As though…
by Steve Tanham
As though there were Within that place A special light From which we’re made ©️Stephen Tanham, 2026
Category: #Silenti
Queen of the Keys
by Steve Tanham
Idle Imperial, Queen of the keys, Retired from fingers deft with speed, Bakelite margins; slid and locked By polished nails of Red and Grace, Verónica and Jane: the perfumed ranks Of they who came – with eye-lined, hungry gaze To feed on heated blood of virgin males. Their perfumed beauty fixed on you, In mischief, now, in case you think The ruby smile was … Read More Queen of the Keys
Paper Light
by Steve Tanham
‘Paper light’ I remember the April morning, last year, when I came up with the name – it may well have been used by others… I wanted to describe the colour and texture of the freshly bloomed blossom on the trees in the Park Road Gardens, just outside the small town centre in Grange-over- Sands, on the northern end of Morecambe Bay. The blossom … Read More Paper Light
+ #Silenti
Lining up the shot
by Steve Tanham
Sometimes nature takes a hand and ‘consumes the shot’. With the above grouping of blossom on the shrubs, the old outbuilding (see below) and a one of the surviving ash trees, I was feeling distinctly poetic. My mind mused ‘from blossom to birds to bold blue sky; and the idea of one’s attention being hijacked by beauty was compelling. For several minutes I simply … Read More Lining up the shot
Unbearable Soft
by Steve Tanham
A very dark day in January. I’m injured … nasty groin sprain. Haven’t played my favourite Pickleball for nearly two months. Click the link above if you’ve no idea what Pickleball is. Beware, though. It may ensnare you, as it has both of us. Being unable to play for so long is driving me nuts…But I digress. Me moaning is not the self-indulgent purpose … Read More Unbearable Soft
Christmas at Sizergh
by Steve Tanham
The Sizergh estate is the ancestral home of the Strickland family, whose name is threaded through the history of the Kendal area. They’ve recently begun to decorate the whole estate for Christmas. Here’s a sample of what it’s like. The interiors are from another age – and respond perfectly to the Christmas spirit! And the famous gardens are lighted beautifully. Most of the work … Read More Christmas at Sizergh
Lady Eleanor
by Steve Tanham
If time proves to be not just malleable, but revisitable, we can close our eyes and be back in a tiny Lancashire hamlet called Tockholes; graced by a pub, a few stone cottages and a car park/bus turnaround of the farthest route from Bolton’s bus station, on Moor Lane, in the town centre. Had my share of nightmares, didn’t think there could be much … Read More Lady Eleanor
Through the trees to the sea
by Steve Tanham
The lovely Park Road Gardens, in Grange-over-Sands is one of the jewels of the Cumbrian coast of Morecambe Bay. I like to photograph it through the seasons. Through November, it completes its departure as a summer haven and takes on a beautifully melancholy palette of fading golds. One other transformation is unexpected. A hidden path from a former iteration of the park’s design opens … Read More Through the trees to the sea
Potent skies
by Steve Tanham
The small seaside village of Arnside seldom disappoints in providing us photographers with scenes animated by extraordinary light. Facing west out into the northern end of Morecambe Bay the estuary features complex tides, the outflowing confluence of three local rivers, and some of the most spectacular skies in Britain. We even have our own ‘bore’, much like the River Severn, but considerably smaller in … Read More Potent skies
Family Fire
by Steve Tanham
Time-travelled fragments of mittened fingers Held in firm parental hand Exploding neighbours’ gardens Ripe with bangs and secretly given toffee-apples Eyes that glistened with a million smiles And a few deep breaths as Imagination proved secondary To ruptured air obeying gunpowder’s plot So long ago, now Yet In these simpler flames Where logs surrender to stealthy heat And memory is escorted, glowing It remains … Read More Family Fire
The sound…
by Steve Tanham
The crunch-crackle… I’ll bet you can hear it in your head! Image by the author. ©️Stephen Tanham
The Taker of the Photos
by Steve Tanham
A dear friend sent this to me a few days ago. In a year that’s been very emotional, it touched me deeply, and I thought I’d share it here: ‘The Taker of the Photos ‘I am the taker of the photos. I am the receiver of the groans, the eye-rolls and the “hurry ups”. I am the one who disrupts the moments – to … Read More The Taker of the Photos
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Sun in Gemini 
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