Cardiff Arcades Project: A music special and a taste of fame
I've had a bit of a manic couple of weeks and haven't been able to update the project as much as possible, so it was a joy to finally sit down and edit the photos from Catapult which were actually shot a few weeks ago. Sometimes it's better to wait before you edit as you can relive the shoot all over again. More recently, I visited Cardiff Violins and was bewildered by the array of stringed instruments all found under one roof. Speaking of bewilderment, this week I also found myself appearing on S4C and speaking on the panel at the latest Cardiff Bloggers meet-up, read on to find out more.
As always I'm looking for people to share their stories on the arcades, so if you have any, please do get in touch!
Catapult Vinyl
Catapult Vinyl in Cardiff's High Street Arcade Photograph: Amy Davies
Catapult is one of the cool shops that can be found in the High Street Arcade along with favourite places like the New York Deli, Hobo's and Looby Loo's. From a photographic point of view, I like everything about this shop. Whether it's the fantastic exterior with its art deco styling and curved frontage or the vinyl basement with its brilliant colours and retro signage, there's something to point your lens at in every corner.
Inside Catapult records Photograph: Amy Davies
One of the oldest arcade shops, Catapult opened in 1992 in a different High Street Arcade shop and is doing well at the moment thanks to a resurgence in vinyl, hip-hop and all things nostalgic.
Simon from Catapult Vinyl Photograph: Amy Davies
I listened in on an interesting debate while I was here about the effect of politics on music – owner Simon thinks music thrived under the Conservative government. Catapult will be taking part in Record Store Day on the 16 April (along with Spillers in the Morgan Arcade) which should be a great opportunity for photos.
Cardiff Violins
Inside Cardiff Violins Photograph: Amy Davies
I'm not sure what I expected from a shop named Cardiff Violins but I was actually quite taken aback when confronted by a wall of violins when I visited this shop on the balcony of the Castle Arcade last week.
There's an amazing 14 rooms in this hidden gem, and it's not just violins but also cellos, violas and other stringed instruments. Not being a violin player myself, it's pretty fascinating to visit somewhere you probably would never have thought to before and again, from a photographic point of view there are so many things to capture in a place like this. Cardiff Violins makes and repairs violins in their workshop opposite the shop and has been in the Castle Arcade since 1993. Housing one of the largest collections of stringed instruments in Europe, if you've ever wondered what an entire wall of violins looks like, check out the pictures from this shoot to find out.
Cardiff Arcades Project on S4C
Jonathan David Photograph: Amy Davies
I had an exciting brush with fame this week as the project appeared on show Wedi 7 on S4C, the Welsh television channel.
My project appeared as part of a small segment on the arcades themselves, while the whole piece makes for pretty interesting viewing and also features Michelle Davis from Garlands, and Ashli and Grace from Spillers along with some old pictures from the arcades. You can watch the show again on S4C on demand until Tuesday, and if you need English subtitles (like me) remember to click on the owl symbol on the page.
Finally... Cardiff Bloggers
As if the excitement of appearing on television wasn't enough, this week I also took part in the guest panel on PRs vs Bloggers at the latest session of Cardiff Bloggers Meet-ups.
Although nervous at first it was a great experience and there were some fantastic points raised and I think pretty much everyone got something from it. Regular readers may recall the fall-out from a claim posted on my blog a few weeks ago. After the incident and after speaking with lots of PR professionals and other bloggers I've put together a few tips on building a good relationship with PRs as a blogger, along with making sure there's something in it for the readers.
That's it for this week, I'll be shooting more shops as soon as possible and visiting Cardiff Library to discover more about the historical past of the arcades. Once again please do get in touch if you want to be involved or have a story to tell.
Amy Davies is a local photographer and journalist documenting Cardiff Arcades in a new project. Check out her website here.