#kat davidson

For Pete's sake! I forgot to bring home Kat Davidson's album, but fortunately I was sent a proof of it a couple of months ago. I've known Kat for a little while now, I used to share that cell of an office with her, I've heard her sing plenty of times in various contexts but her album quite shocked me - I was maybe in just the right mood for it but it really did something for me the first time I listened to it. It's always the emotion in any performance that really does it for me, nothing frustrates me more than bands who just seem to be going through the motions - I've seen too many local bands who I just wanted to slap because they appeared on stage like they didn't want to be there.

Anyway here's the cover of Kat's excellent album.

What do you think? The more I look at it the more proud of it I am.

The following paragraph may well be a terrible advert for myself, but you know what I don't think it is, the troubles I have had have mostly been based upon not being given a deadline for my work!

I know the simple task I had, to bring home an album, was a simple one but the fact that I didn't manage it prompted Lesson Two: Do what you say you will - meet your deadlines. There are two different types of deadline in my eyes, those set by yourself and those set by others. The latter are easy (if you're actually set deadlines!), if I'm told that work or photos are needed by a certain date then I can do - as soon as leeway is given, as soon as the deadline is uncertain it probably won't get done. A lot of the photography work I've done has occurred on a single day, but the deadline for providing the finished images has been so vague I've often found it hard in the past to get it done within a month, when someone says something along the lines of, "well we will only really need it in about three months" chances are I'll finish the edit a week before.

The second deadlines are those set by yourself, these are by far the hardest to keep! Who is going to tell you off for not doing? I'm not exactly into self flagellation so my form of self punishment tends to be an uneasy guilty feeling followed by a keep of tea, a biscuit and forgetting about it. Life often gets in the way, but that shouldn't be an excuse now should it?

So Lesson Two is perhaps one of the most important, meet your deadlines; be strict with yourself and do the bloody work no matter what it is. The only questions now are, where's my to do list? Where's my whip?

I suppose I have my first lesson then, "Learn to enjoy your achievements" - or should that more accurately be, learn how to be proud of what you've done in the past and not get too hung up on trying to work out what the future holds. In addition, somehow learn to allow your achievements to make you happy!

I'm perpetually hung up at the moment trying to divine the path I should take in order to build my photography. I have a goal, perhaps to broad a goal, but can I see how to get there?! Can I fuck! The problem is this dilemma takes over everything, it prevents me from doing the work I need to as I'm always second guessing myself. All of my real success so far has come from the shear enjoyment I derive from photography without any set goal, except I'm so caught up in building success I'm losing the enjoyment. I'm fighting a losing battle against myself; David vs his analytical mind.

So I've got to get back to the joy of photography, to taking pictures that ultimately make me smile and make those around me feel something.

But getting back to today's lesson, learning to enjoy your achievements. I now have in my possession two CD that feature some of my work, the first being the new EP from Lesley Roley, Living on the Line - the Nashville Sessions. Now I know I didn't take a single one of the photos but I was the man who threw the hole thing together for Lesley and I've got to be honest I'm really quite proud - I thrown in a couple of pictures from it below. Chances are you aren't here for my musical recommendations and chances are you're not going to listen to someone recommending their friend, but Lesley is a very talented singer/songwriter. If she isn't signed in the next year I will eat my own face - her new EP features a crack Nashville band and not nearly enough pedal steel! If you want to hear a little bit about her get along to her website at www.lesleyroley.com

The second CD is the debut album from local folk songstress Kat Davidson which she very kindly threw at me this very day. That'd be the very first copy of it she threw at me! Now rather than just some layout work, I actually took the album photo. The layout was instead done by a professional, a Mr Andy Thompson - he did a far better job than I suspect I ever could have done. But the cover photo on the other hand is all mine, I'm rather proud of it yet it's a photo I took well over six months ago. Worst thing is of course is that I've left the CD in my office drawer. So I'll make sure I have pictures for you tomorrow!