I am pleased to announce the release of my new book, “Graffiti and Grunge – Photographs in Bristol.” It captures the raw atmosphere of Bristol, showcasing the city’s unique urban landscape through striking photography.
Featuring stunning images that highlight the creative expressions found throughout the city, each photograph tells a story, reflecting the dynamic spirit of Bristol and its artistic community.
Whether you are an art enthusiast, a Bristol native, or simply appreciate urban photography, “Graffiti and Grunge” is a valuable addition to your collection.
Available now, this book makes a perfect gift for anyone who loves the urban aesthetic. Secure your copy today and explore the vivid narratives captured within its pages.
“Graffiti and Grunge” is available direct from myself or, if you are in Bristol, at the Arnolfini bookshop on the harbourside.
21st April 2025 – Andy Gawthrope Photography is excited to announce the upcoming release of a new book, showcasing an exquisite collection of photography that captures urban scenes of Bristol during 2019 – 2025.
Scheduled for release on 1st May 2025, the book, titled “Graffiti and Grunge – Photographs in Bristol”, features over 60 stunning black and white images made across the electoral wards of Hotwells & Harbourside, Central, Ashley, Lawrence Hill and Easton. It is a visual record of run-down area’s and the graffiti they contain.
Suitable for both photography enthusiasts and those with an interest in Bristol, “Graffiti and Grunge – Photographs in Bristol” invites readers to explore some of Bristol’s less well-known areas.
Pre-orders will begin on 1st May 2025. For further announcements please stay tuned to our website.
For media inquiries or for more information about the book, please contact:
It’s said that ‘you don’t know what you have until it’s gone’. This year a spinal injury forced an overnight transition from being very active to almost housebound for several months. All photography had to be curtailed and mentally that’s been tough. It’s also said that ’with absence the heart grows fonder’. I now, more than ever, recognise that being outdoors photographing our beautiful landscape is a passion of mine. So, it’s been a joy these last few weeks to again be outdoors with a camera and, fingers crossed, on a return to health.
Maybe it’s an idea that’s been growing subconsciously during those darker days when I really didn’t know if I’d be carrying camera and tripod again but I currently seem to have an elevated liking for the dark, black and white style commonly known as Film noir. It’s a visual style should be familiar to most people, even if not by name. Think moody, dramatically shadowed, 1940/50s black and white movies with a private detective and femme fatale. Looking back now, I see it’s a style I’ve explored before with Cornish Tin mines and, whilst not so much Film noir, contrasty black and white’s of the Neolithic stones at Avebury.
Route
The route should be easily identifiable from the photographs by those familiar with the area. It went along Brook Way to the Aldi roundabout, detoured to Tesco Extra before passing through the nature reserve down to the duck ponds and then under the road bridge before rejoining Brook Way at the Sherbourne’s Brake roundabout. It’s about 5km and so isn’t a major undertaking.
So, with camera in-hand and set to black and white mode I set off around my local area with only a mid-range zoom deciding to leave camera bag and tripod at home. In mind was the idea of a warts and all, slightly grungy feel to any images, something that should work well in a Film noir style.
Wonky
I’ve walked the route countless times over the years but on this occasion, for some reason, I was greatly amused by the sheer number of signposts many of which lean slightly one way or another. With their text, arrows or coloured symbols they stand atop short grey rusting poles littering the landscape with no apparent regard to their aesthetic or visual impact. Along Brook Way they seem to outnumber the trees!
Wonky signage
I’m glad to write that some signage, specifically that for the ‘Three Brooks local nature reserve’ has clearly been given greater thought with its lettering elegantly carved into large timbers. But, disappointingly, planted alongside these nice signs are ugly, plastic footpath/cycle-path signage and yet more of the ubiquitous grey poles. Yes, I’m having a moan but is all this ugly signage really necessary?
At the top of the route near the Aldi roundabout are some shops and a telephone box. The box is of a generation prior to deregulation when British Telecom managed the UK telephone system as opposed to the more well known, red coloured, traditional Post Office telephone boxes. Again I found myself having a giggle as it, together with adjacent signage and fencing, was so off-level that it was a struggle to know just what was level!
