Category: travel
Thames Walk
I’ve been transferring my photographs from my website to my Behance profile, mainly because of the freedom I have to put together themed collections.
The most recent one I’ve made is for the river Thames, between Erith and Greenwich.
Living in south east London, I have visited most spots between these two points over the years, photographing them on film and digital. It’s good to see them all together.
My hope is to get bigger projects made, not just collecting photos around a theme, but making them also: travelogues, that unify place, point of view and style. But for now, I’ll be collecting place by place.
Everything’s important
After numerous experiments, I’ve finally got the hang of my Epson V750 PRO scanner, so I decided to rescan many of my medium format and 35mm transparencies.
Initially, I went back to the files of mounted scans that I’d built up between 2005 and 2010, before I started regularly printing my own photos, and a long time before I turned to digital capture.
What surprised me was that when I went back to these curated images, I also wanted to see the exposures that I’d rejected. Contained in transparent sleeves within stiff card envelopes, were many more transparencies, showing different angles or different subjects altogether in the exposed rolls.
I realised that I wanted to scan every one of them, so the rescans were supplemented with first time scans of “new” old and long rejected slides.
As I work through the slides, I’m uploading different selections on my Instagram, Flickr and Behance accounts. I’m glad I’ve kept all these transparencies: even a decade after taking them, I’m still learning from them.
Taking stock 2
I have been occasionally selling prints through Alamy and I’ve decided to upload more frequently to this site.
My previous contributions have been a haphazard selection from holiday photos, social gatherings and outings. Looking through them, my main fascination has been with change, especially with London’s ever-changing buildings and skyline.
The evolution of cities has always interested me, from how Manhattanite slums in the late 70s have become exclusive addresses, or how the deserted stretches of the abandoned Berlin wall have become bustling tourist destinations.
In addition to gathering and uploading my older images of London, I’m now taking as many photos of London spaces as I can manage, before the next big changes.
It’s better to travel…
Over the years, I’ve visited many places: relatives in the West Indies; a camping trip around Europe; and cities, many cities.
On the way to Berlin
I remember my first solo trips: working through cheap film in Tokyo and Hong Kong at the turn of the century; crossing to Paris by Eurostar; photographing a roll of film a day in Manhattan, and many visits to European cities with friends and loved ones.
Pirate’s Bay, Tobago
The cheapness of Japanese film on my first visit to Tokyo in 2001 blew my mind. I subsequently photographed everything: people, architecture, overhead cables, even drains. My week-long exploration of Manhattan Island used ten rolls of film I acquired on eBay. I photographed as much as I could and now I’m reviewing them all.
Fernsehturm (Television Tower), Berlin
I wonder about my attraction to cities. Maybe it’s their transitory nature – anyone can visit a city – that attracts me more than a rural setting (although I greatly enjoy visiting the countryside). There is a familiarity to a city in its roads, buildings and transport. There’s never complete uniformity, even in airports; there’s difference in the details, languages, food and attractions. Searching them out is a delight.
An interesting hoarding in Paris
Right now, I’m working through a plethora of digital and film travel images. I miss using film and thanks to a recently donated 35mm camera, I may experiment with a roll or two on a forthcoming holiday. The travel section will grow in the meantime.
It's better to travel…
Over the years, I’ve visited many places: relatives in the West Indies; a camping trip around Europe; and cities, many cities.
On the way to Berlin
I remember my first solo trips: working through cheap film in Tokyo and Hong Kong at the turn of the century; crossing to Paris by Eurostar; photographing a roll of film a day in Manhattan, and many visits to European cities with friends and loved ones.
Pirate’s Bay, Tobago
The cheapness of Japanese film on my first visit to Tokyo in 2001 blew my mind. I subsequently photographed everything: people, architecture, overhead cables, even drains. My week-long exploration of Manhattan Island used ten rolls of film I acquired on eBay. I photographed as much as I could and now I’m reviewing them all.
Fernsehturm (Television Tower), Berlin
I wonder about my attraction to cities. Maybe it’s their transitory nature – anyone can visit a city – that attracts me more than a rural setting (although I greatly enjoy visiting the countryside). There is a familiarity to a city in its roads, buildings and transport. There’s never complete uniformity, even in airports; there’s difference in the details, languages, food and attractions. Searching them out is a delight.
