Category: Film - Beyond the Lens

Winter’s Shadows

26/11/2012

Greenwich Park, London, UK

The seasons for me are very much about light, and shadows. In spring and summer, the days are getting longer and the sun stronger. In autumn and winter, the days are getting shorter and the sun softer.

I often find myself drawn to taking photos in the autumn and winter. I love how the softer light falls onto my surroundings, casting shadows on its way. The light lends itself well to light and shadows. Whether I am using black and white or colour, I often play with light and shadow, as well as geometry.

I was fortunate a number of years ago to live not far from Greenwich. I often found myself wandering Greenwich Park with my camera – whatever the season. One sunny winter day, I was really drawn to the bare trees and the shadows that were being cast in the Park.

Wandering a park with such history where the trees held such secrets made me wonder about those who passed through it, and under its trees, in past times. The histories of yesteryear were hidden in the bark and shadows of the trees. I am sure the trees have seen many seasons, and in the slumber of winter, I was drawn to taking their picture.

I find photography can be quite reflective, and often abstract, when I play with light and shadows. This is perhaps reflected in the photos I take during winter. A number of people have said to me that winter is probably not the best time to photograph, but I disagree. It’s one my favourite times. I find things much more subtle, and a time to be a bit more reflective.

In Exhibition

18/11/2012

The London Independent Photography Central Group put on its first exhibition last week, and it was the first exhibition I have been in. I had a lot of excitement, some fear and feel very satisfied with how it went.

Involved in the process was working with 12 other photographers to choose a theme, choose dates, find a venue, promote the exhibition, organise an opening night, not to mention choose our own images, get them printed and mounted. A lot of work was put in by all, and it really paid off.

The exhibition has been well attended, and well received. People enjoyed the diversity of the group and the quality of the images. From the Group’s point of view, we have learned quite a lot about mounting an exhibition and what’s involved.

On a personal level, my confidence has been boosted by how people received my images of the Museum of Civilization. I have had some interest in people wanting to buy any or all of my prints.

As an artist, it is sometimes hard to know how people will react to your work. However, I am always interested in what others see in my work. The diversity of comments I received were really quite revealing. How my photos speak to others varies radically from person to person.

I have the exhibition bug, and want to see how I can be part of future exhibitions.

The London Independent Photography Central Group’s exhibition has been extended and now runs until the 25th November. It is at the Mile End Art Pavilion.

The Circular Triangle

28/10/2012

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

When I planned a visit in Liverpool in 2006, I intended to get a guide book, but instead got a book on the city’s architecture. I must admit, I was in heaven. As an architectural photographer, to have a book that celebrates a city’s architecture is heaven.

Arriving in Liverpool, I knew that the only day that was forecasted to be sunny was the day I arrived on. There was one building I wanted to photograph with the sun – as it was a very modern white building, and would not look as good in overcast weather. I must admit, the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral didn’t disappoint when I arrived.

Not surprisingly, the Grade II* Roman Catholic Cathedral is one of Liverpool's many listed buildings. It is sometimes known locally as "Paddy's Wigwam" or the "Mersey Funnel". When I first visited, it was closed and I wasn’t able to get in. However, the outside of the building is a treat to photograph. Essentially, it’s a circular building with symmetry. This may sound at a bit contradictory, but it’s not.

The Church itself is a circular building, but there are beams extending out from the roof to the floor which create triangles around the building. Playing with the circular symmetry and the light coloured building against the blue sky, I managed to capture some great images of the building.

A few days later, I went back to the Cathedral to have a look inside. It managed to fuse a very modern building with the traditional trappings of a Roman Catholic Church. Many things caught my eye, and were photographed. However, one of my favourite images was a blue stained glass window.

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, UK

I find religious buildings interesting to photograph. They are a reflection of a particular spirituality, of a community and the character of that community.

The South Side

30/9/2012

Southbank Centre, London, UK

I love walking along the Thames River. I enjoy discovering the parts of London that live along it, and revisiting more favourite parts of it. One of my favourite walks routes in London is along the south of the river from Southbank Centre to London Bridge station.

