I always thought that the M1 going over Tinsley Viaduct in Sheffield, with those majestic cooling towers in the background, made a good photo, and I photographed it again and again in the 1980s. Then they went and demolished the cooling towers. You could still take the photo today, I suppose, but you would have … Continue reading Artificial Towers
Tag: Sheffield
Spires And Steel
I spent most of the 1980s living in Sheffield. The decade and the location are irredeemably linked in my mind: when I think of the 1980s, I think of the decline of heavy industry and cheap buses. When I think of Sheffield, I think of the proud resistance of working class communities and the need … Continue reading Spires And Steel
Mondrian In Monochrome
I'm not sure where this is; it has a lot in common with West Yorkshire, but some of the buildings don't seem to fit in, and I have a vague memory of being in South Yorkshire when I took the photo. It doesn't matter precisely where it is - it's the shapes that are captivating … Continue reading Mondrian In Monochrome
Joe’s Cafe And The Search For Artificial Intelligence
I took the photograph back in the early 1980s, and I think it was in Sheffield. I decided to use the very latest AI-driven location identification programmes to confirm this, and I can now announce that today's picture features Joe's Cafe which is in Sheffield .... or Bournemouth, or Pontypool, Wales, or Skibbereen, Ireland, or, … Continue reading Joe’s Cafe And The Search For Artificial Intelligence
Big Cars And Half Demolished Streets
I'm not precisely certain about the date of this photograph; it could have been any time during the first half of the 1980s. We were living in Sheffield at the time. It was a time of big cars and half demolished streets, empty factories and new technologies, hope and despair.
Grainy Sheffield
These days you can add grain to an image with a click of a Photoshop filter. Forty-odd years ago, when I took this photograph in Sheffield, grain wasn't an optional add-on; it was the inevitable consequence of a fast film on a dark day. The grainy shapes in the distance are the Hallamshire Hospital and … Continue reading Grainy Sheffield
Yorkshire Paradise
I took the photograph that became the basis for this image of Paradise Square in Sheffield back in 1980. There was snow on the ground, which was slowly being transformed into mucky slush. My digital messing has given the whole thing a brownish tint, which somehow suits it. Paradise - Yorkshire style.
Some Thoughts On Pubs
Looking back at my life, I must say that there have not been all that many times when I have been happier than when I was sitting in a pub. It isn't easy to analyse the attraction: it's not necessarily the drink - I'm quite happy to let a single pint share my evening with … Continue reading Some Thoughts On Pubs
Such Is Life
I must have taken this photograph of the Jessop Hospital in Sheffield sometime around the late eighties. We were living in Sheffield at the time. Perhaps it was November 1989: I can certainly recall pacing around the Jessop Hospital, waiting for my son to be born. The son was born, and he and his mother … Continue reading Such Is Life
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