Half term

Well that was a much needed half term break, which got a bit lively on Friday with Storm Eunice hitting the British Isles.

The year thus far at work has been breakneck, so having the past week off, has been a much needed downing of work tools (laptop and mobile) and a lifting of play tools (cameras).

No grand plans, as these are due in April with (fingers very crossed), a European city break with the kids.

But the kids and I popped up to London for a day trip, the kids love the big smoke. They are also avid exhibition / culture vultures, which is lovely.

We went to see the America in Crisis exhibition, at the Saatchi Gallery. £5 general admission, is very reasonably priced for 3 exhibition rooms, with images ranging from the 1960’s civil rights movement, to the storming of Capitol Hill in 2021 and much in between. I can't recommend it enough.

The effects of Eunice resulted in another exhibition being cancelled at the 11th hour, which was a little disapponting. Our walk around our usual haunts (Soho, Wardour Street, Covent Garden, Seven Dials), was hindered by the high winds and cold, but we were about to have a limited meander, which resulted in a couple of keepers.

Next up was the highlight of the day, the kids first gig at Brixton Academy, seeing The Kooks. This was one for my daughter, shes obsessed with them ATM. Its something very sacred and special sharing a mutual like for music, I had a great time sharing this experience with them. I will definately be arrangng more soirees into live music this year, as an antidote to the pandemic. We also have the Red Hot Chili Peppers in London in June 2022, who are hopefully being supported by Thundercat.

Also camera wise, the past week saw me give the medium and large format cameras a workout.

I know it's clichéd that film slows you down and it's more about the entire process, rather than firing off images, but it really is.

Finally, I had a couple of queries from two of my followers on Instagram, one asking for some tips to get into film and the other querying my process on pushing fomapan 400 to 1600.

The former was quite revealing, I dug out an email I had sent to someone else a couple of years ago. I was genuinely shocked how prices of cameras, film and assorted paraphernalia have increased, we are a sacred group film photographers.

The latter was a lovely exchange with a pro photographer, when we shared our workflows, whilst wildly different, the output had the same goal / objective.

THats me for another month, until next time, keep snapping.

Demo season is upon us.

Popped into town this past weekend for a photowalk and decompress from a hectic start to the year. It was also an opprtune time to get into the mood for a chill February 2022 half term with the kids.

Stumbled across two small demo’s, one being an anti vaccination and freedom demo at the Peace Monument at Hove Beach, and the second rather low-key Boycott Puma (sports brand) outside Sports Direct in Brighton, as part of an Israeli Apartheid demo.

Firstly, apologies to the lady at the peace monument in Hove, who corrected me, when I said it was an anti vaxxers demo. It was more than that as a diverse section of society were voicing their views. NHS staff, Granny's, Mums.

These are the first 8 photos.

The last 2 photos were a 'Boycott Puma' demo outside Sports Direct, which was part of an Israeli Apartheid demo.

Both were sedate in nature, but a voice nonetheless. Its also great that demo season is upon is, as Brighton has a active population across all generations, eager to voice their peaceful and democratic right to demonstatrate.

Until next time, keep snapping.

#killthebill #therighttopeacefuldemo #brighton #streetphotography.

Bookish - My books of the year 2021

As we near the end of 2021, its time to outline my favourite books of the year, that is 2021.

Its been a steady rewarding year, whilst I had a little mid year distraction, driving sales and business onto the Etsy Store and also the learning curve for the Chamonix 45n2 4x5 large format camera.

Similar to 2020, I have enjoyed reaching my yearly challenge of 52 books (60 at the timing of writing this blog). I have also enjoyed a broad subject matter, that again includes decent coverage into photobooks.

So dive in, I hope there are a couple of takeaways for you.

My Photobook of the year - Jim Marshall - Show me the picture

What an incredible story of photographer, Jim Marshall. So much more than a music photographer (civil rights, photojournalist).

Some of the very best candid intimate images from the 1960s and 1970s and after reading this book, you get an understanding of the mad genius of the man and his character.

There is also a documentary of the same name over on Amazon Prime Video of the same name.

