Author: Alan Burnett

If It Wasn’t For The Trees In-Between

Back in the 1950s, there was a school geography textbook which, in the section on urban geography, had a picture of Halifax, and pupils were encouraged to count the number of mill chimneys. My photo was taken a decade later, but you could still make a decent counting exercise out of it. These days you … Continue reading If It Wasn’t For The Trees In-Between

Pigeon Post

A pigeon on the top of a post. The Lake District, last week. It's pigeon post.

Back Stories, Front Stories

You don't need to know the time, the place or t he names of the subjects to enjoy a good photograph. A degree of anonymity can, in fact, help; you can throw yourself into the scene and construct backstories and front stories to your heart's content. The strange thing about these four is that they … Continue reading Back Stories, Front Stories

Cauldron Lip

If you follow Howes Lane from Northowram to the point when it overlooks the Shibden Valley, you can get wonderful views across that valley towards Halifax. The industry, the heat, the life, and the movement of the town seem to spill over into the quiet valley. I have photographed this cauldron lip many times over … Continue reading Cauldron Lip

Green And Pleasant

I took this photograph at the end of last week, before the rains came, but even after endless weeks of near drought, the essential greenness prevails. This is not the England of red crosses paint-smeared on public buildings, but a place of balanced mellowness - a green and pleasant land indeed.

Fill In The Faces

Market stalls in Brighouse in the 1960s. Other than the little girl (who is probably just about to become a pensioner!) you can't see any faces. You don't need to. Your mind automatically fills in the missing detail. The faces lined by years of work. The complexions scarred by too much worry.

Mystery Date

This photograph was part of a collection of family photos. The only clue as to the subject is a date stamped on the back, 6th January 1929, and the name of the studio where it was taken, Jerome. Could it be my mother? The dates fit, and there was a branch of Jerome's in Bradford. … Continue reading Mystery Date

My Little Town

This is one of my favourite photographs from my walks around Halifax 55 years ago. When I took it, did I think I was capturing a world that was vanishing - a world of cobbled streets, gas lights and soot-stained stone terraces - or did I simply see it as an interesting composition? In truth, … Continue reading My Little Town

Miriam On The Lake

My visit to the Lake District concludes with this rather wonderful photograph of my Auntie Miriam taken on a boat there ninety or so years ago. Whilst Miriam's smile is, as always, engaging, my attention is immediately captured by the passenger in the rather wonderful hat.