A week off

With no work to be getting on with, well not much, I decided to spend this week chillin'. I started off scanning more of the dusty negatives, which was less of a chore than I anticipated. Possibly because I had plenty of time to do it rather than a couple of hours of an evening. Not much of artistic merit turned up, but some interesting pics which show how places have changed in the last 35 to 40 years.

There are enough pictures to make a couple more books which I'll get printed when Blurb has another big discount offer. One will be pictures of Southport and the other pictures taken while travelling by bus and train.

Of course the week I decide to spend taking photographs turned out to be wet, cold and windy. That was why I sat down with the scanner. There were a few breaks in the rain during which I managed to sneak out. The sun even shone a couple of times. One was a visit to Southport where I didn't really do much but did walk past a potential picture, stop and go back. I think it was worth it. A little straightening on the computer and I like it - for now. While some say photography is all about light, the shade helps at times. A limited colour palette doesn't go amiss either.

The black and white project has wound itself up so I was back in colour in the woods trying something different. It was an experimental session to see if there might be something to work on. As yet I'm uncertain.

One wet afternoon I had another go at photographing the skull. I'd bought some more reflectors and with a little messing about made some progress. I don't think I have either the space or patience for doing this sort of thing. I certainly couldn't face doing it on a daily basis.

 

After a false start this morning I made it into Preston after an early lunch. Like a pillock I hadn't taken enough change to get two hour's parking so had to restrict myself to an hour. At least the sun was shining, which I like for taking photographs in towns. Even if there's nothing happening there can be architecture that benefits from some contrast.

being time constrained seems to concentrate my eye and I felt like there was too much to photograph at times. In towns there are always plenty of graphic subjects to play with. Rectangles, squares, circles and so forth. They often seem to suit a vertical framing too.

 

It's a bit of a 'trick' but including a figure in an essentially graphic picture can make a difference. Or at least relieve the repetition.

While walking around it was soon apparent that it would be quite easy to make a set of pictures on the theme of the declining high street. Boarded up shops and for sale signs abound once you step off the main thoroughfare. Again a series of pictures of such subjects might be boring without the inclusion of a figure here and there. The easy option would be to frame a straight on view and wait for someone to walk past.

I dropped lucky with a slightly angled shot when a woman wearing a scarf with a colour that matched the shop came into the corner of the frame. I noticed her as I made a click and took another two frames but the first lucky one worked better because of it's less contrived appearance.

For my walk round Southport I'd taken just the 60mm macro lens. I found that a bit too long at times and knowing that Preston streets are a more cramped and crowded I swapped it for the 50mm in an effort to learn to love it again. Looking through all my old negatives had made me realise that it wasn't such a bad focal length.

There were a couple of times when the 28mm would have saved me from stepping into the road, but it didn't take me long to start seeing in 50mm. One thing is for certain, having only one lens doesn't limit the number of pictures you can find, and having no other option stops you dithering over which lens to use! If I had all day to walk round town I might take two lenses, using one in ten morning and the other in the afternoon. Chopping and changing every few minutes messes up your way of looking.

The failing high street strikes me as a bit of an easy subject. That's not to say it should be discounted. However, I also noticed something else during my hasty wanderings. Something which might just make for a project if I can get motivated and summon up the courage to do it the way it should be done. Which probably means it won't happen...

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