The Humber Bridge and dog walkers

click photo to enlarge
One thing that is very helpful when you are photographing in large spaces such as the seashore, by a big river, in open fields or in any other expanse, is a sense of the size or scale of the view. The same is true when your shot includes anything large or something that is difficult to visually "read" in a photograph: cliffs are a good example. Scale in this sense is an understanding of dimensions. Anyone familiar with photographs taken by geologists of rocks or embedded fossils will recognise the importance of the often included hammer or short ruler in helping the viewer to appreciate the size of what they are seeing. Those items don't have much use in general photography. However, there are many things that can offer a sense of scale where it is needed. In the past I've used a bench, a fence, a tree, cows, sheep and much else. Anything that is familiar to the viewer and which can therefore be used as a size indicator is all that is needed. Of course, the very best of indicators is the human figure. Place a person in a photograph and not only will he or she often be the initial point of interest for the viewer, they will immediately lend a sense of scale to the depicted scene.

Britain is known for being a nation of animal lovers. I count myself as one, though not in the sense that it is usually meant. My preference is not for the cats, dogs and the other kinds of domestic pets that are far too commonly found on these islands. As far as they are concerned I wish they were much fewer in number than is the case; a sentiment not widely shared or welcomed. My liking is for wildlife. The existence of animals that kill wildlife in very large numbers (cats) or are significant disturbers of the it (dogs) is something that I regret. But, I have to admit that there is a time when I find the presence of dogs and their owners useful, and that is as objects offering scale in my photographs. Today's shot does, I think, benefit from the dog walkers and their animal by the water's edge. Those small figures underline the enormous size of the Humber Bridge arching across the river above them. Take them away and the sense of the size of the engineering is substantially lessened and the force of the photograph diminished.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 24mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/1250
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.67 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Lime trees, ageing and coincidence

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Like most people, during my younger years I saw the last quarter or so of my expected life span as something to be concerned about. Now that I'm entering that period I haven't banished all those worries about the possible course of my physical and mental health, but I have discovered that ageing can bring pleasures that the young don't always see.

I was reminded of this the other day when  I stopped off in Long Sutton to make my second visit to the lime tree avenue that leads to the local cemetery. I'd photographed it in August 2011 when the trees were in leaf, and I wondered what it offered when the branches were bare. A woman was walking her dog towards me and I made use of her presence as a complementary detail in my photographic composition. As she approached we exchanged greetings and fell into conversation. We learned that she was ninety years old, walked her aged, partially blind dog twice daily in a quite long circuit that included the avenue, and that, like us, she wasn't a native "Yellowbelly". We learned a little of her long life, the places she had lived, the things she liked to do and much else, all in the space of ten or fifteen minutes. As we went on our way I reflected that conversations of this sort with complete strangers, that are very common among older people, are much rarer with the young and middle-aged, and are often a real pleasure.

When I got home and started to process my photograph a thought that I'd had during my afternoon talk came back to me. Is the person I spoke to the same person that I'd included in my earlier photograph of the lime tree avenue? On close inspection of both photographs I find that, remarkably, it is! What are the chances? Probably greater than I might imagine, but an interesting coincidence nonetheless. And here's a further thought. A few weeks ago I was contacted by someone who had seen and heard about this particular avenue on television. She then searched for it on line with a view to going to photograph it, and finding my image, emailed me with a query about its precise location. I sent her a Google Maps link. What I'd be interested to know now is this: has she photographed it yet, and if she has, does her photograph include a white haired lady walking her dog?

I like to produce a sepia photograph every now and then because the effect pleases me. This photograph seemed to be a good opportunity to do so.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 80mm
F No: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/80 sec
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Fans, football and TV

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So far my football World Cup viewing of 2010 has matched that of 2006 - I haven't seen a single game. That's not because I don't like the sport: I have inherited a passing interest from my father, and still feel the need to know enough to keep up my end of the conversation with family and friends. But I've never found that the World Cup, and the TV coverage that relays it, presents soccer in a form that I want to consume and digest.

The over-the-top coverage is the first turn-off. I do not want to know about the lives of the players, their wives, the new stadia, the machinations of FIFA, the statistical analyses and the rest: it's all padding. Then there's the quality of the football on display which only occasionally reaches the peaks that we should expect from the best players in the world. The fear of losing seems to drive down the entertainment value. In many respects I'd rather watch a game from one of the lower tiers of the Football League.

However, one of the biggest irritants of the TV coverage is the large number of interviews with players. Nowadays these seem mandatory. I imagine they are contractual. We hear their views pre-selection, during training, before the match, after the match. The answers they give to the interviewers' questions are frequently inarticulate and usually repetitious and mind-numbingly boring: in fact much the same as the ex-footballers who present the programmes and sit on the sofas commenting on the games. Quite why TV companies insist on using people who are good at the sport but have poor communication skills I don't know: far better to choose a person who is articulate with a wide understanding and love of the game, someone who can give the viewer genuine insights into what is happening. A newspaper commentator who is far crueller than I am likened interviewing footballers to soliciting the views of the canine competitors at Crufts.

Which brings me to today's photograph of three England fans that I took when I was out shopping the other day. They were accompanying an elderly lady on her electric mobility scooter. Three things struck me about the dogs. Firstly they showed great forbearance. Secondly, they had very placid temperaments. And thirdly, the rather gormless looking bulldog reminded me an England player. However, I am much too kind to suggest whether current or past, or to suggest a name!

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 10.2mm (48mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f3.2Shutter Speed: 1/400
ISO: 80
Exposure Compensation: -0.66 EV
Image Stabilisation: On