HOMAGE TO 'EQUIVALENTS' I have loved watching and photographing skies all my life. Now Alfred Stieglitz created what he said were works that could express pure emotion, paralleling the artist’s own inner state. “Through clouds [I wanted] to put down my philosophy of life—to show that my photographs were not due to subject matter—not to special trees, or faces, or interiors, to special privileges, clouds were there for everyone—no tax as yet on them—free.” Clouds for me remind me of the massive but delicate balance of the atmosphere that is just one of the things that keeps us alive and also makes me wonder what's beyond them in deep, deep space. I do not claim to be near Stieglitz's photographs but here are some of my favourite cloud formations. These were taken on a Panasonic Micro 4/3rds body using various Schneider M42 lenses and on a Leica M9 with various lenses.
Geospace has asked members of the Chesterfield Photo Society to update their blogs and suggested that we put some pictures of our trip to York on our blogs. Well as a 'silver-based' photographer I've had to wait 'till I got my films back before posting any photos. So here is a selection. I've tried to be a bit different about the shots I took.
These photographs are taken at Shugborough Hall near Great Haywood in Staffordshire. The Hall is well worth a visit as it tells the story of the owners, the Anson Family. In particular it tells the life of the brothers George Anson and Thomas Anson . George was a key figure in the birth of a professional Royal Navy and he became First Lord of The Admiralty. While he was exploring the world Thomas lived at Shugborough and used his brother's income to remodel the house. The Hall was famous in the 20th century as the home of Patrick Lichfield and it has a great display about Lichfield and his photographic career. Shugborough is owned by the National Trust and you need to check the website to see when and how it is open during the Covid 19 pandemic.