Photography Blogs
This is one of the few photos I genuinely love and have come to appreciate deeply. Part of the reason is that I had no idea it was being taken—it was a candid moment, unposed and unexpected. I only discovered its existence about a decade later, through a chance encounter with my former secondary school teacher. During our brief conversation, he handed me this photo, so many years after it was first captured.
Thank you for this treasured memory, sir!
Nighthawks When I first saw the Nighthawks painting a few days ago, I was taken aback by how Edward Hoppe managed to capture a sense of silence. This painting raises so many questions. What are these people doing so late into the night, do they know each other (e.g couples/friends or even strangers) etc. The painting captures a feeling of loneliness and isolation that matches Hopper’s description of it as “literally an illustration of loneliness.” Edward Hoppe, American, 1882–1967
Schrodinger’s cat. Came across this cat during my lunchtime walk resting on the wall daydreaming. Trying to elicit a response to capture an image was met with indifference. The cat ignored me and closed its eyes. It was only when I was walking away it took an interest to look back with a disapproving look!
That’s me. There it was—a younger version of me, framed by the warmth of a Bangladesh summer, barely recognizable but unmistakably familiar. I had forgotten about this picture entirely, lost in the passage of years until a family friend from Spain sent it to me. That friend had kept it safe all these years, like a quiet guardian of forgotten memories. Looking at it, I could almost hear the faint hum of a bustling bazaar, feel the weight of the humid air, and sense the joy in my family as we posed together. Time has a way of eroding memories until they’re faint and fragmented, but this image—tattered as it was—brought a bit of it back, like an old song you hadn’t heard in ages.
Sadly, the tropical climate of Bangladesh had left its mark, and the photograph bore signs of decay, with its colors nearly gone and details blurred. But the faintness of the image only made me more determined to bring it back to life, to hold onto a piece of that fleeting past.
This is my first attempt at restoring a photograph. The first left image is fading without restoration!
Final curtain call. After tending to the Deshi Naga Morich (chillies) for 10 months. With the onset of autumn, it’s time to say goodbye to this splendid specimen. This type of Naga is indigenous to Southeast Asia, and it has gained popularity amongst the younger Bdeshi gardeners in London! Also see gardeners’ world for different varieties of chillies grown in the UK.
Experiment. By the time I went out today after work, it was already dark.
Asset stripping. Stores are closing all over the country due to online shopping accelerated by Covid-19 lockdown. Thurrock, Essex, Saturday 2nd January 2021.