[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 30 July 2024].
The Old Toll House, a Grade II listed building formerly a turnpike tollhouse.
painted gold
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 30 January 2024].
This gold-painted Royal Mail post box caught my eye on the high street in Coedpoeth during a photo walk while sitting Meg and Mog in October 2021.
As the plaques say (in Welsh and English), Royal Mail painted it gold in celebration of Tom James, one of the British coxless four men's rowing team who took gold in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Though he was born in Cardiff, he considers Coedpoeth his hometown, and he also has a post box painted gold in his honour in nearby Wrexham.
I did not know this was a thing. But, according to Wikipedia, All British gold medal winners at the 2012 Olympics were honoured with appearing on Royal Mail postage stamps, and having a post box in their home town painted gold. (I'm not sure why Tom got two, but Wikipedia cites the Wrexham one as his main one).
london calling
To celebrate my thirteenth Londonversary, here's a photo of the feature of this fair city I spent the most time photographing in 2023: the New River (not new, not a river).
In this case, captured in Palmers Green.
looking up, going down
all that glitters is not gold
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 1 December 2023].
the heart of the birmingham waterways
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 10 November 2023].
Phil - my friend and fellow photographer - and I have been plotting and planning a photo walk along the Birmingham canals for the last two summers. For various reasons, we didn't manage it.
We came close in mid-June last year, but the day I'd booked a train to head up there, rain was forecast, so we cancelled the day before. The forecast showed heavy rain on the day, so we'd made a good call.
But last weekend, we finally made good on our plans.
We coordinated to meet on the train at Warwick Parkway at about 10:43. However, that meant me waking at 06:00, getting out of bed at 06:30 and leaving my flat at 07:30. I arrived at Marylebone Station at 08:10, about 50 minutes before my train was due to depart, which was even earlier than I'd been aiming for.
We set out from Birmingham Moor Street at about 11:20 and walked along the canals from Livery Street Bridge to Spaghetti Junction (the M6/A38 junction), finishing shooting under the bridges at about 15:00.
We walked back to Aston Station, arriving there in time to get out of the rain that had just started and to catch the train back to Birmingham New Street to seek out some food for Phil and a pint for me.
Despite the rain at the tail end of the walk, we had perfect weather and a pleasant and creative day. Phil had technical issues with his camera but managed to work around them to a large extent. I had a minor anxiety attack in the last half hour, heading back from Spaghetti Junction to Aston Station, but it was an otherwise stress-free day as far as my body was concerned.
I shared my iPhone photos from the day on my Instagram on the day and over the following days.
These are just two of the over 300 photographs I took with my D700 in Birmingham.
Thanks to Phil for suggesting the walk and the wide-ranging and engaging conversation throughout.
We'll return in the spring (hopefully!) with some other friends of Phil's to revisit Spaghetti Junction and complete the ambitious circuit he'd set out for us that we didn't manage on Sunday.
like water for chocolate
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 16 October 2023].
breathe in, breathe out
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 3 October 2023].
basic (baby, you can drive my car)
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 4 November 2022].
full of goodness
[I originally posted this image as early access for my Patreon patrons on 19 June 2022].
The inscription on the headstone of this grave reads Eenvoudig en oprecht vol goedheid was uw leven, uw edel hart heeft ons zoveel gegeven.
According to Google Translate, it means Your life was simple and sincere, full of goodness, your noble heart has given us so much.
The other photograph I took of this grave showed the other two items holding more cobweb hens and chicks - or sempervivum - and the inscription, but it wasn't sharp and worthy of sharing. However, I decided to take the title for this image from the inscription.
I took this after the rain in the churchyard of the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Wulveringem.
The church is opposite Kasteel Beauvoorde. We visited the castle (it was the reason we were in the town), but I've yet to edit most of the photos from there. Another task on my to-do list...
s.p.q.b.
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 22 April 2022].
'Senatus Populus Que Brugensis' means 'the Senate and the people of Bruges'.
