The start of a new month - where will it lead us? If this photograph is anything to go by, it will lead us to Firth House in Rastrick.
Ghostly Double
This week, Sepia Saturday is celebrating Halloween with ghosts as its theme. In many ways, this is a suitable theme for lovers of old photographs, because so many early photos were linked in one way or another to ghostly phenomena. My photograph shows my Uncle Frank’s parents, Frank and Clara Fieldhouse, at the seaside. Whether … Continue reading Ghostly Double
Night Shots
You need an old camera, slow film, and a decent downpour to get a good night shot. Modern digital cameras are hopeless: they sharpen the focus, bring up the shadows, and tone down the glare, leaving you with something about as dramatic as a soggy digestive biscuit. Luckily, when I took this photograph of Commercial … Continue reading Night Shots
Industrial Cubism
I took this photograph in Sheffield more than forty years ago. After all this time, I’m not certain where it was taken - possibly around Kelham Island. The exact location does not matter; it is the starkness of the scene that grips the imagination, accentuated by the photograph’s black-and-white composition. The shapes possess a beauty … Continue reading Industrial Cubism
Developments
This map may not mean much to most people, but it shows Northowram, the village where I grew up. It is dated 1920, although it may be based on data from a decade earlier. What is surprising is not the amount of development in the past 70 years, but how much occurred in the 30 … Continue reading Developments
Images Are Magical
For as long as I can remember, I have been in love with images. They offer the ultimate freedom of expression and interpretation, allowing you to explore a moment, place, emotion, or expression in detail. They let you freeze time and make the transient permanent. Images are magical.
Guess The Building
Here’s a fun diversion for a miserable Monday morning: take a photograph of a famous Calderdale building, ask a friendly AI bot to turn it into an architectural drawing, and then ask people to guess which building it’s supposed to be. I’ll post the original photograph - and the location - at the end of … Continue reading Guess The Building
Neoplasticism And Halifax Borough Market
The Dutch painter Piet Mondrian was one of the founders of the art movement known as Neoplasticism. His palette was limited to the three primary colours - red, blue, and yellow - along with black, white, and grey. The result was art composed of lines and shapes. As far as I know, Mondrian never visited … Continue reading Neoplasticism And Halifax Borough Market
The End Of The Film
I like to think that, when Bill Brandt walked up Old Lane in Halifax in 1937, he took his famous Snicket in Halifax photo. He then climbed to the top of the steps leading to the railway bridge and took his equally famous Halifax photo. After walking down the other side, he turned and cursed … Continue reading The End Of The Film
