Answer Me This! Podcast

Thanks to all of you who’ve been in touch with feedback about the contents of Episode 85. Firstly, regarding the ‘club sandwich of the animal world’ which we spotted in San Francisco, Cuthbert spotted the very same pet-stack in this Youtube video, and Fran from Suffolk in her dad’s holiday photos! So, we’re just going to pretend we took this picture ourselves:

Since we’re still on the subject of our recent jaunt to California, here’s an email from our transatlantic food consultant Jim in New Jersey:

I’m writing to disavow you folks of the notion that all Americans like whipped cream (or even syrup) with bacon for breakfast. That is a West Coast/Middle American aberration. The East coast/Mid-Atlantic/Southern norm is eggs, bacon or sausage, oatmeal or grits, and some kind of toast or “English” muffin. Whipped cream for breakfast is part of a whole fantasy dynamic that America occasionally leans toward, with dubious results. (Disneyland, superhero movies, Sarah Palin, etc.)

Don’t get us started on grits though, Jim! Remember how upset you Americans got last time that thorny subject arose.

Finally, here are some handy hints for candid photography fan Mike from Belfast. Firstly, professional advice from Kelly from Great Dunmow, Essex:

To the guy in episode 85 that wanted to take unposed photos without looking dodgy, he should learn to take photos ‘from the hip’, as my photography teacher told us.

I love taking photos of people without them knowing. I hate posed photos; I used to photograph weddings and every time people saw the camera they would pose, so with loads of practice I learnt to take photos from the camera resting at waist height, or from my hips and even with my arms crossed with the camera tucked under my arm. It also helps if you take the photos in places where there are lots of tourists, with attractions around; that way you can make it look like you’re taking photos of the attractions, not the people.

Jack from Tunbridge Wells runs with a similar theme:

Here’s a clever tip:
Get a friend to come along with you and get him to stand in front of you, between you and the person you want to take a candid picture of.
Using the zoom function on your camera, take a picture over his shoulder of the person, and there you have it!
This technique came in quite handy when taking pics in London for GCSE art.

I hope these suggestions have inspired all you aspiring paparazzi and voyeurs. If stealth is not one of your natural qualities, perhaps you should invest in one of these.

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This entry was posted on March 11, 2009 at 4:47 pm and is filed under Answer Us Back! Your time to opine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.