Tuesday 06.07.05, and I have had a double aural and emotional treat. I bought two new CD's.

The first I had heard of Lizz Wright was on BBC Radio3 last Saturday afternoon (02.07.05). She was being interviewed in between the playing of some tracks from her new CD 'dreaming wide awake'. Now I'm not usually a listener to BBC Radio3, except Late Junction for its eclectic mix of world music, but this was the day of concerts for ending African poverty and the only station broadcasting any musicians from Africa was Radio3. It's World Routes program was coming from the Eden Project in Cornwall where Peter Gabriel was hosting a hastily organised concert as an adjunct to the Live8 weekend.

More of this later as Lizz Wright wasn't appearing at the Eden Project but was on the following Radio3 program, Jazz Line-up. I would usually have switched it off not being a jazz aficionado but was to lazy to get up from the laptop. I'm glad I didn't.

The third post and I haven't really thought what 'Outside the Gates' is all about except some vague idea of taking on the establishment in some sort of etheral way. Typical. I get an idea - 'I want a blog' - rush into it and set one up, make a couple of posts before thinking, 'What I am doing'? What is it I want to say? Who am I blogging for? Will anyone be interested?

My approach and practice when working with a camera was based on spontaneity and intuition which I assumed applied to most photojournalists. Get the picture, think only about the nature of your intervention when viewing the results and only then be embarrassed or pleased with what you have done. This approach certainly seemed to suit my personality. Action then thought. A blunt and abrasive bull in a china shop thrashing around for answers. It worked. Sometimes.

Preparing for photo projects around a theme can provide some approximation to what you're after, but being there brings one's visions up against real human interaction. Blueprints crumble from granite to sand and all forethought dwindles to nothing. What remains are your own sensitivities to the innate dignities that inhabit your human subjects and the imperative to get the picture.

The following is a letter submitted to The Guardian on June 30th 2005.

'So the British Cattle Movement Service and the Cattle Tracing Service both provide large, yellow ear-ID tags for the millions of cattle in the country. Under PFI could they win a contract to extend the scheme to the people of Britain and provide a fashion accessory for everybody, similar to a young scallywag's court ordered tagging? Prodding, Herding and Slaughtering seem apt metaphors for this Government's attitude towards the people of the world.'

This is what The Guardian actually carried on July 1st;