Bristol, Summer 2022

By shendyNo Comments
These three sets were taken in the summer of 2022 Portbury These were taken at a place I simply didn't know existed - it's the site of the WWII air defences for Royal Portbury Docks, where the remains of the gun emplacements and barracks are slowly falling apart. I was there twice during the summer as the archery club arranged air rifle shooting days there, one of them on about the hottest weekend of the year. The black and white images were taken with a strong infra-red filter on the digital camera, and there are a couple on the Ondu panoramic pinhole camera. Severn Beach Another place I keep going back to. Several here with the infra-red filter and plenty of use of the fisheye lens as well. King's Weston House I've only been to King's Weston House a few time - one of them for a speed awareness course, which was actually the only time I've been inside! Apparently you can rent the rooms, which might be...
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Bristol 2022, part 2

By shendyNo Comments
These two sets go together as they are geographically linked as Cumberland Basin is at the start of the Avon Gorge footpath. Cumberland Basin I'll be honest, I can't seem to stop going to Cumberland Basin and the various flyovers there - I just really like the concrete structures, the industrial element to it, and the graffiti. The bridge is basically the last bit before you get to the Avon Gorge footpath - I think it takes you into the bottom end of the Ashton Court estate, but I haven't been that far. Yet. Avon Gorge Footpath I'd actually never walked along this side of the river before 2022, despite having been in Bristol for over 25 years. I started walking here as I needed a change from Blaise, and started gently before working my way up to walking all the way to Sea Mills (about where the shot of the boat was taken) which is a round trip of almost 6 miles. That's a...
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Bristol 2022, part 1

By shendyNo Comments
Yes, 2022. I realised that I blogged absolutely nothing last year, so I'm going to make up for that. It was a strange year - I was made redundant in April, although the process started the previous November and my departure was confirmed in February, and I started a new job in late September - and I didn't really do that much photography. And it has to be said that what I did do wasn't anything special, to be honest a lot of it was probably therapeutic as the redundancy process wasn't enormously pleasant. Blaise I spent a fair bit of time in the first part of the year walking around Blaise Estate in Bristol, close to home - I needed to get out and get some form of exercise. Most of these were taken in January and February, with a few in spring/early summer - it's probably quite easy to tell which as the winter ones are quite bleak, cold, dark and muddy....
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Severn Beach, December 2021

By shendyNo Comments
Using up a bit of holiday, I had a day off in December and went for a walk at Severn Beach. As expected, it was bleak. I made a conscious effort to shoot darker on these, with some success.I'd also bought a cheap screw-in fisheye lens adaptor and gave that its first run out. It's optically terrible - you can see the softness and colour fringing on the edge of the frame - but it was quite fun, to the extent that I've bought a proper fisheye lens. Images from that to come in the future! I also shot a couple of rolls in the Agfa box camera but they're all pretty dreadful so aren't included....
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Autumn 2021 part 2 – Lydney, Beachley and Bristol Harbourside

By shendyNo Comments
These three sets come from some time off in September - we didn't go away, so I ambled out for some day trips. First up is Lydney Harbour - I'd noticed a sign for it when driving back from Westbury Court, so I looked into it and decided to visit. It's an interesting place, a bit bleak - but I quite like that. I was slightly surprised to find a bit of a marina there, which contains some interestingly dilapidated yachts. Definitely my sort of thing!The last two shots are of a derelict industrial site - I couldn't resist poking the camera through the fence. These are a mix of digital, Hasselblad film and Ondu panoramic pinholes. No colour negative this time - I more or less know what I'm doing with black and white film. The second set are from Beachley, which is at the Welsh end of the original Severn Bridge, and where the ferry from Aust used to dock. I've photographed...
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