Three Brooks Nature Reserve
Three Brooks local nature reserve
Walking through the nature reserve the scenery changed from urban clutter to something more natural and pleasing to the eye. Alongside the main track running through the reserve are three wooden benches hewn from the trunks of trees presumably cut when, or soon after, the reserve was created. Wood ages beautifully and these benches are no exception. Although their once fresh, elaborate carvings have softened with age they are still great features adding character to the reserve. It’s also great to see that new carvings are still being created. During 2023 in woodland behind the sports centre an Owl was carved by artist Andy O’Neil. This beautiful creation sits at eye level atop its wooden stump and looks incredibly realistic!
Sometimes when walking through the reserve small groups from the Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group are encountered. If you see them, stop and say ‘hello’ as they are all volunteers and doing a wonderful job at looking after the reserve for us all. On a different but recent walk I stopped and had a most enjoyable chat with Sara who was incredibly knowledgeable and keen to talk about the flora, fauna and the work of volunteers.
Wrap-up
Back in the office the images were uploaded, developed and Film noir styled using Capture One and Silver Effects from DxO. Looking at them now, as a collection, I quite like the Film noir styling; it’s helped add a little drama to what could otherwise be some quite mundane images. I especially like the resulting detail on the Three Brooks signage, fence and dead tree.
The full collection of images from the walk are below.
Andy
My previous posts regarding Bradley Stoke and the Three Brooks nature reserve are available to read at:
In early 2017 after a week in Lofoten with Tom Mackie I was poring over Ordnance Survey maps of the English, South West coastline seeking potential locations for coastal photography. I spotted Hartland Quay; Situated on the coast with a hotel and a campsite not too far inland it appeared to have potential as a photographic location. After some online research I decided it was worth exploring and so chose to stay at the hotel in March of that year for a couple of days. Whilst I recall the weather not being great with wind rattling aging sash hotel windows, I do recall being captivated by the sea cliffs and the rocky/sandy beaches. Back then, Hartland Quay got recorded in my log as a place with potential and worth revisiting.
It was in late summer this year that I returned for a weekend with friends and was reminded of its potential and my earlier log entry. So, after some further research including the selection of a week compatible with tide heights/times I returned in October this year, choosing to stay at the near-by Stoke Barton campsite for a week.
Top-tip. I highly recommend keeping a log; It’s somewhere to record ideas and places that peek interest. Once recorded, entries are not forgotten and what’s more they can be researched, developed and then associated information recorded for future use. Information such as when is the best time to visit? Is the location best at high tide, at low tide or what height tide is desired for a photograph? Keeping a paper log is an approach and may be appropriate for some but I propose paper is less durable, less portable and would get messy very quickly as ideas are researched and information revised. My log is electronic. Just recently it moved from an application called Evernote to Apple Notes due to concerns about the stability of the company behind Evernote. But the application is actually not that important as such note taking applications are available for all mainstream compute platforms be it Windows, Mac, Linux, Apple IOS, Android etc. Electronic form is very portable, doesn’t get messy – if maintained – and can be content rich. For example, my note about Hartland Quay includes contact information and web links for the hotel, the campsite, text and thumbnail images about possible photographs, text identifying at what tide height exit across the beach is cut-off etc. In electronic form it’s possible to always carry the log so if your plans change whilst on location you stand a good chance of having the information needed.
Earth’s Forces Unveiled
At Hartland Quay and the surrounding area it’s the sea cliffs and their eroded remains protruding from the sandy beach like the skeletons of long dead leviathan’s that I find most interesting. I’m no geologist but the rocks are truly impressive. They were laid-down as sediments in a shallow tropical sea, rich in marine life during the geological Carboniferous period and have been compressed and transformed into alternating layers of sandstone, shale and limestone during the intervening millennia. Today they are not just the edge between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Devon countryside but are a story of geological forces etched into the very fabric of the landscape. I find the dramatic cliffs and skeleton-like rocks a captivating photographic subject as it’s possible to make photographs that freeze moments in time and capture the essence of a place where the past and the present coalesce.
