Selfie

Me in a blue mood... The theme for my online group for December was 'Selfie'. I think perhaps it was envisaged that we might dress up in the style of Cindy Sherman, whose work consists exclusively of photographic self-portraits where she imagines herself as different characters. Or we might even copy the Japanese grandmother's hilarious self-portraits HERE. That's just not 'me' however. I've always hated dressing up and I haven't that kind of sense of humour at all.  So my submission was a rather more muted affair, reflected in a blue-toned modern artwork in a gallery.

2019 was a rather blue year in some ways. We hope for better things nationally and globally in 2020. Speaking personally, my world will be a little bluer and a little less yellow in a positive way after today, as I am due to have my second cataract operation. With two plastic lenses, the world will be bright! I am not nearly as apprehensive as I was the first time, now I know what to expect. Yes, there's always a slight risk something could go wrong but que sera sera. I won't be driving or doing anything very vigorous for a week or two afterwards, until it settles down. I've some local pictures that I took in the summer and haven't yet posted, so I think I will take you on a sunny walk to remind us of what we're missing.

Don McCullin's landscapes

Most people have heard of the acclaimed photographer Don McCullin and I guess many associate him with his war photography or perhaps gritty black and white photos of northern cities. He's 84 now and in his later years has taken to landscape photography. (See HERE). I recognise his greatness but he's another photographer whose work I can't say that I actually like. He seems to have the ability to make any scene look like a war zone! I think his photos of people are actually a lot more successful.

My own photographic style is rather the opposite of his, striving to make even ordinary scenes look colourful and, if possible, beautiful. So it was a challenge to me to be faced with the theme for my online group in November, which was to take a photo inspired by Don McCullin's landscapes: a black and white, dark and moody scene!

My offering, above, was taken on Shipley Glen, when the weather did more than oblige and created plenty of moodiness.

An unimportant object

The project for my online group in October was a bit of a challenge. The theme was 'an unimportant object, something that a burglar would probably leave behind but that to you is actually significant'. That in itself wasn't too hard. I chose a tiny snail shell, no bigger than my pinky fingernail. I find I am drawn to natural objects, so around the house I have a few small collections of water-smoothed pebbles gathered from various beaches, feathers I've picked up on my walks and some little shells like this one. Nothing of use to a burglar! I enjoyed the challenge of capturing the exquisite shell with my macro lens.

The second part of the brief was to render it in a manner inspired by a photographer called Ray Spence, whose work is definitely 'edgy'. (See HERE).  (I can't say I really like much of it, but that's just a personal view and I do like that he is doing something different and thoughtful.) He often uses the wet plate collodion technique, an early photographic methodology. Thankfully we weren't expected to do that! But we were invited to use a square format, monochrome and to capture something of the spirit of that technique in our photos.

I don't know if I succeeded... I did have fun playing, using a texture layer and a border to try to achieve the right feel to the image.

Blowsy peonies, with a hidden secret

My daughter gave me a bunch of peonies on my birthday. I'm not sure I've ever had any before and I thought they were wonderful, both in their colouring - changing from deep pink buds to a nuanced white when the bloom was full out - and in their showy, blowsy, curly, unruly petals. They didn't last as long as some cut flowers do, soon dropping their petals once they reached full bloom, but boy, were they worth it. They gave me a lift every time I walked in and saw them.

The June theme in my online photo group was chaos. After trying numerous other shots: piles of old rope, pegs and paperclips among them, I settled on this because, although there is a kind of chaos in the way the petals furl, I also think it's rather beautiful.

(I noticed when I'd made the photo that you can see a little girl with her hair in a bun and her hand on her chin, just peeping out! Now I've seen her, I can't unsee her... Pareidolia strikes again. But still, that's quite sweet, I suppose.)

Trying to see the wood for the trees

The theme in my online photo group for March was 'Woods'. The brief said: 'The expression 'cannot see the wood for the trees' is never more appropriate than when trying to compose pictures in the woods.' Isn't that so true? So I really worked hard at finding good compositions and tried to find several different styles of photo. These were the three I most liked, after an hour or two spent wandering around Hirst Woods. Much of March was so windy and wet that venturing into the woods was not to be recommended. Eventually there came a day with a little sunshine, though I would have liked some of the mist we had in February!