Honourable mentions:

Humans by Brandon Stanton, Gosh what a journey this author has been on. I originally 'stumbled' across the 'Humans of New York' account on the Tumblr platform some 10 years ago. As the introduction outlines, this originally was a genius idea to photograph c.10k people in New York, overtime and will increased confidence, he began to talk to the folk sitting for him.

This account exploded on social media. This eventually led to Humans, where the author travelled the world. This is a lovely piece of work, equally a rich piece of social commentary and photography assignment, which has lead to many many imposters.

A lovely collection of vignettes into people's lives.

Accidently Wes Anderson by Wally Koval is a great coffee table book, it even has the foreword from the great man himself.

Wonderful collaboration for any bookshelf, celebrating the cinematography and aesthetic style of Wes Anderson.
If you love the symmetry and style of Anderson's movies, this is a must for you, as is a visit to the @accidentallywesanderson Instagram page, which was setup by the author.

Godlis Streets - Peter Godlis

Photobook covering the ‘tog’s images of New York in the 70’s and 80’s.
Intriguing selection of New York Street photos from Godlis. Quite a few belters with a nice level of sequencing.

Sports Book of the year book - The Secret Race - Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle.

This year, I surprisingly only read one sportsbook, which was The Secret Race. I'm not a Tour de France aficionado, but found this book engaging.

Whilst this was a particularly revelationary story, I found it an intriguing story about the doping culture within cycling and the ‘do as I say, not do as I do menatility in the pursuit of success.

Biggest Surprise - Tie - This Party’s Dead - Erica Buist & Men who hate Women - Laura Bates.

Whilst I couldnt seperate these two for this award, they are both noted for two very different reasons.

This Party’s Dead is conceptually a unique idea for a book. Following the death of her father in law and the delayed discovery of the body (a week). The author is overcome by grief. She then decides to visit seven death festivals, to understand how different cultures celebrate death.

What pulled me initially to this book was the visit to the Day of the Dead festival in Mexico, this is on my bucket list. Although the book does imply that this is quite a tourist trap now. The authors commentary and experiences at DOFTD are conflicting, the elders are respectful and sombre and the youth are hedonistic. What is the common demoninator, is that the worship and following is from the poorer sections of Mexican society.

I never understood the morose approach we have to death and the funeral, here in the UK. I remember going to a funeral in Ireland in my late 20's, accompanying my mum. The full 5 day wake, coffin in the house, drinking, telling stories, the craic.

The whole experience helped me understand to celebrate the joys of a life. This was the major factor that allowed me to read my dad's eulogy. Recounting the foibles and charmful traits of his character. The short chapters and writing style make this a recommended read.

Conversely, Men who hate Women. Good god, what a shocking state of affairs.

I felt compelled to read this book as a dad of two (14 year old daughter and 18 year old son), I wanted to get an insight into their world, and the mindset of their generation. The hate groups detailed in this book is attributed to the 'keyboard warrior' of internet forums, unpoliced environments, allowing for the proliferation of a toxic ideology.

This is important piece of work, writing and publishing this content, but worrying of what this will lead to.

Biggest Let Down - American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis. So very disappointing. I didn't enjoy this book at all. Whilst I appreciate this is a cult classic, not for me.

Comedy / Satire - Proxopera - Benedict Kiely.

This is a beautiful hidden gem of a policitical satire. All in 94 pages!

Erudite writing about the futility of 'the troubles' on both sides of the community.

Will most certainly lead to me reading more of the author. A wonderful heartfelt collection of works by Hardy.

Dystopian - Never - Ken Follett.

No doubt the inspiration for this book came from the Trump administration. Nuclear war amongst super powers, aka ‘pissing contests with warheads’.

Whilst this fall's short of the heights hit by the author’s other work, still an interesting multilayered story.

Classics - East of Eden - John Steinbeck.

Finally got round to reading this classic. I recall reading of Mice and Men in my early twenties, but not being moved.

This book has deep rich writing, retelling the saga of Cain and Abel. Beautiful.

Honourable mention

Ulysses - James Joyce.

I decided to consume this novel in audiobook format, which I think added to the experience.

Some masterful 'mundane' dialogue, with beautiful writing told and delivered wonderfully well by the cast.

