I think I saw these cockerels in District 5. At the time, I wasn’t really sure what was going on. I remember thinking,”Gosh, they’ll need to be careful because those two won’t get on.”
Cockerels, Vietnam
Month: November 2019
Sorry You’re Leaving? London
This is another ‘details’ picture.
I found it outside an office building in Bloomsbury, London. I suppose most of my interest is narrative- “Was it thrown or was it lost?”. Part of me wants to write a short story about it.
Twilight, Shanghai
I like twilight, the time of day, not the overwrought movie. photographically, it mutes colours, but the deeper shadows help to subdue annoying street clutter. The snag of twilight, is that there is less sunlight to work with. As you can see in this picture, here I was mostly working with light coming from the shop itself. On this occasion, I was using film, so another concern was colour temperature. But here, because of the white outside, I was able to correct it fairly easily. In days of yore, photographers had to use filters to correct for this sort of thing.
How do you feel about twilight?
Model, Swindon
Once upon a time, I used to photograph actors for Spotlight (a actors’ directory).
This picture comes from a session I attended with a photographer called Steffano. The model was Kayt Webster-Brown – who is a professional photographer now.
I like the simplicity of the image, although most of the things which make it interesting have nothing to do with me. I really like the contrast of the red lipstick with the very pale skin.
Across the Strait, Malaysia
Another seascape!
Once upon a time, Penang was a hub beween the UK and Hong Kong. During the war, various battles were fought in the Straits of Malacca and later it was a submarine base for the Japanese. These days, the harbour mostly handles cruiseships and ferries carrying holidaymakers to Langkawi (which I will probably write about another time).
When I lived there, once a week, I would try to walk from my home to the ferry terrinal. Some days, it would be fiercely bright, making the sea look a light blue and on other occasions, thick clouds would appear and the sea would take on a greener hue (like here).
Sunset by the River, Laos
I really enjoyed my visit to Vientiane. Although it is modernising very quickly, the pace of life is still pretty slow and the people are quite friendly. At sunset, people tend to gather at the edge of the Mekong to watch the sun set and meet with friends.
Foliage, Tokyo
This is a photograph I took in Ueno Park, which is in the centre of Tokyo. If we zoomed out, you would see that Ueno is the distict where the Zoo and National Museum are (a fascinating place as well). It is rather beautiful and manages rich colours, even in the middle of winter.
Although, it feels like a worn phrase, but I think Japan (and the Japanese) is very good at details and little touches.
Look Out! Penang, Malaysia
Yes, it is another sign. But this one as you can see – is hand painted!
I love hand-painted lettering and in Malaysia, there is an abundance of it. On trucks and vans, the owner and vehicle details are nearly always painted on the driver’s door.
Long Shadow, Shanghai
Although I have been there quite a few times, I always enjoy walking around Shanghai – there is always something to see.
The camera I was using was made in 1975 and as usual, I found myself wondering what the place I was visiting was like in 1975.
West Nanjing Road is probably the most famous street in Shanghai, running from by Jing An Temple all the way to the Bund. This particular part is being redeveloped as you can see in the photograph.
Meeting Tuan Tuan, Taipei
Charisma is there or it isn’t.
Tuan Tuan is the youngest panda at Taipei Zoo and as you can see is a charismatic fellow, sitting patiently while his many visitors coo and take his photograph. He even gave me a little eye contact. It feels slightly awkward when you realise something is looking at you. Most animals seem to ignore humans.
I think the first time I really noticed an animal looking at me was at Brighton Dolphinarium. I had gone there to see a show (for my sixth birthday I think) and as I walked past the front, I saw the a dolphin look back at me. When I think back on it, I imagine it was probably a pretty horrid palce to be a dolphin, but I have been fascinated with them ever since.
