THE FOTO WHAT I TOOK , NO 21 , 2014.

April 28, 2022

This is a picture from my Another Day Off series , it connected with me from the moment I made the capture !

This candid “Portrait” was made on the streets of Gloucester and in my opinion offers a bit more than the average random stranger pic , in order to understand this photograph you have to understand why it resonates so deeply within me …

This picture is the classic “one framer” , I knew I would only get one chance at this picture as I made this exposure discreetly with a wide angle lens , up close and on the move , sometimes that is the nature of “Street” , the difference between success and failure is defined within 1 / 250 th of a second , no time to consider the deep meaningful stuff during the “Flash , Bang , Wallop” moment , the deep consideration is deferred , sometimes for years …

I hope that those who engage with this image see a bit more than a bloke wearing a Superman T-Shirt , in fact I hope others see this as a portrait of us all , this is certainly a portrait of me or should I say my inner idea of who I am , I am not the super-hero I thought I once was and I know it , age has caught up with me as it does and life’s kryptonite has taken its toll .

I’m not ready to let go of my Super hero ego just yet though as I’m very comfortable with my delusions , they can’t touch you for it …

Once I share the title / caption of this picture , a perspective of how I see this picture & myself should become clearer , are you a secret super-hero ?

Self Portrait Of A Stranger , 2014 , a picture from the Another Day Off series …

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 , insight and inspiration to readers .

“The Foto What I Took” blog title , is a comedy reference “borrowed" / inspired” by the Morcambe and Wise “The Play What I Wrote“ sketch …

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If your blessed with a bit more time feel free to visit highlights from my Another Day Off project , The State Of Britain series , The Testing Times pictures or the “In Progress” , “Living” In Limbo… pics , they represent the most turbulent years in modern British history and ten years of my life…

Many more The Foto What I Took Blogs are available too

THE FOTO WHAT I TOOK , NO 20 , 2021 .

April 26, 2022

This is a recent image from my “Living” In Limboland series , this series reflects my personal feelings and insecurities during what are uncertain times …

I thought this monochromatic aesthetic was behind me but it feels right for these dark days , these pictures reflect my life in England , a country I think of as “Limboland” ?

This series is a reaction to the pandemic era and the economic challenges facing former industrial towns , these forgotten places are scarred by their history and fearful for their fragile futures …

Uncertainty is the only certainty in England now …

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 , insight and inspiration to readers .

“The Foto What I Took” blog title , is a comedy reference “borrowed" / inspired” by the Morcambe and Wise “The Play What I Wrote“ sketch …

MORE…

If your blessed with a bit more time feel free to visit highlights from my Another Day Off project , The State Of Britain series , The Testing Times pictures or the “In Progress” , “Living” In Limbo… , they represent the most turbulent years in modern British history and ten years of my life…

Many more The Foto What I Took Blogs are available too …

THE FOTO WHAT I TOOK , NO 19 , 2015.

April 23, 2022

One of my better captures ? The story that accompanies this image is quite odd as this picture came about following one of my deepest darkest picture droughts , a time of very low mojo !

During this period I was investing a lot of time on the streets and actually hit “the wall” , the water well of creativity dried up and my personal “Street” came to a stop !

It had happened before and will no doubt happen again but my rehabilitation was different this time …

I went from zero interest in Street Photography to taking on the persona of a man possessed overnight , I woke up on the morning of this capture with a strong instinct to go and make pictures , that was odd enough but the hard winter light that encouraged me to get out of bed early and follow my instincts also insisted that I visit this local location that had never delivered before ?

I invested a lot of time framing this image up as I wanted to exploit the reflections, I noticed that the reflection of the street lamp was interfering with the facial features of the white mannequin on the left , I stepped half a yard to my left and started reimagining the lamppost as a microphone , compositional problem solved , narrative created !

The cherry on the top arrived as soon as I had sorted the framing out , the shadowy figure remains a bit of a mystery to me to this day as I never noticed the person or have ever seen another shadow like this on that wall , believe me I’ve looked , many times !

This was a genuine fleeting moment , like the ones you read about in photo-blogs …

If at first you succeed go back and succeed again, better , is my moto , but it’s not happening on this location …

I’ll have to settle for this …

The shadowy figure remains a bit of a mystery to me to this day as I never noticed the person or have ever seen another shadow like this on that wall , believe me I’ve looked …

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 , insight and inspiration to readers .

“The Foto What I Took” blog title , is a comedy reference “borrowed" / inspired” by the Morcambe and Wise “The Play What I Wrote“ sketch …

MORE…

If your blessed with a bit more time feel free to visit highlights from my Another Day Off project , The State Of Britain series , The Testing Times picturesor the “In Progress” , “Living” In Limbo… , they represent the most turbulent years in modern British history and ten years of my life…

Many more The Foto What I Took Blogs are available too …

THE FOTO WHAT I TOOK , NO 18 , 2016.

April 21, 2022

“Lets Celebrate” The State Of Britain Series , No 31 , 2016 .

Never underestimate the power of irony within a photograph , or the visual value of “accidental” subversion , was the vendor making a political statement here ?