Tome - Fall of Giants - Ken Follett

At 985 pages, this was the biggest book I read in 2021.

This book is the volume 1 in a 3 volume Centurys trilogy. Based around WW1, WW2 and the Cold War. I started this series after finishing the Kingsbridge series by the same author.

Novella - Black Cop’s Kid: as Essay - Kareem Abdul - Jabbar.

At 37 pages, this was the shortest book I read in 2021.
A great essay and consumable read. Never realised his father was a cop. No doubt that inherited strength in character (as well as talent) helped Kareem achieve in basketball.

Memoir - The Man To See - Evan Thomas

Highly enjoyable biography. Detailing the trials and tribulations of a criminal lawyer between 1950's - 1980's. Both pioneering and groundbreaking.

Honourable mentions

A Promised Land - Barack Obama

Been waiting to get round to this one. Revealing insight into the lead up to public office and first term as president.

In parts really quite revealing about the man and not sugar coated. This was slow paced in parts, but this is more complementary about the detail of the writing, rather than the (lack of) quality of the story.

I think it was right to split the memoir over two volumes, with volume one finishing at the end of the first term. What a remarkable man, this story should be an example to all about application and achievement.

Chaise Longue - Baxter Dury

Quite an eclectic memoir structured much like an abstract album with short chapters, akin to the 3 minute song, contrasting and conceptual.

Crazy crazy tales.

History - Empireland - Sathnam Sanghera.

What a rich and informative read about the history and heritage of the empire, imperialism and it's destructive trailblazing.

A mind boggling fact from the book: The British empire was at its territorial peak in the early 1920s, 13.71 million square miles, which represents 24 per cent of the earth’s land area or equivalent to 94 per cent of the moon’s surface area.

The book explains the empires modus operandi which was to take minerals and resources from the world, which is best explained by the fact that: Despite Canada’s vast resources Britain actually considered handing it back to France during peace negotiations, in exchange for the sugar island of Guadeloupe.

Whilst the book explains the correlations of the imperial elitist mindset with that of Brexit, what Brexiteers are failing to understand is that their movement is the antithesis of the empire, for what they appear to hold up as their ideology. We can't really move forward as a country, until we look in the past and teach our kids the full history of the empire in our schools.

Essential read.

Honourable mentions:

Bad Blood - Colm Toibin

Whilst originally written in the late 80's, I thoroughly enjoyed the rambles of the author across the north south border of Ireland.

Lovely writing.

The assassination of Fred Hampton - Jeffrey Haas

I was absolutely compelled to read this book, after watching Judas and the Black Messiah.

Daniel Kaluuya was immense as Fred Hampton.

I am ashamed to say that I was not fully aware of the events leading upto the complicity of state bodies in his assasination, nor the fight to clear his name after his death at the age of 21.

What a legacy. This book is simply essential reading for the 1960's civil rights movement.

The Power of Geography - Tim Marshall

This is such an informative series. Tim Marshall is a genius in being able to explain such complex geopolitical theories in laymans terms. I wish he was on the telly more.

Fiction - Sunset Swing - Ray Celestin

This is the last in the City Blues Quartet series. An excellent police procedural series, based on historical fiction starting with the Axeman Jazz murders in New Orleans in 1919.

Well paced series with some great characters and pacey storylines. Will be intriguing to see what project Celestine sets his attention to next.

Foreign - Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami

I am transfixed by the simplicity of Japanese writing. This is a wonderful novel.

Historical Fiction - Christodora - Tim Murphy

What a little gem of a book. Based in and around the occupants of the Christodora, a New York apartment building.

The story unfolds telling the tale of the hedonism in NY at the time.

The AIDS epidemic is impacting the central characters and the story tells the tale of the folks fight and struggle at the time.

Honourable mention:

Hamnet - Maggie O’Farrell

Finally got round to reading this novel.

Intriguing take on the play by Shakepeare, by O'Farrell. Thoroughly enjoyable and well written.

Political - Tie - The Future of British Politics - Frankie Boyle & The History Thieves - Ian Cobain

I read this political essay, which is the workings of a renowned and outspoken comedian. In contrast, I listened to our Prime Minister at the Cop26 UN Climate Change Conference, littering his speech with jokey football analogies, talking about climate change.

