This series of blogs is based around pictures from my archive , I hope the words that accompany the featured pictures offer a level of context , explanation and inspiration to readers .

Older readers might recognise the source of “inspiration” for the “The Foto What I Took” blog title , coconuts all round for those who spotted the Morcambe and Wise “The Play What I Wrote“ reference …

This picture is part of my Covid era project , “Testing Times” and is different to most of the other pictures within this documentary series as it is inspired by how life felt during those dark days rather than how life looked !

This picture surprises me on a number of levels , looking back I am unable to remember what possessed me to go out looking for photographs on such a cold wet miserable winters day , I might of been suffering from lockdown “Cabin Fever” or perhaps I had a episode of blind optimism , either way I’m pleased I did ! The other thing that still surprises me is the appearance of the lone figure within this image , this location is quite remote and pedestrians are not plentiful , even in normal weather , not only did this guy turn up but he came into shot at just the right time , I had noticed the space and acknowledged that a pedestrian filling that space would be the compositional equivalent of a cherry on the cake but I did not hold out much hope , this was not a day for hanging about and waiting ?

I recognised the covered car as a classic metaphor for lock down life , Stephen Shore and Wim Wenders exploited the covered car motif within their work for years , long before the Covid crisis and long before I shot this but I think it took on a new deeper significance during the societal pandemic shut down !

I see this picture as a optimistic image , despite the bad weather , the juxtaposition of the red berried bush and the cold blue hues of the domestic scene suggest that eventually life will recover ..

One day the covers will come off …

Sometimes you have to put your shoes on and go and see what is happening out there , curiosity , should be the curse of being a photographer …