PMA Brisbane
At the PMA (Photographic Marketing Association) show in South Bank in Brisbane for the last few days, until tomorrow. I went out last night for dinner with some clients and it was a very interesting evening. I enjoyed the expensive meal. It's always nice when I am a guest and don't have to pay. When we left the restaurant, owing to the amount of people who were around, taxi's were in short supply. It was decided to walk further around the city and as we walked, the group I was with suggested to enter a bar / club. The person at the door determining who could enter and who couldn't instantly allowed us to enter. For those who are not aware, I do not drink alcohol at all. So in the bar full of loud, beat music, I had a lemonade, whilst those I was with chose alcoholic mixtures of all descriptions. I saw the people around me consuming drinks of names I have not heard of before, CS Cowboys, YPD's and I just watched, not stared, at the large amount of people who just threw back drinks like they were water, though it was costing $50 odd for a small group each time. This particular group threw back three lots of $50 drinks in a few minutes. I was amazed. It seemed like they were drinking themselves into oblivion.
I was with some company directors, sales people and account managers and even a doctoral scientific professor, who observed me watching, and came up to me and said, "Craig, I love alcohol, but I have stopped drinking looking at these people". He said, "I am stunned". I have seen people drink and get drunk on so many occasions previously, what seemed different to me was, that these people were doing it with reckless abandon, as though they were wanting to dull the pain of life or as though by being paralytic, it was the only real way to enjoy themselves. I was even approached by a couple of women, who were, how do I say, "on the hunt"? It seemed that through the blood shot eyes and slurred speech, were looking for someone to pay for the drinks and well, anything else that might be on offer. I politely chatted and a short while later withdrew from the group and with the professor left to go back to the hotel. The taxi driver happened to want to talk about the loss of collective consciousness of the rising generation due to alcoholic binge drinking and it was a very interesting thing to witness.
I realise there will be some who think my outlook to be sterile of sorts, yet my life does not revolve around bars, when I have been into them before, it has largely been to photograph concerts or whatever, my exposure has been very different previously.
Well, at the show I have seen some former colleagues and friends and have enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of an interesting industry that encourages the preservation of memories through imaging. I love what I do.
http://www.pmaaustralia.com.au/
I will be sharing more pictures shortly, I just have been so busy that I haven't had time to process them. More soon.
I was with some company directors, sales people and account managers and even a doctoral scientific professor, who observed me watching, and came up to me and said, "Craig, I love alcohol, but I have stopped drinking looking at these people". He said, "I am stunned". I have seen people drink and get drunk on so many occasions previously, what seemed different to me was, that these people were doing it with reckless abandon, as though they were wanting to dull the pain of life or as though by being paralytic, it was the only real way to enjoy themselves. I was even approached by a couple of women, who were, how do I say, "on the hunt"? It seemed that through the blood shot eyes and slurred speech, were looking for someone to pay for the drinks and well, anything else that might be on offer. I politely chatted and a short while later withdrew from the group and with the professor left to go back to the hotel. The taxi driver happened to want to talk about the loss of collective consciousness of the rising generation due to alcoholic binge drinking and it was a very interesting thing to witness.
I realise there will be some who think my outlook to be sterile of sorts, yet my life does not revolve around bars, when I have been into them before, it has largely been to photograph concerts or whatever, my exposure has been very different previously.
Well, at the show I have seen some former colleagues and friends and have enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of an interesting industry that encourages the preservation of memories through imaging. I love what I do.
http://www.pmaaustralia.com.au/
I will be sharing more pictures shortly, I just have been so busy that I haven't had time to process them. More soon.
Comments
He is not hard to spot on the roads, is he? I tried to play catch up with him a while ago, but decided to give up the chase because it was too risky!!! Can't put up with the pace....
Cheers2