A Photo a Day 2020 #63

Riverboat

Back in my hometown, this boat has been on the river ever since I was a child. Once I tried to go on a trip on it with my mum and grandmother. The trip was unsuccessful; the anchor was stuck and we weren't able to move forward. I never did get to make that trip. Sometimes I think I should have taken that boat tour again as an adult, for the fun of it, to see a different perspective of the River Medway rather than just admiring it from the riverbank. 

Triptych of the Week #6

Riversides

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I took these photos on Christmas Eve 2017 on a walk around the park. They are all shots of the River Medway in Tonbridge, Kent. 

I brought out the colours by shooting in 'Colour Pop' mode and managed to capture some reflections in the water.

These images capture a stillness and silence, revealing something about the secret lives of those who live by the river.
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Triptych of the Week #1

The Park

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Taken in Tonbridge park, these photos document a solitary stroll around the perimeter of this wide, green space. 

I used the zoom feature on the top and bottom photos, more out of wanting to be inconspicuous than anything else. I also shot using the 'pop colour' feature for these shots. The difference in vibrancy between the top and bottom is a happy accident, but adds to the narrative. 

As a kid, I loved the zip-line; the man with his dogs was also a solitary stroller who I passed on my walk and then captured later. He was sat on a bench with his two dogs for company. I thought about asking to take his photo then and there, but it seemed quite obtrusive as he was clearly out to have some time to himself, perhaps a pre-Christmas day breather. The goalposts in the two images tie them quite nicely, I think.

The middle shot was taken with a slower shutter speed; I achieved more or less what I wanted here. The framing could be better in this image, but I chose this one because the foot was in shot and the shape of my coat with the button looked better than in some of the others.

So this is my first attempt at a triptych and I hope to produce some interesting images this year, pushing myself to tell some stories with my photography.

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Tonbridge Town, Kent

Have you ever heard of Tonbridge in Kent? No, not Tunbridge Wells, TONBRIDGE!

This conversation is all too familiar when someone asks where you're from when you grew up in a little place like this.

RIP Dorothy Perkins

It is certainly a town of contradictions and it is very different to Tunbridge Wells. For a start, Tunbridge Wells boasts a decent shopping precinct, the historic Pantiles, and a decent enough night life; Tonbridge, on the other hand, has few of the pluses of its sister-town. Having lived in Hampshire for over ten years, when I return to the 'bridge, I am able to see what has changed a lot more clearly. One disappointing feature (and a sign of the times) is the state of the High Street shops. There wasn't much in the way of a shopping experience growing up, but it is a sad sight to see so many shops closed that have been a staple part of the town for years.