Walking along Midland Walk I noticed the satellite dish with the dangling cables, the utility box and T.V. Ariel. The situation stood out because of the shadows created – so I took a couple of photos. A few weeks later I was sitting at the bus terminal and noticed the CCTV above me with the spiked protection guard. Ditto. Looking through my library, I started with the first picture and attached the cameras to the composition. They fitted quite well and had some tenuous measure of a narrative. I created the shadow for the cameras, added another antenna (from the other photograph I had taken) and invented the vapour trail to even up the dynamic. I had to extend the brick wall – look closely, I admit it wasn’t perfect, but hey!..artistic license is the excuse!!!
Untitled No.71
This is a photo I took in Malta. I was standing in Valletta, on the steps of Pope Pius V Street looking down on Republic Street at the bottom. This intersection is at the City Gate, looking towards Parlament Ta’ Malta (top left) and the City Gate Arcade (bottom left). The pedestrians looked like L.S. Lowry figures. I perversely looked for something to fill the gap at the top of the opposing steps. I eventually came across the cable drum (note the cut off end) which was on the quayside dock in Yarmouth. It fitted perfectly. I then put in a ‘new’ sky which was an evening in Malta, with the contrasting clouds and the moon rising. The picture looks like a ‘Satanic Mills’ scenario.
Flotsam 3
What started as an idea for the beginnings of a picture, ended up as something completely different (what’s new? every picture I do is a journey of exploration; coming up with something I find exciting and inspiring ). The loose stack of empty cardboard boxes was photographed in a garden centre a couple of years ago. I thought they looked quite sculptural/abstract. I added a derelict office block and some road markings. These were superceeded by the coil of rope and the dumped armchairs (see ‘Striking’). Walking along the seafront at Cromer, I was drawn to the sea defence wall which embraces the entrance to the pier. That was the last piece in the composition. I reduced the size of the armchairs, turned the cardboard collection upside down and inside out (?) and enlarged the coiled rope. I eventually applied some filters – hence the number 3 in the title. The Flotsam title was the original working name I gave the picture….I kept it.
Yellow And Blue
Looking down onto the Promenade Rd. from the top of the cliff on the England Coastal Path, on the Cromer seafront, I noticed the parking spaces. They created a pattern along the bottom of the view, with the beach and water at the top. I revisited this photograph later to compose this picture. I had been experimenting with the silver foil as a background to a project I eventually abandoned; so I used it to replace the sea. The wire tensioners were some from a previous picture entitled ‘Fenced Off Tension 2’. I also introduced the ring pull top and bottom of a (probably) tin of Salmon. These elements were arranged and rearranged until I came to the final result. This image was an exercise in creating something out of nothing and realising a harmonious composition.
Betty Creates Chaos
I went with some friends to the annual Strumpshaw Steam Rally and funfair. Here is Betty driving a car in the Dodgems attraction. She was reaching out to Grahams dog ‘Ruby’ who was standing on the steps by the arena. As usual I searched for something to place Betty in or against…. As by luck and fate, I came across the photo that you see. They were outside table/benches stacked up perilously because the restaurant had gone bust on St. Benedict’s St. (see picture entitled’Striking 2’ in Urban category). I had taken quite a few photographs; this one wasn’t used. Betty accuses me of portraying her as “a naughty girl who creates chaos” – which is true! ha ha. I put the image through a couple of filters to give the picture some dynamism.
Cracked Basins 2
I must admit that this picture was thrown together rather than deliberately orchestrated. Also, the photos were opportunistic rather than studied. The broken paving slabs are/were in Dereham on the High St. between Sweetleaf Cafe and The Bull P.H. My mother rolled her eyes when she saw me photographing them! I placed them randomly on the ‘canvas’ and decided to keep them like that with a black background. The sinks and soap dispensers were in the Public Conveniences (Men) in Yarmouth. These are situated on the beach front between Britannia Bowling Greens and Beach Terrace Cafe. I saturated the colours of the grey paving slabs to achieve the surprisingly different colours. I decreased the opacity in the sinks, so the cracks were more discernible.
There It Is Too
Sheringham Court is a Mock Tudor building, once an hotel and now residential flats. It overlooks the cross junction of Holt Rd., Church St., Cromer Rd. and Weybourne Rd. It is quite an imposing structure, I was drawn to the exterior oak stud work and the whitewashed stucco panels in between. I immediately had the idea of erasing the rendered facias to reveal a different background. I took two photos to be joined together. After a long process of cutting out the squares, windows and sky, I then searched for an (in)appropriate background. Landscapes of all sorts were introduced and rejected. Then….came the Ferris Wheel (as a half-hearted experiment), one of many photos I had taken of the Observation Wheel on Marine Parade in Yarmouth. It fitted perfectly!
Beautiful Sky
Driving to my Mums one morning, the clear blue sky was filled with vapour trails – lots of them…. I suspect there was an airforce ( U.S. and R.A.F. ) practice manoeuvre, as well as the usual commercial flights. I thought it presented a dramatic spectacle, so I took a few photographs. The one you see was probably the best example. At my Mums I was checking the bed sheet on the clothes line and was struck by how the bright sunshine was affecting the folds etc. I liked the coloured clothes pegs – so I added a few more to ‘decorate’ the top ( I sized them differently ) to make the picture more interesting. I added a photo I took of the bottom of the sheet and chopped it up to create a collage effect. The sky was then added at the top. My Mum was in the conservatory reading the newspaper and probably thinking “What’s that idiot doing photographing the clothes line?”. Along two lines of the sheet I have written: Beautiful Sky Whilst The Washing Dries, And My Mother Reads The News. You probably can’t quite read that because it is a low res image.
Bascule Bridge Liverpool
This is a collage of two different views of the bridge. The sunset was happening at the time I was photographing, only it was in a different photo. I substituted the sunset sky as a background, after cutting away the buildings that were behind the structures. This Bascule bridge is on Regent Rd. between Collingwood Dock and Stanley Dock. The bridge works like a seesaw (Bascule: French translation) or a rocking chair, so the vessels can pass through to the Stanley Dock Tobacco warehouse at the rear. I liked the strong visual image it creates.
Wells-On-Sea
After parking my car on Burnt Street, I walked up past St. Nicholas Church, on Church Plain to the bottom of High Street. This leads up to the centre of town and the harbour. I saw this view of the houses curving up the hill, so I HAD to take a few photos. As you can see, I have simply (?) distorted the photograph to accentuate the curve and saturated the colours – Result!