Annual Review 2022

 I haven't done an 'Annual Review' before but it occurred to me that it might be something worth my time - since I always say I use this place as a kind of diary to myself as much as anything else.  It's a photographic review of course, rather than a 'I did this and then I did that' sort of review.  Plus, the shots are ones that mean something to me and may or may not be any good or mean anything to anyone else.  

I considered making it a 'top 5', or even a 'top 10' but to begin with I just scrolled through my posts from the year and pulled out the ones I thought merited consideration - and then culled a few.  I ended up with 7.  I debated with myself whether or not to add some words to the shots.  In the end I did, but I hope the shots stand on their own, since that's what it's all about.  Anyway, enough waffling - here we go:

My friend, Portrush

It's a moment, captured on film.  That's about it, really. It's my friend whom I've known for 45+ years. Something has caught her eye over to her left and I've snapped the moment up.  Yes it was as cold as it looks down at the harbour in Portrush and very windy from what I remember but I'd rather be outside than in most of the time, so it suited me fine. Notice how posh we are, as we have water with our hot drinks. I think this was captured on a Leica and probably a 21mm Voigtlander lens.

Big sea and big sky, Ballintoy Harbour County Antrim

Can't have a whole year go by without a shot from Ballintoy Harbour, can I?  This was an afternoon with big seas and lovely strong light.  You can see the rain coming in from the North and I just made it back to the car in time.  I was handholding the 'Blad with a 150mm lens, but cropped the negative under the enlarger.

Moville, County Donegal

This was taken on a trip to Donegal with my wife in early Spring.  I liked the juxtaposition of the rather formal hall (Freemasons at one time, I think) with the River Foyle estuary and then the hills beyond.  As I was about to trip the shutter on the Hasselblad this couple wandered past and I let them go a little before I took the shot.  I wanted to keep the 'Keep Clear' signage on the road more or less visible.

Wedding Party, Redcastle, County Donegal

Ah, my stepson's wedding in June.  What an absolutely fantastic day that was.  One of their friends provided a pop-up Photo Booth for the night and it proved a very popular thing.  I stepped up and took a few handheld shots at stupid speeds as their friends (all beautiful young people, of course) posed in front of the screen. This shot captured the enjoyment of the night.

Shakespeare's House, Stratford-upon-Avon

Stratford was disappointing but it was the people in front of the Great Man's house that caught my eye.  I shifted around a little and waited until the main actors appeared separated and discernable and here we are.  There might be a better print in it that this one but that remains to be seen.

Westgate Mall at night, Oxford

This one crept into the final group...just.  I'm not dying about the print - it's the weakest of the bunch here.  It looks a tad flat and I could easily be persuaded to demote it to the 'Nearly Made It' group.  But I wanted an Oxford Shot and I've walked through Westgate enough times in the last 18 months so it stays.  This one was late one evening when no-one was around and I rested an OM4ti on the guard rails at some stupidly slow speed and hoped for the best. 
Usually it's busy busy in this place, so this was a rare event.

Agricultural Show, Ballymoney

I like this shot a lot.  The Ballymoney Show was back, having had a break for a couple of years because of Covid. Around the back of the Showing Arenas is where the real action is and this shot captures the essence of it all - Charolais getting prepped but always time for a chat, various bits of kit lying around and the animals waiting their turn in line.  The Ballymoney Show is something I always look forward to.

Next time it's the nearly-made-it group.