Marching on ..

The first of March, and time for - drum roll - the third installment of Twelve for '13, my year-long display of archive photographs. This month's offerings flit from CB fans to chip shops, abandoned cars to my sister's bedroom! (Behave!) Hey, there's even a colour shot this time - one from my meagre collection of colour slides from the time (Well, they were expensive!) I'm intrigued by my Blog Shot today, though. It was taken at Eccles army cadets, so it's no later than about May of 1976, when I was still 15 years old, and I'm assuming it's a tribute to - or possible complete rip-off of -  an Elliott Erwitt photograph, which I first saw in his book 'Photographs and Anti-photographs' in 1974. (To my shame - I'm blushing - I stole this book from our school library and, years later, actually got it signed by the great man himself! So you're not having it back, St Pat's!) Anyway, if you ever see the shot I'm talking about, you'll see a black GI sticking his tongue out at Mr Erwitt's camera, just like the kid's doing in my shot, though whether I asked him to do it because I'd seen Elliott's shot, or simply caught it as he did it, I will never know! I know we're all influenced by others, and I know humour is a very important part of my photography, so all I can say is I'm glad I discoverd Erwitt at 14 and not Bill Brandt! Anyway, crack on and go see my latest set of archive shots. Quick march...