It can be found on the Bruges coat of arms and an ornate water pump featuring a swan in Bruges, as I found in 2014 during my time there.
reflecting upon a subject deer to my heart
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 3 March 2022].
keeping my hand above water
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 22 February 2022].
I looked online, but I can't find which artist created this sculpture I photographed at the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 in Zonnebeke in 2014.
I will look again, but if you know/can point me in the right direction, I'll be happy to credit them.
Love letters to London: Rivers, canals and waterways
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 12 November 2021].
It's been a long time between drinks, but I'm finally sharing another love letter to London!
This was supposed to be a project I published once a month this year to celebrate my ten-year Londonversary. Despite being well behind target for various reasons, I am hoping to complete the project this year. (Or, failing that, by my eleven-year Londonversary in January 2022.)
So, if you've been thirsting for more, you'll be pleased to know this one is bursting with water. Perhaps not so pleased to hear it's not the potable kind.
As mentioned in my ode to the wild life I've discovered (not that type, this type), the subject of this love letter isn't vaguely exclusive to London or even the UK.
But rivers, canals and waterways are prominent features in this city. Even the subterranean or "lost" rivers.
Here are just a few of my favourites.
River Thames
It's hard to imagine London without the River Thames threading through it from east to west. It's been such an integral element of the city since its establishment, and according to Wikipedia, "has played several roles in human history: as an economic resource, a maritime route, a boundary, a fresh water source, a source of food and more recently a leisure facility."
Probably my first awareness of the Thames' existence was through the title sequence of EastEnders and the Thames Television ident. Both of which I regularly saw on Australia's ABCTV during my childhood.
Growing up in Brisbane and Melbourne, where the Brisbane and Yarra Rivers are central to each city, the Thames just seemed like more of the same. And it kind of is, except at London Bridge, the Thames is about double the width the Yarra is at Princes Bridge, which is what I was comparing it to when I first crossed it.
Like the Yarra, it mostly takes on a muddy brown tinge. But in the right light, it appears a lovely blue. And at night - with the various bridges spanning it and buildings and landmarks lining north and south banks lit up - it has a beauty about it that almost always stops me in my tracks.
It's also one of the ideal ways to explore the city I love. And a place to start when introducing newcomers to London.
If you're ever struggling to decide where to go for a (photo) walk in London: choose north or south of the river and a starting point. Then walk until you run out of steam and find a cosy pub to rest your weary feet.
I've done this many times with many people, and I've still not walked the entire length of it within London.
And, if you want a different angle, there are plenty of spots where the river intersects with docks and basins. And even Bow Creek (the tidal estuary of the River Lea) by Trinity Buoy Wharf.
Regent's Canal
Speaking of basins that intersect with the Thames: Regent's Canal links with the River Thames via Limehouse Basin.
The canal winds its way through the east and across the north of London. Then over to the west of the Regent's Park.
I've not yet wandered the eastern arm of the canal with my D700. My visits to that part of the canal have often been during the evening or while lost after catching the wrong night bus home.
However, the sections from King's Cross to Camden and Camden to the Regent's Park have been the subject of at least two photo walks I've taken with friends. And a pleasant stroll with a former school teacher who was visiting the city a few years ago now.
While Venice and Amsterdam are far more renowned for their canals, coming from Australia, where there are few canals, I've developed something of an obsession with London's canals.
Photographically, London's canals are such a brilliant mix of posh and dirty. They often pass through the grandest suburbs and give you a glimpse at the rear of impressive homes. Whilst littered with abandoned objects, rubbish and plenty of graffiti.
The sections of Regent's Canal I've walked along most often pass through the regenerated King's Cross with its newly established Gasholder Park. Through iconic Camden. Along the south of fashionable Primrose Hill. And through the northern border of the Regent's Park itself.
There is plenty of birdlife to be found on and by the water. And a nice mix of natural and industrial decoration lining it.
The locks, in particular, always intrigue me.
There are always reflections to reward your photographic eye.