Shipwrecks and Trade
While the geology of Hartland Quay provides a geological narrative spanning eons, the human history is equally compelling. The harbour was initially constructed in the 16th century in the reign of Henry VIII and the pier/quay followed some time later. The harbour has now gone with the pier succumbing to the North Atlantic Ocean in 1887. The anchorage provided by the rocky cove made Hartland Quay a strategic location for maritime trade and the transportation of goods. During its heyday Hartland Quay bustled with activity. Cargo vessels laden with goods ranging from slate to grain anchored in the sheltered harbour waters, ready to unload their precious cargo. The quay facilitated the export of local products and the import of essential goods, becoming a vital hub for the economic life of the region.
However, the unforgiving nature of the North Atlantic took its toll on many vessels attempting to navigate the treacherous waters. The coastline on which Hartland Quay sits became notorious for shipwrecks, with the remnants of stranded vessels becoming a haunting reminder of the challenges faced by mariners. The area is dotted with wrecks each telling a story of perilous journeys and the indomitable power of the sea. A recent shipwreck associated with this part of the Devon coastline is that of the Johanna, a Panamanian-flagged Dutch coaster that ran aground a little to the North at Hartland Point at the end of 1982. Although now almost completely gone, some remnants can still be seen at low tide.
The Wrecker’s Retreat
Clearly I’m not the first stills photographer to have discovered Hartland Quay; It’s also been used as a movie location several times. This is evidenced by a visit to the hotel bar, “The Wrecker’s Retreat”, whose walls are adorned with photographs of the rocks, of the quay and of the many wrecked ships. A visit is well worthwhile to see what others have done and thus what to avoid and to see the historic photographs of the quay and wrecked ships as they form a historical record capturing moments in time. I feel that landscape photographs are important too as the coast is a dynamic environment changing a little every day as erosion takes its toll.
Hartland Quay No. 6
Tides, Safety and Dynamic Conditions
Photographing around Hartland Quay comes with challenges common to coastal photography, primarily the dynamic conditions of a coastal environment. Tide height is pivotal, not only does it dictate the visible elements of a photograph but it also constrains access to the beach/coast. It’s important to know whether the tide is heading out or coming in and at what tide height the lowest part of your access route becomes cut-off. This is especially important on a rising tide when it’s not possible to see your entire access route which can be the case at Hartland Quay. Don’t rely on finding a way up the cliffs either, they are high and constituted of loose/crumbly rock and grasses. Something I’ve seen many times on beaches and which, quite frankly, scares me silly is people sunbathing, sitting, playing etc right at the bottom of sea cliffs with seamless disregard to the tons of loose rocks immediately above them. Even a single, small rock is going to cause injury. So please be careful.
The unpredictable weather of the Atlantic adds an element of spontaneity to photography sessions. During my week at Hartland Quay the weather had many characteristics; some days were cloudless with strong late-summer sunshine, other days were cloudy and one day very, very foggy! So foggy that you couldn’t see more than 5-6m! That fog was too dense to be photographically useful and when it did clear in the late afternoon it revealed cloudless skies. Fortunately the sea was never stormy but there was usually an onshore wind which drove spray towards the beach/rocks and was a constant source of work as the exposed front-surface of lenses or filters were quickly covered in a briny layer which constantly needed to be removed. This leads to some more of my top coastal photography tips:
1. Carry plenty and probably more than at first seems reasonable, lens cleaning cloths / liquids. Once cloths are contaminated with, even a small amount of, sea spray they just smudge and smear. I carry several large micro-fibre cloths but primarily many single use lens wipes. These are small and lightweight so it’s easy to pack many and on use each is uncontaminated by spray.
2. Keep you camera bag close and if a rucksack then preferably on your back. If its on the ground ensure it can’t be reached by that errant higher wave…
3. Keep your camera bag closed so spray doesn’t get inside an onto your equipment
4. Check and if necessary, clean your lens prior to every exposure.
5. Clean all gear at the end of the day or as soon afterwards as possible.
A Visual Symphony of Earth and Time
Photographing the geology of Hartland Quay is a journey into time and something which I greatly enjoyed. The sculpted cliffs and the dynamic conditions converge to capture the essence of a place where the Earth’s history is etched into every rock. It’s a place that has huge potential and to which I’m sure I’ll return.
Andy
All images are copyright Andy Gawthrope Photography.
