Monthly Archives: March 2019

WTO – Dress It Up

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Brian

Novelty buttons: made in Taiwan and China; packaged at 950 Jennings Street Unit 1B, Bethlehem PA 18017, USA; sold farmers market Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK; price £2.50.

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Haystack

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Brian

One of the most widely reproduced images from the early days of photography is The Haystack by William Henry Fox Talbot.  It was taken in April 1844 using the calotype process, originally reproduced as a salted paper print and published … Continue reading →

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Scarecrows

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Brian

Two scarecrows from last week.  The different worlds of Fen farming and the National Trust. Photos: 1. Scarecrow, Landbeach, Cambs, March 2019; 2. Scarecrow, Ickworth House, Suffolk, March 2012

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Metcalfe Almshouses

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Brian

I made the mistake of trying to get to Ickworth House using TomTom on Saturday.  The man at the Shell garage was much more helpful.  But there was a bonus: an unwonted tour of Suffolk took me to Hawstead and … Continue reading →

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Only Colour Will Do

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Brian

Forced to make the choice, I’d opt for black and white photography over colour.  Part of the reason may lie in habit and tradition: it’s what I grew up with and learned in the darkroom.  Monochrome is timeless.  Then there … Continue reading →

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U3AC Photo Forum 2018-19 19: Song Titles

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Brian

The last session of term was a collation of members’ work based on song titles.  The minimal rules set by Tim were: images can be newly taken or from personal archives; the title can be any type of song – … Continue reading →

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Take a Seat – Take a Moment 2

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Brian

The previous post has set me thinking that there might be a photo book in my pictures of people sitting in quiet moments.  This would be in a similar vein to my Ruckenfigur Revisited (2013).  More elevated examples are Elliott … Continue reading →

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Take a Seat – Take a Moment

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Brian

Anyone seeing my street photography on Instagram will have noticed that it often includes seated people.  Why?  Is it just an accident; or do I go to lots of places where people want to sit down?  Is it because it’s … Continue reading →

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U3AC Photo Forum 2018-19 18: Walkabout – The Other Cambridge

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Brian

The brief for the walkabout practical session last week was the following.  ‘The title “The Other Cambridge” is deliberately vague and wide open. The sub-title is “the Cambridge that the tourists don’t see”. So anything that you consider falls into … Continue reading →

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Ferozeshah

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Brian

The 9th East Norfolk Regiment taking the Sikh batteries and camp ‘at the point of the bayonet’ on the second day of the Battle of Ferozeshah, 21st – 22nd December 1845.  Diorama presented to the Ancient House Museum, Thetford, by … Continue reading →

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Don McCullin

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Brian

I wasn’t far into the Don McCullin exhibition at Tate Britain today before Brexit ennui and despair asserted themselves: in a world beset by state and personal violence it’s self-indulgence to flirt with nationalism and move away from cooperation.  At … Continue reading →

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U3AC Photo Forum 2018-19 17: Walkabout

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Brian

Friday’s session was a practical: out and about taking photographs of ‘The Other Cambridge’.  My efforts will be revealed next week.  In the meantime, here’s a spectacular coat and umbrella spied (by me and another) on Trinity Street.  Photo: Trinity … Continue reading →

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Chippenham Park

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Brian

Walled Garden, Chippenham Park, Cambridgeshire, 6th March 2019: grass; a beech hedge with russet winter leaves; a needle-clad pine; and a naked deciduous tree.

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On Portobello Road

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Brian

I found this picture when I was sorting through my files of old negatives and contact sheets the other day.  It was taken on Portobello Road, London, on 30th September 1966.  It is probably my first piece of street photography … Continue reading →

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Grass Tree

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Brian

‘Xanthorrhoea glauca, known as the grass tree, is a large plant in the genus Xanthorrhoea, widespread in eastern Australia. The trunk can grow in excess of 5 metres tall, and may be many branched. It is occasionally seen in large … Continue reading →

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