Closure: ’35 Years On’ (Part 2 of 6)

When I undertook my ‘street’ portrait in 1984, I never thought I would be tramping the streets of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire 35 years later, revisiting those I photographed…

Paul – who enjoys family life – says he has spent the majority of the past 35 years ‘mostly bothering my wife’ who he met in South London in 1987 and with whom he has three children. Paul began a career in the electrical industry as an apprentice at the steelworks in Scunthorpe and is now Sales Director for a long-established electrical firm.

Paul is a percussionist who has ‘never not had a drumkit’ and he still plays regularly with a popular local band. In his spare time, Paul enjoys restoring classic motorbikes from the 70s and 80s. He works voluntarily for the Forge Project – a charity offering support for homeless and vulnerable people – in Scunthorpe, is a qualified football referee and took part in the Great North Run – the largest half marathon in the world which runs from Newcastle to South Shields and which attracts over 50,000 participants – over 10 succesive years. He admits that now his knees are ‘bolloxed’ he has to take his exercise a little easier.

‘I haven’t moved and I’ve done nowt’ was Scott’s initial response when I asked him what he’d been doing since 1984. From our conversation, however, he is clearly a settled and home-loving chap who is a career laboratory technician. He currently works for a Swedish mining company.

Since 1984 Sue has led a well-travelled life; she spent around 7 years in Amsterdam before busking her way through France, Portugal and Spain – where she tried her hand at fire juggling – living and working as she went. Since her return to the UK, Sue has held a variety of interesting and diverse jobs – manageress of a health farm in Brighton and lifeguarding in Bognor Regis among them – and currently works in the care industry.

Sue studied metalwork and jewellery in Sheffield and is a keen silversmith: she wore some excellent examples of her work for the recent photograph.

Many thanks go to those who agreed to take part in this project. 1984 photographs were made using a Mamiya 6×6 camera and the recent photographs were made using an OMD EM5 Mk II camera.

Closure: ’35 Years On’ (Part 1 of 6)

When I undertook my ‘street’ portrait in 1984, I never thought I would be tramping the streets of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire 35 years later, revisiting those I photographed…

I found the conversations I had with the people I photographed absolutely fascinating – all had interesting stories to tell – and Tina’s story of her life since 1984 was one of them.
Tina joined the Danish Merchant Navy as a cook and, over a span of 16 years, worked her way up the ladder and finished her maritime career as first mate. She returned to her home town of Scunthorpe where she gained employment as a heavy fork-lift driver and subsequently a gantry crane driver for a firm of steel fabricators.
After 10 years as a child-minder, Tina recently began casual work in a school kitchen, working around her commitments to her two sons and her dogs.

While I was in Scunthorpe, Martin was taking a holiday with his family following a long tour of the US. He generously drove over to me on his return so I could include him in the project. What had he been up to over the past 35 years? He mailed me this statement:

‘In 1984 I was in a local Scunthorpe band and working at an agricultural supplies establishment. In my spare time, I worked at the Baths Hall (and other venues) for a local PA company as a sound engineer. Chance meetings of people ‘further up the ladder’ in the live concert side of the music industry whilst working at Scunthorpe’s Free Rock Festival gave me the opportunity to begin working nationally and internationally as a sound engineer and tour/production manager. So, I made a ‘career move’ and began living in Leicester and joined a team of like-minded people there. 35 years later, I am back living in a quiet Lincolnshire village and married with 2 children. I’m thankful for an amazing career that has taken me all over the world year after year, working for multi-million (record) selling artists of all kinds. I’ve visited places that in 1984 I would never have dreamed of and experienced life in a way that I never thought possible. My work has introduced me to musicians and comedians, tv and film celebrities, and hundreds of other ‘roadies’ – a lot of whom will remain close friends for the rest of my days. It’s not easy being away from home, family and friends for long periods of time and it’s not a life that suits everyone, but the rewards make it worthwhile and I don’t regret (much of) it at all!’

