The snow covered view is of the A47 Southern Bypass during Covid lockdown (Feb.2021). This was during one of my walks, and is a photograph from a bridge spanning the unusually empty dual carriageway. The bridge/road is unmarked on the map but runs from Whitlingham Country Park to the Kirby Road. The Quay rings were at Yarmouth. They are embedded in the chest high parapet wall on the South Quay opposite the Great Yarmouth Borough Council building. I was looking for something or somewhere to locate the rings and eventually came across the road shot – perfect! You cannot see from this thumbnail image, but I changed the destinations on the motorway sign to read; Somewhere, Nowhere and Anywhere. I applied a filter to accentuate the wintry look.
Imperious
On the way back from a road trip to Scotland, I visited the National Railway Museum in York. It has a fascinating collection of locomotives in a very grand and fitting venue. The background in this picture is one of many landscapes I photographed in the north west of Scotland. In the foreground are two close-ups of the exhibits in the great hall, which was an engine repairshop. The coupling and connecting rods in the immediate foreground are from the steam train called the Evening Star. Beyond that is the winding engine from the Stanhope & Tyne Railway. It was used to haul wagons carrying limestone up the Weatherhill Incline to the blast furnaces at Consett. It stands in front of a huge glass window at one end of the museum. I cut away the window panes and some of the handrails. I thought the two objects fitted well together and are of course, not relatively sized. The title came at the end which I thought suited the demeanour of the image.
Lighting Up Time
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.
Untitled No.61
This picture started with a shot of the Roller Coaster structure from the beach in Yarmouth. This is one of many I took. It belongs to Pleasure-Beach Co. who have an amusement park on South Beach Parade. The exterior cladding was obviously being prepared for refurbishment and repainting. I then introduced the Elevating Platform Ladder of a fire engine, that was being tested by the Norwich Fire Department, over the River Wensum. I ‘ejected’ the fireman who was in the basket because….well, because I could. I was looking for something to ‘marry up’ with the image, and after a long search came across the storage tanks – (liquid gas?). They were being dismantled on Malthouse Lane in Gorleston (Yarmouth); I had used another photo in a picture titled ‘Going Up, Coming Down’. Finally I duplicated the ladder twice and arranged them to balance the composition.
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.