Older, but no wiser
Andy Borrows' musings on life and all its confusion, contradictions, richness and opportunities
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Portal
You wouldn’t think so from the results, but I had it in mind to go in search of suburban silhouettes.
Other than a couple of shots out of the window, I've not been out with the camera since our holiday in August – nearly 3 months without the comforting feel of camera in hand; way too long. Day follows day and, before you know it, another season has rolled by, largely unremarked and unphotographed. My excuse has been that the immediate surroundings are too ordinary and I’ve been too busy to venture further afield, but I figured it was high time I quit griping about that, and went out to see how creative I could be with eye and camera at finding some interest amongst all this familiarity.
I had a vague notion that silhouettes would be effective at hiding the more mundane elements of the local scene - bold shapes given a fresh perspective by the lack of familiar detail; low level monochrome shots of street furniture, that kind of thing. So without thinking about where I might specifically be headed, I set out towards the sun to see what photo opportunities might lie in wait.
There was however a flaw in my plan – the late afternoon sun was, not surprisingly, out to the west, and that direction took me towards the edge of town, away from the biggest concentration of potential subjects. But its not altogether surprising that, left to themselves, my feet will naturally head for the nearest evidence of nature; in this case, a dead-end track which borders the fields at the edge of town.
It used to be a gravel track, which at least lent it something of a rural feel, but it was given a tarmac surface a few years ago, so now it feels more like a finger of town extending out into the countryside. Standing on the road, looking across the fields, it feels as though I’m looking through a window; the town has an invisible wall, and I’m still on the inside of it, looking out. But step just a few paces off the road, through the hedge which separates it from he field, and now I’m outside.
And as a result have a rather different kind of suburban silhouette.
Other than a couple of shots out of the window, I've not been out with the camera since our holiday in August – nearly 3 months without the comforting feel of camera in hand; way too long. Day follows day and, before you know it, another season has rolled by, largely unremarked and unphotographed. My excuse has been that the immediate surroundings are too ordinary and I’ve been too busy to venture further afield, but I figured it was high time I quit griping about that, and went out to see how creative I could be with eye and camera at finding some interest amongst all this familiarity.
I had a vague notion that silhouettes would be effective at hiding the more mundane elements of the local scene - bold shapes given a fresh perspective by the lack of familiar detail; low level monochrome shots of street furniture, that kind of thing. So without thinking about where I might specifically be headed, I set out towards the sun to see what photo opportunities might lie in wait.
There was however a flaw in my plan – the late afternoon sun was, not surprisingly, out to the west, and that direction took me towards the edge of town, away from the biggest concentration of potential subjects. But its not altogether surprising that, left to themselves, my feet will naturally head for the nearest evidence of nature; in this case, a dead-end track which borders the fields at the edge of town.
It used to be a gravel track, which at least lent it something of a rural feel, but it was given a tarmac surface a few years ago, so now it feels more like a finger of town extending out into the countryside. Standing on the road, looking across the fields, it feels as though I’m looking through a window; the town has an invisible wall, and I’m still on the inside of it, looking out. But step just a few paces off the road, through the hedge which separates it from he field, and now I’m outside.
And as a result have a rather different kind of suburban silhouette.
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