A lakeside vision. The stillness of the water. A tantalising view of the other shore. The symmetry of the carefully cultivated and pruned trees. Only the best is good enough for royalty, in this case the royals of Sweden. I captured this view at the castle of Gripsholm, set on an island 60km to the west to the Swedish capital Stockholm on a Scandinavian summer’s day. Well worth a visit…
The first photograph I showed you from our new roof space was an angry, cloud-smudged sky.
There is a shift in mood here, to a calm evening around sunset, the chimney bristling with branches and the proud, upright TV aerial.
What intrigues is the cloud formation, slashing the sky and leaving a blunt but neat wound. It has obvious impact in colour but has strength in the sepia rendition, like a scar from an operation.
I’m beginning to sense that this skyline will often be featured in photographs, catching various seasonal moments…
A couple are perched on the floor, comfortably on the wooden slats. They’re next to a window, and it’s quite an expansive one. They are gazing intently at something, but it’s not easy to tell what from this perspective.
The photograph may have some parallels with this image of a couple I took on Primrose Hill in London.
But where might this pair be?…
A set of adverse circumstances led to an unexpected chance to take some photographs.
This is the first shot from that set – a fascination with a mundane object which turned into a rare self-portrait. Dermot appears to be trapped in the washing machine with me, contentedly flicking through a newspaper while I focus into the circular glass.
There will be more from this session soon, giving you ample time to wash, dry, iron and fold your laundry…
This is a fruitful exercise in collaboration. Thirty photographers, who belong to the Photography Institute’s London Facebook group, each created an image on a single theme – abstract. This was the brainchild of Darren Sharp, who skilfully pieced together this wonderful montage.
We were all struck by the diversity of images, and how each individual responded to the challenge in such different ways. It combines the best of individual expression and joint effort.
My contribution comes from a simple object in a west London park. At close quarters, its dimpled, textured surface is hard to define and has its own synthesis – the essence of abstract. It’s little more than a lowly stone bench, dappled by the sunlight and then treated with a light sepia tint to bring out the contrasts.
This is the original cut of my photograph – which stands alongside so many impressive pieces of work.
