Up the workers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instead of writing my blog this morning, I should have been half-way to catching a flight to Manchester. French air-traffic controllers have put paid to that, calling a strike which has left me and 49, 999 other Ryanair passengers in the lurch. Up the workers? Yeah, right up 'em, the bastards ..

The silver lining is that I'll be able to carry on weeding our ever-greening garden, which is practically bubbling with life as we move further into spring. And, of course, I get another excuse to dive into my archive, pulling out today a picture of a protest march outside Trafford Town Hall in 1979. 'Stop the cuts' cry the banners. I couldn't agree more. Those bolshy sods have made me miss one of my favourite punk bands .. 

(#Iwassupposedtobegoingtoseetheuksubs)

(#pissedoff)

(#getoverityoubigbaby)

 

Natural flare ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other day I did something I haven't done in a long time .. I bought a new lens. (Ok, it was second-hand, but my 300mm telephoto has needed replacing for ages.) And then, last night, I did something I have never done before. I photographed a solar flare! Back at the computer after pointing my 'new' lens at the sunset, my curiosity was aroused by an odd 'sticky-out bit' at the edge of the sun. For confirmation I sent the shot to a pal of mine, an astro-photographer who works with Herstmonceux Observatory in East Sussex. He muttered something scientific about Hydrogen Alpha and then said "Brilliant!" and sent me a big smiley face emoji. There's always talk of 'luck' in photography, and I certainly got my fair share last night. You could say I have a 'flare' for it!  

Fire, fire .. !

 

 

 

 

 

My Mum was on the 'phone the other day, telling me about a new building that's going up on her street. "I've been watching the teams of men working on it," she said. "All in hi-viz and big boots and helmets." I, in turn, told her about a French chap that's re-tiling the roof over the way, tippy-toeing across open roof beams as he works alone in shorts and trainers, with only a soggy Gaulois as counter-balance. I mention this because I've been thinking about 'Health and Safety', and how it seems to have gone crazy in the UK. Indeed, I remember one occasion when, needing to get a touch higher to photograph a group of people, I was forbidden to stand on an office chair because of the 'dangers' involved. Anyway, I've found some old negatives of a factory fire I photographed in the 1980s, and show them today to illustrate how it was in the 'old days', when H & S hadn't even been invented. I started my work with a long shot of the burning building, and ended up right next to the firemen as they entered a door to tackle the blaze. I'm amazed I was allowed to get so close. I'm even more gob-smacked that I was daft enough to be so reckless. Oh, the joys of youth ..

Timing's everything ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just in time, I present an image from my early days as a freelance photographer. It's the sort of thing I used to shoot every time the hour went forwards or back. I'd find some clocks, chuck in a tasty bird (I'm using the lingo of 1983 here!) and was practically guaranteed a twice-yearly publication in the newspapers. The clocks went forwards again yesterday of course and, with perfect timing, I found this negative in my archive, along with lots of others that I think might just turn into another of my 'Wrong Way Wround' books. All in good time ..