere in the past. Street theatre in all its shapes and forms has evolved from times long since past. From the fakirs of India, the travelling minstrels and jugglers of the Middle Ages.

So in your travels if you’re not in Edinburgh and you happen to be visiting Covent Garden and James James is on.

Stop by watch his show. It’s head and shoulders above everyone else. Tell him that Smallbrown recommended his show, and of course do remember to drop a few £’s in his hat at the end.

Black and Orange

Loud, vibrant and always full of energy.

This year Bang On was on the High Street as a show in the Fringe guide. They had transferred from just busking on the High Street to Sweet at Edinburgh College of Art.
The beauty with Bang On is the energy which you can capture on film. From every drum beat there is an energy that both Dave and Katie give off.

Bang On has taken the use of junk in percussion to new levels.

Always worth watching always worth listening to.

A Press Pass Gets You Access Anywhere!

With the exception of just one or two photographers on the High Street, a Fringe Press pass is an excuse to go places you’re not invited.

With seven years of Fringe photography under my belt I’ve never needed one. A few reasons for this.
I’ve never done this for money, apart for the donations gladly put in my hat at the close of my exhibition.
I don’t sell my images to the Press.
I’ve always been invited into any space or venue by performers.

I get invited, because people have liked what I do and the way I’ve done it.

If I was invited in to a street entertainer’s space on the High Street it was because I know how to move around their space. I understand the risks involved; last year as I was lying on the ground taking a shot a fire torch missed my head by just a few inches. But most of all I know that they have an audience watching their show. The audience are more important than the shot I want. I’ll do my best to get the shot, but to stand in front of people as if you “own the place” is completely the wrong attitude to take.

The appalling nature of press pass holders this year became apparent during the Wedding of Gwen and George. I had been invited along with one or two others to shoot the event. We had a couple of Bill and Bens; press passes in hand wandering around the pitch without a care for the audience. Then of course more press photographers arrived and it was almost a pitch battle for the picture they wanted. I had in the end almost to give up shooting what I wanted in the fear of starting a riot.

A pass may give you the right to shoot anywhere, but at least ask first And at the end of the show add a few £’s to their hat, because if all some people have seen of the show they wanted is your arse the performer deserves all the money you have in your wallet.

Thank goodness there’s a photographer as likeminded as myself in Arch White. He understands the nature of the street. He’ll be quick in getting a shot in a space rejoining the crowd from whence he came until another moment arises. He’ll add a couple of quid to someone’s hat and not spend hours having a statue hold a particular position as a herd of photographers all take the same photograph. And like myself will gladly donate his photographs to street performers and artistes.

I’m so glad I never joined a camera club or society. They may teach you about photography, but they certainly don’t teach you manners.

I have no qualifications in photography, no letters after my name. Just common sense and decency.

The Forecast For Edinburgh

Rain doesn’t stop play, but something had this year. The normal buzz on the High street was sadly lacking. Lots of people mentioned it to me, lots of people were noticing it. One street performer said it had been the first time in years he’d seen daylight through his audience.

Where was everybody? The Fringe, The Festival has had a bumper year. So maybe everyone that would normally be watching shows on the High Street were sitting in theatres all over Edinburgh.

It was a little wet this year. But probably no wetter than during previous years. Just that it hit right at the start, before the energy and the buzz had got people raring to go. If the first week had been that of the third in terms bright sunshine with just a little rain I’m sure the whole Fringe on the High Street would have had a different feel.

Funny thing is whatever weather forecast you watched to tell you what was going to be happening in Edinburgh everyone was wrong, some more wrong than others. You would think that Edinburgh would have a reasonably reliable forecast centre, but alas I think all the predictions are made by some one looking out of a window and just taking a guess. Thank goodness we’re a capital city. The guess work might be a lot worse if we were a city somewhere south of the border.

Slight Technical Hitch

There are one or two days missing from this years online exhibition pages. Something came up away from the High street that meant I didn’t clock up as many hours as I would have wanted. Didn’t get along to shows I should have. Those of you who ran into me got the full details.

So to Firefly, Bang On, Something Else, Livewire and Chess sorry I didn’t make it.

It was gut wrenchingly sad for me during the Fringe this year, maybe why I had a few bad days.

Sheer Electricity

Once again arriving on the High Street like a force of Olympian Gods and Goddesses Livewire Theatre Company made their usual impression on the stages before us. This young athlectic vibrant cast pulled no punches as they fought to the death at every possible moment available to them.

Action, adventure and drama. It was all there to see. Whether commanding the telephone boxes on the Lawnmarket just beyond the High Street, or pouncing on every available stage that was devoid of performers in their time on the street. Cries of “The oddessey “ rang out loud and clear round the buildings and shops of the High Street.

On their last but one day their voices almost destroyed, I’d suggested a tablo with just visual impact without their cheers.
The impact just as strong and visually in my eyes more impressive; also easier to photograph than the sword play they perform with such ease on stage. Or it may have just been me being lazy.

But another year under their belt this young cast are now in the Fringe vetrans league. As always not to be missed on the High Street.