Pages

Showing posts with label freezing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freezing. Show all posts

Tuesday 6 December 2011

The story behind the Winter Picnic Photograph.


It was round about this time last year (November/December 2010) that the UK was in the grip of the worst cold spell for as it turns out a hundred years. The country may have just missed coming to a standstill but it stopped me in my tracks literally, as I couldn't get the truck off the drive. The ice was a solid two inches thick not allowing for any grip!

The snow brought a brand new look to the area that I had not seen before, so I thought I would go out and take some photographs of this fresh, clean new wonderland of soft edges. Armed with my Bronica SQAi 120 format camera loaded with FP4 film I trudged gingerly off into the countryside.

Picnic
I was quite surprised to find there we a lot of people out and about with the same idea, walking the dog, playing and enjoying their enforced day off work. As I strolled further afield the numbers thinned until I was alone enjoying the crisp white land the snow had laid out for me to photograph; so engrossed with the scenes before me I forgot how bitterly cold it was until my throbbing freezing fingers sent SOS messages to my brain and brought me back to reality -“Shhahhhoi!!! Its cold.!” Pulling my gloves on the best I could I made off in a hurry to warm up.

Briskly walking up a path by one of the lakes the path turns a corner at the top where there is a bench and from a distance it looks like someone is sitting there! As I got closer I could see it was two people! -”they must be mad!- and it looks like they are having a picnic!” As I got closer I could see steam from their cups as they ate their mince pies! An idea for this picture was forming as I approach them to ask if they would mind being in the photograph. They did not mind, so I walked back down the track a bit, set up the camera on the mono pod, took a light reading and pressed the shutter. You're right! I only used one frame, no back up or bracketing, the view that came to mind is the one I took. After the shot was taken I walked back and chatted for a while. Apparently they don't let a little bad weather get in the way of them coming to their favourite spot! I wish them the best of the season and moved on. Not so mad after all! I wish I had thought to bring a hot drink with me!

I am pleased to say that Picnic was one of the Pictures chosen for this years Film and darkroom users Year Book. Which can be obtained from Blurb.

FADU year books