Hmmmmm, generally get more sincerity and empathy with a political comic, than a comical politician. This is an enjoyable essay littered with erudite political observations.

Chronological look at the introduction and amendments to the official secrets act and freedom of information act by sitting governments.

Apparently it's a need to know basis and we do not need to know. Most shocking is that this stance appears to have crept into everyday politics, under the guise of an esoteric manifesto.

Honourable mention:

Anti-social - Nick Pettigrew

This is such a consumable book, observing a year in the life of an ASBO (Anti Social Behaviour) Officer.

Dealing with the disputes and interactions of tenants in council properties, this book for me deals with the outputs of the UK governments 'brainchild' of dealing with the defunding of social care support services for drug addicts, mental health issues and even inner city employment prospects, or lack of.

I didnt read this book as a form of poverty safari, I just find individuals who work in such fields are inspiring folk.

Whilst some may see this as a book that is quite repetitive, I think thats actually the point, complaint, research, file for eviction, court, order, breach of order, eviction, imprisonment. intense responsibility / accountability, with generally nil reward.

Clearly the author has had to adapt to a challegning work environment, with the aid of a very dark sense of humour.

True Crime - Wordcrime - John Olsson

This is an intriguing book explaining forensic linguisitics and solving crime through the unpicking of language.

I quite liked the short concise chapters, made for engaging reading.

Honourable mention:

The killer across the table - John E Douglas

Harrowing yet essential work by Douglas, setting up and establishing the profiling concept in the FBI.

Interviewing incarcerated serial killers, to understand their MO, motivations and state of mind which allowed the FBI to build an understanding of their criminal mind.

The book details some horrifying cases, but the book remains focused on delivering the reason Douglas's work was so important.

Well thats me completed for 2021, hopefully there are some take aways from the above list for you.

Until next time, keep snapping

35mm is a gateway drug

disclaimer: the author accepts no liability for the cost incurred by the reader, in the investment of new film camera gear.

Its been nearly 6 years since the film bug bit me.

Originally I was recommended to get into film, to stop at the time, the incessant tinkering with my digital images (read polishing a turd) and concentrate of the process of taking a photo.

I must say, its one of the best pieces of advice I have received.

Not to put it lightly, the learning curve for film, getting your head around using manual controls, the exposure triangle, developing and scanning film at home, is a steep one. But thoroughly enjoyable, nonetheless.

Being transfixed by the civil rights and vietnam war images of the 1960’s, provided me with the desire and inspiration for me to learn the zone focuing technique, this was revelationary.

I have mentioned it before, there are few hobbies that have a great community spirit like film photography, sharing the knowledge and helpig eachother out. The only other I have encountered is the motorbike community, but having hung up my leathers in 2015, this was a void greatly filled.

I digress. Whilst I was happy shooting 35mm, especially on the exceptional Olympus OM1, I had one eye on the limitations of my scanning setup (the substandard Epson V600) and also a thirst to learn more about this medium. This naturally led to my step into Medium Format / 120 film.

Early on my film journey, I was able to get my hands on the little gem Yashica Mat 124g TLR camera. This TLR medium is underrated, the limitations of the square format allow you to rethink the image the detail of the negative is outstanding.

I became transfixed by the Pentax 67. This is a complete beast, which is probably better placed as a studio based portrait camera, rather than a street photography camera. The 6x7 negatives are enormous, offering rich detail. There are two downsides when using in Street Photography, 1) The sheer weight of the thing!, and 2) The thunderclap of the shutter. You could add a third with the limited 10 images per roll, but this is negated by the stunning negatives.

I therefore wanted a 120 / medium format film camera, that I could hike around with on my photowalk jaunts, and decided on the Fujica GS645s. I was able to snag an absolute mint condition version from Japan, I can only conclude that this was put into a time capsule, as the was like brand new. I choose the version with the bull bar. As I had read stories of the bellow cracking, I didnt want the faff. I have had zero issues with the bullbar.

Also the increased 15 images per roll is well received. The only downside to the camera is the weak rangefnder patch. This is easily resolved with a piece of clear plastic stuck to the viewfinder.

