It’s been a while since I shared any of my work in black and white as my photographic vision seems to be dominated by colour. Yet somehow I felt that this Clydeside walk urban photography series needs to be in monochrome, to cleanse my palate away from my usual portrait and events subject matter.
The photo walk along the river Clyde was part of one camera one lens challenge. It WAS a challenge as I constantly switch my lenses (now that I own remarkably easy to use Eyelead sensor cleaning kit) or use two camera bodies. I had only the 35mm lens with me and was forced to interpret and simplify the scenes in front of me within the limitations of this focal length.
As I was definitely in the mood for monochrome, I looked for dramatic contrast, like the image with the the cyclist figure on the lit part of the pavement outside St Andres Cathedral facing the dark shadow.
I found some humour in observing the little boy approached in mid air by the pigeon begging for food.
The textures and leading lines formed by shadows of the fences of the riverside promenade under the late afternoon sun fascinated me, as in the photo of the abandoned shopping trolley at the end of my walk.
As always, I favoured strong repetitive geometries of the stairs and the play of the scale between the tiny human figure and the dominating urban built structures.
I also revisited some of the places I once photographed in colour – the carved pillars of the disused Victorian bridge, and the arches and the nearby area of the “new” Caledonian Bridge leading to Glasgow Central Station.
