B+? ..... A good effort!

As mentioned previously in this blog, I have become a very keen amateur photographer. Actually a really annoying, incessant, obsessed and determined photographer. Most weeks I take around 500-800 photographs. Lots don't always work but many do. And, each time I take one, I think I learn something about how to make it a bit better. ISOs, apertures, shutter speeds, settings and lenses are all becoming increasingly familiar although still far from automatic.

Anyway I have decided to prepare a sort of year book for the kids - especially B - as he is leaving this year and I wanted him to have a sense of closure which is incredibly rare for expats as well as a lasting memento of his time at the school.

So I checked with the headmaster that it was ok to embark on this project. I called all the parents and asked them if they would mind if I took photos of their children. I took photos of all of the children in his class, and then emailed them to all the parents. I asked for feedback (just to be polite...what do I care what they think is the best photo - most of them have no idea and chose the worst photo out of them five to ten that I sent. If one was the slightest bit fuzzy, you can guarantee a parent chose it.)

Anyway I then loaded all the photos on a web page, found a company that could print them, did a dry print run, passed it around, redid the print run in alphabetical order and then had them bound in perfect binding.

Perfect bound books, shiny paper, glossy cover, title page and really cool graphics, head and shoulders photos of all the kids in their school uniforms. Nice background bokeh in all of them. All pimples airbrushed out.

I charged £20 per book and ended up donating almost half of this amount back to the school library as well as to the end of the year party. No one helped at any point. No one contributed anything. Most of the parents couldn't be bothered to answer emails or phone messages. For thirty children I sent over 250 emails cajoling responses and begging for replies.

And what do I get from one of the mothers? One of these unemployed, housewife mothers. Who wear cardigans from Boden and their mother's pearls to do the school run. And pale pink lipstick.... with blue eyeshadow?

"Oh yes, hello, I saw the book. Quite a good effort."

In this soft condescending voice.

A good effort?? Give me a break. This from the mother who said to me: "James would like his puppy included in the school photo. Can you arrange that?"

No. I can't. This is a book that I am doing for my son and I just happen to be giving you the opportunity to purchase on of your own. You are doing nothing to help this booklet get produced. Nothing constructive and this is the best that you can offer me by way of thanks? By way of the twelve photos I took of your son with a portrait lens? A condescending "quite a good effort"?

Give me a break . It was a feckin fantastic effort to inspire this by to smile. To airbrush out his pimples. To email her all these photos, to call her back cajoling her for a response, to not get annoyed when she said that he hated the photo and then be polite again when she took a photo on someone's mobile and wanted that included - of her son with a yellow curtain behind his head dissecting it in half.

"I haaaate the photos!! I look ugly in them."

Well you know what? Unless you are prepared to get off your butt and do something you have absolutely no right at all to complain about something that you could never have achieved.

It's always the ones who don't make the effort themselves who criticise others.

I really think though that criticising someone who achieves something is totally unfair unless you are prepared to do better yourself.

Put up or shut up.

There. That's off my chest now.

And I am off to school to pick up the kids and , unfortunately, probably see Mrs Quite Good.

Argh