So the crescendo, large format. This ultimately was triggered by a few YouTube content creators that really elevated the medium and I love there work: Ben Horne, Matt Marrash, Bryan Birks, Todd Korol, Robbie Maynard Creates, Nick Carver, Craig Prentis & Steve O’nions to name a few.

I really appreciated the no thrills approach to shooting and also the sloowwwww approach.

The two versions of this format are 4x5 and 8x10. Film photography isn’t a cheap hobby and 8x10 format is no exception, film prices are insane!.

Looking around I had earmarked two models for further consideration, 1) a 1950’s metal field camera, which didnt provide nearly as much refinement on setting up a photo, or 2) A traditional wooden camera.

Initially, I had elected for the former, buying a 1970’s Wista 45d from Japan off eBay. Unfortunately, this was probably the worst buying experience I have ever encountered, this is a tale for another day. But in short, the faulty Wista was soon returned.

I finally decided on the Chamonix 45n2. This camera is a thing of complete beauty. Composed of wood and carbon fiber composite material, is designed to be both light and durable. I get stopped every time I have the camera out by tog’s and non tog’s.

You do have to completely change the approach to image taking, a 10 sheet of Kodak Portra 160 is £58, so £5.80 per photo. This is before the pending price hikes in January 2022.

But the images are outstanding.

The options for B&W are more economical and more palletable on the wallet.

So this year with Large Format and generally in my six year journey, I have learned alot and my understanding is better. I now go back to digital and the positive is that I set the camera up for auto focus, turn off the backscreen and snap away. No Chimping. I have ditched all the lightroom presets and now only use 1 x colour and 1 x BW. No polishing of turds.

I have found that I have turned full circle and that film and digital mendiums compliment eachother and my work, its not a case of one or the other, trust me.

Well thats me for another month, until next time, keep snapping.

A selection of the images within this article are available for sale on the Website or Etsy Store, if you would like to enquire about something else, please click the email icon at the foot of this page.

Patience

I'm impatient. There I've said it.

Its taken me until I'm in my mid to late 40’s that I've finally 'learned' to chill. Whilst I'm pondering this month's blog post, I have a live example of this.

I have a generally hectic day job, in fact manic. So as I've mentioned previously, street photography and film photography is my chill, to zen proportions.

It generally unwinds the stress of Monday to Friday, using the creative side of my brain, rather than counting numbers and managing risk in the financial services.

I had to send the Leica M4P in for a service. I can totally understand that some folk will file this under ‘first world problems’. But the camera has never been right since I got it.

The issue was a uniformed light leak down the right hand side of the negative, which varied, depending on the shutter speed. I ignored this for 6 months, cropping the issue out of the camera, but finally decided that this was madness.

After taking in some research for 3 weeks, I elected to use Camserve. Based on the positive feedback / reviews on a Leica forum. My experience with Steve at Camserve, was world class service, no doubt about it. Initially on the phone, he mentioned that it could be one of two problems, the first he could fix, which he hoped was the second shutter requiring adjusting, by dismantling the camera, and giving it a thorough CLA (clean, lubricate and adjust), the second, he couldn’t fix and would be very expensive and would need to be sent to ‘a specialist’. I cant remember what the second issue was, as I stopped listening after he said ‘very expensive’.

When I dropped the camera off, I asked if he could take a photo of the camera, with its guts hanging out, not to authenticate that any work was completed, but just to see my baby dismantled, I know, I’m weird like that……..

Thankfully the issue was the former easy fix, not the ‘very expensive’ option.

It took three weeks all in all to resolve and a charge of £144. Exceptional value, full CLA, shutter reset, rangefinder reset. I also received a call each week, with an update. This compared to some stories online of other repairers taking between 3 - 12 months!!.

What was a concern, was that when I collected the camera, I was told it had been opened up by a novice (read seller), who had attempted to clear fungus of the inside of the viewfinder. When they reassembled the camera, they didn’t have a high attention to detail, with a lot of loose screws within the body of the mechanism.

I had noticed this prior to the CLA, the nut on the top of the film winder, kept coming loose.

