Glory Hunter? I said…’Maybe’. (Manchester street walk). 3 May 2022
We are currently having the outside of our house painted and the young apprentice decorator asked me what football team I supported. When I said “Manchester City”, he accused me of being a ‘glory hunter’. But you see, although I have lived in Suffolk for over 30 years, I was born and brought up in Manchester and have supported City from as long as I can remember – since my dad used to lift me over the turnstiles to get me in free at Maine Road. That’s a long time – nearly 60 years in fact.
I left Manchester to go to University when I was 18 and never went back to live there, although visits to parents (both mine and the in-laws) were regular. However, these visits normally entailed going straight to one or other of our parents’ houses and staying there; plus the odd visit to Maine Road or, in more recent times, the Etihad. We never seemed to have the time or inclination to go ‘into town’ very much.
Anyway, last weekend, while visiting the in-laws, I decided it would be good to go into Manchester to do some street photography. But I didn’t know quite what to expect.
Firstly, I was pretty sure it would have changed, perhaps unrecognisably; would I know my way around? When I lived in Manchester, I knew it like the back of my hand. I went to school on the other side of the city, which meant a 45 minute bus journey each way every day. I used to sit upstairs on the number 80 or 88 bus and look out of the windows as it wound its way through Manchester, even though this invariably meant me feeling dreadfully sick. In those days I got really travel sick and, of course, smoking was allowed on the upper deck which meant I inhaled a lot of secondary smoke. Often I would have to change buses in town, so St Peters Square, Piccadilly, Stephenson Square etc were all very familiar. I remember after one evening’s bus change, getting chased through the streets of Manchester by a bunch of United fans with my mate, Andy Connell (later of Swing Out Sister fame), after they spotted I had a City bag on my shoulder and having to take refuge in a Catholic book shop on King Street. In my teens I used to spend hours wandering around the shops looking for clothes, records, guitars and other goodies. Market Street’s and Deansgate’s shops, like Lewis’s, Forsyth’s and the underground market, were familiar haunts. Then, when I was old enough to start going into pubs (about 16 I think as landlords were much more relaxed in those days and I certainly didn’t carry ID) I got to know other areas pretty well, the Oxford Road area in particular. The Peveril of the Peak and Britons Protection were two of our main watering holes. But all that was over 40 years ago, so I was unsure whether I would see familiar streets and landmarks. I knew there had been major redevelopment.
Secondly, what would it be like? Manchester was a nice city when I was growing up in the 60’s and early 70’s. But by the end of the 70’s things had started to become a bit run down and in need of change. My occasional visit or drive through in the 80s and 90s confirmed that – Piccadilly Gardens and Oldham Street, for example were not areas I would choose to go at night. Also, I had read news stories about the drug culture and other doom and gloom reports. So I didn’t quite know what I would encounter.
I really needn’t have worried on either count. Firstly, I found getting around the city extremely easy and it all felt remarkably familiar……..but in a much improved way. What I discovered was a really nice, vibrant city. Very cosmopolitan, and with a continental city vibe. Sure there are some grimy, back street areas but even these had a character and didn’t feel threatening. All the familiar, lovely old buildings were still there for me to use as landmarks - beautiful architecture reflecting the city’s industrial heritage, many sympathetically restored and ‘re-purposed’. And I’m sure its true what they say about northerners – the people were all so friendly and I saw and met some great characters.
I took the Metro to Piccadilly and my walk then took me through Piccadilly Gardens, down Oldham Street past Piccadilly Records to Ancoats. I wandered through the old mill buildings, which are now apartments, down to the canal area and was amazed by New Islington Marina. From there I headed past the glass facade of the lovely old Daily Express building and photographed the reflection of the CIS building, once the tallest building in Manchester. Then I walked down Tib Street, where we bought our first pet - a budgie called Joey…or was it Peter? This led me nicely into the Northern Quarter and Shudehill, and then past the National Football Museum (note to self – must visit). After that I arrived in Exchange Square, not surprisingly this area was the least familiar to me following the major redevelopment in the wake of the IRA bombing in 1996. Here I stopped for a while and listened to an amazing young boy busking – perhaps he’s destined to follow in a long line of great Manchester musicians and bands. I passed though St Anne’s Square, past Kay’s jewellers where I bought my wife’s engagement ring many moons ago. Then down to Deansgate, where I looked round the John Rylands Library for the first time ever. After that I headed via Spinningfields, which seemed to be hosting several hen parties, to Albert Square and St Peter’s Square. The former was a disappointment as it is completely closed off and the Town Hall is wrapped in scaffold and covering. In fact, I struggled to find Albert Square, so unrecognisable was it. Still I’m sure it will be great when the refurbishment work is completed in 2024 if the rest of the city’s redevelopment is anything to go by. Finally I headed down to Chinatown, before returning to St Peter’s Square to pick up the Metro.