It seems an indeterminate time ago now – its early December 2020 as I write this – but over the Christmas 2019 period I spent a week near Lands End in Cornwall and returned with some nice colourful sunrise photographs. However, there were also some typically Cornish days when the fog rolled in from the sea. Some of the photographs from that trip can be found here.
Returning in September I expected different weather, weather that was warmer, drier and that produced more colourful sunsets. Mmm, let’s just say I was a little disappointed… There was, however, a day of fog that made for some interesting images – absolutely not what I’d expected to capture. I’ll also note that the temperature in that fog wasn’t much warner that it had been back in December/January. Chilly and wet.
The ground was much more alive with small red/purple flowers than it had been on my previous visit but the fog muted all colour and everything looked very flat in colour images. With the muted colours, shapes became the dominant feature and the just visible outline of the old chimney and ruined power house seemed to scream Cornwall!
Not far away is a derelict structure whose purpose is a mystery to me. It clearly required massive concrete columns to support something and had big concrete blocks surrounding circular shaped objects. Anyone know what this was? Please leave a message below.
What caught my eye was the regular shapes of the columns all reaching upwards into the fog and how they appeared to stand in isolation like the megaliths of a long forgotten stone age monument.
Andy
All images are Copyright Andy Gawthrope Photography
On one morning during my stay at Bridge of Orchy in Scotland I awoke to find everything covered in soft, white fluffy snow. It was a sight to behold. There was only the occasional muffled sound of a car on the normally busy A82 due to the still lightly falling snow. With little to no wind the trees were laden with perhaps 2 – 3 inches of snow and their branches bent over under the weight. It was definitely a photography day!
After a hurried breakfast the hills remained wrapped in cloud. Clearly there was nothing to be gained from plodding up a hill today! An easy day 🙂
The trees from the hotel window on the far side of the car park caught my attention but it felt like cheating to photograph so close to ‘home’ rather than hike along a track or up a hill for hours! Cheating or no, that is where the day started – in the hotel car park! The tarmac was nicely buried under as no car had yet disturbed the snow so unless you knew it was a car park you would never know!
So the first photograph in this post is off the trees at the end of the car park. I was drawn to their shape; the tree that rises and curves from near the centre towards the left and the taller and straight tree to its right. As on previous days, there seemed little reason to consider colour; the scene was just shades of grey!
By the time I’d finished photographing in the car park the wind had risen slightly and snow was starting to drop from the trees. It was time to pack the camera away and follow a small winding path that led through the trees down towards the river and several tall Silver Birch trees. Here the ground was more open allowing sufficient distance between the camera and trees to avoid problems with converging verticals and the need for post-capture corrections.
Snowy tree No. 1
Readers of the preceding post in this series will know I like Scotch Pine trees. But I also like the Silver Birch as they are never seem too large and have wonderful detail in their silver and black trunks.
One of the Silver Birch’s stood a little way from the others; it forked at ground level and had a nice bit of negative space to it’s side. Perfect! This one will almost certainly make its way onto one of my 2020 Christmas cards.
After finishing with the trees I headed up the road, thankfully the snow barrier hadn’t been closed, to Lochan na h-Achlaise but more on that in the next post!
Shortly after arriving at Bridge of Orchy a day started with the hills obscured behind thick grey clouds, there was a biting cold wind and snow was falling at road level. It looked unpleasent outside the hotel windows! Inside the hotel, dry and warm, I reasoned that if the weather broke there would be some good photography so, suitably booted and dressed for a day on the Scottish hills in winter I headed out and up one of the hills overlooking Loch Tulla. Not that you could see the loch or much else! Fortunetly, I had scouted the lower paths the previous day and was confident the higher path would be ok.
My thinking hadn’t been wrong; it was most unpleasent at times with wind blown snow getting into anything not securely closed. Despite the weather upwards I plodded through, in places, thigh-deep drifts which just couldn’t be seen due to the poor contrast. Any reader who has experieced these sort of conditions will know exactly how tiring this sort walking is especially when wearing a heavy backpack and tripod. On occasion it just was not possible to extract a submerged leg as the other would sink equally deep into the snow. When that happened, extraction was an interesting challenge!