Don’t blame me , I just identified the irony and contextualised the scenario ...

As the UK attempts to deal with a cost of living crisis , pictures within this series begin to take on a life of their own , I never imagined that the UK would have more foodbanks than McDonald’s restaurants , I never thought that supermarket shelves would be empty due to disrupted supply chains or that a UK Government would party as people died …

The State Of Britain series really is a reflection of the “Here & Now” , this is a deep pre-pandemic portrait of life during the Brexit era , edited down to more than 300 images , its not a collection of pretty pictures !

Lets not celebrate, while the chaos of “Partygate” & the current cost of living crisis continue …

The State Of Britain series really is a series for our times …

“Lets Celebrate” The State Of Britain Series , No 31 , 2016 , its beyond irony …

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 , insight and inspiration to readers .

“The Foto What I Took” blog title , is a comedy reference “borrowed" / inspired” by the Morcambe and Wise “The Play What I Wrote“ sketch …

MORE…

If your blessed with a bit more time, feel free to visit highlights from my Another Day Off project , The State Of Britain series , The Testing Times pictures or the “In Progress” , “Living” In Limbo… pics , they represent the most turbulent years in modern British history and ten years of my life…

Many more The Foto What I Took Blogs are available too …

THE FOTO WHAT I TOOK , NO 17 , 2020.

April 19, 2022

A “Lucky” Street capture from 2020 , this picture is lucky for a number of reasons !

I considered any genuine Street picture to be a gift during 2020 as the world was under the Covid Cosh and my everyday life was on pause …

Street Photography really does rely on blind faith and optimism , its a act of rolling the dice repeatedly and expecting to win occasionally , this optimism was hard to find during 2020 amongst the uncertainty of the pandemic days but it did not abandon me completely !

Although I dedicated 2020 to documenting the Covid crisis I occasionally took a walk on the wild side and rolled the Street Photography dice, more as a form of light relief than a serious approach with high levels of expectation , low footfall and few opportunities to visit town ensured that the odds were stacked against even the most optimistic of photographers …

I had made a note of this “Yellow” location during a previous walk but had not invested much time here trying to get a shot , I don’t know what I expected to happen here as this is not a walkway but my instincts told me to be patient and hang about , I noticed a very cute looking red Micra car approaching my frame from the right and thought , that might look good against the yellow , then all of a sudden this bloke appeared from nowhere and triggered a immediate panicky response from me , a last gasp lucky firing of the shutter led to this “Perfectly Timed Capture” , truth be told I had not seen this bloke coming , if i had , I would of fired the shutter too early and the moment would of been missed , my last second panic appears to be more reliable than my considered “Street” approach , I know the harder you work the luckier you get but sometimes you need to recognise luck when it leaves its calling card ?

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 , insight and inspiration to readers .

“The Foto What I Took” blog title , is a comedy reference “borrowed" / inspired” by the Morcambe and Wise “The Play What I Wrote“ sketch …

MORE…

Many more The Foto What I Took Blogs are available too.

THE FOTO WHAT I TOOK , NO 16 , 2015 .

April 16, 2022

“Surprise” , that is what I’m looking for and that is why I make Street pictures !

Although I enjoy surprising those who see my pictures I pursue Street Photographs because I want to surprise myself , life frequently surprises me but I am in awe of the fleeting moments of life that turn up in front of my lens offering much more than I could ever expect …

When I made this candid capture I would of captioned this picture “Man Carrying Table” and that would have been a accurate caption for a picture of a man carrying a table down the street , however , this picture has gone on to represent much more than that to me , it is not a coincidence that I am sharing this blog on Easter Sunday ,

I thought about using a picture of daffodils , spring lambs or painted eggs but I wanted a pic that was a bit more “Street” , I also wanted a pic that exploited religious iconography, narrative and symbolism , in short I wanted this picture of a “Man Carrying Table” !

Strange how this everyday scene has transformed itself into a modern Easter picture ?

Proof if proof were needed that it is not what you see but how you see it , full of surprises this “Street Photography” malarkey …

Don’t eat too much chocolate , enjoy your Easter weekend and spare a thought for those who do not enjoy safety and peace today …

Strange how this everyday scene has transformed itself into a modern Easter picture ?

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 , insight and inspiration to readers .

“The Foto What I Took” blog title , is a comedy reference “borrowed" / inspired” by the Morcambe and Wise “The Play What I Wrote“ sketch …

MORE…

Many more The Foto What I Took Blogs are available too.

THE FOTO WHAT I TOOK , NO 15 , 2016.

April 14, 2022

Lets be clear I might be getting old but I’m not this old , this is a pic from a modern passion play , it depicts the recreated events of Good Friday , a important day within the Christian religious calendar .

Finding ways to simplify the subjects of your photography is rarely a bad thing , shadows can be a extremely powerful way of viewing complex scenes and making them easier to “read” but its a trick that should be used sparingly if you want to avoid the “one trick pony” tag !

The graphic simplification of this iconic scenario is no less powerful for its ambiguity , in fact the opposite is probably true !

