Well, with all this excitement about the World Cup and England being as terrible as one might expect – I feel that I should assist the nation with a public service.  That service is to bring you all down to earth with a full and frank chat about why Lofts are great and will always be exciting to go into!

Now, on the face of it – you might think I am mad.  Perhaps you think I should keep to my latest obsession of posting Lomo photographs and stick to what I know rather than delving into the world of moribund topics.

But no – hold forth on your judgements and behold some revelations about the world of lofts and other childhood places of intrigue.

Loft Door (2010)

Ever since I was a kid, certain places have always excited me.  Whilst at the core, I always knew they would probably be disappointing – the mystery of what lay behind certain doors or up the top of certain ladders could not fail to instill a sense of wonder in my simple mind.  Amazingly, now in my 30’s, this effect still takes hold!  Lofts, Cellars, Disused buildings – any place that is rarely visited by human feet and is behind a closed door holds a certain appeal.

Loft Rafters (2010)

THE MOST EXCITING LOFT I EVER WENT INTO

So, imagine the joy that fell upon my simple face, when I had the chance to go into the loft above the hall at the college I work at.

This met the brief on a number of different points:

1) It was a loft

2) It was at a college (and the place I work) so held even more excitement and mystery

3) I had to climb onto the roof to get in there and as any self respecting person knows, going on a roof is a guaranteed good time.

Loft Blocked Up Door (2010)

WHAT MYSTERY LIES BEHIND A LONG CLOSED DOOR?

So was this mystery place as exciting as I had hoped?  Well, no – obviously not, but that is kind of besides the point.

Up until you open the door, the sense of mystery still remains – what lays beyond it is unknown.  Rarely do people go up there, so there is always a chance of finding something incredible, unseen by eyes for many decades.

In my limited experience of exploring such locations, I admit that I have never found anything exciting.  A bag of cement ( gone hard) or some smokeless fuel perhaps, but never anything that could really live up to my initial high expectations.

Lofty Wine (2010)

THE GOONIES EFFECT

So what is the appeal when the reality rarely meets expectation?

Well, this is the point of my post (besides showing some moderately interesting photographs I took up there).

I blame it on The Goonies.  Not just The Goonies – but that whole kids adventure genre, where a romping good yarn begins by finding something in a loft or a barn or a run down derelict property.  You know the sort – kids have hard life as parents are cruel – kids want something to break the monotony of suburban existence – kids find shed/barn/building/loft/cellar and go in to look around – a few random things scare them and then they stumble across a map/treasure/hobo/alien/monster/criminal – there begins an adventure that 1) gives them some excitement 2) makes them realise their home town is great 3) makes them realise their friends are great and their enemies are actually there friends 4) makes them realise their parents are great; and sometimes 5) gives them some form of riches that set them up for life.

Now, anyone who grew up not looking for such adventures, clearly had a miss spent childhood – as building dens and going into lofts looking for maps is clearly how one should spend ones formative years rather than being stuck behind a X-station-wee-advanced playing video games.

Loft Pulley (2010)

And that is my theory.  It is rather simple and a bit rubbish I know, but a theory none the less.  That excitement instilled in us as children, that a Famous Five style adventure is entirety feasible and is actually quite likely to happen if you go to places you shouldn’t and explore places that few men tread, stays with us to adulthood.

Of course, I speak in the plural here, when I can only really account for my own actions.  Although nothing of consequence was found during my loft adventure, part of me did still believe it was possible I would find something exciting!  And whilst that belief, no matter how small, rest in your soul – child like excitement at doing rather unexciting things will remain!

Before I go, I would like to share with you a funny loft story from when I was younger.  Call me a strange kid, but sometimes I used to go into the loft just for larks.  No real goal in mind, just an excuse to clamber up and have a look around – after all, who knows what could be up there.  Anyway, one such day, as I stuck my head through the hatch, I saw my brother.  But he was meant to be at work – doing his Saturday job at the local shop.  I was rather confused and slightly shocked at seeing his face staring back at me.  My immediate thought was he had been sacked and didn’t want to tell my parents so was hiding in the loft so he could pretend he had been at work.  I quickly asked him what he was doing, to which I received no reply.  It was then I realised I was looking at my own reflection in a mirror which had been placed just by the hatch.  What a fool I felt.  True if not sad story!

