Dungeness Beach #1

Over the years I have often photographed at Dungeness Beach, this strange, "other-worldly" place of shingle, fishing boats abandoned, old and new and fisherman's huts. There's still a small smoke house on the road that leads down to the light house.

Most famously the late Derek Jarman's weather boarded house, complete with sculptures of "found" beach objects draws the knowing visitor.

The Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Narrow Gauge Railway terminates at its end, a peculiarly English tea shop awaits the day trippers with cups of tea and cake.

I spotted this particular old boat, sitting alongside unlikely looking railway tracks, the railway tracks were used to move things up and down the beach I guess.

It wasn't an ideal day to make photographs, I try to avoid bright sun and cloudless sky or if I am forced then choose a time later in the day when the sun is lower and try to exclude as much of the sky as possible.

For those that are interested I used my Olympus OM1n camera with its OM 28mm lens for this photograph, the film was Fuji Neopan 400 and I developed it in good old faithful ID 11 diluted 1+1

I managed to get a whole afternoon and evening in the darkroom last weekend and rattled through a few of these shots, I also found negatives from the early 1990s of Dungeness Beach that I will reprint for posting.

Camera Club Competitions

Moving away from Prague for a little while.

This shot was taken some time ago when I used to belong to Rayleigh Camera Club in Essex. I cannot for the life of me, remember where I was at the time of taking.

I remember the process of taking the picture though, would have been with my OM1 with a deep red filter - you can tell if you look at the odd bit of blue sky, the red filter turns blue to black by allowing more red to pass through it whilst holding back blue elements. (think that's the right way round).

A wide angle low viewpoint specially designed to do well at our local camera club.

The main reason I no longer attend camera clubs is because of the on-going focus on competitions, competitions with Judges that have all read the same "how to judge competitions in camera clubs" book! - I soon realised what it was they liked and began churning out to a formula.

Bad news....

I still like the final printed image though.

Is it still like that at clubs?

Prague Doorway - Jan 2006

Light, shade and texture - that's what attracted me to this doorway.

Once again we see live music being advertised, this time at the "Marqis de Sade". Best get in out of the -6 degree cold as it was as we were strolling along looking for a coffee shop.

Untitled - Prague

Another "off the cuff" shot made while strolling around the old city. Looking at this image again I think what caught my eye was the suggestion that Vinyl might equal antique.

Puppets - Prague, January 2006

You really can't walk more than 100 yards in the Old Town without passing a shop selling these puppets. Some seem mass produced whilst others are clearly hand made and carry a handmade price to go with them.

I try to photograph this sort of detail, to try to convey an overall feeling of a place, never been much of one for grand views.

Been spending quite a bit of time in the darkroom over the last few weeks, mainly concentrating on these Prague photos. Been printing on to Resin Coated paper made by Ilford, I use a vertical print processor made by a fantastic UK company called Nova, this processor stays full of chemicals between printing sessions and all I need to do is switch on it's built in heaters to bring it all up to temperature.

When I have an image that I'm happy with I print on to 12X16 Fibre Paper.

Enough of the nerdy stuff.

More soon...

Underground - Prague, January 2006

Back to the Prague images.

Printed deliberately in a way to convey the emotions I felt at the time of taking this picture, there was something slightly foreboding about this apparently innocent entrance to Prague's underground system, the stairs descend into a black hole.....if you dare enter will you ever see the light of day again?

All those people walking past in the background, don't they realise the entrance to a subterranean hell is right under their noses?.....or do I have an over active imagination?

Look at the guy on the poster in the background, I wonder how his gig went? There seems to be a big music scene in Prague and you are never far away from some live music in a bar or club.

My Wife and I celebrated my 40th Birthday in Prague and we saw a fantastic Czech blues band in a timy underground club, I'll post a picture later on.

All for now, take care.

Not posted for a while, thought I'd better add a few words (even if I am talking to myself!!) - actually I had a couple of people look at a couple of scanned photos I posted on the photo.net forum www.photo.net/photos/warboyssnapper so I'm grateful to "Watermark of Merni" - mysterious huh and Ovidiu-christian cojocarita for their comments.

I've been in the darkroom a bit recently, been concentarating on some frustrating negatives from a friend's wedding, all hand held, indoors on a rainy Saturday. My Bessa R3a was loaded with Neoppan 1600 which helped.

Hope to do more from last year's trip to Prague soon, probably another 6 or so to post.

My Wife and I are taking a trip to Venice in the Autumn (that's the fall if you are in the USA) and we get to leave the kids at home, how great is that! - wandering around, time for picture making, good food and wine, heaven.