Around lunchtime I reached the top of the hill but decided to stop a little way back down were it was more sheltered from the wind and spin-drift. Here I decided to hunker-down, eat lunch and wait a while for the cloud to break. It didn’t! So, after about an hour of waiting and getting increasing cold I start to head back down. Ten to fifteen minutes after starting my decent I noticed it was starting to clear. Yes! Looking around I could see some rocks over to my right. These are the rock in the photograph above and the only objects I could see that looked interesting. I spent some time with the rocks as the clouds continued to dissipate with, at times, the sun breaking though. I guess persiverence is rewarded!
Snow above Loch Tulla
On previous scouting trips I’d noted a small group of Scotch pines set on a knoll well separated from all other trees a short distance from Loch Tulla. I was immediately drawn to their collective shape; the outer trees leaning inwards towards a slightly shorter central tree of a different shape. They seemed to have natural balance – a sense of family. There had been no appreciable rise in temperature or wind from the previous day so snow still clung to their sides further accentuating their shape and texture in the morning light.
Setting-up to capture these photographs I pre-visualised the group of trees in black and white and configured the camera to preview in black and white. This was a straightforward decision as almost everything that morning was black or white! Configuring preview in black and white is a technique I’ve started recently having learnt the tip from another photographer. I find it beneficial with visualisation of the image.
Caledonian pine
The shape of the three right-hand trees and their bold trunks also caught my attention. Framing just these trees provided a simple composition allowing removal of any possible distraction due to the other trees or surrounding landscape. As I was making this photograph a snow shower past through which at first resulted in short white lines on the photograph. Moments later it was a short-duration blizzard and I retreated to the shelter offered by those trees!
February is generally acknowledged to be the snowiest month in Scotland. Most years it’s a fairly safe bet that there will be snow on the mountains, probably down to about 500 metres. At lower altitudes the snow often falls as rain so any snow at ground/road level is often wet and doesn’t hang around for long. By February the days are getting longer, there is more light and it’s possible to shoot all day as the sun doesn’t climb too high in the sky.
This year I spent a week in Bridge of Orchy staying at a hotel of the same name. The hotel had great staff who really knew how to look after their guests; the accommodation, food and beer were all excellent and tucked away on the ground floor was a cozy, quiet guest lounge with large comfy sofa’s and chairs. Looking back now it seems like a different world; the news had stories of a virus in China and people were hoping it didn’t reach our shores. Normal times. But it’s now May and the UK is pretty much in lock-down. For me this has meant that a trip to Skye has been postponed along with trips to Dartmoor, Cornwall and other destinations.
Bridge of Orchy lies to the South East of Rannoch Moor and Glen Coe and is a little lower in altitude. The surrounding hills are lower too so, for the not so fit photographer, they provide an easier option that doesn’t require the commitment and fitness of the larger mountains. For such a small place it’s remarkably well served by public transport partly as it’s on the main A82 Glasgow to Fort William road but also as the overnight sleeper train from London stops there on its way North. So getting to the hotel is really easy!
The Watchman
With a thin blanket of snow on the hills and fluffy white clouds intermittently delivering snow the landscape was pretty much just shades of grey so, black and white seemed the most appropriate photography palette. In fact, even before the trip I’d pretty much decided it would be focused primarily on Black and White if the conditions were snowy.
The landscape around Bridge of Orchy is open and provides wide panorama’s after a little height is gained. With a keenness that is always present on the first day in a new location I headed out from the hotel and up one of the surrounding hills. On its crest a large cairn marked a junction of paths. Clearly I wasn’t the first to pass that way since it had snowed as there were lots of footprints next to the cairn. But closer inspection revealed many to be the hoof marks of deer of which, during the week, I would see so many. By the time I captured the photograph at the top of this post the sun had popped-out from behind the clouds providing some strong directional light across the cairn towards Rannoch Moor and Glen Coe. One of the key ingredients that make the photograph work for me are the clouds filling the sky. It was a spot I returned to several times during the week. On one occasion there was fresh unbroken snow surrounding the cairn but the clouds were never quite as interesting.
The second photograph was captured a few days later. I’ve named it ‘The Watchman’ as the lone tree appears to stand watch over a surrounding vast landscape with distant forest ‘hugging’ the land like a quilt. The tree must have seen many types of weather in its few years. There were several good photographs from the trip but this is one of my favorites.
