When we look at a photo our eye is naturally drawn along any lines within it. By thinking about how and where you place any lines in your composition, you can influence the way people view the image, pulling us into the picture, towards the subject, leading us on a journey through the scene.
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Growing up in 1960s London suburbia my imagination was fired by all I saw and heard about hippies. Their lifestyle, their messages of peace, their long flowing skirts and yes, flowers in their hair. So much more appealing than my bottle green school uniform with its regulation skirts just above the knee!
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When we stayed in Ferndale in northern California in late September the town was already going mad for Halloween. As we walked along the one main street decorators were out adorning shop fronts with orange bunting, placing numerous skeletons on all the buildings, and chatting to business owners about their own additions to the town’s displays. Of course it was all in fun, not to scare!
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After a day with lots of rain in Paris, followed by one with none at all, today’s forecast was for sunshine and showers. We decided on another walk, with the possibility of a couple of small museums for shelter if the rain became too much.
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We finished our recent California road trip with a couple of nights in Las Vegas, a city which like New York can claim to ‘never sleep'. I was reminded of this song because we stayed in the New York New York hotel and casino.
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Who doesn’t love a bridge? There’s something special about being able to cross from one side to another, knowing that without the bridge this would be impossible. Crossing one is like moving into another world, where each step carries you from the familiar into the unknown.
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One of the things I most enjoy when exploring a city is photographing the little details of the buildings. Carved stone, wrought iron, weathered wood; all these things add to the picture of the city streets I hope to create. Doors especially are full of such details: knockers, handles, decorative features.
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It’s Pick a Word time again. Another month and another set of five words from Paula to illustrate. Always challenging, always fun! And as always I've trawled my archives to find some words that I hope fit her choices.
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Our images don’t have a particular job to do, they can stand alone. And the viewer is free too, to interpret them as they wish. They can follow the image’s ‘suggestion’ or search for other meanings – or none. With that in mind I have selected some favourite black and white shots to share.
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While many of England’s grand houses were (and in some cases still are) home to the aristocracy, others were built by those hoping to emulate or even join that exclusive set. The so-called ‘landed gentry’ indeed had land but no titles, although they aspired to climb the social ladder. Among them was Sir George Bowes, a coal baron from north east England.