Negative space

The theme for my online photo group for February was 'Negative space'. Basically, that is the area that surrounds your subject, and it is as important as the subject itself in terms of composition. Too little negative space makes the picture complicated and busy. There's a great article about it HERE. I found it quite an interesting topic to study and I found it hard to decide between several different images.

Fluid

'Fluid' was the theme for my online photo club for October, so I tried quite a few different images. I was hoping to capture 'fluid' both as a noun and as an adjective in one image. I mentioned the other day that I've become intrigued by ICM (Intentional Camera Movement), slow shutter speeds and generally more impressionistic photography of late. I've done quite a lot of creative playing with my phone and in processing, using various apps and techniques. This image, however, has been created entirely in my camera, using a slow shutter speed, handheld and manual focus. It is, of course, a reflection in water but I like to think I've done something a bit different with it, though I do find it quite hard with these more abstract offerings to tell which images are genuinely pleasing 'per se' and which are just pleasing to me because I've spent time 'creating' them.

Abandoned

Remarkably, this old range and kitchen is still on the top floor of Gibson Mill, a relic of when the place was a busy restaurant in the early 1900s.

It seemed to fit the theme for March in my online photo group, which was 'Abandoned'. I suppose you could argue that it is hardly abandoned, since it is now in the care of the National Trust. But it was clearly abandoned at some stage. I don't think you'd get far trying to cook on it now! I can vividly picture waitresses in long black skirts, starched white aprons and frilly caps, rushing in and out for the orders.

More weather

My online photo group theme for February was, appropriately enough, 'weather' - and this image pretty much sums up most of February's weather round here, until the snow arrived. It's easy enough to capture fog, even rain - but wind is harder to convey in a still photo. I was quite pleased with this depiction, which I think does suggest the howling wind on top of the moor, bending the grasses and twisting the few hardy bushes that manage to survive up there, some 430m above sea level. I'm never sure why the wind doesn't blow the fog away but I suppose you're really inside a cloud up there!

What's your tipple?

Lots of people were doing 'DryJanuary' - and are presumably enjoying a G&T tonight! - but it's dry all year round for me. I've been teetotal for many years. Alcohol gives me a migraine and for a long time, too, I've been taking migraine-preventative medication, which reacts badly with alcohol. So there is no temptation to stray... but I do get a bit bored with drinking juice or straight tonic or one of the many very sweet, fizzy alternatives. I was delighted therefore when a friend introduced me to Seedlip and then my lovely daughter gave me a bottle for a Christmas present. It is wonderful! It's a carefully crafted, distilled, non-alcoholic spirit, made from herbs, spices, fruit and berries. There are actually two flavours: Spice 94, a warm, aromatic blend and Garden 108 with a fresher, herbal taste. I've tried them both and they're both delicious. You drink them as you would gin, on the rocks and with a mixer. It's a very 'grown-up' drink. I like this one with orange and ginger ale, but it's also good with a slice of pink grapefruit and tonic. The only downside is that it is pretty expensive, marketed as a luxury product on a par with gin. But hey, I've saved so much over the years by avoiding wine and spirits that I think I deserve a little pampering.

What's your favourite tipple?

I'm posting this because the January theme in my online photo club was 'still-life'. I think it's a classy bottle and it seemed a good choice as the basis of an arrangement. I spent a while on a rainy day experimenting with different configurations, lights, reflectors (interesting what a subtle difference a gold reflector makes, over a white one). I liked this image the best.

Minimal mono

Just a wide-toothed comb on a piece of lined paper. It makes a good, strong image, I think.

Minimal but bright

Another 'Minimal' contender, this time much more colourful. This is a toy belonging to my grandchildren: a stack of plastic plates with holes, like a helter-skelter, through which you can roll a ball in quite an exciting way. (Exciting if you're only three, anyway).

Minimal

The theme for my online photo group last November was 'Minimal'. I had quite a lot of fun with it, trying to think of the most minimal subjects that I could. I decided you can't get more minimal than this: one thin sliver of sunlight catching, just for a moment, the edge of the chimney breast in my bedroom. Converted to black and white, I think it looks quite interesting as a study of light and shadow.

