In a recent Popsicle Alec Soth writes of his barber asking that most difficult of questions:

"What do you take pictures of?"

Strangely, I once suffered a similar interrogation from my own barber...

"What do you do then?"

"Um... I'm a photographer"

"What do you take pictures of?"

"Um... er... well... buildings... and landscapes... and sometimes people... and... er..."

"D'you take pictures of naked women? Y'know... glamour? D'you do PORN?"

"Er... well... um... no, not really..."

"Bet you'd like to though, eh! Yeah...?"

"Um... er... no... well..."

"Here... have a look at this..."

He opens a drawer and rifles through it... I'm feeling uncomfortable now... I sense a 'Readers Wife' at any moment...

"I took these in New York..."

"Oh yes...?"

"From up the Empire State Building..."

"Oh... really...? Um... they're a bit... well... dark..."

"Yeah, I know. I don't think the flash went off. Shame really... you could see for miles..."

"Er... yes... that is a shame."

I have a different barber now.

A friend.

A friend who knows better than to ask what I take pictures of.