Post Podcast Munchies, and Episode 8 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres
A few years ago, I was finishing up on a photo shoot and one of the models started talking about "post shoot munchies".
In essence, the intensity of the concentration during the photo shoot, means that as soon as you stop, your body starts craving the calories – ideally at high-fat-high-sugar levels.
It was one of those little revelation moments where something you've been experiencing, but hadn't realised, is pointed out and suddenly it makes complete sense.
By giving it a word, or phrase, it validates the experience. It stops it being something you were only half aware of, or might have thought only happened to you alone, and moves it into the realm of something that is a wider spread phenomenon that is experienced by many people – it's just you hadn't realised it.
Douglas Adams and John Lloyd created a whole book (and sequels) to creating words for common experiences we all thought only happened to us alone, called "The Meaning Of Liff".
One of my favourite is this set of words:
Now while "post-shoot munchies" is nothing like as clever or amusing as this, it has become a recognisable experience: every time I do a photo shoot – particularly if it goes on for more than an hour (which mine usually do), I start craving sweet/fatty things – chocolate/cookies/cake etc.
I wasn't entirely sure why the cravings were so strong, until I read somewhere about how Grand Master Chess Players can burn up to 6,000 calories, and lose up to a kilogram in weight a day, during a tournament.
How can this be? All they are doing is sitting in front of a board, and periodically reaching out to move a chess piece! Surely that small arm movement cannot be burning up all those calories?
According to an article in GQ magazine,
Now I don't sleep brilliantly at the best of times – even before the days of CFS/ME I never really understood what people meant when they talked of a “refreshing night's sleep”.
But the night before a photo shoot, and very often the night after (when I'm going over it in my head and thinking of all the things I wish I'd done but didn't think of at the time), my sleep is even worse.
So that combination of increased brain activity, increased stress levels, and poorer quality sleep is something I feel completely familiar with.
I had long noticed that if I had an intense photo shoot or two in a week, I could easily lose a couple of pounds in weight. Particularly if there wasn't an option to indulge the sugar-fat cravings.
Of course if there was, like the shoot I did for In House Chocolates, I can go so crazy with it I end up with a sugar hangover – (see – The 7 Deadly Sins of Chocolate).
In these days of Lockdown, other than the shoot I did of Meg in the garden for Dumfries & Galloway Life Magazine, I've not been doing a great deal of photography.
But I have been losing weight.
In fact, I've lost over 8lbs in the last couple of months.
And I've realised a major contributing factor to this is because of the live video podcasts I'm now doing.
The build up, the podcast, the editing immediately afterwards, and the disturbed sleep either side, all have exactly the same effect. Only this time, we deliberately didn't stock our cupboards with "treats" before we went into isolation, in order to help us to try and stay healthy for the duration.
None of this has anything to do with the content of this week's episode, but last night I was incredibly aware that if there had been anything to start munching on as soon as the podcast was over, it would have been carnage.
Meanwhile here is Episode 8 where I talk about...
0:00 - Introduction - what's coming up
1:08 - Background to the photo shoot at The Yellow Door in Dumfries, for textile designer, Morag Macpherson
13:35 - 4 different ways to convert images to Black and White
37:45 - Introduction to Critique of submitted photos
39:28 - Critiquing images
If you've not done so already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/kimayres – to help me build the numbers.
And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/
In essence, the intensity of the concentration during the photo shoot, means that as soon as you stop, your body starts craving the calories – ideally at high-fat-high-sugar levels.
It was one of those little revelation moments where something you've been experiencing, but hadn't realised, is pointed out and suddenly it makes complete sense.
By giving it a word, or phrase, it validates the experience. It stops it being something you were only half aware of, or might have thought only happened to you alone, and moves it into the realm of something that is a wider spread phenomenon that is experienced by many people – it's just you hadn't realised it.
Douglas Adams and John Lloyd created a whole book (and sequels) to creating words for common experiences we all thought only happened to us alone, called "The Meaning Of Liff".
One of my favourite is this set of words:
CORRIEARKLET (n.)The moment at which two people approaching from opposite ends of a long passageway, recognise each other and immediately pretend they haven't. This is to avoid the ghastly embarrassment of having to continue recognising each other the whole length of the corridor.
