streetphotography

about Christmas…

Image | | andy townend 
about christmas
        russian shell(s)
        ukraine hell(s)
about christmas 
        freezing cold
        forgotten old
about christmas
        homeless (not) hopeless
        clueless politician, regardless
about christmas
        behind closed doors
lie (closed) minds
about christmas
        how much, is enough
               for you
                   for them
                       for us
let's talk... about christmas

exposed

spotted

spirit (me away)

not just for christmas

not the pandemic 

do you feel lucky?

palmed off

face off

caged dreams

lack of intimacy

you looking at me?

where are all the little people?

no, on reflection

closed (for christmas)

*images made with Fujifilm X100F with fixed 23mm f/2 lens*

shades of salamanca

Image | | andy townend

It comes to this: like all of us who have not yet died of plague he fully realizes that his freedom and his life may be snatched from him at any moment”
― Albert Camus

The streets of Salamanca stay muted as Covid-19 shows little sign of receding – although even in the darkest shadows light can be found.

A brief snapshot of the streets of Salamanca in September as the summer slides slowly towards the autumn. The outcome of my latest experimentation with the settings on my Nikon D850 and AF-S Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 E VR lens.

More to follow.

Wherever you are, stay safe and look for the light in the shadows…

*Images made with Nikon D850 and AF-S Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 E VR lens*

out in the midday sun (and locked down)

Image | | andy townend

Clear as a bell and an echoing shell
Clear as a pane of glass
I realize, I can’t revise
As clear as a big blue sky
Through and through it all
– Doom or Destiny, Blondie

Locked down in Accra.

Oh, is it doom or destiny?

Watch this space, especially as Ben and the WordPress Discover team are back in town.

Stay safe!

*all images hand crafted with iPhone 11 Pro 4.25mm f/1.8 lens*

out in the midday sun

Image | | andy townend

“and from the ends of the earth, across the thousands of miles of land and sea, kindly, well-meaning speakers tried to voice their fellow-feeling, and indeed did so, but at the same time proved the utter incapacity of every man truly to share in suffering that he cannot see…”

– Albert Camus, The Plague

Today, I will let my photos tell my story.

Except, one more thing?

Some words, from a colleague with whom I am fortunate to be working (in a virtual sense), who observed (more or less) “our planet has been suffering a fever for some time, now that we too have a fever, perhaps we will change”.

He nailed it.

Coronavirus is presenting us with not only what is perceived (by some) as an existential threat but perhaps also the reverse. Pollution across the world is down, perhaps because people, people like me, are grounded.

So, are we up for a change? I am, even if only in a small way. Every little helps, no?

And, perhaps as my photos suggest, we may be down, but our planet, nature is surely not.

Stay safe everyone.

…and a p.s. as expected, the hotel has (this morning Friday, 27 March) informed we remaining sixteen guests that they are considering closing next Wednesday. So my nomadic lifestyle continues, another twist and turn, watch this space.

*all images hand crafted with iPhone 11 Pro 4.25mm f/1.8 lens, unedited*

castronuño

Image | | andy townend

Farewells can be shattering, but returns are surely worse
– Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin

It’s been a while since I posted here, more than four months to be (almost) precise.

A lot has happened in that time.

It’s time to return, to re-engage.

So, rather than write pages and pages explaining my absence, I thought I would share some photos from a walk by the river, yesterday, in Castronuño.

A few small slices of life, under the Spanish sun.

Presented, more or less in the order that they were shot.

Be seeing you.

As you sow, so shall you reap

Continue reading →

farewell wordpress wpc

Image | | andy townend

Like many people, I suspect, I am saddened to see the unannounced demise of the WordPress weekly photo challenge. In the early days of this site the weekly prompts from the WordPress team often offered a much needed spur to action, and helped me find my voice and new inspiration.

The WordPress team, and their occasional guests, created a cherished sense of community. They will be missed.

How to choose a favourite? Not exactly Sophie’s Choice I know, but hey guys, you may be ripping out the soul from your blogging platform. Why not at least have issued some kind of warning, canvassed opinion, or even sought out those willing to carry the torch?

So, I publish again one of my first photo for this esteemed challenge, and if you’d like to see the whole set from andytownend then here you go.

And, I wonder.

See also my posts on belgradestreets, salamancastreets and belgianstreets…

I’d rather be

Image | | andy townend

‘what was the thing, who was the one?
i’d tell you if I had the chance
all over the city, the suburbs and towns
i’m begging someone, please look up’
– lyrics from ‘everybody wants to sin’ sarah blasko

for wordpress weekly photo challenge ‘i’d rather be’

*shot in salamanca, españa, with 35 year old olympus om10 and zuiko 50mm f/1.8 lens in aperture priority mode with ilford xp2 super iso400, developed by ilford, after I dropped it on a cold tiled floor and bent the filter ring, gotta love film…*