Diaries of a photographer part 3

2/11/06

13.21 - I am up at Tilgate Forest today, just below the beast of Crawley and very near to peas Pottage. Coincidentally Peas Pottage is one of my favourate local place names. Isn't Peas Pottage a dish? If so what the hell is Pottage and do you get any other forms of Pottage?
Perhaps I will ask at the Burger King at the services.

Took a while to get going today. The Guf was handling like an odd - so I stopped by Preston Park and my rear right tyre was a pancake. One of the nuts was so rusted I had to walk home for a socket set as the thing in the van was not good enough. I also invested in WD40, knowing it is the cure for all things mechanical.

I am here now and choose the forest due to its locaton sitting on the borders of Crawley and straddled by and A23 and M23. It seemed like a good possible locatioon to explore marginal space and the picturesque being invaded by modern construction. So far...it has please me! I am feeling more confident here than in the last 3 locations I have been too. Lots of roads, railways, pylons, pone masts and such like. Perhaps the key to the project is to focus on these more obvious signs of industrialisation whilst being aware of classic landscape aesthetics?
Just sitting down to lunch - my favourate part of the walks! Each day is like a picnic.

Got the hound with me today and she is proving a worthy companion.
She sniffs and I shoot.
Plus she doesn't talk but listens politely to my walking babble...of which there is plenty.

14.22 - Just went over the footbridge over the motorway and realised I have been here before. On one of my railway walks. Got to a golf course and reckognised it immediately due to its strange location. As usual it was rife with middle aged and retired middle class men slogging balls about. I can see the appeal I guess!
Other than that people traffic has been sparse, the normal dog walkers and cyclists.

During the railway project, I was not sure what I was photographing, I was just interest in the route I took. Now I have a slightly clearer idea and resisting taking photos of the beauty or landscape or homing in too obviously on the negative sides is a challenge. However, I am just trying to be more selective when I go to take a shot.
The forest feels very English whenever I am in one.
I wish I was Robin Hood.

I think having a car and being able to concentrate on one area is beneficial. Before I had to walk the 8 miles or so from A to B and fit photos in along the way. Here I can be more selective of an area and explore it more and re-visit it easier.
I think I will turn right now...

15.41 - I think that some days are destined to be good for photography and others are just doomed from the outset. Last week my walks were not very productive. I saw little to inspire, or, if I did - I didn't successfully work out how to photograph it.
Today however, despite the initial annoyances and problems, things have fallen into place. I found plenty to inspire and photograph and hopefully there will be some sucessfull shots. At the very least I hope to be able to analyse what I was drawn to more and develop that.

When I was nearly back to the van I followed a very overgrown, narrow path. It emerged at the base of a small hillock and on looking to its summit I noticed it was another bike track. I recognised it straight away as one I had photographed before on a railway walk when I had approached it from another direction. This time, I had a new gaze at it so I set about making an image. I was about to release the shutter when I noticed the track was actually being used by mountain bikers. Finally over 6 months from seeing my first (on many!) tracks - I saw one in use and even managed to get a few shots whilst the riders were unaware. Thats why some fays are clearly meant to be as everything falls into place at the exact right moment.

I also walked past a snaped tree, leaning on its neighbours and I remembered it from before. Funny how I can recall a tree but not someones name!