I’ve been making ambient videos.  They’re really more like photographs than videos – photographs that happen to last for 30 seconds.  The idea was to shoot snippets of video everywhere I went, documenting my travels for the day without having to write a diary.

When I started uploading the videos to youtube I was asked to pick which category they’d be listed under.  That stumped me for a while – they’re not Comedy, not News and Politics and barely Entertainment .  In the end I settled for Travel which I think is perfect.  I like the idea that anyone in the world is able to watch one of these videos and be transported to a restaurant or a city centre park in a country they may never visit.

Admittedly the videos are a little boring but I suppose that’s the point – I find them endearingly dull.

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30 seconds in Union Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen, a park in the heart of the city.
Interrupted by teenagers carrying McDonalds’ meals – I was a little annoyed at them getting in the way but it was a beautiful day and we all have a right to personal liberty. Forgive and forget.

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30 seconds on a swing overlooking the River Dee and City Centre Aberdeen.
Everybody loves playparks so strap yourself in and enjoy the ride.
Also, you can see two men rowing past at the beginning of the video. Splashtastic.

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30 seconds in Pizza Hut, Union Square, Aberdeen.
While browsing the menu and deciding on which five toppings I fancied.
(I apologise for the brief glimpse of my arm)

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Watch more ambient videos here.