All for now, take care and God bless

Jewish Cemetery

Whatever you do when you visit Prague you must visit the Jewish Cemetery. For over 300 years the bodies of Prague's Jewish dead were buried here up to 12 layers deep.
The effect today is a lumpy, bumpy surface with decayed tooth-like tombstones.
There are apparently 12,000 gravestones crammed into this timy space.

All for now...

Old Skoda and Trams

Not sure if anyone ever drove this old Skoda that spent most of the time parked up outside our hotel.
Probably more reliable to catch the Tram.

Sausage Seller, Old Town Square, Prague

My wife and I went
to Prague in January
to celebrate my 40th
Birthday.
Advice..woolly hat, thermal
underwear and well insulated
shoes make the daytime
temperature of -5 (on a good day)
just about bearable, at least whilst the
sun is shining (as it was when we were there)

Trip organised on web via Expedia.
Stayed in a three star Hotel Atlantic on
Na Porici, roughly 10 minutes walk from the old town where all roads seem to lead to.
(Isn't that strange...wherever you go you seem to find that all roads seem to lead to some key location where all other tourists or travellers congregate, and by the end of your trip you are just about sick of it!)
Another 5 minutes walk brings you to "Charles Bridge" or Karluv Most as it is known in Czech.
The centre of prague is divided into convenient areas - convenient for exploring - Old Town - with the centre piece old town square and Astronomical clock. - New town, Jewish Quarter, Little Quarter and Prague Castle.
If you have limited time concentrate walking around Old Town, Jewish Quarter, Little Quarter and Prague Castle. 3-4 days is enough.
Walk along the river, take a river cruise but avoid the touts on the Charles Bridge instead try to seek out a smaller operator down in the Little quarter, we did and found we were the only people on the boat and had the guide all to ourselves.
Climb up to the Prague Castle area and check out the old artisan cottages in Golden Lane and of course, the beautiful St Vitus's Cathedral.

More soon.....

You are being watched

I've been
trying to
work out
why I am drawn to
a particular image.

This is a good example of the
type of photos I
like to take....

Totally unplanned, bold
graphic and with many
questions left hanging in the air....Why are the beach huts under surveillance?
Where are all the people?
Wide angle lenses, this was probably my 28mm Olympus lens with either an orange or red filter to increase drama in the scene.

Hope you like it.....

Accordion Player in Montmarte

Another shot from the past...1996

Taken on a wedding anniversary trip to Paris.

We had been staying on the Left Bank and trying like mad to avoid the usual tourist traps.

We wandered along the river, crossing back and forth. I had my OM1 35mm and my YashicaMat 124G twin lens reflex with me and it was using this that I made this picture of an accordion player in Montmarte.

I don't usually take photos of people but I was drawn to this man, I would have loved to asked him how long he'd played there?, what his memories were? how many times had he had his photo taken? but, like most Englishmen I don't speak another language much to my shame.

As it was I just smiled at him, pointed at my camera, he nodded I fired the shutter and put some money in his hat (not the one on his head)....and walked away.

Photographers Andre Kertesz, August Sander, BenShahn, Ed Clark, Walker Evans and Bruce Davidson (many more I'm sure) have all been drawn to Accordion players - many were blind so they couldn't see they were being photographed.

An Autumn walk from my Village

Not quite up to date with my photos, I'll be
posting some that are 10 years old or more.

Last year I bought a 35mm Rangefinder
camera and took it for a walk out of Warboys,
past the village school and over the fields.
Can you see the way the mist hasn't cleared from the fields, horses grazing in the early morning dew.
The footpath comes out near a farm and the one of the outbuildings is shown here...

Exciting?? no not really but I like the permanence of the building, the way nature
is gradually reclaiming it....does the farmer care?

John 1:1-5

Petrol Pumps In North Wales

Not a recent photo this, taken on a family holiday to North Wales a few years ago.
Not sure why I am drawn to such images,
possibly a combination of things,
texture, lighting, mood and form.
Isn't black and white fantastic as it
eliminates all that distracting colour.
I wonder when these pumps were last used?
why are they still there? Are they still there?

Psalm 103 13-16.....

Introduction

Hello there, well isn't this strange.....
Writing stuff for all to see and, more scary, for others to comment on.

My passion is black and white photography using traditional film (no digital), developing and printing them in a home made darkroom.

I will use this blog to post some of my photos and my thoughts at the time of taking and printing.

Some will be of my local Fenland countryside, others will just be of things that take my fancy....I like old buildings, detail of doors, windows - you'll see in time.

All for now