Stories Behind the Photos
November 16, 2016
Andrew Wilson
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.