An interesting hoarding in Paris
Right now, I’m working through a plethora of digital and film travel images. I miss using film and thanks to a recently donated 35mm camera, I may experiment with a roll or two on a forthcoming holiday. The travel section will grow in the meantime.
Left to right
I am a big fan of taking photo walks. Getting lost somewhere new or familiar and taking a lot of photos with my camera is a great way to get to know an area; a good walk enhanced.
Occasionally, I may pass an area by car, bus or tube; a little too fast to take a considered photo. On buying a new camera recently, I decided to break it in by photographing one or two of these particular areas that I’d seen across London on something of an epic photo walk, which took me from west to east London.
I started near Westbourne Park, home of the Trellick Tower, designed by architect Erno Goldfinger. I’d heard a lot about this building; its prized flats and its grade II listed status, but I’d only seen it from afar.
Approaching the tube station nearby, I glanced across the road at the bus depot. I’d always been a big fan of large, cavernous spaces (possibly a hangover from seeing Ken Adams magnificent set designs, especially in the Bond movies). After asking permission from a couple of Transport for London operatives standing nearby (“No problem, mate: do what you want…”) I took an image.
Getting off at Edgware Road, I walked to a nearby park in the Paddington area. Despite an old friend living here for some years, I had hardly explored the area. Intrigued by a green expanse north of the A501 road, I walked to Paddington Green conservation area, where I was entranced by the entrance to the local Church of St. Mary. Nestled among the leaves, the bright sunlight dappled pleasantly over it.
Next, I wanted to look at some big ceilings. I had photographed Lord Foster‘s glass-roofed Great Court before, but I wanted to see how my camera’s 50mm lens would take it.
I also took this view of the columns at the entrance on my way out. I’ve always loved this classical architecture; my early drawings as a preteen were full of them, maybe from being a fan of the Thames television logo, or from early, half-remembered family journeys around London as a child. I’ll be attempting more views on return visits.
A short bus ride took me to King’s Cross railway station; particularly to the semi-circular departures concourse designed by John McAslan. Magnificent stuff, which my lens couldn’t really take in entirely. This view from Wikipedia does it more justice: I’ll return there sometime and try photographing it again.
The last part of the journey took me from north central to east London. I stopped at Mile End, where its attractive park straddles a bridge over the A11 road. I had previously taken a view of the Canary Wharf development, framed by the undulating park, but this was with a zoom lens at its longest end: not do-able here. I had to settle for this different view: the financial oasis, framed by local buildings.
Journey’s end came at Blackwall, in particular, the junction of the A13 East India Dock Road and the A12 Blackwall Tunnel Northern Approach. I find the hardened, industrial aspect to this area exciting and love photographing it. On a car journey, I remembered seeing an odd hoarding about lifestyles. Was it a trick of the light? No, it really was there: graffiti artist Banksy was up to his tricks again.
I quite liked juxtaposing it with a closer view of Canary Wharf: lavish lifestyles out of stock? Who’d have thought it?
Land’s Ending
I spend an annual camping weekend with friends in the New Forest. The day we arrive, we go on a long walk along the coastline, passing such places as Lymington and Milford on Sea, facing across the Solent to the Isle of Wight.
The fabulous weather reminded me of a family holiday on the Isle of Wight; the first one I remember at three years of age. Memories of bright, sharp light and play come to mind: constant sunshine; classic holiday memories.
This time, the sun beat down upon us as we walked and drove along the coast; the clear, blue sky over water, marshes and beaches . The whole place looked beautiful.
Land's Ending
I spend an annual camping weekend with friends in the New Forest. The day we arrive, we go on a long walk along the coastline, passing such places as Lymington and Milford on Sea, facing across the Solent to the Isle of Wight.
The fabulous weather reminded me of a family holiday on the Isle of Wight; the first one I remember at three years of age. Memories of bright, sharp light and play come to mind: constant sunshine; classic holiday memories.
This time, the sun beat down upon us as we walked and drove along the coast; the clear, blue sky over water, marshes and beaches . The whole place looked beautiful.
Burning Details 
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