Monday, May 18, 2026

An Illustration

 


At what point does a photograph become an illustration? I'm not sure of the answer, but it probably has something to do with tones and lines. This illustration of Halifax Borough Market is based on a photograph I took last year. The simplicity of line and tone makes it look a little like something from a nineteenth century copy of The Illustrated London News. That, however, is a twenty-first century mobile phone shop on the right.

Happy Birthday

 


Saturday, May 09, 2026

Britannia's Leafy Crown

 


It's a photograph I have taken time and time again over the last half century: Britannia sitting atop her eponymous buildings in Elland. During the 1970s and 80s, the scene was stark - stone, soot slate and a few brave saplings. By 2016, when this version was taken, vegetation was in charge and Britannia wore a leafy crown.



Friday, May 08, 2026

Albert


I took this photo of my father around the time I was doing a photography course at the local Tech. We were studying lighting, and the homework was to produce a dramatically lit portrait. I achieved this with a couple of reading lights and an old blackout curtain. These days, all you would have to do is ask AI to create the mood. It wouldn't be half the fun, however.



An Illustration

  At what point does a photograph become an illustration? I'm not sure of the answer, but it probably has something to do with tones and...