And I have something of a fascination with the narrowboats that line the canals of London. I'm not sure how practical I'd find narrowboat life, in actuality. But they have a similar appeal to me as caravans have had for most of my life.
Grand Union Canal - Paddington Arm
A more recent addition to my list of London canals visited, the Paddington arm of the Grand Union Canal has a lot going for it in my books.
As the longest merged canal in the UK, the Grand Union Canal runs from London to Birmingham. And, interestingly, includes Regent's Canal in its length.
I've walked a relatively short stretch of this canal. But it's notable for me as it runs between the Kensal Green Gasworks on the Ladbroke Grove side and Kensal Green Cemetery, one of the 'Magnificent Seven' cemeteries.
Or rather, it did, as the Kensal Green Gasworks started to be demolished in March this year to make way for new residential development (of course).
New River
Which now brings me, finally, to waterways.
More specifically, the New River, which is, in fact, neither new nor a river. But it has a soft spot in my heart as it runs through my part of London.
I'm still to fully explore it to the north, from Hornsey to Enfield and beyond. And from Finsbury Park to its terminus. But I've had a pint by the water's edge in Enfield before, and I've seen (and photographed) its source near Hertford.
I hope to undertake the walk north along the New River Path sometime soon (though possibly not until the weather warms again!) And to share photos from that and my previous walk - from Hornsey south to Finsbury Park - with you in a selection of photo essays.
september reflections
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 6 October 2021].
It's been a very mixed three to four weeks.
About a month ago, I predicted September would be a month of impermanence. At the time, I thought that due to being temporarily in residence with two kittehs on the other side of town.
Instead, it ended up feeling more like a month of constant minor upheavals.
On only my second full day in Shepherd's Bush, I had to return to my own flat to meet a fellow assessing maintenance to be done. Later in the month, I had to return two days in a row to be around while the maintenance was completed.
I was generally okay with this, as it was expected, and I knew I'd have to pop back once or twice a week to water my plants anyway.
However, when I relocated to be a live-in cat nanny, I was relieved I wouldn't have to schlep back and forth across town for flat viewings, after all. I believed I had a lovely new flatmate lined up to move in the day after I returned from Shepherd's Bush and could concentrate my time in the West on photography, cats and client work.
Unfortunately, by the fifth full day, it became apparent that my potential flatmate had gone AWOL midway through the referencing process. So I was unexpectedly thrown back into advertising the room and arranging viewings - with three viewings taking place on two days shortly after.
Between the various visits for maintenance and potential flatmate viewings, there was also a long weekend jaunt down to meet Phil in Chichester. Our trip had been planned months before the cat-sitting gig landed in my lap.
My first actual holiday since returning from Australia in November 2019, I had hoped it would be a chance to escape reality. A long weekend of sightseeing, photography and good conversation.
While it was full of sightseeing, photography and good conversation, I wasn't really able to relax and escape reality. Not with all the other things constantly throwing my days into turmoil and minor upheaval on either side of the trip.
Throw in a health scare with my Dad, and September was stressful and exhausting in many ways.
At the other extreme, September had some quite enjoyable moments:
Spending an afternoon entertaining good friends in an actual house and getting to show them all the quirks of my temporary abode.
Spending time and having engaging conversations with the chatty kittehs. They were the perfect distraction when I needed it most during my stay (and the rest of the time).
Having my friend Don just around the corner for late-night rambling chats in person as well as by phone, and even getting to visit his 'bat cave' finally.
Having the chance to explore Chichester, Bosham (pronounced Bozzum), Itchenor (captured above) and Arundel with Phil and our cameras.
Being inspired by art exhibitions and long conversations about art, writing, travel and life.
As previous posts illustrate, I also managed to take my first "proper" self-portraits since June 2018.
Unfortunately, with the aforementioned minor upheavals and other commitments, I didn't have much time. Not nearly enough time to explore the many set-ups and ideas I'd had whirling around my mind before relocating and while I was in situ.
I was also limited by practical issues. Such as the multitude of outfits I had to hand not fitting and not having enough cash to hit up the local charity shops for alternatives.