This has now changed my mind about buying expensive film cameras from Japan, as the import tax and service costs, take out the initial benefit of buying from this market place.

I had put my first expensive of buying my Pentax 67, down to bad luck, but alas, it doesn’t seem to be the case.

I took the camera out on Saturday with a roll of kodak colour plus 200 loaded. I found that my muscle memory had gone, which was expected really. I did find the camera to be a completely different user experience, the winder mechanism was nice and tight, but also I found that I didn’t miss any exposures.

Here’s a couple of images:

It’s nice to have the old lady back in hand, as I was using the digital camera quite a bit, but I missed the slower process of setting up each shot.

Well thats me for another month, until next time, keep snapping.

Shoot what you know……..

Street photography for me is mainly about creating luck.

What I mean by that is, know your camera (into muscle memory), the settings, the lens range and with knowing your surroundings (quirky people activity or light), you generally get a good shot.

I think the golfer - Gary Player - said this best, when he uttered ‘The more I practice, the luckier I get’. Aka the photo gods deliver from time to time.

This is one of the reasons why I pound the streets in Brighton so often, revisiting the same scene, time and time again. This has led to me exploring different angles and perspectives, such as window reflections through COVID-19 retail shops:

When I have been studying the theory of street photography, I discovered that Joshua K Jackson called this the curiosity gap. Watch this excellent video on Sean Tucker’s channel, when he outlines this theory. It's intriguing.

What I have found of late is a little fatigue, or 'Brighton Revisited' which has generally been caused by the pandemic and the restriction of movement that we have all experienced.

Also, due to commitments with my kids, I cant really journey out too far of a weekend. However due to the upturn in the weather of late, my son and I recently ventured over to Folkestone. A place we hadn't frequented before.

Deriving from the landlocked West Midlands, for me, there is a general kitsch allure of a seaside town, it's idiosyncrasies and especially one that is emerging from the closed season of the winter, into their high season.

Whilst I hadn’t been there before, I suppose I had an opinion of the place, the stance on Brexit and the imminent impact of the motorway turning the county into a Brexit car park.

I decided on my usual kit. My trusty Fuji GS645s (I need to do a blog post on the GS645s, its a truly exceptional camera. Pin Sharp, light and nimble, its the perfect street photography medium format camera) with two rolls of Kodak Portra 400 and Berrger Pancro 400. I also took my Sony A7iii with a 35mm lens.

We headed off at 08:30 for the 1 3/4 hour drive, honestly, it was a little weird heading out on the motorway, after a year, mainly quiet, but I can report that the wacky races of the M23 motorway is as mad as ever!

The journey into Kent and Folkestone on the M20 was largely eventless, other that the self imposed 50 miles an hour speed limit, as we entered into Folkestone.

We got there at 10:30 and parked in the main Shopping Centre car park.

Next, we did a quick circuit of the town centre, to familiarise ourselves. I actually thought the town centre evidenced signs of gentrification and the shopping side (national store chains), left Brighton wanting. That said there was still instances of small town UK on show, providing plenty of charm and character.

The creative quarter was a delight, a cobbled lane with colourful shops housing the creative element of Folkestone, the light bathed the street beautifully and I was lucky to get a couple of keepers.

Next we headed down to the harbourside. The imposing Grand Burstin Hotel, is a stark contrast to the regenerated side of the port town. I can only imagine that this side of the town is packed when the restrictions of COVID-19 are not evident.

Lunch was taken in at Chummys Seafood Cafe. Prawn chilli noodles and squid. Very very good.

One more lap of the down evidenced plenty of photo opportunities and items of interest.

Folkestone is a place that I have marked as a place to revisit, for a number of reasons: street photography, the harbourside, the shops (for the kids) and also the seafood.

Until next time, keep snapping.

A selection of the images within this article are available for sale on the Website or Etsy Store, if you would like to enquire about something else, please click the email icon at the foot of this page.

The books better than the film……….

This blog post is a step away from the norm. It’s a start of a new category, where I post about books I have read.

Im not anti TV or movies, I will consume that latest blockbuster, but I shy away from watching series on the telly, as I get more enjoyment out of a good book.

My daughter is very politicised, attuned to current afffairs of domestic and international governments.