I took lots of photos, trying to capture the architecture, characters and vibrancy of the city, plus of course indulging myself in some nostalgia. Here are a few of them, roughly in the order I took them as per the walk described above.
I will certainly return soon because it feels like I have become re-acquainted with a dear old friend. ‘Glory hunter’? Maybe. But I’m also a Mancunian at heart. As they say, ‘you can take the boy out of Manchester, but you can’t take Manchester out of the boy’.
On The Streets. 13 February 2022
I thought I’d say a bit about street photography, which is the genre of photography I probably enjoy the most at the moment, though I don’t claim to be an expert. As with everything else, it is about experience and I have only been doing it for a fairly short time.
Purists would define street photography along the lines of ‘photographing unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places’. As such the photographer should not manipulate the scene and the shots should be ‘candid’, if you like. Certainly, candid shots, capturing never to be repeated moments, incidents, coincidences etc are often the most powerful because they tend to convey more drama, humour or emotion. However, personally, I would include more planned shots as being part of the genre if they have a documentary element or are simply aesthetically beautiful or striking; this, for me, would include street or environmental portraits.
I’m not sure why I am drawn to this type of photography. Perhaps its because of the challenge and the slight element of risk – will I get caught taking a candid shot, will someone object? Or perhaps its because people and the human condition are so fascinating? Or maybe because it provides endless opportunities, especially if you live in a big city (which I don’t)? Probably a combination of all of those.
Anyway, below are a few favourite examples of my street photography, based on my broader definition, with a short description of what I like about them and my rationale for taking them.
This shot was taken in Bury St Edmunds just before Christmas 2020. For me it works on several levels. Firstly it meets the criteria of being candid, and capturing a moment in time. I think it conveys emotion. The elderly gentleman seems sad to me, but someone else could look at the shot and think he is enjoying the Christmas lights and glad to be out after lockdown – who knows – it is up to the viewer to decide. It also works as a documentary record of that Christmas period when the pandemic was at its height, especially with the closing down Debenhams store in the background. I framed the shot deliberately from the angle I did so as to reveal the empty space in front of the man, to emphasis the fact that he was alone with his thoughts.
This shot is in the ‘street portrait’ category. I was doing some street and cityscape photography in London. It had been a bit of a grey day, but around 4pm, the sun came through the clouds just in time for golden hour. I spotted this young couple near London Bridge and thought they’d look great with their afro hair styles, backlit by the golden sun. I asked if I could take their picture and they were happy to oblige. They were lovely and so, so cool. I am really pleased with the shot.
I took this shot in the Brick Lane area of London. I saw the brick wall and thought it would make a good backdrop to a photo if an interesting ‘character’ came along. I waited for a while but nobody struck me as being ‘just right’. Then this young lady came along. I felt the bright colours and the checks in her coat and trousers perfectly complemented the check pattern of the wall. There is often an element of luck in street photography.
It is certainly harder doing street photography if you are not near a large city or town, but not impossible. This was again taken in Bury St Edmunds. The light was really nice and I spotted the shadow that the stair case was throwing on the wall and thought the patterns created were interesting, looking like the bow of a ship. I would have been happy(ish) without a person in the scene, but then, fortuitously the little girl appeared from the stairs. For a moment she was alone (her family followed a few seconds later) and I was quick enough to capture the scene. I was using a vintage Yashica, manual focus lens, so I was really pleased with how sharp I got it and I think the lens has rendered the image really nicely. I wouldn’t normally take photos of children without express permission, as these days your motive could be misconstrued, but I thought this was just too beautiful a shot to miss. It certainly falls into the ‘aesthetically striking’ category in my opinion, although I can’t fully pinpoint what it is I like about it.