I took the picture quickly, when I noticed the way the light was falling. Then I decided I could probably get a crisper image if I used a tripod and could thus use a lower ISO. But a few days later, the next time the sun shone, the trajectory of the light was just subtly different and I couldn't reproduce the shot. So... Minimal as a subject and minimal in that it can only be exactly repeated on the same day next year... I wonder if I'll remember?

Fear

The theme in my online club for September was 'Fear'. I find the emotion themes are really difficult. They seem to need people in them and I rarely feel very comfortable photographing people. I came up with this composite image, using one of the willow sculptures that are dotted around Harlow Carr Gardens. Rather light-hearted - so we'll see what comments I get this month.

Oranges are not the only (orange) fruit

Jumping back a month, the theme for my online photo group for June was 'orange'. I didn't really come across anything that seemed to fit when I was out and about on my travels and by the last week of the month I'd still not had any inspiration. I thought about photographing an actual orange... but then I noticed the apricots I'd just bought and realised they were more interesting, with their subtle colour variations.

I've recently acquired a soft box, so lighting still life arrangements is a bit easier. This needed my tripod, the soft box, an umbrella to reduce unwanted reflections from ambient light on the shiny blue plate and a small reflector to bounce light back into the shadows. It was hard to get the apricots to stack and not tumble about... maybe I should have used a bowl rather than a plate but I liked the rich blue contrast.

Black and White Cropped Square

Also taken at Bingley Show, this is my entry for the July theme for my online photography group: Black and White Cropped Square. I noticed the shadows of the guy ropes on the sides of the canvas marquees. They looked like something I could play with a bit in an image. In the end, I think this picture has more the feel of some kind of torture chamber than a tent!

An eyesore

Theme of the month for my online photo group for April was 'Something I dislike'. I chose to submit the above image, of a derelict greenhouse. It's on the site of what was once a thriving little garden centre just a mile outside Saltaire village, right beside Hirst Lock, which is one of the more picturesque parts of the local canal. Such a shame that a) the garden centre had to close and b) no-one is doing anything with the site. It is falling into ruin, with the three glasshouses and the huts gradually being reclaimed by nature. Not only is it an eyesore but it is also potentially dangerous if children got into it, with all that broken glass and twisted metal.

Puddle

Back to the rain again here... And back to March for my photo. The theme for March in my online photography group was 'Puddle' and the image had to be in black and white. There's rarely a shortage of puddles around here; the last few months have been exceptionally dry but it never lasts for too long. British weather is endlessly changeable. When there are puddles, Saltaire has some amazing puddle reflections from all the elegant buildings. In the end, I chose this image as my month's entry. It has a vague reflection of part of Salts Mill but it was the diagonal dynamic that appealed to me, and the mix of reflections and shadows.

February theme

The February theme for my online photo group was 'Angles' so I spent a few days out and about looking for photos on that subject. It would have been easy enough to go to Leeds. There are angles aplenty in the modern office blocks and hotels of a big city. Instead I decided to stay closer to home as that seemed more of a challenge. It's often quite fun having a theme. I find I notice things that otherwise perhaps I wouldn't see.

I would not normally be found photographing the closed-up market stalls in Shipley, but I found 'angles' there. At first I was getting slightly irritated that cars kept passing the archway at the end and people kept walking through unexpectedly. However, I finally decided that I liked this shot best, out of all those I took here. The passer-by provides a point of interest and movement, a softer foil for all those hard lines.

Getting wet in City Park

Working in Bradford means I often walk through the city centre and can enjoy whatever is going on there. The area around City Hall is called City Park (see also here). It has an innovative shallow pool that starts off at the beginning of each day as a dry, paved area and gradually fills up with water and fountains as the day goes on. Inevitably, it is a favoured place for children and families to come to paddle and splash. On a hot day in the middle of the school holidays, it is packed.

Here, I was trying a multi-exposure for my monthly online photo club theme: On the Street. The image had to be submitted in mono and although the mono has impact, I think on balance I personally prefer the coloured version.