Jill is still as enthusiastic about life – always delivered with good humour and accompanied by an infectious smile – as I remember she was back in 1984. Her consuming interest nowadays is centred on ‘Steampunk’, a style of design and fashion that combines historical elements with anachronistic technological features inspired by early science fiction.
Curiously, Jill explained to me that she had once made the headlines of a local newspaper when she ‘stole the Queen’s dog’. The sensational nature of that headline was a little misleading, though the dog she ‘liberated’ from conditions she felt were less than satisfactory was indeed from the same stock as the royal hounds.

Hope you enjoyed this first part of my project ’35 Years On’. The 1984 photographs were made using a Mamiya 6×6 camera and Kodak Tri-X film stock. Those taken during my stay in Scunthorpe in July 2019 were made using my OMD EM5 Mk II, coupled with a 12-40mm f2.8 Zuiko Digital lens. My sincere thanks to all who took part. I will leave you with a dedication to two guys who are sadly no longer with us:

Chatuchak, Part 2: Vendors

My last blog took a look at the Chatuchak Weekend Market before the crowds descend. In this blog my interest is directed to those who work at this popular Bangkok tourist attraction.

Business had just begun when I made most of these photographs, the narrow alleys of the central section still quickly and easily negotiable. Some stalls were already trading while in others, vendors waited in anticipation of a successful, busy day.

A Moment of Meditation (Coffee Cup): 2017

Looking at this photograph, one thought always occupies me: ‘I wish that coffee cup had not been there’. And it is true; I toned it down a tad, to lessen the impact, but for me it remains – admitted in my title – and anyway, I only have the one shot. It remains a vendor in refective mood rather than: ‘A mildly irritated man who knows that a farang with a camera has just asked if he could move a coffee cup.’

I waited for some time for the photograph above, but I sometimes get the feeling that something may happen to complete an image. In this case I was spotted, an occupational hazard that either works or doesn’t work. Following the moment I did enjoy some friendly banter – an occupational pleasure.

Speaking of conversations, I was talking to a grand old chap at one stall – his excellent English put my Thai speaking skills to shame – when he remarked as a parting shot: ‘yes, the market has many stories, many secrets’. I was on my way home but the vendor’s words got me thinking: untold stories? Hidden away? I wondered if they would ever reveal themselves.

The thousands of visitors Chatuchak attracts each weekend are well catered for, too. I tried the street food: delicious. Hot work when you consider the climate; well into the nineties usually. The lady above was able to engage with the few basic Thai pleasantries I offered, as was her assistant – also pictured above – sitting by her side.

Street portraiture has always interested me; it offers the chance to be a little in control and it presents the challenge of giving the resulting image relevance. I met a young man (portrayed below) outside a small, glass-fronted unit which was brightly lit to show off some very large paintings. We chatted and established the paintings were his work and he agreed to a photograph. I went outside to make the shot, the unit was too small to achieve the framing I felt I needed. What I didn’t anticipate was getting my hand in; by happy accident, in the right place… at the moment of exposure.

Thanks for visiting my blog. For those who like to know, I used an Olympus OMD with a Zuiko short zoom lems to make the photographs.

Chatuchak, Part 1: before the crowds descend

Rendezvous Point: The clock tower dominates the market, 2017

Covering some 27 acres, Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market is one of the biggest in the world. The market comprises around 15,000 stalls, the bulk of which are arranged grid-like with crisscrossing alleyways – which barely allow the passage of two people abreast – contained within a broad perimeter ‘avenue’. It is from this circulating walkway that the famous Clock Tower can be seen, offering hope for the lost: it is a popular meeting point for that reason. It is here that you can reunite with friends, sit and reflect on the experience or contemplate the wooden ‘croaking frog’ you just bought because, well, one does. I made the photograph above when things came together for me, contre-jour, a little after sunrise. The market largely dormant.

