by Steve Tanham
It sits over the ocean like one of the spice-navigated, space-time warping Guild Ships from Frank Herbert’s novel ‘Dune’. It’s probably an old lighthouse extended into a cafe…probably. In front of it, in futuristic letters, forged into the stone of the pier, is a giant metal compass dial, announcing to those passing that this landing space is designated ‘North by Northwest’. Which may be … Read More North by Northwest
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by Steve Tanham
That moment when you look up and realise that the sun is as high as it’s going to get … and, yes, it’s the end of November. On our ‘town and castle’ walk, the Collie and I pass over this old stone bridge and gaze down at the silver-gold of the river Kent. And reflect… ©Stephen Tanham 2022 Stephen Tanham is a Director of … Read More Pale sun, November river…
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by Steve Tanham
The railway made Grange-over-Sands; and part of that legacy is a wonderful but decidedly odd-looking metal bridge over the line as you’re leaving the town to the West – in the direction of Barrow-in-Furness. It’s a favourite piece of architecture – mainly for the photogenic views up the line, as in the cover shot… The giant L-shaped structure dominates this part of the promenade. … Read More The bridge over the railway at Grange
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by Steve Tanham
My iPad, on which I do most of my writing, these days, threw up a random picture of a marine clock the other day. I recognised it as dating to when we made our first visit to Orkney in 2018, staying in the busy port of Stromness. Stromness has an excellent local history museum. An entire room is concerned with the town’s links to … Read More Orkney’s hidden jewel – the Stromness Museum
by Steve Tanham
I just love it when you’re looking to capture something artistic, as opposed to just landscape, and nature conspires to assist… There’s a long beach walk that links Rosemarkie, on the Black Isle, north of Inverness, with the lighthouse at Chanonry Point. Halfway along, the sun became so bright that its autumnal ‘long flat’ rays began to create a glare in my side vision. … Read More Long Tau Cross
by Steve Tanham
One of my favourite artists is the American Edward Hopper. His ‘Nighthawks’ is a study in late-night loneliness, set in a bar/diner whose light is a stark and emotional contrast to the isolating darkness outside. He also painted isolated and often abandoned scenes, such as outdated petrol (gas) stations; again with a very ‘still’ emotional fascination. The figures within the bar still have barriers: … Read More Homage to Hopper by roadlight
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by Steve Tanham
I love images that pull you in and suggest what might follow… ‘The car behind had been gaining on her for the past few minutes, getting closer with every mile. How far was she from civilisation! Would she be able to outrun him…assuming it was a him!’ —- ‘He looked ahead and saw the car slowing… No! It had stopped. And he was hurtling … Read More Night beginnings…
by Steve Tanham
I find the autumn has distinct stages, and that these are subtly different on the coast. I suppose the adjacent presence of the sea – with its residual warmth from the summer – has a modifying effect on the foliage of the trees, but this may be fanciful on my part. Either way, as colour fades, the intensity of shadows becomes more important; knowing … Read More Stages of Mellow
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by Steve Tanham
There are a few weeks of the year, in the early stages of autumn, when the combination of soft light, pale sun and changing foliage creates quite magical landscapes here in South Lakeland. This is particularly true of the small, quiet lanes on the southern outskirts of Kendal, home to the celebrated ‘basket of eggs’ landscape that marks the final stages of the glacial … Read More When colour drains…
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by Steve Tanham
There’s a giant maple tree on the quayside at Waterhead on the northern shores of Lake Windermere. Waterhead is the most northerly ferry stop on this, England’s biggest lake. Boats from Waterhead link the town of Ambleside to Bowness and Lakeside at the southern tip of the lake. We call it ‘Maple Quay’ though it has no official name. In the autumn, the tree … Read More Maple Quay
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by Steve Tanham
It’s amusing to watch your own progress with a pastime, hobby, or even a skill. I was new to creative photography a few years ago, and set about it with the usual Gemini enthusiasm. It doesn’t take long before you’ve taken hundreds of shots, some of them credible renderings of beautiful things – like our local River Kent, or buildings, or even skies – … Read More Lines on Stone
by Steve Tanham
There’s a strange object near the end of Morecambe’s long Stone Jetty pier. From a distance, it looks like a large piano… Beyond it is only the sea, so, really, it’s stuck out in the middle of Morecambe Bay. It’s actually one of two new radar stations designed for detailed analysis of the intense tidal flows of these parts – some of the largest … Read More The old pier and the birds of young wisdom
Sun in Gemini 