Photos & Thoughts – July 2023

Photos and thoughts July 2023

Threads – Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

I’ve never really got Twitter, perhaps I was too late to the party. From what I I could see, it was just a platform to insult each other. And then Threads came along. I could link to my Instagram account so I didn’t have the hassle of trying to find an audience. But therein was the problem. I was just speaking to, and sharing pictures with the same people as before. At least there might be some interesting discussions as the feed seemed to be totally random, loads of people I’d never heard of. Then I realised it was another mouthpiece for some people to talk bollocks.

Here’s an example of something that presented itself on Threads.

I’d never heard of this Northrup bloke, but apparently he’s a well known photographic commentator and author. That may be the case, but he still talks bollocks! I’m sure that part of the reason for the post (or thread) was as click bait, but when someone with a supposed reputation comes up with rubbish like this, it is insulting to a lot of genuine and reputable photographers. There’s already a backlash against street photographers, without adding more fuel to the fire. It’s not worth getting into a discussion on the original post as it’s just more publicity for the publicity hungry. It is perhaps worth addressing his points here.

1. By this logic, all photography may as well end. We can find photos of pretty much every animal, every landscape, every sporting event, so no point doing any more. Street and documentary photography is more needed than ever as so much of what is documented is fake. Does he really think our social media posts document our real lives?
2. This assumes that street photographers just want to document the ‘worst moments’. I don’t think this is the case at all. He has a very optimistic and naïve view of street photographers if he thinks they’re getting millions of views and selling images for profit. The issue of consent comes up a lot, but in practical terms, it’s not always desirable or even possible. If we are seeking permission for every picture, we’re in the realms of portraiture rather than street and documentary. When the subject knows they’re being photographed, the dynamic changes totally. We all act differently for the camera. For me at least, the only way to capture someone’s true character is to shoot candidly.
3. This is quite insulting to a lot of photographers. It’s perfectly possible to practise street photography without stalking someone or being creepy. To have these suspicions says more about the commentator than the photographer.
4. God knows what he thinks it’s like at its worst! The vast majority of people I photograph are never aware I’ve taken their picture. For those people who have seen their pictures in the exhibitions, online or the books, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. If he thinks this is intrusive, I hope he manages to avoid every CCTV camera and dashcam. He also should ditch his smartphone, Google and Apple might be watching.

These ill-informed and prejudiced comments are one reason I’m cutting down on posting images on social media. There are too many armchair experts out there. At least on this website I can call someone out for talking bollocks without getting a thirty day Facebook ban 🙂

Traveller and Gypsy Horse Fair

Bridget and I spent a couple of hours at the Horse Fair at Drighlington, near Bradford. We were unsure how welcome we’d be, but although one or two looked at us with suspicion, it was in the main very friendly. We managed to get one or two decent photos despite the bad weather.

Some local businesses decided to close for the four days of the event because of the travellers’ community. It seemed a bit of an over-reaction, especially considering the police said that there was no reason to do so and might even be against the law on discrimination grounds. This was the first time the event had been held there so closing the local pubs before there was any indiction of problems seemed a little unfair. Of course, an influx of people from outside the area had the potential to cause disruption, but it did it seem premature to preempt it to such an extent. Perhaps if people are too quick to stigmatise groups, then this in itself could be a catalyst for disruption.

Cameras and Gaffer tape

I often use a pocket camera for street photography. DSLRs attract too much attention and are heavy. Currently, it’s a Canon G7x mk2 I’m using. Unfortunately, it’s seen better days. The rubber trim is coming off in several places and the flip screen is pretty loose. Most worryingly, the pop-up flash makes a very loud cracking sound if I try to use it, almost like a firework going off. The flash is now taped down to prevent use and I’ve black insulating tape in several places. I feel this gives it a slightly more understated, professional look than the silver grey gaffer tape I had on previously.

I’ve had a few of these 1″ sensor cameras, but it looks I’m due a replacement. It seems that the market for these cameras has collapsed. The few current models still available are all a good few years old now and the prices are way over the top for compact cameras. The Sony RX100 mk7 still sells at over a £1000. I’ve tried using the mobile phone instead, but despite all the fancy software tricks, I’m still unconvinced they’re a match for a decent camera. They’re almost impossible to hold too.

The quality isn’t a match for a larger camera but for something that slips into a pocket, they are quite impressive. I could do with something with a bit of weatherproofing and stronger blades in front of the lens. My previous model had bent lens blades that damaged the lens. I might have to head to ebay 🙂

Book of the Month

I built up quite a large collection of photography (and other) books over lockdown, many I’ve still to read. Lockdown was a real switch off time – a time to do very little. I thought it might be interesting (or boring) to add a book of the month section to these monthly posts.

The first is one my daughter, Freya, bought for me as a Father’s Day present – The Troubles by Chris Steel-Perkins. Not only are the pictures excellent, the accompanying essays reveal a lot about life in Northern Ireland during the troubles. This is ‘real’ photography for me, real life. Shock horror! There are even some pictures with children in them!

The ‘Everyday’ Photos

I don’t really go out on photo ‘expeditions’ – just make sure I have a camera whenever I go anywhere, which tends not to be very far. Here’s one or two pictures from this month.

Talks & Lectures

The summer months are usually very quiet for the talks to camera clubs and photo societies. Most places seem to shut down from April to September. There was one Zoom presentation, however, to Cleethorpes Camera Club. This was a hybrid meeting over Zoom with some attendees in the hall and some watching from home. It seemed to go down really well with none of the ‘tension’ of the talk from a few months ago.

A couple of comments from the talk:

Your presentation yesterday was excellent I loved your photography and you have a natural gift for storytelling with humour, presenting over Zoom is not easy as there is very little interaction with the audience, so we’ll done.
Over the lockdown period we’ve had many speakers and you are very much at the top of my list.

The club was buzzing. We really enjoyed your sense of humour and amazing pictures to go with it..

I was really surprised with the ‘club was buzzing’ comment – probably tinnitus or faulty air conditioning 🙂

Pontefract Liquorice Festival

It seems like something from The Wicker Man to have a festival centred around liquorice, but it’s an annual event in Pontefract that seems to get bigger every year. Perhaps it’s quite normal and after all, Wakefield has a Rhubarb Festival, where I’ve never seen people look so proud when carrying a stick of rhubarb. Seeing as though Pontefract is only a few miles from home, it’s one of those things you feel obliged to attend. We got fewer pictures this year as it was very hot and once we’d found somewhere to park the car, we were knackered anyway.

For some unknown reason, someone decided to combine liquorice with unlikely partners. So, we might get liquorice ale or liquorice pork pies. What’s not to like? Lard, gristle and liquorice encased in pastry sounds delicious.

As with everything though, it gets more commercial every year and is now more like a street market where we can purchase knitted liquorice allsort themed tea cosies and hand carved ‘live, laugh, love’ wall plaques.

No doubt we’ll be back next year.

Odds & Sods

A few stray photos