I took a fifteen-day trip home to Ireland in July, spending a week with my daughter Alison in her Dublin townhouse and a week with my daughter Brona in her cottage in the country (above). It was wonderful to spend time with my family, friends and neighbours.
What did I notice back home? I had forgotten the green, green, green, and how great Irish food is. Under pressure from my offspring, I have decided to spend another two weeks in Ireland for Christmas this year.
Returning to my home in the Algarve at midnight, I found my awning had collapsed, the tubular air frames had exploded in several places in the heat, and tore metre-long gashes in my roof. I am using 8 tent poles to hold the awning up as a temporary fix.
Judith and Ashley invited me to an art, food and music festival in Lagos.
The top billing was the “Wet Bed Gang” – a Portuguese rap line-up.
I stayed, until I started to develop photosensitive epilepsy!!
I printed these photos on canvas for my favourite dancing group at the campsite, Dragon Legacy. Their theme song is “Dance of the Druids” – the title of this post.
The girls were so delighted they asked me to pose with them on stage (when the audience had left!).
When I told them that they had brightened my life with their performances, they asked me to chose a song and they will choreograph a piece, include it in next year’s show and dedicate it to Sandra.
This is Janice, I nick-named her Olive Oyl.
Janice dances in various musical comedies at the campsite and is a world-class performer.
During the summer, from May to October, there is nightly entertainment in the campsite from 21:30.
I may be the only portrait photographer in Europe with a studio in a caravan, well, in an awning to be precise.
This week, I had my first client, Agathe Dumas from France. Agathe works in entertainment at the campsite.
It is challenging photographing in a small space (about to collapse!), and more so because the heat reaches over 40 degrees daily in the awning. So, I must wait until after sunset to shoot.
This is Agathe.
Your portraiture is very very good. Just how you are managing all that heat I don’t know, but the good news is it will be gone by tomorrow. How do I know this? Its because tomorrow we travel to France 😅
Brilliant. Keep it up.