I like to visit the market early morning – before the latest contingent of the 200,000 who visit the market annually – because I have the place to myself. Nearly. Sometimes among the lifeless mannequins, the piles of books, t-shirts, souvenirs and other items, the well worn tarpaulin stretched across goods yet to be revealed… life pops up unexpectedly and the market wakes up.

A benefit, for me, of having a place like Chatuchak to oneself is the chance to look at things closer. Occasionally I spot a detail that gives me a chance to consider what is before me in a more contemplative way, exploring elements of composition, light and shade. This doesn’t happen often, but here are three examples: lights waiting to be switched on, polythene sheets stretched to cover their brimming contents and parasols waiting to be unfurled.

Naturally, as we are in Bangkok, there are oddities: I came across a bust – a replica of some classical work – sat on a table at an intersection in the artists’ zone. It didn’t appear to be on sale and I was having no luck with it. A farang with a briefcase was hurrying along. I picked my moment; on reflection I got it wrong – not the ‘decisive moment’ – but I like it anyway.

I have a wooden frog somewhere, consigned to a box and hidden away. Perhaps I’ll find it one day and be able to tell someone, ‘look, it croaks!’.

Written off, but not forgotten: crashed cars, spare parts and untold stories

Top of the heap, the latest acquisition: 2015

I paid a short visit to a dismantling firm – spur of the moment decision really – in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire during July of 2015. I had arrived in the town on an early morning train and made my way to the outskirts where once stood the vast buildings and blast furnaces of steelworks.

I was looking for something I could not find: the new warehousing depots and characterless industrial units, some still waiting for occupation, were not it. The weather was deteriorating fast and my getaway toward the town centre took me past a dismantlers’ yard: I remembered finding parts here for my first car – an old Renault 5 – over 40 years previously.

What an odd beauty destruction may bring: 2015

The guy in the office gave me the ‘once’ over – twice – before allowing me in to make photographs. After I’d had a good look around – making shots later to be ignored – I began to look a little closer. Occasionally, among the clutter and chaos, I’d find a few interesting arrangements of distorted metal and displaced parts. Then I made a photograph of an interior and things got a little more philosophical.

The door of this car was missing and I didn’t resist the temptation. I crouched in the passenger side – the seats had been removed – and considered the scene; ‘what were your thoughts at the moment of impact?’, ‘did you have time to have a thought?’. The dashboard was intact; maybe, on the premise that cars are replaceable, this story had a happy ending.

I recalled JG Ballard, whose book, Crash I had enjoyed:

‘A car crash harnesses elements of eroticism, aggression, desire, speed, drama, kinesthetic factors, the stylizing of motion, consumer goods, status – all these in one event.’

I noticed a redundant church that overlooked the scene and found this connection appropriate. As I made the short walk into the town – and shelter – the drizzle had become rain.

For those who like to know, the camera was an Olympus OMD coupled with a Zuiko short zoom lens. Thanks for visiting my blog.

Closure: I need to let the eighties go…

I look through the portraits that formed a late 1984, early 1985 project on an almost annual basis. My subject was the ‘alternative’ youth culture of Scunthorpe, a steel town in North Lincolnshire. I shall be there in six weeks’ time and it occurred to me that it will be the 35th anniversary of the project.

I am planning to track down some of these folk, see what they’re up to and, should they allow it, make another portrait. I originally shot around eighty portraits and I am hoping to track down about 24: I think that will be a project, and I think that then I can lay the thing to rest.

In 1985 I held a modest exhibition of around 48 portraits, mounted but unframed, in the local museum and gallery. I have moved around a lot since – including abroad – and about 24 of the original prints have accompanied me on my travels. About 4 years ago I discovered the complete set of negatives in a box stored in my brother’s garage. All in perfect condition.

I contact printed the lot and am hoping, nearer my visit, that social media – particularly local groups – will provide me with some contacts. A number are facebook friends, so I perhaps have a bit of a start there. I’m fairly optimistic.

Originally shot on film using a medium format – 6cm x 6cm – camera, I shall be using my digital camera for any new photographs. I am also going to be thinking about context.

