Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sepia Saturday 212 : Snow and The Blunt Curator

I don't have many old family photographs featuring snow. My ancestors seemed to avoid the subject and being blunt Yorkshire folk they would no doubt believe that if it was snowing outside the thing to do was to stay inside next to the fire. Unless there was brass to be made outside, of course.

Snowy photos only appear in the geological image record during my curatorial watch, and I have chosen a couple from back in the 1980s to illustrate the trend. Both were taken within a few hundred yards of each other, but the fact that one was captured when I had black and white film in my camera and one when I had colour, means that it was more than likely different snow storms in different years.

The first shows the scene on the west of Crookes Valley Road and those are the benches in Crookes Valley Park fighting to stay above the snow line. The second photograph shows two of our oldest friends - C&M - heading for a winters' run along the eastern side of the embankment that carries the road. Why they were venturing out into the cold snow for a run I cannot imagine. The photographer - being a blunt Yorkshire lad - was taking the photograph from the warmth of his front door.

Snow was forecast for today so I am avoiding the outside world. I will stay indoors and check out the rest of the entries on the Sepia Saturday Blog by following the various links. If you would like to bask in the warm glow of sepia memories, you can do the same.

17 comments:

  1. Both lovely photographs but I love the two friends running through the snow best.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alan I made a mistake with my link on Sepia Saturday. I have done it again with the right link. Is it possible to delete my first entry?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely! I love snow! We're getting even more today! Brr!

    ReplyDelete
  4. If you do get snow, please keep it 'up North'.

    ReplyDelete
  5. If you took that neat shot of the runners in the snow from your warm front door, you must have a lovely view from that front door. Lucky you! As for the runners, I love the bare legs on the one. Hopefully they don't get frostbite.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great photos. Almost make me miss the snow....almost.

    ReplyDelete
  7. An artist who thinks of comfort...sounds like a good combo to me!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Black and white film was made for dramatic high contrast snowy landscapes. Color film for the silliness of baby blue union suits and bare legs.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous11:46 AM

    I'm glad you gave an explanation for the first photo. It certainly had me puzzled. You have a great eye with your photos.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The black and white photo captures the silence after a snow fall. the second one, I can't get past those bare legs! Why was she out in the snow with all that bare flesh?? Did she never have any tights? Makes me cold just to see it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Looking at the bare legs, as you do, and reading Kristin's comment made me wonder whether the photo cam before tights came into use. The B&W shot is a beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Skipping through the snowflakes, how fun! You'd really be staying next to the fire for sure if you had our weather today! Yes, schools are closed again, why you dare ask? Let's see, wake up time, -19 degrees, afternoon time, the same, and yes did I mention the wind chill factor of -40 degrees and higher at times! I'm thinking which is better the tremendous snowfall first or these temperatures?!

    ReplyDelete
  13. They are both great photos. The black and white is nice to see and the color one is a good action shot.

    ReplyDelete
  14. While the first shot certainly appeals to my sense of aesthetics,
    the second one amuses me.
    Your friend was quite hardy going for that run in her shorts.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Two fine photos. I like the effect on the color photo with the background looking monotone.

    ReplyDelete
  16. At least one friend had the good sense to wear sweat pants.

    Love the graphic effect of park benches in snow.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love the shot of the benches, Alan!

    ReplyDelete

11 March 2024 : Paper Hanging

  Some people read the paper, some try and understand the meaning of life, George II and Elvis Presley both died there .... and photographer...