Some photos I've taken in Edinburgh over the course of January. Starting with, above, an image from The Shore in Leith, made with my Holga 120N on Ilford HP5+.
A lot of the time, I don't go out with a particular project or subject in mind. My favourite thing to do is to wander with a camera, open to whatever inspiration I might find along the way. This is my default mode; sometimes a theme will emerge or something will lead me to a project idea. Often there is no rhyme or reason, other than my own perspective on the world that surrounds me.
I think photography can be used for many purposes - people can engage with photography for so many different reasons. I first got in to photography, as a teenager, as part of a healing process. It was something creative that took me outside and helped me to view the world in a different way. Or, even, to communicate my way of seeing and experiencing the world, something I found hard to do with words. Walking with a camera and observing the world around you can be a meditative activity, which can help an anxious mind.
Over the years, through studying photography, I was driven towards more conceptual and research-based work, and that practice is still embedded in my understanding of photography. But the fundamental reason I go out to take pictures hasn't really changed. If I don't go out with a camera for a couple of weeks, I start to feel restless and frustrated. So, a lot of the pictures I take are part of this meditative, mindful process which helps me personally; I can't really say what they do for anyone else. If others enjoy them, that's a great bonus.
Anyway, moving on... these next images were photographed on my walk home from the city centre, not long after the New Year. There were still Christmas trees piled up on the streets, and I saw some outside a church and thought there was something meaningful in that image...
I was out on another, sunnier day and walked from the Southside towards Canonmills. I saw these pigeons flocking above the busy street and found a corner to tuck in and wait for them to fly over this building. Which, after a minute or two, they did. The second pigeon was photographed on North Bridge - I think this might be the first time I've walked over it and seen over the edge, now that the construction hoarding has been removed.
Another day, we walked to Inverleith Park and Stockbridge. There was ice on Inverleith Pond, and the birds were standing around on the water. They know it's not long before someone will come along and throw some food in their direction...
I'm not 100% sure what this building is - it looks like an old bowling green to me, but I could be wrong. Maybe it's cricket? Either way, it was looking fairly dormant on this mid-January day.
And here are the birds I mentioned... I noticed that the water birds were happy to stand on the ice, but the pigeons preferred the safety of solid ground.
That same day, I noticed this camper van on the walk home. A cliché maybe, but I couldn't resist taking a photo. Has there ever been a prettier camper van design than this?
Yet another day - I can't remember the reason I was in town - I took these phone snaps on my walk. The second half of January has been quite gloomy a lot of the time. Though, it looks like there was some sunshine in these moments.
Near the end of the month, we walked to the Shore in Leith. It was a gloomy, drizzly day. I took a camera anyway, just in case. For some reason, the empty benches outside Customs Wharf inspired me to use it. Nobody sat drinking coffee, just a lone pigeon, fluffed up to keep itself warm.
I liked the colour and design of this street art next to the Water of Leith. I think it's new - I've never noticed it before. I hope it survives and doesn't get sprayed over with something else.
It's been a slow month for photography - apart from a flurry of day trips around New Year. A few grabbed opportunities here and there. It's difficult, of course, when daylight hours are so limited in the Scottish winter. I'm glad that's starting to change.
Here are a few of my photo resolutions for this year:
1. Finish my Edinburgh Ghost Signs cyanotype series, and make a book
2. Use my Holga more
3. Learn photo plate lithography at Edinburgh Printmakers
4. Make more handmade prints, also at Edinburgh Printmakers
5. Delete more photos; save digital waste
6. Do more in the real world; less in the social media world
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