projects
All of these images were taken in my parents house ground floor. And most in the kitchen I was waiting for my mother and wife to come back from a shopping trip and was in an itch to photograph something so my eyes scanned the room for something abstract to take pictures of. Keyrings, curtains, stoves, toasters and other sundry things came to hand. See if you can make it out what they are?
We only managed one project update this month, but we made it a good one. Getting up early one Sunday morning we took a lift to a local college to snap away at its new facia and architectural delight. The building there used to be quite drab in its 1979s style of building, but since the face lift I personally think it is a whole lot better. There was nobody around … not a soul … not even a student, so we had the place to ourselves. I strongly hope we captured its design beauty, to show it at its best? With thanks to Amy.
While being at my parents home, they very kindly took Amy and I into the Northamptonshire (Flat) countryside for some landscape shots. It was highly rewarding, if possibly a bit dull for everyone else. My favourite shots from the day were of a broken gate laying in the overgrown hedgerow and moody sky above it. Yes the sky was really that threatening, but again no rain. We also went to walk around the lakes of Rushden Lakes shopping complex and got some great pictures of the water and skies. It was fun.
I have purchased an old digital camera that has had an Infrared filter added (or subtracted – I can not remember!) cheap digital camera see the full gamete of light including the infrared scale that our eyes do not see. Normally they have a dampener in the camera to ignore this, but here it has been changed to allow it. This then not only gives the old camera a new lease of life, but allows the photographer to take some weird looking stuff. I tried it in the studio to mixed results, but found it works best when shooting landscapes and vegetation. We used a local park to test it out and it turned all the trees and grass to a bright pink. I like it – I think it is interesting - and so will be doing more as and when I can. So here is a new project to show off the results as well as show some very old Infrared images taken decades before digital using the long defunct and sadly missed Kodak HIE 135-36 Hi-Speed Infrared Slide Film. Pictures taken are from locations as far apart as Cornwall and the West Coast of Scotland. I hope you enjoy this new project.
I have not done any images for this project for a while. So here is a few taken in and out of a train journey I made to Sheffield. Snaps of the vending machine that is card only (no cash allowed !!!!) and the station its at. I have also a picture taken of a scene shot in the early hours one bank holiday Monday of a children playground, before the screaming little brats turn up.
I had intended to do some more of these styled images at the December shoot with model Mercybongo, but never got around to it. So its back on the flowers again for this time and a new cream background, rather than the old sandpaper I photographed it against in previous sessions.
I have added a few more this month from the flowers selection we got from the Brambles Florist to the Lujon Fressoniue gallery. I know this is not to every ones taste as the images are rather dark, but I will go with it some more as I like the outcome. In December I have the added bonus of some fashion shoot extras that I shall be taking in the studio as well as the flowers. So don't miss that.
Work in progress here of this new project and this time with some added Fashion captures from the Marie Jean Saxton shoot. Them mixed with some more flower snaps all using the plastic fantastic home made pinhole lens. Blurred to perfection.
We took a visit to Newstead Abby a weekend or so ago to have a look over the grounds as I would like to do a location shoot there sometime soon with Monalisa Moyo. It was a nice day and busy. The bulrushes were not out this early in the year, so it might not yet be suitable to do a dramatic shoot in, but that will change as the seasons progress. While we were there I did manage to grab a few shots of the waters they have and what seemed like a huge sky above. So all in all a productive visit.
I never thought I would be doing any updates for this blog, as getting out and about in the deepest countryside is not easy for me. Yet over the New Year break my parents kindly took me on a magical mystery tour of some of the back lanes where they live, and I am quite happy with the results. We had good weather with us. It was am over cast day, but that is fine because it adds drama to landscape pictures.
So thanks Mum and Dad for your help on the day. They know they do not particularly like black and white images as it is what they grew up with, but I think they would agree It gives the pictures more depth and punch.
There has not been an update for this project for a while, so I thought to grab a few snaps of the Penthouse Suite we booked for the 'Good Times' Fashion Shoot at the splendid St. James Hotel in Nottingham. Chairs, lampshade, mirrors and cups of tea make this update with a backdrop of some expensive wallpaper. I should have also shot the bedroom as that was great, but by that time I was too tired.
Maybe next time ?
Amy and I took a day trip so she could visit the Chinese Supermarket. So while there we took advantage of the local architecture, snapping away and seeing if we could get anything worth showing. It was a bit hit or miss, but I think we got some good photos in general. My particular favourites being of the side view of the Theatre Royal. It has an Art Deco feel and look about it.
I know its probably a little odd photographing lamp shades but I could not help but admire the textures of the light, as well as on the shades and wallpaper.
I am happy to bring you a random mix of old images for the landscape project. They are not new and many are from transparencies and old print film scanned in and brought up to date photoshop. Still old as they maybe, I do think they are worth another good look.
In keeping with the truelly brilliant black and white photography I have seen enter the competion at Lens Culture. I thought I would do some more of my own. These were also inspired the the haunting paintings of late American artist Andrew Wyeth. His work is stark and lonely, but interesting. I hope I can achieve just a fraction of that interest with images I took in and around my kitchen. A frying pan, tea, beans, apples in a bucket and fashion magazines on a washing line. Thanks to Amy for her loyal help. xx
This new projects gallery is called ‘Noir et Blanc.’
Various Stuff Music: ‘Streets Of Your Town’ by Ivy
This is the first of two new projects this month. This one is titled ‘Steel’ and features small details of household itens like tea strainer, garlic crusher and spud masher. Here it is …
Second of two new projects i started this month, again with Amys help. This one is titled ‘Rust.’ I have a lot of rusty tools and cutlery that has seen there best years. I have photographed these objects during the golden hour and distressed.
This may take a bit of explaining, but I have made a new folder on the site called ‘Projects.’ The first project is an ongoing one I have named ‘Sound Of The Suburbs’ after the punk anthem by The Members. It is supposed to show mundane things we all take for granted and often ignore. Some pictured in a desoaute way. Here are the first four.
