Recently I showed a painting and two photographs in St. Michael’s during Heritage week. In the photograph of me standing by the easel and the painting, the two photographs can be seen, high up on the window sill. Unfortunately, they do not read at all well because of their position and flare on the glass.
However, there is a nice story relating to them.
A few years ago, a friend asked me to enter a couple of photographs into an exhibition in Hebden Bridge. I realised that I didn’t have anything which fitted the theme of the show which, again, I think, was to do with heritage. Time passed and days before the opening I headed off to Leeds Industrial Museum with camera equipment and tripod. Admittedly the weather was overcast with a slight drizzle, but I had left things to the last moment and time was against me.
My first pictures were of huge, riveted (I assume boiler) tanks. They were outside the museum down by the railway area. My second picture was of a collection of gears from some heavy machinery which I found in a corner near the main path. I’ve mentioned the weather, but in this case, I could not have asked for more perfect conditions. It is often assumed that bright light is important in photography, but direct sunlight usually results in deep shadows and high contrast. Soft light can show colours beautifully, which was what I was wanting, and in this case the drizzle gave a very attractive flare on the surface of the paint.
In a previous life, back in the 70’s and 80’s, I was one of the top advertising still life photographers in he North. I only mention this in the hope that it will be appreciated, how, at that moment, surrounded by professional equipment, I was a person who felt absolutely on top of his game!
As I was taking the picture, I was surprised by a man who was pushing a bicycle who stopped and said, ‘What you do?’ I immediately assumed that he must be interested but possibly knowing nothing of photography, and so I told him what I was doing, pointing finally to the flare which had so attracted me. He listened thoughtfully but said nothing.
Surprisingly he began to walk on. After a few steps he stopped and turned, ‘No’ he said firmly.’ What you want is sun and bucket water.’
