Author: jamshack25

Slightly Out Of Focus – Bognor, 2024

Bognor Pier – 2024

One of the things I love about film photography is the feeling of anticipation when you get a roll processed – will the photos look like I remembered? Will there be anything there at all?

Most of my cameras are quite old – at least 40 years – so I have my share of nothing coming out at all. In this case the photographs from my 86 year old camera were correctly exposed (or near enough), but all slightly out of focus.

So I felt a bit disappointed as I clicked through the scans, until I came to this one, which I quite like.

In this case the blurry softness makes it feel more timeless, with just enough detail to give a sense of place.

The English Coastline

English Coastline – July 2024

Most of my photographs are simply recording things which I thought looked interesting. This was the view out the window of the airliner I was on as we approached the Bristish coastline. I’m wondering what the island is. I liked the texture of the sea in the evening light (think this shows even in a small image). I stripped away the colours because I thought they were distracting.

Deer in the Evening

Roe Deer – June 2024

I live in an area surrounded by farmland. Quite often when I am out walking, I see a few roe deer – usually in twos and threes, but sometimes – as in this case, on their own. The secret, is to be quiet and be still. I tried to stay behind some branches, moving the camera around until I found a small gap between the leaves.

Cristo Rei

Cristo Rei, Lisbon – August 2023

If you ever visit Lisbon, I would recommend crossing the bridge and visiting Cristo Rei.

When I took the picture with my phone, I wanted to capture the size of the statue and the hard light from the midday sun. And colour just didn’t work. The people were too prominent in the frame and the statue felt unimportant. So I changed to monochrome, and suddenly my eye is drawn to the towering pedestal and figure on top. Monochrome is great for bringing out the shape of things. And the hard black shadows under the people says how hot it was.

Back-lit Tree on Turnham Green

Tree on Turnham Green – March 2023
Blossoms – March 2023

Sometimes, when we are very fortunate, the weather gives us what we want for a photograph. On this occasion, I noticed that when the Sun flickered into sight, it made the blossoms on this tree almost glow. But then, as suddenly as the light appeared it vanished under a thick rain-coud. More time spent hovering in the park staring at a tree

If Only I Had A Camera…

Three Deer in a Field – December 2022

Always carry a camera!

This morning, I changed bags – because I had to return something – and, after quick look out the window, I didn’t put my camera in. A signal to the Universe.

Fallow deer aren’t rare, but because they are small and they keep quite still, they tend to go unnoticed until you almost trip on them or they walk in front of a car.

Red Leaves on Tree

Tree in the Park – November 2022

Another tree! I couldn’t resist.

I like how the red contrasts with the green in the frame. The foliage on the tree makes an ‘almost’ circle of pinkish red. You wouldn’t expect to see such a colour on a November morning.

And the leaves scattered under the tree remind us that we are leaving autumn and soon to enter winter, where the tree will be bare.

I still think it looks beautiful.