Unit 3 / Listening 4B

PJ: Hello – uh, Gina Thomson?

Gina: Yes?

PJ: My name's Paul Jones – I work for the Cardiff Courrier. I'd like to talk to you about the exhibition. I've been asked to write a 300 word article about it. Would you have a few minutes to spare?

Gina: Well, if you don't mind me taking down my photos as I talk, certainly.

PJ: No, that's fine, go ahead.

Gina: So what would you like to know?

PJ: Well, first of all, has it been a success?

Gina: Oh, yes. I don't know exactly how many people have come to see it – you'll have to ask Gareth, the Horizon Gallery director, to get the exact figure – but I know it's attracted a lot of attention, and people have responded positively. I'm very pleased.

PJ: How do you explain that? I mean, landscape photography is surely not as dramatic as other types – just think of the pictures we see in the papers each day – so why do you think people have shown so much interest in the exhibition?

Gina: I don't agree that pictures of landscapes aren't dramatic. I think they can sometimes be very dramatic indeed, when certain natural features are highlighted, such as waterfalls or rocks, or when certain combinations of light and cloud come together. I hope some of my pictures manage to capture that natural drama, and I think people like in any case to see something different from what they see in the papers every day.

PJ: So what gave you the idea of walking the length of Offa's Dyke?

Gina: I love walking, and last year I did a lot in the north of England and Scotland, where I learnt the tricks of the trade, as it were, of landscape photography, so I wanted to go one step further and produce some pictures that were actually decent enough to exhibit, and since the Welsh border is a place I've always enjoyed visiting, I thought I'd explore it further. Walking the dyke seemed a natural thing to do, since it runs from coast to coast, and that way the photos wouldn't just be disconnected pictures, but they'd actually tell the story of my walk. So in amongst the landscape photos are smaller ones, of the people I met on the way, farmers or pub owners or other walkers, because obviously you can't dissociate the countryside from the people.

PJ: And what are the tricks of the trade of landscape photography?

Gina: Getting up very early is the most obvious one. Some of the most dramatic effects occur at dawn, so there's no point starting out after the sun has already risen. I carried a professional mountaineer's sleeping bag with me, so I was able to sleep outdoors much of the time. Careful planning is also very important, if you want to be in the right place at the right time. And in a place like Wales , you need a good waterproof coat if you and your equipment want to survive!

PJ: Did you have any difficult moments? Any narrow escapes?

Gina: Oh, no. The Welsh border is hardly the Amazon jungle, you know. The worst moment was when I heard some heavy breathing behind me and I turned round to find a bull coming straight towards me. I ran for my life!

PJ: How long did the whole trip take you?

Gina: About two and a half months – which of course is a very long time for just 177 miles . But I wasn't aiming to break any records. My aim was to get good pictures, so often I waited for hours till conditions were right, or made long detours to get a better angle. Patience is indispensable – that's one thing I learnt as a fashion photographer!

PJ: I was going to say, your current work is very different from what you did previously in fashion. Which do you prefer?

Gina: I'm still interested in fashion shoots – and in fact some of the best fashion pictures are taken in dramatic landscapes, so they manage to combine the two. But on the whole, the reputation that the fashion world has of being shallow and superficial is very true, so I can't say I'm sorry to be moving on to other things.

PJ: And what other things have you planned for the future? More walking through the British countryside?

Gina: Well, in the very immediate future – the day after tomorrow in fact – I'm leaving for Los Angeles with Tom Hunter.

PJ: Tom Hunter? Of The Move?

Gina: That's right. I'm very excited about it of course, but I don't know yet exactly what the assignment involves, except that from what I gather, we'll be looking for someone who's gone missing. I may not take very long, and when I get back, I don't know. I do have plans, but I know that life can also be full of surprises, so nothing's yet fixed for definite.

PJ: Well, whatever you do, Gina, I wish you the best of luck. And thank you very much for talking to me.

Gina: It's been a pleasure. Thank you.

 

Will Tom and Gina find Ben in Los Angeles ?

Will Gina be a good partner for Tom?

What is Caroline's business idea?

 

Find out more in the next instalment of My Sweet Babe!