Both the photographs in this post are the result of stitching several 50Mpx images and thus there is a large amount of detail which looks stunning when viewed large. Both are available for sale right now at Andy Gawthrope Photography
Continuing the recent post about my Christmas in Cornwall I thought I’d post a couple of black & white photographs from a tiny cove just to the South of Lands End called Porthgwarra.
Porthgwarra has a great little shop which does amazing tea and cake in the summer but, sadly, it’s closed over the winter months. Quite understandable as Cornwall is beautifully quiet in mid-winter with none of the maddening tourists!
The photograph above was taken on a windy afternoon with heavy, grey clouds skimming across the sky and waves being blown against the shore by the strong wind. I took several images at ISO 400 trying to catch a lull in the wind; fortunately one was sharp 🙂 It’s one of those photographs that works well large as there is huge detail in the lichen, the moss and foreground rocks.
The second photograph is a little different. To my mind it’s a sunrise machine; some long forgotten machine left behind by aliens to control the sun! Well, ok, perhaps not but that’s what I was thinking as I stood there waiting for the sun to rise from behind those two great protruberences!
Porthgwarra sunrise
Whilst exploring the area the preceding afternoon I noted the great shape and immediately thought it could work as a black and white. After a quick check of PhotoPills and The Photographers Ephemeris (TPE) – I can’t decide which I prefer – I knew the sun would rise at just the right position on the horizon too. The following morning I got lucky as the sun rose through a bank of cloud whilst illuminating the more broken clouds above. I have a colour edit of the same image with great colours in the sky, but I prefer the simplicity of the black and white.
Cornwall. The land of sunshine. Most of my Cornish memories are good ones; long, warm sunny days; lots of climbing on the sea cliffs with friends from Guildford Mountaineering Club; good beer and live music in the evenings at the First and Last or the Old Success.
For me, Cornwall is the very Western tip of the county, the area bounded by Penzance, Porthcurno, Porthgwarra, Lands End, Sennen Cove and St. Just. Rock climbing at Sennen, Chair ladder or Bosigran has given me a feel for the place! The fantastic rocky sea cliffs with coloured rocks, white sandy beaches and turquoise seas – a spectacular place. For all those reasons it’s a busy place in the summer months, but in the middle of Winter – much, much quieter 🙂
With a whole week available over the Christmas I knew I had to go somewhere. First thoughts were for Scotland but Scotland is a long, tiring drive on short winter days. Cornwall however, is but 3.5 hours away and an easy drive nowadays. Decision made. Off to Sennen Cove off I went.
Levant tin. No. 4
Well, what can I say. The week wasn’t blessed by the best weather! In fact with the exception of Christmas day it was mostly windy (25 – 35 MPH) and cloudy but, fortunately, with very little rain. This made for some pretty dramatic waves crashing over the Sennen harbour breakwater but even well away from the sea the amount of moisture in the air was huge! Any exposed lens element quickly got a greasy, salty covering and cleaning Lee filters felt like a never ending task. In fact cleaning filters outside was almost impossible as the salty moisture pervaded everything. Back at the hotel it was noticeable how the tripod, camera, lenses, camera bag, me, everything really had a salty, sticky covering. Yuck! It was unpleasant!
The biggest challenge tho was probably the strong, gusty wind. I had my heaviest tripod and big 3-way tilt head but there was no keeping things steady when the wind blew. Judging the moment when the wind would back-off for just long enough became part of the day-to-day norm.
Levant tin. No. 3
OK, so the weather wasn’t all bad. There were a couple of nice mornings, evenings and good light at other times. In fact there were a couple of days when the sun got under the clouds and provided the most dramatic of sights. But that’s a teaser for the next post! Herein I thought I’d share four photographs from the Levant tin mine, or what’s left of it, as it’s long since derelict. I’ve chosen a Film Noir styling to add that dark, grungy feel to the photographs.
My first visit was in an afternoon. I’d given up on photography in the morning and retreated to St. Ives to stay warm, dry and explore a little; it was Boxing day 2019. Parked just above the world’s only Cornish beam engine still operated by steam at its original site I sat in my truck buffeted by wind and rain hatching a plan for some dark, moody black and white photographs of the old mine structures. When the rain stopped it was about a half hour before sunset, the sky was blanketed in thick cloud and it was getting dark fast. I explored several different compositions but afterwards only one was acceptably sharp due to the blustery wind. But it was enough to give me hope that the idea was worthwhile and a return visit.