I remember those days well, the project was a lot of fun. Along the way I met a lot of very resourceful and interesting people.

I’m looking forward to catching up with old friends, finding out a little more about the many strangers I photographed. I do know that some of my subjects are, sadly, no longer with us; the new project will be a memorial to them.

And if I am not successful? Well there will always be next year…

Thanks for taking the time to look at this small selection of images. If there are developments, I’ll be keeping you posted….

Buy a Postcard! Lincoln Cathedral and me…

Approaching the county town of Lincolnshire by road or rail one will spot the cathedral miles before arrival . To say it dominates the skyline is probably an understatement. On a fine day – there are some – the magnificent building simply demands attention.

Lincoln’s Newest Building (when I took the shot): 2016

I have lived in Lincoln, I have holidayed in Lincoln, I have made many hundreds of photographs in Lincoln. However, when I came to look for images to support this blog, I discovered I had very few that featured the cathedral. There are several reasons for this – including poor weather, sun in the wrong place, scaffolding – but the main one is my belief that, if you need a good image of a famous attraction, you should buy a postcard. Photographers dedicated to the task, like John Hindes (1916-1997), have done all the hard work. So why bother knocking yourself out or settling for second best?

Children and the Art of the Stonemason, Lincoln Cathedral: 2016

That said, I enjoy being around the cathedral: the shot above was taken close to the little cafe there and is one of the few interiors you can experience without paying a considerable fee. Aside from other visitors to this area, I found the relatively new addition of memorial paving stones quite interesting.

Lincoln Cathedral was once the tallest building in the world, a title it held for more than two centuries. It was home to one of four surviving copies of the Magna Carta until that historic document was moved to neighbouring Lincoln Castle. It attracts visitors from all over the world and is a popular venue for special occasions. Once, I happened to be passing just as university students came tumbling out from their graduation ceremony:

It must be said that I happened across the celebration by accident; I was making my way back to my digs after browsing second-hand books. I much prefer the place during the early morning when there is nobody about, my snooping witnessed by the inanimate:

It was during a very early morning walk that I made my favourite photograph of the cathedral. A huge billboard had been erected, advertising a display over the city by the RAF display team, the Red Arrows (currently based in Lincolnshire). I made a connection with the shapes of the aircraft and the cathedral spires. The rising sun was in the wrong place but then, I wasn’t after a postcard.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Camera used was my Olympus OMD.

Old School: Contact sheets and a lesson learned too late…

Contact sheet: Badminton Horse Trials, 1980

As a photography student in the seventies I learned to make contact sheets; negatives sandwiched between glass and photographic paper in a frame purpose-built for the job. In the years following I continued the habit, though I used a heavy piece of glass instead of a frame. The above is an example. Scrutinizing these ‘proofs’ with a magnifying glass in one hand and a china-graph pencil in the other was a satisfying occupation, even better if you discovered you had a half decent photograph to work on. In the case of the above it appears that I found one – outlined in red – and which portrayed Princess Anne with her then husband, Captain Mark Phillips. I happened to pass them whilst strolling through the park.

In my defence, I never made contact sheets of the many rolls of film I used for a portrait project I undertook late 1984, early 1985 because I couldn’t afford to. The project, which was intended to reflect youth culture in Scunthorpe – an industrial town in the north of England – was done using a borrowed camera. Any money I had went on buying film and ensuring that final prints were made on paper with a heavy silver content, Ilford Galleria. These final selections were made by reading the negatives as best I could; the 6cm x 6cm format I opted for made this relatively easy. But then…

Kay, 1984: ‘Contact’ sheet, produced 2017 using a light tablet

I thought I’d lost the negatives for this project. Many moves to distant places meant that a lot of my stuff had been consigned to various lofts and garages. When they turned up in 2016 – my brother was renovating his garage – I was really pleased; that they were all in perfect condition was a lucky break (mice had once nested in the box and had damaged some of the other negatives stored in there).

