To promote my previous blog post, 'Prints for Sale', I posted seven prints to my social media pages, one for each day of the week from different series of prints. I thought it would be insightful to add a little story to each post, describing what I could remember from the moment I took the photo.
I enjoyed putting those posts together so I've gathered them into a single blog post. If you missed them or don't follow me on social media you can read them here - I hope you enjoy the stories behind the photos.
'Allo Paris' - Paris, 2012.
“One of my favourite photos from spending a few days in the capital of France. I was sitting in the back of a taxi on the way to the airport with my film camera in hand. When the driver stopped I spotted this white van to my right with the words ‘ALLO PARIS’ sprayed over the top of the door (memory tells me it was in red, but as I used B&W film I can’t be certain). With only a few frames left on the roll of film I instinctively took this photo before the driver resumed our journey home. Looking back now ‘AU REVOIR’ would have been more appropriate”
'The Library Van' - Lake District (Elterwater), 2014.
“Over the course of a few days in the Lakes I noticed this weary looking library van parked up in the same spot. My curiosity made me decide to check it out one morning. As I got closer to the van I noticed a bag of coal and smoke coming out of a chimney on top of the van - I realised someone was living in it! I thought this was pretty cool, but I was also wary that someone was inside, so I took my time and worked my way up on to a mound that raised me above the van. I took a few different photos and then left - this was the one that worked.”
'Shutters & Signs' - Liverpool (Wavertree), 2015.
“I passed these shops and flats on my way to work for years until the land behind was flattened and left to grow wild. The overgrowth combined with the run-down look of the area prompted me to capture a series of photos of the area for this moment in time.
I still ride along the same road to work, and about a month ago these buildings and similar neighbouring rows were knocked down to allow the next phase of housing to be built. I’m thinking once the houses are built I might do a before & after type of series.
This was my first go at stitching photos together. Using the pavement’s edge to keep an equal distance to the building row, I took a number of portrait photos and stitched them in post. I was happy that the photo worked out and with the print.”
'Jake Sparrow' - Blackpool, 2015.
“On a sunny summer’s day I took a daytrip to Blackpool with a few friends. On the North Pier was this Pirates of the Caribbean Jack Sparrow look-a-like, decoration for a little crazy-golf area.
Aside from the eye-catching bright colours of the photo, I also like the fact he’s missing his sword and a few fingers - I don’t think he would last too long in a fight!”
'Gol Stave Church' - Oslo, 2015.
“Sometimes taking photos on a bright sunny day can go against you, but at other times it can work in your favour - this was one of those moments. On approaching this old church at the Oslo Folkemuseum, I noticed the shadow it cast as the unique Norwegian shapes draped across the hill. It turned out to be one of my favourite photos from this trip.”
'Naughts' - Crosby, 2015.
“‘Naughts’ is a little bit different from most of my photos. It’s a collage of nine different photos taken at Crosby beach, each one shot on B&W film using a Holga camera.
If you walk along this beach, past Antony Gormley’s ‘Another Place’ statues, you begin to approach all sorts of washed up debris, which surprised me. I started to spot all these tyres and rings, and as I took more of them I began to build up this idea of a collage.
If you’re wondering about the title, I simply decided to be playful with it, referencing the game ‘Naughts & Crosses’.”
'Slanted Contortion' - Formby, 2015.
“This was taken on my first visit to Formby beach. As I had never visited this beach before I was surprised by the huge dunes.
Stumbling around on these dunes I came across a bunch of trees that looked windswept, clearly shaped by the coastal weather. This particular tree, set away from the nearby cluster, stood out to me - on a slant, it curved and contorted unlike the others. It wasn’t something I expected to see on a day out from Liverpool’s city centre.”
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Thank you for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed reading my stories. Please subscribe and leave thoughts or comments below.