No, don’t worry, I’m not going all sentimental nor am I likely to burst into tears any moment! Confined to the house again (don’t ask!) and amusing myself by digging around on a hard drive full of unprocessed images from 2014, 2015 and 2016. There’s lots of decent stuff I’ve not got around to processing – I’ve always enjoyed pressing the shutter or cable release more than sitting at the computer!
Take this first image. Behind me, less that 200 metres away is the mighty dam wall at Scammonden that is so wide it carries six lanes of the M62 motorway. Yet down here the motorway is but a murmur and the view is fabulous. Two-and-a-half years have past yet seeing this image on my screen instantly took me back to that afternoon. I can remember what gear I was carrying but not what I was wearing. I am blessed to live so close to such stunning countryside.
I am a very occasional wildlife photographer so any decent images are at least 50% luck if not more. Blue Tits are never still and for someone like myself grabbing a sharp image is a real challenge. This image from July 2016 then was a very welcome find on my hard drive. Amongst two dozen images, all slightly spoilt by motion blur, was one where I had nailed it. Okay, it’s not a rare species, indeed it may be dismissed as a “tit on a stick” but it again brings back memories of being sat in the bird viewing area with Amanda watching the birds feeding and getting annoyed at the grey squirrel who was spooking the more timid visitors. Sure enough, twenty blurred frames later is a sharp image of said squirrel!
Of course, photographs of the family are always full of stories and memories. Ted is now three and Zac six … how time really does fly. As I get older it seems to get quicker too although I’m sure we all think that as we get older.
Of course, as a photographer, photos also bring back memories of past cameras. The one above was taken with the diminutive, yet idiosyncratic Canon EOS M. I parted company with it eventually despite its undoubted image quality. It was one of a string of compacts I worked my way through before settling on the Fuji X100t as my pocketable go-anywhere camera. I have a very poor record with kit, having bought and sold so much over the years and lost a small fortune into the bargain too. But along the way I’ve used some fabulous kit and enjoyed it all, quirks and all!
So, just a few random images from the archives. I started the day feeling sorry for myself but seeing some of the images in my “to be actioned” folder has been a tonic and I know there are plenty more images inside me so lots to look forward to.
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