Levant tin. No. 2
The next morning I was back in better conditions! Not quite so windy but still completely grey with a sea fog hanging over the land and obscuring distant structures. Believe me, it was better! Keeping the Lee filters clean was still a challenge; the sea fog condensed on everything but the game was on!
Photographing chimneys without a tilt and shift lens was interesting and some post capture work has been necessary to reduce converging verticals. For the most part this has worked but I’d recommend a tilt and shift lens for anyone thinking about doing something like this 😉
The photograph above is of a large doorway and, today, on its far side is a 15-foot drop to the ground below. Some safety minded person has decided to erect a modern steel bar across the doorway to stop people stepping through and falling to the ground below! In an edit of this image I removed the bar in post but, in the end, decided it’s retention helped emphasise the drop!
Apart from the buildings that house the Cornish Beam engine which is maintained by the National Trust, there isn’t much left on the surface of the mine today. I’ guess many of the old tunnels that extended significant distance out under the sea are probably now flooded and/or collapsed. It’s was an interesting site to explore and something that I think works best on moody days when the weather is not good for much else!
Andy
All images are Copyright Andy Gawthrope Photography
In 1996, work brought me to Bristol or Brizzle as it sounds in the local dialect known as Bristolian. Listen here. Over the years I’ve really grown to like the place. It is not too big nor is it too small and it has history. It can be linked to many significant events such as the discovery of North America in 1497 by John Cabot, the construction of technologically advanced ships including the Great Western in 1837 and the SS Great Britain that launched in 1843, blue glass production (known as Bristol Blue) and many nautical phrases such as Shipshape and Bristol fashion whose origin is rapidly fading into the mist of time.
Bristol sits on the Western side of England close to Wales. It has always had a sea port and to this day has strong trading links across the world. Bristol is perhaps most well known for its links with the America’s, tobacco, slaves and pirates with Edward Teach aka Blackbeard being the best known.
In the 23 years I’ve lived in Bristol it has evolved and mostly for the better. Take for example the harbour area which has almost completely been regenerated. The derelict buildings that were a legacy of a time when trading ships laden with goods used to sail/steam/motor directly into/from the city are gone, replaced with a vibrant area filled with restaurants, pubs and public spaces. Somehow, a few old cobbled streets and buildings have survived though and these help connect modern Bristol with itself through time for us all to appreciate. Modern Bristol is a mix of buildings from all ages; the very old, through Victorian terraces, tower blocks and the very latest designs of stone and glass.
Like all cities Bristol has had its troubles and darker times too. More recently, St Paul’s had riots in 1980 and 1987, Hartcliffe in 1992 and Stokes Croft in 2011. Time has, for the most part, healed those wounds but some signs especially of the 2011 trouble remain. An example is the ‘Think Local’ and fading ‘Tesco’ on the side of a building close to the Tesco site and the centre for the 2011 unrest.
The majority of the photography in this post comes from the Stokes Croft area. Today, it’s a wonderfully bohemian area filled with independent, free thinking people who are not adversed to doing things differently. The area still seems to ‘Think Local’ and has many independent restaurants, clubs and shops. It has been described as Bristol’s cultural quarter, conservation area and outdoor gallery. I particularly like the idea of the latter.
Bristol street art
In recent years Bristol has become known for its street art thanks, in part, to the artist known as Banksy. Banksy has placed many now famous paintings on city buildings. Some think all such painting vandalism. However, as you will see in this post and subsequent posts in the series, much of the painting is artistically strong, colourful and brings a vibrance and character to the area’s in which it exists. Visitors come specifically each year to walk the city looking at the artwork. It is a tourist attraction and an attraction that is forever changing as new work is placed over old.
Some of the paintings are huge covering a large proportion of a tower block, others are quite small. Strangely, whether small or large its easy to miss many unless you happen to be some distance away, perhaps on the other side of a street. Whilst walking you need to keep looking around as often they may be directly above you!
