Jonathan Chamberlain

@jon-chamberlain.bsky.social

1169 Followers 1628 Following

Dipping a toe into a blue sky; or swimming in a lake. Employment, Labour & Equality lawyer. Trustee, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group.

In this photo I am smiling with the surprise and delight I actually felt at meeting IRL one of my favourite writers. She is smiling too, which is nice.
Albert is a black lab at a choir rehearsal. He has no interest in the Gibbons and wants a treat. Which he is not getting. Here is his backstory https://www.dogsforgood.org/makelifepossible/stories/jemima-albert/
Photograph of the page from the book which describes how during the siege the police had to move their operational headquarters from the Royal College of Needle Work, where they couldn’t smoke, to a Montessori school where they could provided they promised to look after the school’s pet gerbil and not disturb a duck nesting on the top floor.
A black-and-white tabby cat lies in a circular and fluffy light-grey dog bed, its head raised as it looks outward, observing the World whilst demonstrating it’s utter indifference to that which it perceives
A noticeboard showing that the air temperature is -5 and the water temperature is 2.7
An opera programme for the Zurich opera “Madama Butterfly” against the background of the stage and the auditorium.
In the foreground, a theatre program. A very simple design with the title of the show in block capitals white against a red background Natasha, Pierre and the great comet of 1812. In the background, the intimate space of the Donmar warehouse, a thrust stage on the floor with a vaguely industrial aesthetic.
Between gnarled tree roots poking out of the mud and a low hanging bae branch, a river with two swimmers each with a brightly coloured hat and float. On the opposite bank, a ruined mansion, hollowed out by ancient fire..
A concert program in the foreground, the stage visible and blurred behind. The Wigmore Hall: small and very pleasantly ornate.
A very nice bearded young man is holding up the box of chocolates, each one of which we chose. Bless him, he is closing his eyes just as I take the photograph. Perhaps he’s thinking of my arteries.
A three layer chocolate patisserie, next to a mountain of whipped cream atop some dark hot chocolate in a white China mug.
A half drunk small cup of coffee in a white China beaker; a half eaten pan sweet on a metal plate, both sitting on top of a copy of the London review of books. Just visible, the small glass jug from which the coffee was poured and a glass case with a Mucha design. In the background, the steel counter of a coffee shop is just visible. Your are irresistibly drawn to the conclusion that the photographer is a great intellectual and in no way have concluded he is an arse.
A dark tunnel lined with tiles
Serried ranks of pastries. The cardamom buns taste even better than they look, which one would’ve thought impossible.
True story: some yob was giving it large having just been arrested on the train. My wife gave him a look and instantly he became as meek as a mouse. How did you do that, asked the mightily impressed officers. Teacher, she replied, primary school. Anyway this is Mrs Howard . You should all watch ‘Abbott Elementary’.
A yacht aground on a beach at night
Fat middle-aged white bloke takes a photo in a mirror in aclothes shop. He is wearing lederhosen. Behind him are racks of traditional Bavarian clothing. He looks ridiculous but quite obviously thinks he’s gorgeous.
A sky at dusk, the clouds a pinky red and perfectly reflected in the still water below
A black sitting dog on a rock beside a river, it’s face turned towards the camera. Difficult to get a sense of scale but, trust me, this animal is huge.
This looks like a sunset, but it’s actually a moonrise a bright yellow orb in the centre of a clear sky and in the foreground the dark outline of a Louise Bourgeois abstract sculpture, which looks a bit like the Wicker Man has fallen on its back and is waving its feet in the air
In the bottom right corner, nestles a storybook castle on a hill. Behind are densely wooded mountains, partly-shrouded in cloud and on the left a lake is visible. It’s so perfectly beautiful you might think it AI-generated, except it’s far too good for that. Ludwigian.
Two young people raising big glasses of beer to the photographer under a sun umbrella in a beer garden. Their father loves them and their company and would like them off the payroll one day.