CORRIECRAVIE (n.)To avert the horrors of corrievorrie (q.v.) corriecravie is usually employed. This is the cowardly but highly skilled process by which both protagonists continue to approach while keeping up the pretence that they haven't noticed each other - by staring furiously at their feet, grimacing into a notebook, or studying the walls closely as if in a mood of deep irritation.
CORRIEDOO (n.)The crucial moment of false recognition in a long passageway encounter. Though both people are perfectly well aware that the other is approaching, they must eventually pretend sudden recognition. They now look up with a glassy smile, as if having spotted each other for the first time, (and are particularly delighted to have done so) shouting out 'Haaaaaallllloooo!' as if to say 'Good grief!! You!! Here!! Of all people! Will I never. Coo. Stap me vitals, etc.'
CORRIEMOILLIE (n.)The dreadful sinking sensation in a long passageway encounter when both protagonists immediately realise they have plumped for the corriedoo (q.v.) much too early as they are still a good thirty yards apart. They were embarrassed by the pretence of corriecravie (q.v.) and decided to make use of the corriedoo because they felt silly. This was a mistake as corrievorrie (q.v.) will make them seem far sillier.
CORRIEVORRIE (n.)Corridor etiquette demands that once a corriedoo (q.v.) has been declared, corrievorrie must be employed. Both protagonists must now embellish their approach with an embarrassing combination of waving, grinning, making idiot faces, doing pirate impressions, and waggling the head from side to side while holding the other person's eyes as the smile drips off their face, until with great relief, they pass each other.
CORRIEMUCHLOCH (n.)Word describing the kind of person who can make a complete mess of a simple job like walking down a corridor.
Now while "post-shoot munchies" is nothing like as clever or amusing as this, it has become a recognisable experience: every time I do a photo shoot – particularly if it goes on for more than an hour (which mine usually do), I start craving sweet/fatty things – chocolate/cookies/cake etc.
I wasn't entirely sure why the cravings were so strong, until I read somewhere about how Grand Master Chess Players can burn up to 6,000 calories, and lose up to a kilogram in weight a day, during a tournament.
How can this be? All they are doing is sitting in front of a board, and periodically reaching out to move a chess piece! Surely that small arm movement cannot be burning up all those calories?
According to an article in GQ magazine,
In competition, grandmasters are subjected to constant mental stress which can lead to elevated heart rates and, by extension, the production of more energy in the body in an effort to produce more oxygen.
With increased stress, sleep is also compromised which can lead to more weight loss. A brain operating on less sleep, even by just one hour, requires more energy to stay away during the chess game and for many elite players, hours spent in bed are spent restless, going over every move they could have made and how things could have played out differently.
Now I don't sleep brilliantly at the best of times – even before the days of CFS/ME I never really understood what people meant when they talked of a “refreshing night's sleep”.
But the night before a photo shoot, and very often the night after (when I'm going over it in my head and thinking of all the things I wish I'd done but didn't think of at the time), my sleep is even worse.
So that combination of increased brain activity, increased stress levels, and poorer quality sleep is something I feel completely familiar with.
I had long noticed that if I had an intense photo shoot or two in a week, I could easily lose a couple of pounds in weight. Particularly if there wasn't an option to indulge the sugar-fat cravings.
Of course if there was, like the shoot I did for In House Chocolates, I can go so crazy with it I end up with a sugar hangover – (see – The 7 Deadly Sins of Chocolate).
In these days of Lockdown, other than the shoot I did of Meg in the garden for Dumfries & Galloway Life Magazine, I've not been doing a great deal of photography.
But I have been losing weight.
In fact, I've lost over 8lbs in the last couple of months.
And I've realised a major contributing factor to this is because of the live video podcasts I'm now doing.
The build up, the podcast, the editing immediately afterwards, and the disturbed sleep either side, all have exactly the same effect. Only this time, we deliberately didn't stock our cupboards with "treats" before we went into isolation, in order to help us to try and stay healthy for the duration.
None of this has anything to do with the content of this week's episode, but last night I was incredibly aware that if there had been anything to start munching on as soon as the podcast was over, it would have been carnage.
Meanwhile here is Episode 8 where I talk about...
0:00 - Introduction - what's coming up
1:08 - Background to the photo shoot at The Yellow Door in Dumfries, for textile designer, Morag Macpherson
13:35 - 4 different ways to convert images to Black and White
37:45 - Introduction to Critique of submitted photos
39:28 - Critiquing images
If you've not done so already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/kimayres – to help me build the numbers.
And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/
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