Demonstrating that street photography isn’t just confined to towns and cities. I was taking some photos of the plants and autumn colours at Cambridge Botanical Gardens when I spotted this young Japanese (I think) lady playing a kind of hide and seek game with her friend. I quickly took the shot before she disappeared from view (she was obviously good at hiding). What I like about the shot is that she seemed to be so happy and I think this is conveyed in the photo. I also like the fact that the colour of her clothes seem to beautifully complement the autumn colours in the landscape around her.
Another shot taken on Brick Lane, I love the colours in this shot. Again it was a question of waiting for the right subject to come into the frame. I think this shot also falls into the category of documentary recording.
This final shot again demonstrates that street photography doesn’t have to take place in the city. I took this shot of two wildlife enthusiasts at Wicken Fen. The irony here is that they were ‘under cover’ looking for wildlife with their binoculars and cameras, not knowing that they themselves were being ‘shot’ from the bird hide.
Not Another Sunset! 19 January 2022
You can’t beat a good photograph of a beautiful sunrise or sunset, but are they a bit over utilised?
I don’t actually shoot sunrises or sunsets that often. Living in the East of the country, sunrises are certainly there for the taking, but if I am honest getting up at 4am or earlier, which you have to do for about six months of the year in order to travel to location and set up in good time, doesn’t appeal that much. This means that my sunrise shots are typically limited to autumn and winter, or perhaps if I am on holiday. Sunset compositions are harder to come by in the East – that is if you want interesting content as well as just a bright red sky, spectacular as they may be. And that brings me on to the main point about this blog and the question ‘are sunrises and sunsets over utilised’?
I see lots of pictures on social media of spectacular skies at dawn or dusk, but with not much attention paid to the quality of the photograph itself. Many of them are not particularly interesting compositions, are badly composed or out of focus, or they have completely underexposed shadows or blown out highlights, too much noise, wonky horizons or other ‘vices’. However, they never fail to get lots of ‘thumbs ups’. Of course, I’m not saying that everything has to be technically perfect - sometimes you just want to capture the moment. However, I do think that it is very easy to point your camera or phone at the sky without giving much thought to what you are trying to portray through the image. The thing is, nature is responsible for the beautiful sky, the photographer can claim no credit for that. It is up to the photographer to take that element and then create and record something unique and artistic. So, this is the main reason why I don’t take that many sunrises or sunsets – its not just that I am too lazy! I don’t want to over use them and when I do shoot them, I want to make sure they are compositions or images worthy of the beauty nature itself has provided.
Sunset over the Port of Felixstowe, 13 January 2022. Taken with my Fuji X-T10 with 50-230mm lens at 230mm, f/8, 1/250sec, ISO 250.
I spotted this shot with the sun setting behind the port gantry from Felixstowe beach near Cobbold’s Point, which I had been photographing earlier. Timing was of the essence as the sun was sinking rapidly. Because of the distance, I needed my longest focal length, but I didn’t have time to set up a tripod. So I took the shot hand held. I was worried that at a full frame equivalent of 345mm there would be too much camera shake and in retrospect I maybe should have used a faster shutter speed and pushed the ISO a bit. However, the OIS in the lens seems to have done a pretty good job and I think it is acceptably sharp, especially as I have cropped the image further to give the square format which I like.
My Gear, 03 October 2021
When I decided to upgrade my gear I set the criteria of having a small, lightweight system that I could take anywhere. Ideally just one camera and lens that covered all my needs. After some research I decided on the Fujifilm X-T3 mirrorless camera, with a 16-80mm f4 zoom.
Unfortunately, I have since been bitten by the ‘gear bug’ and have expanded my kit quite a bit, but the X-T3 and 16-80mm still does the majority of the work, especially for landscapes; along with a more recently acquired 70-300mm zoom which is great for compressing the landscape, distant scenes and the occasional wildlife shot. I also have a Fujifilm X-T10 and X-E2, both bought second hand, which I use for street photography and when I’m just on ‘walkabout', as they are compact and unobtrusive, and also because I love the X Trans 2 sensors in them. I tend to use prime lenses for street photography, again as they are small and compact and have faster/wider apertures. I shoot mainly in fully manual mode. I try and avoid using tripods as much as possible, but sometimes its unavoidable.
Overall, I am very impressed by the Fuji system. The form factor, analogue design and ergonomics are a throwback to the days of film and my Yashica FX3 and they are a joy to use. I also think they look very cool.
