Stamping Ground

Hello June. Thanks for flaming.

Yesterday Miss Dunnit and I visited a photographer's studio shop to get an ID photo sorted out for her bus and college passes (oh, how my heart flips when I talk like that about my baby!).
A very pleasant young man quickly attended, explained that he'd photograph my cherub and then print an 8 picture sheet from the Kodak machine. Now of course, this wouldn't be a normal Dunnit story if I didn't digress a bit. Here's the bit: the young man who served us was wearing the uniform of the business - a polo shirt with the company name embroidered on the chest. This is how I knew that he would be able to help us. Otherwise I would of course, have assumed that he was another student, doing much the same as us. You see, he was that young. Slightly too long, curly hair and an awkwardness that tall youths posess in spades. So when a second chap appeared, obviously grown up, sporting a neat clippy beard, not wearing the polo shirt uniform, I did what I hope loads of other people have done. I assumed he was in charge and talked almost exclusively to him. I had a lot to say - I want this smart and new studio to offer me and my scrapbook chums some short lessons in improving our digital photography. Meanwhile, Miss Dunnit and the helpful young man tripped away to the studio, took a couple of photos and printed off the preference in an ID format. Conversation with my beardy friend included a quick tour of the studio (amazing - and very very white), the viewing room (fabulous little amphitheatre type furnishings, would make a great mini lecture room) and the office. We talked about the time involved in creating such workshops and the difficulty in fitting such things in to coincide with customer leisure times. I was big enough to acknowledge that really as a photography business, they may well be all about the photo supply rather than teaching us a few tips from their hard earned experience. I even (jokingly) suggested that he must be tempted to suggest we read the camera manuals. He didn't even blink as he said that he truly wished we would! And then he told me that Mark (of Mark Fell Photography) would definitely be in touch at some stage because I wasn't the only 'scrapbooker' to have come up with this amazing and original idea. He was being a tiny bit sarcastic I know, but I just think 'ha! great minds think alike'! Mark stepped forward and asked for my email address. You're way ahead of me. Mark is the young man. The one I'd assumed was the help, purely on my perception of his age and therefore experience. I'm pretty ashamed. I apologised and he was incredibly graceful in brushing off my embarassment. I hope he stays as young looking forever, as when he gets to my age, it'll be a wonderful thing. Meanwhile, he's clearly already learned how to deal with mouthy apparently half-blind 40-somethings. His good grace and utter lack of arrogance is a real lesson in something - dignity for a start! Of course, Miss Dunnit was part horrified and part smug - she just loves it when I make a fool of myself over something that involves the sort of standards I'm always preaching - you know the pre-judging thing and books and covers and blah blah. Oh my. The good news though is that her ID pass photo is a million times nicer than it would have been from a photo booth moment; which means that when she loses it, if it's picked up by someone of a parental nature, they won't be able to tell from her picture whether she's a well adjusted-emo-goth-manga-hard-working-layabout-loser student or otherwise! And don't ask me, I'm no judge at all.

Ooh look...I made some Christmas cards in May!!
Patchwork Kingdom - just irresistible if you ask me.