Loft Rubbish (2010)

Loft Abstract (2010)

So here we are, post election excitement – I have been at rest since the madness of the polls and feeling temporarily uninspired to write anything…which, I can now firmly blame on the Tories!

Anyway, I promised the political talk would come to an end and so it shall – instead, lets move onto experimenting with very small children (something else the Tories are into…sorry!).

I think, perhaps, I should start again.

MY DISCOVERY OF SEVERAL RANDOM FILMS

So…I recently spent about a billion pounds on getting a large quantity of film processed.  Films that I have taken over the past year or so and have not had the funds to process (tragic huh?).  So in a fit of idle rage and partial madness – I took them all in a few weeks back and got the lot processed and scanned at once.

It was an exciting haul – full of surprises and forgotten gems.  For anyone who doesn’t stock pile films and get them developed in one swoop months and months later…I highly recommend it!  Every image is a nice surprise as you have no recollection as to what was on any of the films.  I had the delights of several medium format films I took in Greece, my first efforts with the Lomo Mini Diana camera and even a couple of random 35mm shot through my Nikon FM.  Marvelous.

Three photos initially confused me when I looked at them, until my memory banks kicked in and I remembered what they were all about!  A few months back…perhaps at the dying end of last summer, Hannah and I met my sister and nephew in Preston Park for a picnic and general jolly.  I was armed with various items for personal entertainment – including of course a host of cameras.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GIVE A 1 YEAR OLD TODDLER A 35mm SLR CAMERA TO PLAY WITH?

As I was thinking of new an interesting ways to amuse my then, 1 year old nephew, Noah – it occurred to me that one is never to young to learn photography.  So my lesson began and I greedily forced him into taking his first every photographs.

Noah's First Photos - Attempt 1

ATTEMPT 1

So we were just warming up here and to be fair, young Noah had no idea what the hell was going on.

Still – I think he got quite a good portrait of his ear and how he managed to get the interesting blue to purple fade in the left of the frame is beyond me (edge of his finger perhaps?)…but I like it.

I discussed the merits of depth of field and focus with him – he spluttered a few noises back and we tried again.

Noah's First Photos - Attempt 2

ATTEMPT 2

OK, not bad – a definite improvement.  I like his composition, good awareness of colour, perhaps his focus could have been a bit more centred – but overall, not a bad effort.

Think it kind of says something about a lazy day in the park.

Nice job.  However, I felt a chat about visualising his images before he shot might help and we discussed how you can bring meaning into an image by being more selective about what you shot and really aware of what you put in and out of focus.

Noah's First Photos - Attempt 3

ATTEMPT 3

YEAH!

Check that puppy out.  Now tell me if I am wrong, but that is a genuinely great photo!  Taken from Noah’s point of view, I think it comments on the relationship of mother and son.

The ever watching eye of the mother gazing over the childs shoulder – mirrored by the ever gazing eye of the camera.  Susan Sontag would have a field day with this one.

So, what do you reckon?  For a 1 year old – I think he shows much promise!  Next lesson, I will move him onto Medium Format and see how quickly he can master that medium!

Remember kids – you are never to young to start learning new and complex skills!

One of the mysterious and alien codes on the ground of a building site!

WHY ARE BUILDING SITES SO INTERESTING TO LOOK AT?

Have we ever discussed my love of the humble building site?

It runs deep – especially when cranes are involved.  Heavy machinery is always exciting, but when it involves construction – my fascination knows no bounds!

Like with anything one knows nothing about, it is always interesting to ponder what things mean.  Building sites are full of secret items. codes and symbols that I do not understand and therefore want to.  Usually, I imagine in my mind that they represent something far more interesting than reality permits.

Still, perhaps that’s the secret of my fascination.

The fence contains its own mysteries...

The Fridge (2009)

Hannah would say I am nosey, I beg to differ, I would say I am infinately curious!!!

Sometimes, my own thought processess get the better of me and do make me wonder whether I want to know too much.

Let me start at the begining….the day of curiosities.

CURIOSITY 1 – THE COIN THROWING INCIDENT

The other day, I was strolling to work and walked past a local shop.  Outside the shop stood a few young boys, perhaps around 10 or twelve years old.  They had their tuck in one hand and in the other, small change, which they were proceeding to throw onto the ground in front of them.  Obviously, I could not stop and watch small boys throwing things without serious questions being asked.  So, I had to peek quick as I walked passed.  They were clearly throwing a range of coins from coppers to 20 new pence pieces.  The throwing was not at anything or with a particular goal – just throwing for the sake of throwing.