I was also disappointed not to have had more time to explore the other creative ideas I'd planned to indulge in: collage (physical and digital), sketching, writing, reading, letter-writing, as well as poring over the vast collection of books bursting out of the shelves promising further inspiration.
An actual residency without other concurrent commitments and distractions would have given me more time and freedom. The time and opportunity to indulge my numerous creative ideas and take better advantage of all the quirks the house and its surroundings offer. And even manage some time to relax and fully enjoy the house as well.
Perhaps sometime, the kittehs will have me back for a period of uninterrupted creativity when I better fit into my clothes and my own skin.
For now, though, I already have another kitteh-sitting gig in south London lined up for a week later in the month. I'm not guaranteeing I'll produce self-portraits during my stay there. But it will give me a chance to explore a new (to me) area of London with my camera and befriend some more cute kittehs.
jazz at 11 (accidental portrait of the artist’s parents)
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 8 September 2021].
shards of glass
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 11 June 2021].
O hai.
For today's* share, may I present you with a reflected self-portrait taken looking up at the metal on the covered area around Gasholder Park in King’s Cross?
I took this toward the beginning of a photo walk along Regent's Canal in London with fellow photographer and good friend Scott Hortop in November 2016.
I have photos from that day of the development in progress still to edit and share.
I have also been working through some of the photos from that day for my Love letters to London. Thus how I came across this one again, previously unedited and unshared, though I shared a similar shot from my iPhone on the day.
Even though it's now officially Friday here in London, let's pretend this is a #ThrowbackThursday post. Something I haven't done for a while. At least not in terms of self-portraits.
Walking along the canal that day, I was called back by an agency offering me work with a company I'd interviewed with on the day after the 2016 US election. A day when the world felt like it had inexorably turned away from sanity. The last company I worked for as an employee (for now, but maybe forever...?) I started there four days later as a temp.
The agency called me as I walked along the canal not far from the second office of the first employer I worked for in London in 2000. Maybe I should have seen that as an omen...
*Today being Thursday, though it's now technically Friday. There's a strong chance I'll share a Friday photo in a short while, as I'll be out much of tomorrow.
untitled #54
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 15 May 2021].
'Early birds' often swear by the hours of the morning before everyone else wakes as their most productive. Or maybe their self-improvement hours. Hours when they go for a run or participate in other forms of exercise. Or get in some quiet reading or meditation before the hustle and bustle of the day begins.
There's a false belief that night owls are somehow inferior. That we "waste" our day in bed.
Instead, many of us enjoy those same quiet, calm hours of productivity. We just prefer to experience them between 23:00 and 05:00, and they probably don't include physical exercise.
Yesterday I allowed myself a lie-in because I'd participated in two intensive two-day courses from Monday to Thursday and needed some recovery time.
Despite going to bed after 02:00, and initially waking before 09:00, I possibly allowed myself to linger longer in bed, dozing on and off, because of the vivid, emotional dreams I'd had before waking.
I was exploring a seaside town I've never been to. Wandering backstreets and footpaths and pubs and - as often happens for me in dreams - grappling with paths both inside and out that suddenly require me to wrestle with my fears of heights and falling.
Later, in one of the dreams, I found myself, barely clothed, in a customs office in Australia with Simon. I was begging for permission to enter the country despite all my identification and belongings having been stolen. I remember thinking of myself as an illegal alien.
In the afternoon, back in reality, I washed my mammoth pile of dishes. I won't tell you how long they'd been accumulating. You will judge me. However, they were all thoroughly rinsed, so there was nothing offensive about them beyond the quantity. While I washed them, I listened to a podcast about forensic science and then another about Einstein's theory of general relativity.
After a call with Simon, a shower, a supermarket run and dinner, I felt unsettled.
Nevertheless, at about 23:30, I settled in to edit photos for my long-overdue next instalment of my Love Letters to London series.
For the first time in what feels like months and probably is, I managed to edit photos without distraction for about 2.5 hours. It was bliss.
