blackandwhite

Portraits – Floating Heads

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Something I would really like doing more of is portraits of normal people. I am not too fussed who, just as long as they are not family pictures of kids. 'Hey mister, can you take a picture or two of my little Charlie, he has such a sweet face ….' NO, NO, NO ! Been there, done that and hated every minute of it. Adult portraits please, the older the subject the better as the elderly have interesting faces that tell stories of their lives. These portraits were taken and edited in a 'Floating Heads; style where just their heads and not their clothing or surrounds are viewed to focus the eye on the subject matter. I know it might not be everyone's taste, especially in monochrome , but I think it looks good and would hope to do more.

Projects – Landscapes

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As I mentioned before, here are the landscape images we took while away in Northamptonshire. Amy and I took them (hers are in colour) on a good day. It was bright enough to get a good shot and no threats of rain anywhere. The sky was interesting as well. I did not need to enhance it in the edit stage. I really wish I could have done and do more of this. Its my fault as I could have done more when I was fit and young and owned a car. One of life's regrets I suppose.

January Flower Updates

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Back on track again with the start of a new year of flower photography with thanks

to everyone at the Bramblesrist and Flowers to yours To Chris and the ladies in the shop.

We had a clematis in flower this month, which always looks good. Such and interesting shape and flowers. This month we have done some extra quirky images through the use of a prism to refract light. It was a heavy thing and awkward for Amy to hold in front of the lens, but it was worth the hassle. I am going to practice again with it sometime in February on another subject and see how it turns out … or .

That's it for this January. Please come back in February to see us again.

Thanks

x

Project – 'Architectural Metaphor ' Update

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This is it folks, this is what all the fuss was about!

The front, back and sides of our local Amazon Depot I have been asked why I take pictures of these, soulless buildings, but I like them. Its all in the lines. Note the lines in the walls and even the lines of the road markings. Lines lead the eye into a composition, and I am captivated by them. So there you have it was the lines Officer …. And to this day, they still have not come to arrest me?

There are also a few shots thrown in of a new building next to my GP's surgery. Very square, very uniformed.

Project – 'Landscape' - Updates

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Going down to Northamptonshire is one of the few chances I get to explore the countryside and practice landscape photography. Its quite a flat county, not being a million miles away from the flat lands of the Fen country in Cambridgeshire. But if you get lucky, there are still some views worth venturing out for. All black and white, I hope you enjoy this offering and thanks to Amy for her help and Mum and Dad for taking us around.

Project – 'Infrared' Update'

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Seeing as how its Summer, it was a good excuse to brush off the cobwebs from my two Infrared Chipped Nikon's and have a go at taking some strange picture colours. Some of the views are taken of my parents garden, as you can see their conservatory in the background, but most were taken of the Northamptonshire countryside. One of my favourites is the colour Infrared picture taken of a stream running under a bridge, from the bridge looking down. You can see the read moving in the current and its has an unearthly beauty about it. I have put the image as the first one to see in this gallery. I made a cock-up with the black and white infrareds as I had not got the camera set to RAW, only jpeg. So limiting what I could do in post editing. Never mind. I will not make that sloppy mistake again.

Project – 'Abstract' Update

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Abstracts taken mostly in my parents downstairs toilet, as well as a prop from the Boardroom Studio in Derby. Can you guess what they are?

Project – 'Noir et Blanc' Update

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Something new for this project gallery with a theme we have already covered before, but what the hell … I wanted to do it again. The coffee and teas and food on the table at Magazine Heaven shop and cafe in Rushden Lakes shopping centre. Sitting behind us was the old disgraced ex Tory MP for Wellingborough, who normally has a lot to say or just likes the sound of his own voice. Mr. Peter Bone, He looked all forlorn and rejected. I don’t like to kick a man when he is down (after all, we have all been there at sometime or another), but in hindsight he probably should have kept his trousers up and not been such a bully!

How the mighty fall.

Project – 'Abstract'

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Here are a few bits and bobs I photographed around the place in an abstract manner. Most of them should not be too hard to guess. There is one odd one, think Dr. Who and the …. to get it.

Please enjoy.

Amy's stuff for the streets of your town site

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She has been at it again !!!

