A Newt
One of the things I love about photography, is how it allows you to look closely at things. Sometimes it is truly magical.
This is from a nature walk I took my class on years ago. Although we lived in London, there was a wildlife reserve nearby (run by the Selborne Society) and for a little while at least, you could pretend you were in the countryside. If you ignored the airliners approaching Heathrow.
Alex
I’m doing some portraits tomorrow. I feel quite anxious. I can’t believe it, but I used to do this sort of thing all the time.
This picture dates from when I used to be a barman (another period that feels a lifetime ago) – Alex was one of my regular customers.
For the technically minded, I was using a Rolleiflex Automat with HP5+ (and most likely Rodinal).
Letterbox
Looking into Doors
There was a time when I used to photograph doors and doorways all the time. It was my theme. But not so much anymore. In this case I just liked the colour and the oldfashioned letterbox.
All taken on a bright, sunny, Bristol afternoon.
Ladybird on a Railing
I’ve had a quiet few weeks while I have been visiting family in the UK.
I’ve been using a new camera recently (a Sony Cybershot TX-1), here I was trying to see what it was like for close-ups. I think it did quite well.
I was walking around Bath, doing the tourist thing (hopefully not asking people lots of strange questions), when I found a railing covered with ladybirds. And this rather strange looking specimen was one of them. But it has a lovely glossy shell.
Joe McNally at the Seminar
Yesturday I had the good fortune to attend Joe McNally’s lighting seminar at the Islington Design Centre.
You can see his blog entry about it here:
http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/2010/07/24/thank-you-london/
If you look in the first photo, I am in the navy polo neck shirt giving it “some teeth” (we had been told to imagine we were Anna’s bodyguards).
It was great. Joe was a very good presenter. His key point (beyond all the lighting techno) was the importance of persistance.
Marshall Griffin
I’ve just been busy culling pictures from Lightroom – when I came acroos this one – which I haven’t seen in ages. I don’t think Griffin particularly liked it, but I think it came out pretty well. I had just just bought my first digital camera a Penta *ist D and a 50mm f1.7. And everything looked super sharp and detailed which is something I never seem to tire of. On really detailed pictures I love to zoom-in in Photoshop and see all the tiny details.
Flat 1
I really like signs. Especially if they are a bit ambiguous – which this one isn’t. But it is a striking colour – and it looks as if it has been hand painted – so I rather like it.
I have the feeling that I took this in South Kensington, so Flat 1 is probably owned by an American. I was using my infamous x-1 and I don’t think it did too badly (glacial focusing, crazy barrel distortion, momentary battery life).
Street Preacher
Another old one.
I took this “on the street” in Leeds. The man was spreading the word – he had an interesting face and hat – so I took his picture. He asked me if I had been sent by”the boys from the station” – so I suspect he was probably a “copper”.
I was using an old Rolleiflex at the time – and I really miss the richly detailed negatives which it gave. On the original, you can see the texture of his tie and the stitching on his shirt. Oh well…