This photograph was taken at the location of some photos that may make it into my next 'Love Letter'. It fit my mood in these quiet hours, so I edited it to share with you this morning.
I paused at 02:00 mainly because I found myself thinking of a friend in Victoria who I knew was going under the knife this month. I wanted to check in on him while he was on my mind. In the calm, mellow hours of the morning, I got a positive update on his recovery, and we had a brief catch-up via Facebook Messenger.
While I was editing, I had the chance to catch up on new releases from St. Vincent, Juliana Hatfield, Paul Weller, and now Nicholas Britell. As well as singles from other artists.
The Underground Railroad soundtrack is particularly perfect for the frame of mind I'm currently in and seems a positive way to gradually wind myself down before heading to bed.
Many night owls don't sleep our lives away. We sleep about the same number - often less! - than early birds.
We just find our productive hours in a different part of the morning. Or in the afternoon or evening.
Are you an early bird or a night owl? When do you find are the most productive hours of your day?
Are you a vivid dreamer? Do you believe you don't dream? Or do you know you dream but never remember them upon waking?
Do you love hearing about others' dreams and sharing yours, or do you find it tedious to hear about others' dreams?
untitled #176
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 19 January 2021].
So, I'm trying to be a bit more planned and less haphazard with what and how I share my work with my patrons this year.
Although there'll still be plenty of room for me to be spontaneous, I thought it would be helpful for me to have a bit of a pattern/routine in sharing some of my photography.
With that in mind, the past two Sundays I've shared early-access posts featuring newly edited images from my sepulchre series.
I'd been weighing up how to work these into a weekly programme. Having a hashtag-worthy concept without sounding too flippant, morbid, or offensive.
I'd started weighing up #CemeterySunday (I couldn't bring myself to alliterate to the point of #SematarySunday) but, being the semantic stickler I am, I couldn't settle on that. Some images would be from churchyards, graveyards or other burial places, not all would be taken in cemeteries.
I'll likely use #CemeterySunday appropriately on social media depending upon the subject. But, for Patreon, I'm thinking of this collection as #SepulchralSunday, falling back to the (now glaringly obvious) use of my overall series name for the alliterative and catchy collective term for these images.
#SepulchralSunday images will include those from my stained glass series, season's grievings curated series and any new curated series. As well as one-off photographs appropriate to the theme.
Another genre within my work 'upvoted' in my recent polls on Patreon (which are still open until the end of the month!) was my travel photography. So I'm going to default to social media type and declare this the first of my #TravelTuesday posts. It seems particularly appropriate to focus on these one day a week while most of us can't travel far from home.
As these are two genres strongly represented in much of my photography, it seems like an incentive to gradually work through editing images long overdue to see the light.
Without any particular catchy hashtag to accompany them, I'm hoping to share a more in-depth post with you each Friday. A small series of images focussing on a specific place or subject, likely accompanied by a bit more writing than I might offer on other days.
With these new plans, sepulchre and travel images won't be restricted to Sundays and Tuesdays*. But I hope they'll become regular features my patrons come to eagerly anticipate in their inbox.
Along with my new Love letters to London series, I'm hoping to write a new instalment of my postcards from another's life series to share with my patrons each month.
I have more plans for this year, but let's start with these.
And let's start with a view of Bruges taken in 2014.
*I realise that depending upon your location, these may actually be #SepulchralMonday and #TravelWednesday since I have a tendency to post in my evenings ;)
now bring us some figgy pudding
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 21 December 2020].
There's a whole post to come about my first visit to Kensal Green Cemetery; one of the 'magnificent seven' London cemeteries.
But, between now and Christmas Day, I'll be sharing a few more season's grievings images I took during my visit, including this one.
Images from this mini-series had previously been shared early access for my Patreon patrons two days before making them public to the rest of the world.
But I have a few I want to share so they'll become public closer to 24 hours after original posting there in the lead-up to Christmas.
After Christmas, new images from the series will be available early access to my patrons a week before the rest of the world.