Three years ago I set about making proofs of all the negatives using a light tablet; I laid them over the flicker-free surface and photographed them from above with my digital camera. On seeing the results I discovered that I may well have made alternative choices for my prints (I had a modest exhibition in the local art gallery in 1985); I also discovered that subjects I left out of the final selection may have made it after all. Above is an alternative shot of Kay which I prefer to the one I chose. The same goes for Paul, below: (original choice, contact sheets and revised selection)

On a few occasions I found that my original choice was, for me, the correct one. This is Lisa:

All in all, I made around 80 portraits. Thanks for visiting this blog. The camera I borrowed for the project was a Mamiya C330.

‘Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside’: part one….

Cleethorpes is a seaside resort in Lincolnshire, UK. It sits on the mouth of the Humber estuary, not far from where river meets sea, and it is the place of my birth. I visit the place every summer for a month or so, my family and I plan to resettle there next year.

Generally, as with anywhere I find myself, I like to be up and about before the sun. Watching the scene unfold, empty yet populated with the evidence of activity. Such was the shot above as I looked over from an empty pier I noted how a sluggish tide had so neatly smoothed away the marks of an earlier activity and how it had jettisoned a single piece of driftwood.

‘The Front’: Cleethorpes early morning, 2018

During the summer days, people come to the seaside for much the same reasons as they have done historically; to take the sea air, to have fun, eat candy floss and whipped ices or to simply relax….

It is fair to say I never tire of the place. I’ve watched it change over the 60-odd years and it has seen me grow up too.

Despite the emergence of fast food outlets (dim view taken by me, for sure), you can still feast on the most excellent fish and chips – best in the country – and, as the son of an ex-trawlerman, I know it.

At the end of the day – literally – there is nothing better than leaning over the promenade railings and feeling the sting of that fresh breeze on your face!

Thanks for visiting, as usual an Olympus OMD was used with Zuiko short zoom.

Photography Essentials: Decent Shoes…

By the time I reached my lodgings – a ten minute walk from the bus station – my left foot was very sore. I was in Boston, Lincolnshire and my intention was to make a series of long walks around the surrounding country side, to see what I could see (the photograph above was made during a 13 mile hike the following day). I’d hit a problem before I had even started. I stepped out into the market place and found some excellent and comfortable walking footwear in a sale. Consigning my old shoes to a skip I returned to my room and unpacked my OS maps….

Evacuation Point or ‘This Must be my Portaloo’: Fishtoft, Lincolnshire 2016

The shoes were a success, comfortable as slippers, durable enough for the variety of terrain encountered by the keen walker. Although most of my photography takes place in urban areas, I really enjoy strolling along the byways and footpaths of the UK, particularly those of my home county, Lincolnshire. Photographs may not come often – the two above are all I have to show after a six hour expedition – but how exhilarating to reach the Wash, with a big sky above, and look out over the marsh to the water, recalling my days on the cockle and mussel boats in the late 1970s.

Never did find the roadworks: between Fulstow and Tetney, Lincolnshire 2017

Seats are always a welcome find, particularly those provided as a rest stop….

Sometimes unwanted and discarded, as in the next photograph, in the seeming ‘middle of nowhere’….

Between Ludborough and Fulstow, Lincolnshire: 2017

Pubs can be a welcome sight, particularly during opening hours (this one was closed for renovation)….

Another novelty was the discovery of a fish and chip shop set back from a very quiet little country road out in the sticks….it was closed. I later learned that it had an excellent reputation and that people would travel from miles around for the food…

Top Nosh, near Yarburgh, Lincolnshire: 2017

I love the sense of stillness that you get when you stop somewhere along some remote footpath, away from the hustle and bustle of towns and cities, and just for a minute soak in the view…

And if anyone needs a couple of car seats, I know where you might find some, lol:

Somewhere between Burringham and East Butterwick, Lincolnshire: 2018

Thanks for taking a look at my blog. Now, where did I leave those shoes?