I hope you enjoyed part 1. In part 2 I write about Bristol’s famous Lakota club and Full Moon club which both sit on the Southern boundary of Stokes Croft.
Andy
All images are Copyright Andy Gawthrope Photography.
The Full Moon pub and hostel sits at the Southern border of Stokes Croft and Bristol city. Originally built in 1716 as an Inn, today it is still providing accommodation to travellers. It is one of the iconic landmarks in Bristol. Today the building is colourfully painted with stars, galaxies, nebula and other cosmic scenes and is a true site to behold. As seen in the photograph it is adjacent to a Stokes Croft boundary marker which claims the area to be a Cultural quarter, a Conservation area and an Outdoor gallery. The boundary marker brilliantly summarises Stokes Croft.
Almost next door to the Full Moon at No 2 Stokes Croft is the legendary Blue Mountain Club. It’s a stalwart of the Bristol club scene and its walls are brightly painted. Next to its door is a wall painting that epitomises Stokes Croft and makes a very visual statement about the exploitation of our planet for profit.
Planet not Profit mural, Bristol
Agree or not with its message the artwork is great. A short walk away is Lakota. Lakota is the most know club in Bristol but like the Blue Mountain Club it has been through difficult times. Wikipedia says that in the nineties it was one of the most well known clubs outside of London. Fortunately it continues to survive. Named after a North American Indian tribe who where one of the three tribes forming the Sioux nation, it’s surrounded by some of the older roads in Bristol.
Moon St is one of those older roads. By modern standards it is a narrow lane just wide enough for a single vehicle but it retains its original cobbles. Today it looks a little forgotten, a little grimy and perhaps in need loving care by the city council but as a result it has character. Graffiti and plants jostle for position on the adjoining walls and just beyond the end of the street stands what some will know as the ‘Axa / Sunlife’ building after its former occupants but which is now known as the 51.02 building due to its latitude.
Moon street, Bristol
I spent some time in Moon St. taking photographs as there are layers upon layers of graffiti covering every brick, doorway and window in a rich tapestry of imagery. I was captivated by the combination of cobbles, double-yellow road markings, the graffiti and how the plants seemed to be gradually reclaiming the street.
On the other side of Moon St. were a couple of wheelie refuse bins. One was covered with graffiti and the other was more or less untouched. Like the litter that lay strewn around the bins I suspect it hadn’t been there long enough to get painted! The bins and other photographs of Moon St. are included at the end of this post. I particularly like the woman pushing a pram along the street. Perfect timing. Click on them to enlarge.
Leaving Lakota by Upper York Street there is a large portrait of a woman with black hair adorning the end of a building. It pays to take time and look at the artwork as there are often little things, humorous subtle things, which don’t immediately catch the eye. Look more closely at the following photograph, there is a woman with some sort of creature perched on a window ledge framed by the outline of an old brick window. Spotting this sort of small detail can be greatly rewarding. A gem hidden in plane sight!
Upper York street mural
The portrait must predate the graffiti which now covers its base and is thus a good example of how the paintings in Bristol change over time. Some changes are for the good, others less so and some are simple vandalism. Take for example, the Break-dancing Jesus [Lots of pictures on the Internet] commissioned by the Canteen – a cafe/bar/restaurant/music venue. It was a fabulous painting; something you might expect to find in the Vatican, well, perhaps 🙂 Unfortunately, this was defaced not long after its completion. Some Banksy work has similarly suffered. The Naked Man painting on the wall of a sexual health clinic has been daubed in paint.
Some readers may be thinking there is something strange about Bristol, thinking that Bristol is some strange monochromatic city way out in the west country… Well, no. I can assure readers that aliens haven’t stolen all colour; all the graffiti and murals are immensely colourful, so colourful that I think they photograph best in black & white where colour doesn’t distract from the shapes and patterns. Black and white also helps bring a darker feel to the photographs. That’s my rationale anyway!
Moon street, Bristol
In the next part of this series I’ll walk past a Banksy, distracted by some great painting and murals, get off the beaten track and find lots of interesting graffiti.
Andy
All images copyright Andy Gawthrope Photography.
Moon street, BristolMoon street, BristolUpper York street muralPlanet not Profit mural, BristolFull Moon pub, Bristol
