This Week's Top 10 - The Reason Why

This Week's Top 10 - The Reason Why

Last night down at the club we had a "My 10 Favourite Photos" night and members explained why they had been attracted to shoot their choices and share a bit of background. My segment was a bit spectacular when the projector bulb exploded - even the equipment is a critic! The back up was called into play and in the end it was a successful and enjoyable evening.

Here's my ten choices and the reasons why:



Kodak Brownie 620 Box Camera, Verichrome Pan. I was around 9 or 10 years old when I shot this. Technically very imperfect, but it's still in demand 50-odd years later as the only image of my grandparents at this stage of their lives. It will outlive all the fancy stuff many times over.



An early colour image of my other grandmother, shot on Shell free-for-life film. This rendered everything blue, but Photoshop rescued the colours and I will be using this in a talk on photo restoration in early 2015. Another family image that continues to be widely shown as it's, again, the only one.



Part of the studio shoot for the Pentax User article "Shooting Girls", plus an image of a very well worn tree. "Girl In Nature" is my take on the pre-Raphaelite colours that I find so attractive in so many fine paintings. Sometimes images turn out as wanted, and this is one of those times.



"Clockwork Robot" consists of a live actor in a robot costume and a static bit of machinery, both from the Doctor Who exhibition at MOSI a few years back. Another combination shot that worked out how I wanted.



"Red Flower" is very recent and was in a glasshouse on a large estate. I just love it when something catches the imagination and I become absorbed in a subject. It doesn't have to be complicated, but it does have to start that spark. Very enjoyable to shoot, and indeed to share.



"Boulge Church" was shot when we were looking at the FitzGerald locations around Woodbridge in Suffolk. The church warden told us the sun would not shine that Friday evening and we were wasting our time. We sat it out, had our picnic, and for just a few moments a break in the clouds bathed the church in soft evening light. A little faith and a lot of patience.



"We are Ghosts" is me getting a bit deep and experimenting. These are the ghosts of people past, present and future, elongated to become Lowry-esque in nature and shot at a slow shutter speed to give them an ethereal, timeless quality. They pass silently by, never touching, never looking.



The most amazing place is Rutland owl and Falconry Centre. Tucked within the woodland, there are endless opportunities for fine images of the birds. Just go there, pay the £5 entry, and have a great photographic experience.



Bethany posing at Dam House on the Victorian top floor, untouched and left to moulder for the past 100 years or more. She dressed up for the event, as did Sue and myself as you can see from my new avatar. Beth loves the dressing up and posing, and this I found an amazing image of her looking all grown up. Granddaughters soon do grow up these days.



"Those Who Remember" is more topical now that when I shot it at Haworth a couple of years ago. This fine old gentleman was still in a sea of movement and I caught his distant and thoughtful look as he paused, seeming lost in the rush that surrounded him. many memories to be had here, and many of them very, very sad. There was no time for a wider context shot as things moved on, but this one moment was caught and I was very pleased with it.

That's my ten for now, next year perhaps ten more as cutting them down was a major problem in itself. Why not have a go and assemble your own ten shots. You could even put them on ePHOTOzine, either as a blog or as one-a-day in the Gallery.