FALLING SOMEWHERE AS RAIN

 This post finds me returning to the confluence of poetry and photography once more as Philip Larkin's marvellous writings find a reflection in a theme I am often drawn to - Railways. The blog itself takes its name from one of Larkins' lines from the beautiful ' Whitsun Weddings ', which finds the author in a railway carriage one summers day in the 1950's. Larkin had the gift of making the most ordinary and mundane situations seem hugely important and striking and this poem highlights his way of picking out snapshots of life from the rush and bustle of the everyday - as the line says: sun destroys t he interest of what’s happening in the shade, I enjoy rail travel, even though it is much changed since Larkin's day and far less romantic. However, it is a great opportunity to grab snapshots of the journey, which might otherwise be missed as the train speeds through the city and countryside. To this end, I use my iphone and a variety of different camera apps to gra...

With the cutting edge of technology available in a handheld device and all the benefits of digital image manipulation offered freely (mostly anyway) - it seems odd that vintage and retro forms of  photography remain popular. Currently, it has been reported that Generation Z have latched on to older digital cameras ad early flip phones, for the 'vintage' look on Tik Tok and Instagram. Apparently, the pixelated and grainy shots are the current fad and sales of old tech are quite buoyant. Personally, I can relate to the vintage aesthetic, but not to such recent models and styles. On the iPhone, there are a multitude of 'retro' camera apps that promise to recreate the Polaroid style, or the vintage Holga effect as well as dozens of other film emulations such as Velvia, Portra, Kodachrome and a personal favourite, Aerochrome. However, there is one app, which takes the vintage feel right back to the victorian era and the production of Tintype effect photographs.   Way back in...