I have walked this stretch many times, and often with my camera. Each time I walk the route, there is always something to photograph – whether it’s a street performer, something new or seeing something familiar in a different way.

The Southbank Centre, and some of the adjoining buildings, often provides photographic fodder for me. The bold, and somewhat brutalist, architecture of the arts complex draws me in. While I am not always a fan of 1950s and 1960s architecture, I do like photographing it.

Often there is a certain geometry or flow to them that lends itself quite well for more artistic photographs. If all else fails, though, the brutal nature of the architecture often lends itself well to black and white photography.

Over the last decade, I have seen subtle changes to the Southbank Centre. I can imagine that there have been quite a few subtle changes since the Centre’s inception in the 1950s. Lately, arty or trendy restaurants have woven themselves into the fabric of the Centre.

Also, artworks come and go, and a white stairwell I photographed a number of years ago recently changed its colour to yellow.

Southbank Centre, London, UK

I enjoy revisiting familiar places and re-photographing them. It shows how the changes and adapts to the current time – whether it’s a changes in style or taste, or even a way of thinking.

The Catch

24/9/2012

Folkestone, Kent, England

Fishing towns often provide some great photographic fodder. Visiting a friend in Folkestone last year was a photographic treat. There were so many picturesque moments to choose from.

What really caught my eye was a display in a local shop. It was of a fishing net with wooden fish insight it. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of it.

The image really caught the atmosphere of Folkestone. Like so many seaside towns in Britain, the fishing industry has influenced it and is part of its history. However, it isn’t immune to the decline in the fishing industry either.

While I saw a number of boats in the harbour, I did wonder what impact the fishing industry has on Folkestone now. There are decaying physical memories of a town that had a more prosperous past – like the disused railway station at the harbour.

Folkestone, Kent, England

What these memories, however decaying, feeds my imagination and my creative eye. Part of my wishes these memories are held onto and cherish. However, knowing human nature, some of these physical remnants decay to dust and fall away.

While my photography hangs onto these remnants, they also give some wonder at an age past. What was it like to pass through Folkestone a century ago? Who lived and worked there? There are so many stories – some forgotten, some not, and some yet to come.

That is the nature of time and space, and my photography manages to capture part of this. The wooden fish in the fish net harks back to a bygone era of a thriving fishing town, but has now become an art piece for someone’s home. My photo of this, and the town, tries to capture a town full of human stories.

Summer's Bloom

9/9/2012

With summer slowly fading into autumn, I am trying to hold onto the last remnants of the season. While I tend to prefer textured shots in black and white which play with light, the subject matter dictates whether I shoot in black and white or in colour. This is certainly true in summer as colours are often more prominent.

This summer, I visited Canada after a few years away. Visiting the same areas and cities can pose a challenge – how do I keep my images fresh and new? How do I keep from taking the same photos over and over again?

While photographing the same things can show incremental changes over time, I am given the opportunity to see familiar places in a different light. I had this opportunity this past July in Canada. As I was finishing off a roll of colour film in a garden, I stumbled upon some lovely orange and yellow flowers in a neighbours garden.

The colours were fabulous, and demanded to be photographed in colour. I was very happy with the results. The orange, yellow, green and blue played with each other and supplemented each other. I couldn’t have had asked for anything more beautiful and delicate.

I couldn’t have asked for anything else – the flowers were stunning and didn’t need any setting up. The colours blended and highlighted each other nicely.

The Entrance

17/6/2012

Winchester Cathedral, UK

I have visited Winchester a few times over the 10 years or so. Winchester Cathedral is a dominant feature of the city, and is somewhere I enjoy photographing.

The church is one of the largest cathedrals in England, and has the longest nave and greatest overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe. The cathedral was founded in 642 just north of the current site.

The front doors of the Cathedral really struck me when I first visited. The sturdy red doors contrasted the beige stone of the building, making them stand out. The door handles, for me, are just asking to knock the door.

