It's back in the 1980s, and I'm walking along a canal towpath somewhere in South Yorkshire. The bridge creates a monumental frame for a picture of social and economic change. A man looks down, puzzled by someone wanting to capture such a scene. Film was expensive back in those times, but I don't think this … Continue reading This Frame
Category: Scanned Negatives
No Complaints
You can complain about this if you want. You can say it isn't a real photo: it isn't; it's one of my old photos from 55 years ago that I've messed with. You can say they aren't the real colours: they aren't; the original was in black and white, but that wasn't real either. This … Continue reading No Complaints
Seaside Drive
It's holiday time. It's time for the seaside. I'll try to remember to send you a postcard.
Movement On Parade
These days, any semi-smart phone would take a perfectly sharp, full-coloured photograph, but fifty-odd years ago in the parade ring at Sandown Park racecourse, the shutter speed was too slow and the colours were too grey. There is movement there, however, and a rainbow's worth of atmosphere.
Timeless Halifax
For most of my life, I have not been capable of walking down Shaw Lane or Boys Lane in Halifax without taking a photograph (or calling in The Shears for a pint, but that's another story). This particular photo dates from 1978, but it's almost the same as photos taken 10 years before or 40 … Continue reading Timeless Halifax
Gog Hill
A photograph of the delightfully named Gog Hill in Elland from 45 years ago. Even then, it was a shadow of its former self, cleared of the layer after layer of houses that used to cling to this hillside. Generations of my wife's family had lived on or around Gog Hill, their stories woven into … Continue reading Gog Hill
Snicket In Halifax
No photographer worth his (or her) silver salts can pass this pathway off Old Lane in Halifax without taking a photograph like this as a tribute to the great photographer, Bill Brandt. Brandt's 1937 version of the scene ended up in New York's Museum of Modern Art. My 1980 version ended up as my calendar … Continue reading Snicket In Halifax
That’s Progress For You
I have a vague memory of taking this photo somewhere around Luddenden some 45 years ago. Back then, it would have been unthinkable that I could make up for my lack of record keeping by tracking down similar buildings using on-line street-view maps. But that's progress for you - and, if I'm right, the mill … Continue reading That’s Progress For You
Kinlochleven
My photograph dates from the early 1960s when we spent a holiday at Kinlochleven in Scotland. Clearly visible is the aluminium smelter, which was still operational at the time - it was eventually closed in June 2000. The dam and hydro-electric power plant, which were built to power the smelter, still exist and provide power … Continue reading Kinlochleven
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