Amy has been out and about, snapping away at people and places and doing a brilliant job at it. I especially like the man with his two dogs in a shop and another picture with a large young man playing with his mobile phone outside a shop door. She is brave because she goes up to people and just asks them if she can take their picture. Sometimes they say no, but most times they agree and she gives them a business card with the web site address on it. So thank you Amy.

If you want to see more of her work please visit the Streets of your town web site. x

(Mostly) Amy's stuff for the streets of your town site

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She wants my job !!!!

Every time she goes out she sneaks out the camera and indulges in a spot of street photography and she is very good at it. I did photograph the ladies working in the burger van outside the plastics factory, but Amy did everything else. One of my favourites as a simple, but effective image of a man's shadow on the pebbled floor. Great work Amy. See more at the Streets of your town web site. x.

Project – 'Landscapes'

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Just a few from a location that always caught my eye on which ever journey I took by car to the City. Its just outside the City limits and a blink and you miss it. It is a copse of trees on top of a mound and it reminds me of a similar view on the A38 just outside of Bristol on the way to Cornwall. You can not stop on that road, but you can this. So thanks then to my driver from my local taxi firm, James for taking me there.

March Flower Updates

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There is a mixture of flowers I got from the Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours. this month, along with some random bits Amy found in the hedgerows. So we have quite a lot to feast your eyes on. I would really like to photograph poppy's, but they are so hard to transport home as the often wilt before reaching their destination. I suppose the trick might be to go see them in situ on a clear and calm day.

So thank you then going out to my friends Chris and the ladies at Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours. As well as a nod to my wife Amy. Well that's it for this March's updates, I do hope you enjoyed them and see you again next month.

X

Project – 'Abstract' update

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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?

February Flower Updates

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Great set of flowers for this months flowers set from Brambles Florist and Flowers To Yours. There always seem to come up with something of interest and worth photographing. Often when they finally go over, you can get a second shoot out of them as dried flowers and decay. So thank you to Chris and the ladies at Brambles and Flowers To Yours. A thank you also to Amy for her help taking the pictures in our home studio (outhouse).

That is all from this months round up of stuff, be sure to tune in at the end of March for more new stuff.

Bye for now x

Project – 'Architectural Metaphor' Update

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Do you ever look above eye level when your going about your business in town centres? You should try it some time. I found the architecture of our local library quite interesting and a surprise to me. Its something I had never noticed before and although a bit Brutalist in design, it does take a good picture. Featured here are also so images of local beauty spots (?) like the Bus Station, the Probation Office and the back of an old inn of renowned destitution opposite the probation office hang out for naughty boys and girls in the area. I hope you enjoy them.

Still Life - Update

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Carrying on from last month still life subject where I captured some big red tulips from Mercybongos garden, here I captured them again when they had defiantly gone over, but look very much like a butterfly. Also during the shoot Amy suggested I shoot some of the many vases we have kicking around and then turned a sepia colour. Here are the results for this month. I will have to send Amy out again soon to look for more interesting old vases she can find in charity shops,

Project – 'Landscapes' Update

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Some little beauties this month for you on this project I would love to do more on given the chance. I have a confession to make … these images are not new. They were taken about twenty years ago somewhere north of Chesterfield in Derbyshire. They have been kicking around on my hard drives all this time, with me not knowing what to do with them. Well I finally put them into use and edited them. I hope it saws worth the wait.

March Flower Updates

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We had another great selection of flowers to snap from our friends at The Brmbles Florist and Flowers To Yours. Including a lily that stunk the house out … in a nice way of course. I know the month has come to an end when I take flower images and a visit to the florist on the final friday of the month. Thanks then to Chris and his staff at The Bramble Florist and Flowers To Yours. A shout also to my wife Amy for her assistance on the shoot.

Thats it for this month, be sure to drop by at the end of April for more. X


Project – 'Noir et Blanc' Update

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Just a few random things I photographed this month like hard boiled eggs and a cheap Coca Cola novelty camera from America to add to the project. There is no rhyme or rhythm about doing these, they were just there and available so I snapped them. Although I do have an idea to see if I am allowed to do a few snaps of an old greasy spoon cafe in town that might be interesting. We will see. Watch this space