There are only so many approved shots in the local newspaper photographer’s handbook, and you have to cycle through the lot of them as often as possible.

The toughest one to get is this – The Head-Scratcher, reserved for people who are both annoyed and puzzled by the thing that got them annoyed.

Mid Devon Advertiser: Drivers perplexed by new car park ticket machines

A pose perfected by legendary vintage film star Stan Laurel.

By amazing coincidence, this shot from 1935’s ‘Thicker Than Water’ shows Stan being flummoxed by a car park ticket machine.

There is – they say – nothing new under the sun.

Spotter: Laura