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#42 – The Life Formula For Visual Variety In The Photo Essay
I can’t remember where I got this from. For a typical assignment at the old Life magazine, the editors expected the photographer on location to shoot at least eight basic types of photos to ensure complete coverage of the situation and to guarantee enough good pictures for a layout. 1] Introductory or overall – usually…
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#41 – the beauty of twilight
In my eyes, the best low light photography isn’t done in darkness, it’s done just before, just after the sun has set, but before the sky goes it’s inky black. It’s for that brief period of time when the sky goes a lovely cobalt blue colour, and you can really make a feature of the…
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#40 – The Industrial Tourist
For better or for worse, Britain in 2009 is very much a post industrial society. The physical and economic landscape of the north (and other regions) has been transformed with the well documented decline of the traditional industries, and the rise of the service sector. The skylines of our towns are different to 20, 30…
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#39 – Industrial Lines
Taken on a recent tour of a steelworks. I deliberately underexposed, and then did a bit of masking and curves adjustments to get the image I had in mind when I took it. I think they used to call it ‘previsualisation’ in film days.
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#38 – Panasonic Lumix LX-3 – first impressions
After 2 years of reliable service, I’ve sold my little Fuji F31 and bought a Panasonic Lumix LX-3. For some time, I’ve wanted a compact with a wider angle lens and the ability to shoot raw files, but the number of compacts that could do both was extremely limited – the Canon G10 / G11, the Ricoh Gr…
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#37 – Industrial Throwback
It was the smell that hit me initially. A deep, slightly sulphurous smell that reminded me of the aftermath of a passing steam train. But while that is fleeting, this was a permanent, pervasive smell that could be smelt well beyond the shoulder high perimeter wall Inside, the site was dusty and grubby, and outside…
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#36 – cold war victor
Trying to photograph people using long exposures is nigh on impossible, as it’s difficult to stand absolutely still for more than about, 1/30 sec apparently. It’s not too bad if the person is at a distance, as any movement is less noticeable, but even so there is a limit. I’d taken most of the pictures…
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#35 – Solitude
Looking for something – meaning, inspiration, warmth on a cold day. Hoffman Kiln at Langcliffe near Settle in Yorkshire.
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#34 – mechanical landscape
The smell was what took me by surprise at Welbeck Colliery. I didn’t think there would be a smell for some reason, but there was a not unpleasant one for an industrial site. I suppose it smelt, to my nose, a bit like a steam railway, perhaps not surprising with the great piles of coal. But…
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#33 – Las Vegas
How to capture the essence of Las Vegas in one photo? Impossible. It’s just so diverse. Each casino / hotel you visit is completely different to the next. Everything is so big, so fast, so loud, so brash, but huge fun, even if you’re not a gambler like me. It’s awe-inspiring (and tiring) just to…
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#32 – Blackpool
I love Blackpool and hate it at the same time. I love and hate it’s weather, it’s tackiness and the people that I see there. But I always love the smells, the atmosphere and the colour, especially at night. I went to see the Illuminations last night and was reminded that they are Blackpool at…
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#31 – First item on this years Christmas List :)
A dragline excavator! This is the Bucyrus Erie BE1150 at Swillington near Leeds in the UK. It’s preserved by the ‘Friends of St. Aidans BE1150 Dragline’, a great bunch of blokes who look after this amazing bit of mechanical engineering. 1200 tons and a 215ft long boom – this is a BIG bit of kit,…
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#30 – Inside Looking Out (4)
Grove Rake Mine. A great photographic composition technique is known as ‘framing’, that is having the main subject of your photograph within something else, such as an arch or a window. It’s something I look to use when I explore old buildings, sometimes like this, or sometimes just whatever happens to be out of the…
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#29 – Inside Looking Out (3)
Doorway To Oblivion. Once there would have been a fire escape or walkway to the old Huncoat Power Station that once stood on the huge expanse of wasteland. This was demolished but the office block was kept in use for a few years after, until this to was abandoned. It’s stood empty now for some…
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#28 – Inside Looking Out (2)
Three Windows. Sometimes, things in three’s just work better. I’m sure there’s a link between the composition of this picture and that rule of thirds thing.
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#27 – Inside Looking Out (1)
Prestolite. One of the few times I’ve had any success with a single image HDR. I still think it’s a bit overdone though, just haven’t got round to going back and toning it down.
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#26 – Vapour
Two types of cloud, one made by man, and the other made by nature. Taken in January, looking down on Ramsbottoms last paper mill, and one of just a handful left in Lancashire. The local paper industry has been decimated in the last ten years, with many mills closing for good. Not sure how long this…
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#25 – Luneside Landscape
The River Lune in Lancaster has not been used as a port for over a hundred years and much of the dockland area to the east of the West Coast Railway line over the river has been restored and regenerated, much of the area to the west is derelict. This is the site of the…
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#24 – The Fall Of King Cotton
This is an image I took in an old mill a couple of years back. It’s one of my favourites, and I took it exactly as I found it – that’s exactly as the bobbins were, I didn’t re-arrange them, it just seems so poignant. I re-worked the image recently, converting to black and white, and…
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#23 – A ‘Get Carter’ Landscape
I’m a huge fan of the 60’s Michael Caine film ‘Get Carter’, particularly the cinematography and the bleak northern landscapes it portrayed. In particular, I have long been intrigued by the final scenes of the aerial ropeways taking coal to the staithes. This landscape has all but vanished, but I discovered that there was one…
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#22 – Photography Podcasts
Photography Podcasts There are an increasing number of Photography related Podcasts available, and I’ve subscribed to quite a few over the past two years or so. If you’ve got an IPod, you can subscribe to them through ITunes, but I think you can also download them directly from their hosts websites in a lot of…
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Mechanical Landscapes 