Lesbians for Rent (no, really, I mean it this time)

In my original blog post a week ago, I expressed my mock outrage at how I was lured to a photoshoot for the Pantheon Theatre's production of Rent under false pretences: "There'll be lesbians there, G", promised my actress friend Kazza B, one of the ensemble cast. Yeah, right. Two men cuddling doth not a Sapphic fantasy make.

But here I now stand, chastened and corrected, and I hereby offer my sincerest apologies: Kaz, you are a lady as good as your word. Thanks to her logistical skills in organizing a second shoot, and the willingness of fine female fespians Beth Miller and Kelly Robertson to "get into character" at the drop of a hat (or a lens cap), I did indeed get my hot lezzie action. And to be absolutely honest--I've had worse Tuesdays. They may not be the most technically accomplished photos I've ever taken, but I suspect that once posted to Flickr, they will quickly become my most popular. I only hope the publicity material I was able to provide is sufficient repayment.

Lesbians for Rent

Or not.

On Friday afternoon, shortly before the end of work, friend and colleague Kazza B asked me for a favour: would I be interested in shooting some publicity photos for her theatre group's latest production, Rent (at the Gilmorehill Theatre G12 from 12–16 May, get tickets while you still can, etc etc)?

To sweeten the offer, she promised me lesbians. Rent is a rock musical about some very Bohemian Noo Yoikers living in the shadow of AIDS, so of course there's going to be lots of very "not-middle-of-the-road" characters. If I could turn up with my camera, KB more-or-less almost sort-of guaranteed that there'd be nubile young actresses everywhere, getting into character by grabbing each other's wobbly bits and so forth.

No such luck. There were two quite hairy blokes getting it on, and I spent some time shooting them, but it just wasn't the same. Also, there was one pretty young lass in a see-through mesh top, skirt up to here, fishnets, and kinky thigh-high black leather boots, but she spent most of the afternoon draped over a red-blooded male. Last time I checked, there was nothing remotely Sapphic about that kind of behaviour.

So, KB, if you're reading this: you owe me some hot lezzie action.

Glasgow Chess Congress

Trooped along to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery on Saturday morning, to check out the second day's play at the 2008 Glasgow Chess Congress. It was the 47th time the event's been held, but the first at this rather posh venue. A few people were concerned in advance about the background noise (chess players can be a bit snooty about distractions, although personally it doesn't really bother me at all), but it was certainly a coup to get chess on such high profile display.

The chess looked good, the photos less so; I found myself consistently struggling with the light. Some passers-by with point'n'shoot cameras were popping off flashes, but as an occasional player myself that'd have been annoying, so I was shooting at ISO 800 or 1600 out of consideration. Results were noisy. I'm seriously leaning towards getting the 5DII next year, even if it does cost the earth; the benefits of a full-frame sensor and much higher ISO capability is something I'd benefit from in a big way.

I haven't seen the final results yet, but top-ranked GM Jonathan Rowson (rated 2622) beat second-ranked Jacob Aagard (2551) in their afternoon match to become the only player with three points out of three. It's therefore most likely that he'll be the outright winner after the fifth and final match on Sunday afternoon, taking home the £1100 first prize. Strike that. GM Colin McNab (2454) beat him on Sunday morning, and ended up joint winner with IM Andrew Muir (2347) on 4.5/5. Shockeroonie.