Yes, there have been a lot of football matches in my 2018 — 55 to be precise. But they can be fertile ground for photography, particularly on a beautiful, sunny day like today. Huddersfield Amateur were the hosts, playing in the ‘Argentina’ kit and winning 4-0.
Sat by the river, as I often am, and pointing my camera across it to take random shots as I often do, this guy walked into view at just the right moment. I have no idea who he is, but the shot works for me (in black and white to mitigate the impact of the bright yellow ‘CCTV’ sign in the background). I have often speculated about how many such random photos I appear in, in the background perhaps, all unknowing. Maybe there’s a universal rule that applies, like everyone appears as a stranger in twelve photos in their life, or something similar.
On how many otherwise boring and photograph-free days has a heron down on the river saved the blog post. Today was one of those days. Handsome beasts, always…. and damn, are they patient.
In the UK Boxing Day (or St Stephen’s Day, or whatever) is traditionally a day for sport, and we were amongst 413 people enjoying the football at Clitheroe FC on a very mild and pleasant afternoon. So were these two — but their levels of enjoyment are less palpable.
The post-dinner Christmas Food Babies were walked off beside the melancholy greyness of Morecambe Bay. Clare serves as the model for the second time in a week. I hope you had a happy day, wherever you are, whatever you were doing.
A beautiful, sunny day today, a welcome change from the grey crud we have otherwise had for some weeks (it feels like that anyway). To distract from the prevalent Christmas theme, here’s a curlew walking on the sands at high tide. I like this shot not only for the bird itself but the strange bubbles all around it, probably caused by some kind of marine life only infrequently covered by water; most of the time this bit of the world will be sand.
On the drive over to parents and parents-in-law for Christmas, a view over to Heptonstall, which rises above Hebden Bridge (being the original village) and has featured on many pictures in the past. Perhaps I have post-processed this one too much but with the continuing grey light, in colour this one looked kind of wan and washed out, the mist being just patches of out-of-focus space. In black and white I prefer it and the church comes out more.
It’s been a while since a post-midnight shot made it onto the blog; my Saturday was otherwise entertaining enough but rather than display more football, here is Clare coming home from our Friday night out (also undepicted). A night out on the cobbles, rather than the tiles? Either way, Christmas is upon us, more or less.
Not quite ‘last minute’ Christmas shopping but I did finish it off today. My, there’s a whole load of tat in the world, and as it’s been manufactured for generations by now, ‘Antiques Centres’ can fill themselves with it all and sell it on, until then the owners die and there’s a house clearance and it all goes back on sale again. I did like this bevy of porcelain figures though; not that I bought any (whether at £18 or otherwise). Although the blonde at the back was doing her best to tempt potential buyers.
Little to add except that it was time to get out into some mountains again — even if they weren’t very high. The late December gloom never really lifted all day, but for this shot, it doesn’t matter.