The reality of modern shops , modern people and the general clutter of modern daily life within this eye-level scene forced me to find another way to communicate this narrative , all I did was notice the length & strength of the shadows and point my camera towards them , enabling the viewer to fill in the gaps .

The story here might be “The Greatest Story Ever Told” but as photographers we have to try and find new ways of telling it , how will you photograph this weekends festivities , simplicity might be a good start …

Strange Fact , One of the most common searches within photo-stock agency search engines is “Photo Of Jesus” , think about that …

Spare a thought those who will not enjoy peace & safety this Easter weekend …

…all I did was notice the strength & length of the shadows and point my camera towards them , enabling the viewer to complete the narrative .

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 , insight and inspiration to readers .

“The Foto What I Took” blog title , is a comedy reference “borrowed" / inspired” by the Morcambe and Wise “The Play What I Wrote“ sketch …

MORE…

Many more The Foto What I Took Blogs are available too

THE FOTO WHAT I TOOK , NO 14 , 2017.

April 12, 2022

The best thing about this series of blogs is that it introduces readers to work from my archive that they might not of seen before , I have to confess that I’m pleased that this series is also reintroducing me to pictures that I had forgotten about too …

The picture featured today had fallen off my personal radar completely , it is from my “Blue Frames Series” and its better than I remember to be honest , this series was inspired by the work of Bill Brandt , he did a series with a mirror on a south coast beach that is worth checking out if you have not discovered it yet , in fact anything by Brandt will inspire and impress !

I should also credit Rene Magritte with a surreal influence in this pic too , this is “as shot” on location , no computer shenanigans here , blue sky in one direction and dark clouds the other way , welcome to England !

This is a self portrait shot with flash on the banks of the river Severn at Newnham , this whole series was invented to keep my creative juices flowing during the winter months , just me and a large blue framed mirror , most of these pics would be shot on a Sunday morning, the concept was usually developed during the week and was well established in my mind before I set off for the planned location shoot .

It wasn’t rare for colleagues to ask me if I would be “buggering about with that Big Blue Mirror this weekend” as they planned fishing trips, DIY or rounds of golf , I thought they were odd , I know they thought I was …

This series was great fun to shoot , I was Photographer , Assistant , Art Director and Model , I was also a slave to the self timer , bleep , bleep , bleep , bleep , bleep , bleep ,bleeeeeeep , check the image , rubbish , go again , rubbish , repeat , MADNESS …..

I would recommend buying “odd stuff” from car boot sales or charity shops to build pics around , especially if your inspiration reserves are low, it might take your photography to fresh places , creatively and technically …

Think like a surrealist …

I became a slave to the self timer , bleep , bleep , bleep , bleep , bleep ,bleeeeeeep ,…

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Many more “The Foto What I Took Blogs” are available too …

THE FOTO WHAT I TOOK , NO 13 , 2020.

April 12, 2022

I’m a big fan of urban abstracts especially gable ends that unwittingly say so much about the folks that once occupied this former building and the rooms that once were … These part demolished gable ends seem to be much harder to find than they once were , I love the little details, like the stenciled ivy as seen in this frame , they offer clues that inform us of interior design trends and how these rooms were once used .

I wonder about the lives that once occupied these derelict spaces , this was once someone’s home !

Some might say I’m nosey , I prefer to think of my enthusiasm for these part demolished gable ends as a photographic trigger , a form of modern archeology that presents itself as a form of accidental Abstract Expressionism with a unique narrative , that’s my excuse anyway …

I must remember that “Accidental Abstract Expressionist” line for my next artists statement …

Next time you see a exposed gable end like this , let your mind wonder through the imaginary lives of the folk who once occupied these now empty spaces …

Until next time …

I wonder about the lives that once occupied these spaces , this was once someone’s home !

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Many more “The Foto What I Took Blogs” are available too …

THE FOTO WHAT I TOOK , NO 12 , 2014

April 8, 2022

“The Dalmatian Contagion , No 2 ”

I’m a big fan of visual echoes especially when they are as random as this dog with a floral tablecloth in the background !

The rhythm and visual density of the design on the dog and the busy random spots of the tablecloth appear to connect when seen together , the cut off composition contributes to the unusual nature of this surprising candid capture from a local dog show !

Has the pattern behind fallen onto the dog or vice versa , can random designs become contagious if objects and animals get too close , it appears that they can , this image raises more questions than answers and that is exactly how I like it , as a viewer it is your job to resolve them , I can’t do all the heavy lifting …

This picture was shot during the Another Day Off series era but it did not make the cut as its a monochromatic work , Dalmatians have got to be Black & White , that’s the law !

Sometimes my pictures are not about the objects / living things featured , sometimes I break the subject down into shapes , patterns and space and explore how the “Collisions of Coincidence” bounce off each other , reality can and often does become something else if and when you start to “see” the world objectively !

“The Dalmatian Contagion” , No 2 , 2014 .

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 , insight and inspiration to readers .

“The Foto What I Took” blog title , is a comedy reference “borrowed" / inspired” by the Morcambe and Wise “The Play What I Wrote“ sketch …

MORE…

Many more The Foto What I Took Blogs are available too …