Having a drink in the Plough P.H. on St. Benedicts, l noticed someone step out with a chair from a delapidated shop front opposite. It turns out to be The Arboretum, a pub cum antique/curio establishment run by Gregory Clark. He stood on the chair to light a domestic wax candle in the old fashioned lamp above the front door. I immediately rushed across the street with my camera and asked for a photograph. The one thing he didn’t realise was, he would be on a grass verge on the Isle Of Skye. This is a view from the A851 on the way to Teangue, overlooking what is stated on the map as the Inner Seas Off The West Coast Of Scotland. I did this picture in one day (the landscape was photographed the week before) and quite pleased with the result. Thank you Gregory.
Hunstanton 7.3.24
This is a bleak and foggy March day in Hunstanton, looking out from South Promenade onto the groynes that stretch out from the beach. On the other side of the pavement is the Rainbow Amusement Park on Seagate Rd. What you can see is the upended track of a fairground ride. It is the monorail for the Sea Dragon Rollercoaster. I have perversely turned it upside down because it looked more dramatic, and would have got lost against the groynes. This way, it enhances the flow of the composition and creates a more realistic perspective. I lit up the lightbulbs strung along the ride, and introduced another ‘tripod’ hazard structure in the left hand corner.
Oh No! Here We Go Again!
I did this picture a few years ago and I thought it reflected the madness which possesses the mindset we are hellbent on pursuing. Well. ….this is a photo I took of a re-enactment group who were parading on Yarmouth South Quay, celebrating the town’s history in its fishing industry. The drummer was in a different photo, as was the officer with his back to the camera. It’s an annual event that encompasses all aspects of its heritage. The guns I have replaced for heads came from a collection of militaria at an air show in Suffolk (I think it was at Old Buckenham). In the background is a view looking south from the beach in Yarmouth, with the monument to Nelson. The sulphurous sky has been accentuated, but the clouds were real. It pissed down.
Raining Questions
The landscape is of North Norfolk, on the road between Binham and Warham ( I think!). I liked the view, presenting a vista for miles to the horizon, and the threatening clouds. For me, this was an exercise in creating the question marks to look as if they were made of glass. Each one was made individually, which took a very long time! The text was created first. I don’t know why I came up with the idea – there’s a question!
WTF Part 2
Looking down into Anglia Square from the HMSO building, one sees the shadows cast by the glass and steel canopy covering, in the middle of the shopping centre. I thought it created a visual dynamic that looked very arresting. I have accentuated the colour of the paving slabs. The disposable shaving razors in my bathroom caught my eye,…so click went the camera! I will photograph anything that catches my attention, and usually not use, this time I did. The pipes and access ladder are part of a vacant industrial unit around the back of Barker St. I liked the way these elements seem to connect. As for the title,…. the image came out of the blue and I was stumped as what to make of it. I have created a previous picture, which I titled ‘WTF’ for the same reason, hence ‘Part2’ for this picture. So…..WTF?
Statute
At the entrance to the Norwich Union building on Surrey Street, there are two statues flanking the grand edifice. They are; William Talbot (on the left) and Sir Samuel Bignold (centre). They were both sculpted by Mons. L. Chavalliaud, at the beginning of the 20th century. I have photographed a detailed section of the statues, as you can see; I liked the folds and books, and the shadows cast by their relief. The right hand segment is an egg box I had photographed previously. It was a cardboard composite pressed tray for six eggs. I flattened it (when it was empty) by standing on it. As usual, it was introduced into the collage, after looking through my library. I thought the image complimented the statues by colour, texture, shape and lighting. I titled the picture because of the portfolio business files you can see, signifying the gentleman’s office and stature.
Social Media
In my lifetime, I have gone from putting coins in a public telephone box (button A and button B, remember?…..no) to talking and seeing someone in the middle of nowhere on a piece of metal and plastic in my hand. This is my take on such progress. The text/poem reads: Filling Those Empty Spaces, Filing People, Friends And Faces. Coming To Terms, With No Returns. Desperately Keeping Ahead Of The Curve. All the letters of the poem have been filled with photos of family and friends, past and present.
Recycling
This picture which looks like the remnants of a dystopian Wasteland, started with an upturned bike with its wheels removed. I came across it on a back street in Pottergate, Norwich. The mountain of scrap metal (including the car!) was in a big yard in Yarmouth. The premises belong to EMR Group Scrap Metal, on the Southgate Rd. opposite the junction with Queens Rd. It was a photo opportunity I couldn’t miss. Marrying the two aspects came by experimentation, as I was looking for what scenario to use the bicycle. The disparity between sizes added to the surreal effect. Lastly came the skyline which I’ve filled with the Ferris Wheel from Yarmouth beach. I have distorted it to fill the picture and give the image some ‘movement ‘. I applied a different filter to each component to distinguish their place in the montage. The title came at the very end and the irony wasn’t lost on me……..
Going Nowhere
I have always wanted to photograph a farm building that is set on its own, in a large field. It can be found on Long Lane, a short cut from the A148 Fakenham by-pass, to the Wells road. The extraordinary buildings address is 95-99 Fakenham Rd. E.Barsham. I just think it is a remarkable structure. Anyway…. in a different universe on a dissident time continuum I was looking for a background to accompany the photo I took of the boat. This is a balsa wood model my father brought back from the Maldives when he was posted to RAF Gan in the late 60’s. He had the protective ‘house’ made especially, measuring 70cm at the base, and 60cm to the top, to be shipped home. Of course the model is worse for wear and is missing the cloth sails it had. I was looking to mirror the apex’s of the box and building, which has been duplicated and layered to fill the frame, and applied a filter.
Two Stars; One Dead
Repeating myself (ad nauseum), I maintain that I didn’t start this picture with any idea of a considered objective. The image started (in the sky) with the flagstones and the semi-circular metal (copper?) runner for a set of gates (no longer there) at St. John’s RC Cathedral in Norwich. In the foreground is a water feature, with steps running down, which is part of the Ceremonial Pool, on the Great Verandah at the entrance to the Australian Parliment building. The fire in the top of an oil barrel came next, probably from a firework party. The remains of a bonfire was from a camping trip in North Norfolk (I had to photograph it – as you do). I added the people (from another source) and the ‘stars’ to complete and realise a narrative – unwittingly…..well..after introducing the bonfire remains, as an experiment, the picture developed a theme. I was more interested in the curves and the composition.