No photographic evidence of this I’m afraid due to fear of being considered a freak!  A man a camera and young boys should never mix!

Strange I thought, why would a child thrown perfectly good money to the ground?  When  I was a youth and infact to this day, I keep all currency and spend it!  As a boy, I would certainly have kept any coppers knowing they could buy penny sweets in their own right or be used collectively to buy a more exciting treat such as a finger of fudge.

As you can imagine, this set my day off to a curious start.

CURIOSITY 2 – CRAB IN THE FRIDGE

Crab In The Fridge (2009)

Imagine my shock when I was in the staff room of the college where I work to hear a tutor announce they had just got their milk out the communal fridge to discover a crab.

Never, I thought.  A crab – a whole crab?  Who would do such a thing and why.  As soon as break had finished and lessons had begun, I knew it was safe to investigate myself without fear of reprisal.  So I went to the staff kitchen and opened the fridge.  Who would have thought – there was a crab.  A whole crab, sitting on a plate in the fridge – quite dead you understand.

Obviously keeping food in a fridge is not strange.  But a whole crab, in a communal fridge at a school?  That is odd in anyone’s book.  Had it just been caught prior to someone coming to work?  Had a munger come to the school gates to peddle his/her fishy ware?  Was there some evening class involving crab preparations?  Did the owner not care about the horrible smell it was inflicting on the other fridged items?

What ever angle I looked at it from, it was odd and I really, really, really wanted to know why it was there and who had placed it.
Again, I had to resign myself to not knowing – take a photo and move along.

Curioser and curioser.

CURIOSITY 3 – MYSTERY POST

Mystery Post (2009)

So we find ourselves at the last key curios incident of the day.  My head was reeling from all the days mystery as I strolled back home to recount my tales to the ever lasting patience of Hannah.  Down an ally way next to the park I trod and into my peripheral came a post.

Not literally, I didn’t walk into anything – but awareness grew of a odd shaped post like set up, nestled amongst the foliage next to the path.

I guess there is nothing off about that as such – the photo demonstrates there is nothing out of the ordinary about the post.  Sure its bedded into a textured piece of concrete, sure it has a support strut at an exciting jaunty angle – but many posts can boast that.

The curiosity here is what is it for?  Why is it there?  It clearly serves no purpose and I can only propose that it was once part of something that is no more.  A fence perhaps, a gate, part of a hut, a sign.  So many possibilites and so few facts.

CURIOSITY AND NO CONCLUSIONS

So there we have it.  A typical day with a normal number of curiosities keenly waiting for me to resolve.  Such events litter my life and my brain – eating up valuable space as I do not have the simple answers to my simple questions.

Some would say I am nosey and want to know everything – but I still maintain I am just interested in whats around me!  But here is what I propose – everyone in the world is forced by law to clearly label or mark any strange thing that they are responsible for in any way.  Or, if not practical, they should declare out loud what they are doing.  This would solve all three incidents as follows:

1) The boys could have announced their motivations as they threw their coins – E.G:
“We are throwing coins to the ground because we have more money than sense and do not have a wallet to store our loose change in”

2) The crab person could have stuck a post it note to the plate – E.G:
This crab has been placed here because I was up early and went crab fishing at the Marina but did not have time to take my catch home before work.

3) A council worker could attach a metal plate to the post – E.G:
This post was once part of a very dull fence that ran along the path before the hedge grew.  When the fence was removed, it was more hassle than it was worth to remove this post.

See what I mean?  Simple explanations of curious things would make all of us happier people.

Out the back there is a rotting, mysterious car.

Both have intrigued me for some time.  Both have intrigued friends for some time.

The garage is locked from the front, but a glimpse inside can be captured through the broken windows.

I should have started photographing it a long time ago!

Abandoned Garage images:

Abaondoned Garage 1 (2009)

Abandoned Garage 2 (2009)

Abandoned Garage 3 (2009)

Abandoned Garage 4 (2009)

Rotten Car images:

Rotten Car 1 (2009)

Rotten Car 2 (2009)

Rotten Car 3 (2009)

Rotten Car 4 (2009)

Rotten Car 5 (2009)