Sunday, 9th February 2014: So how many pictures can you take of the same landscape scenes – well in my case the answer has to be loads. When I was growing up I was always more interested in maths and the sciences. I probably got interested in photography because of the process rather than the image. Although the magic of printing my own pictures got me focused (forgive the pun) on the pictures as well.
It was only really when I started to travel that I became more interested in geography and culture and history. There is nothing like a bit of curiosity to get you wanting to learn about new things.
Art classes really did nothing for me at school. I was cack-handed – literally, being left-handed, so I got of to a bad start with my writing. The right-handers were all shown how to form their letters and connect them up – I was left to get on with it. As we used ink pens in those days (cartridge pens) then as soon as I had written something I would smudge over it with my hand. One teacher scrawled “damned ugly handwriting – do it again” over a German Essay – he was a bit of a strange chap though. He certainly put me off of French and German – big time. So having been castigated for my writing I didn’t bother with art – after all it could only go downhill for me.
It was a good job the sciences didn’t let me down. Now I am not knocking the need for kids to learn to write – but hey who does much writing once they leave school. All my daughter’s work at Uni is done on her laptop, with the exception of end of year exams. Lots of jobs use computers or tablets – the ability to type is much more important. Things change – perhaps more than we are comfortable with, but the change is inexorable.
However one thing that use to amuse me was how artists would often follow themes, recreating scenes many times, with subtle shifts of light or complete changes of media. There seems to be a need to look at something in lots of ways – artist studies.
I think I kind of get it now, no matter how many times I might look at a scene there are things that change of might be pictured differently. Many is the time that I will get home and look at the pictures I have taken and think why on earth didn’t I spot that odd thing in the background, or weird slope to the horizon or odd composition. I also find myself taking the same scene – but at different times of day, year, weather … Not to mention using different lens, zoom, aperture or shutter speeds.
So here are a few taken on a Sunday on my ride around the Fens (Lode, Upware, Wicken).
Commissioners’ Drain – Split Drove
Lemon Skies above the Fens
White Fen – Lemon Skies
Pylons and Orange Skies
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