Our images don’t have a particular job to do, they can stand alone. And the viewer is free too, to interpret them as they wish. They can follow the image’s ‘suggestion’ or search for other meanings – or none. With that in mind I have selected some favourite black and white shots to share.
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While many of England’s grand houses were (and in some cases still are) home to the aristocracy, others were built by those hoping to emulate or even join that exclusive set. The so-called ‘landed gentry’ indeed had land but no titles, although they aspired to climb the social ladder. Among them was Sir George Bowes, a coal baron from north east England.
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When I searched for interesting quotes about zigzag lines I was surprised to find relatively few. But of those I found, many talked about journeys, which as a keen traveller appealed to me. After all, aren’t zigzag journeys often the most interesting and rewarding?
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There is something rather special about exploring a city where layers of history are exposed. The story of the past is laid bare, no longer dry words but a series of visual clues to how things once were here. Past and present seem to coexist, and the lives of those earlier inhabitants are revealed as not so very different to our own.
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The Croatian coast is dotted with pretty town and villages, but it would be hard to imagine a prettier one than Trogir. The town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 for its wealth of Venetian architecture, and it’s easy to see why. With its quaint streets and beautiful old churches, it’s no surprise to find it a busy tourist draw.
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In a foreign country the everyday can seem unfamiliar. Different food, different customs, different houses, different ways of dressing and moving around. Sometimes the most familiar sights are the famous ones. We’ve already seen them so many times in films, on TV and on other people’s photos that we think we know them already.
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As anyone who travels to cities, and/or lives in one, knows, the only way to get to know a city is to walk in it. And ideally to walk without purpose, or at least open to the serendipity of the unexpected. A quaint alleyway, an unusually decorated house, a small church tucked away from the main thoroughfare, a garden or tranquil square … Who knows what you might find?
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Irving Penn defined a good photograph as, 'one that communicates a fact, touches the heart and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it'. If I can do even one of those three things with an image, I’m satisfied!
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Some people are passionate that black and white is the only true medium for photography, others that a photo without colour is lacking in something. I’m inclined to take a middle stance, as I believe that both have their merits, depending on a number of factors. Subject matter of course, but also time of day, lighting, composition and, perhaps most important, what story you want to tell.
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This year our dreary spring has continued into this, one of my favourite months, with only a few brighter days. We did have one glorious weekend in the middle of the month, with temperatures more like summer than spring. But we also had more grey days and more wet ones.