My lad is obsessed with movies, the casting, method acting. One actor that has grabbed his attention is Danial Kaluuya.

I saw a couple of trailers on IG for Judas and the Black Messiah and decided I would take a break from the norm.

This is the story about Fred Hampton, the leader of the Black Panther movement in Chicago in late 1960’s and his downfall, aided by the collusion of the Chicago PD, the FBI and an informer of the name of William O’Neal.

I don’t want to provide too many spoiler alerts, but Hampton was a messiah, building the panthers up to prominence, which put the fear of god into J Edgar Hoover, and resulted in his assassination at the age of 21!

Kaluuya is awesome as Hampton.

My reading theme at the moment is the civil rights era of the USA, so this itch was very much scratched with the period of the movement.

I was absolutely compelled to read this book, after watching Judas and the Black Messiah.

Daniel Kaluuya was immense as Fred Hampton.

I am ashamed to say that I was not fully aware of the events leading upto the complicity of state bodies in his assasination, nor the fight to clear his name after his death at the age of 21. The book goes into more detail of the challenges Hampton’s lawyers faced with the judge at the time.

What a legacy.

This book is simply essential reading for the 1960's civil rights movement.

Widen your horizons

I was doing some digital spring cleaning (read reviewing Lightroom and the website) and I discovered a series of photographs that sit outside of my usual street photography genre.

These related to long exposure, drone, architecture and the odd landscape.

These were my preferred shooting stills before I moved to Brighton in 2014, and decided to concentrate more on Street Photography.

I had a DJI Mavic Pro Drone, for a little over a year. I bought it for the family holiday to Florida, but inevitably, when an adult gets more joy out of the device (me) than the kids, I thought it was time to sell it to another (adult) suitor in 2018. At a cost of £1300 it was a little too steep an investment, not getting used regularly.

I do miss the drone, the unique perspective it gave, but the constant fear of losing the signal to the drone was a little unsettling. I never quite had the bravado to fly around Brighton pier, seagulls actively attack drones. Coastal wind was also a nightmare. The above shot at Beachy Downs (white cliffs), was quite scary, whilst it was a sunny day, the change in wind conditions was an issue, as it would pull the drone off course.

What I did find a comparable breeze (pardon the pun), was using the drone in the sunshine state of Florida. The near still wind conditions, meant that you could really push its capabilities.

In Florida, the challenge in some urban areas, was the signal splitters that hotels had, as they had helipads, this made them designated no drone fly zones, so if you were stupid enough to try (I wasn’t / didn’t), the drone would disconnect from the handset and fly off.

The highway shot above was taken on the overseas highway on the unforgettable drive down to Key West. Simply magnificent. I was able to get a video of the stunning vistas, which are here.

I noticed that a new model has come out, the DJI Air 2s, with a reduced price and increased functionality…………

I have always enjoyed taking long exposures, not sure why I have drifted away from this genre. I think its maybe because it is a little pastiche?

I really enjoyed the zen like relaxation in setting up the shots. The victorian lighthouse above is at Dovercourt Bay in Essex, its a splendid piece of architecture.

The shot across the River Thames at Westminster Bridge of the Houses of Parliament, is a particular favourite of mine.

Visiting Berlin in 2015, I found the only way to evidence the magnitude of the Jewish Memorial Museum, was an abstract long exposure. A spectacular piece of architecture.

Architectural photography has also inspired me, living so near to London, I am very spoilt with the diverse, exceptional buildings for consumption.

1 More Place in London, is an inspiring location, providing the snapper with plenty of abstract opportunities to picture the buildings.

The second image of Battersea Power Station, was captured a few years before the development works have transformed the site.

The seaside rugged coastline, was taken in Cornwall, breathtaking landscapes. I must get back to Cornwall soon.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the Gondolas are from Oxford, at the Magdalen Bridge Boathouse.

Anyway after consideration, I have decided to offer a selection of the above images for sale at my Etsy shop, if any of these take you fancy, you can review the listings.

Until next time, keep snapping.

A selection of the images within this article are available for sale on the Website or Etsy Store, if you would like to enquire about something else, please click the email icon at the foot of this page.