Winchester Cathedral, UK

Once inside the Cathedral, the sunlight (when the sun’s out) filters through the windows, casting shadows its rays as well as shadows around the building. I have enjoyed wandering through the building and capturing the light within.

Winchester Cathedral, UK

The relatively new ‘funky font’ at Salisbury Cathedral captured my imagination when I visited the Cathedral a couple of year with family. It wasn’t something I was expecting, and hadn’t been there when I previously visited. The font was installed in 2008.

Designed by William Pye, it is the first permanent font at the Cathedral for over 150 years. The font shows the contradicting nature of water - contrasting its still reflective quality with the more animated overflowing spouts at each of the four corners.

Stone Canvas

23/4/2012

Dover Castle, Kent, UK

Founded in the 12th Century, Dover Castle dominates the cliffs along the Kent coastline which look over the channel to France. It is the largest castle in England and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history.

The weather, history and the people passing through the Castle have certainly left their mark, particularly on the walls. While visiting the Castle last January, I wished the walls could talk, and in many ways they did.

The weather has worn the thick stone walls and the sun peeps through the windows, casting its shadow down the hallways and stairs inside. People have written their history on the walls – and am sure they will continue to do so – giving a human face to the grey stone walls.

I was drawn to photographing the buildings in black and white, and had wished I hadn’t run out of film. The histories presenting themselves on the walls, as elsewhere in the Castle, seemed timeless in black and white. However, the vibrant colours of the furnishings – giving them an almost childlike effect – demanded colour film.

Dover Castle, Kent, UK

Even the walls in colour gave a very textured effect – as did the black and white.

It was a shame I didn’t have time to finish wandering around the Castle, and hope to revisit – along with my camera and some more film.

Hidden Memories

15/4/2012

Folkestone, Kent, England

Visiting Folkestone, Kent, late last year, my friend took me to the Folkestone Harbour station, a disused train station at Folkestone Harbour. The harbour station provided a rail connection for boat trains from London which connected with the ferry services to Calais and Boulogne.

The station closed to regular passenger train services in 2001. However, the line and station continued to be used by the Venice-Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) and railtours.

It is part of Folkestone history that is slowly being eroded away by the elements, and is hidden away from city view. My friend had only recently found it through a recommendation through a friend, and I was very happy for her to show me. We spent a bit of time photographing it, on a moody day where the rain threatened and the sea waves were high.

The surroundings, and the weather, asked to be photographed in black and white. I couldn’t resist the haunting moodiness of the place.

Folkestone, Kent, England

In the middle of the tracks was a random statue of people. Neither of us really knew what it was for, but I was able to incorporate it into my photos of the train station. They add something to an otherwise derelict and lonely station – a gentle reminder of those who passed through in days gone by.

Reaching to the Heavens

18/3/2012

Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain

I visited a Barcelona a few years ago, and fell in love with the city – and Antonio Gaudi’s work. Whether you like his architecture or not, his influence on the city is remarkable. I hadn’t really appreciated his work until I saw it for myself.

One of his most famous buildings is the Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, commonly known as the Sagrada Família. Started in 1882, Gaudi became involved in 1883 and combined Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. While the construction is still ongoing on the unfinished building, it is impressive.

I wished I had gone into the building, but hadn’t had time to. Nonetheless, I still managed to get some impressive images of its exterior. I found the building was essentially Gaudi, and the continuing construction is sensitive to Gaudi’s plans.

Generally speaking, I prefer more protestant churches as they tend to be plainer. Gaudi’s architecture is the complete opposite. What draws me to Gaudi’s architecture is its earthliness – its rootedness in nature. Perhaps I am drawn to Gaudi’s over the top manner in a rather indulgent way.

I am generally drawn to photograph his work in colour. Somehow it lends itself to colour – its richness and earthiness would be different in black and white.

Next time I visit Barcelona, I would like to see the interior of the Sagrada Família, and take photos.