Hhhmnn – it’s a tad embarrassing to be posting a blog a mere 18 months after a trip….but here we are! Back in May 2024, I had a great trip over to Valencia, Spain with Jo B and Jo H (yes it did occasionally get confusing!) from Sidmouth Photographic Club, to photograph the delights of the city. Although we did spend some time wandering the streets of the old town, our attention was mainly focused on the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències), a collection of amazing futuristic buildings that looked as if aliens had left their craft littered around pools of water!
We managed visits both at sunrise and sunset, as well as during the day, and it’s fair to say that the light definitely changed the mood and appearance of the structures significantly. Although the buildings lent themselves perfectly to photography, it was extremely difficult to take a shot that hadn’t already been taken…and we noticed when putting images into subsequent club competitions (making sure we didn’t all enter our images at the same time!!) that several of the judges had seen similar images in the past.
I did find it tricky trying to do justice to the magnificent buildings, as architectural photography isn’t my genre, but enjoyed playing my usual game of hunt the silhouette…and managed to find a few of course!
Of course we sampled the foodie delights of the city, enjoying paella, tapas and churros with hot chocolate, along with a couple of the local drinks; Horchata (a sweet drink made from tiger nuts – definitely an acquired taste!) and Agua de Valencia (a cocktail of cava, vodka, gin and fresh orange juice – rather moorish!)
We packed a lot into our 3 night stay and came away with some memorable photos – even if it did take me til 2025 to start processing them! I would definitely recommend the city for its relaxed vibes, great food, good transport links and interesting architectural photography.
August 2025 Can’t believe I haven’t been to Teignmouth in nearly a year – doesn’t seem possible! Went for a trip out for the day and couldn’t believe my luck – I bumped into 3 out of the 4 “models” from previous encounters…and had a catch up chat with one of them. I also met Eddie, a local photographer and “persuaded” (read bullied!) him into modelling [see final image], which for any photographer is fairly traumatic – far easier to take pictures than have them taken of you! Always good to make contact with fellow local enthusiasts…and he was a natural!!
January 2025 Teignmouth is only about 40 minutes away from Sidmouth and couldn’t have a more different feel. It’s great for street photography as it has Back Beach – with colourful, peeling boats and beach huts, where the locals hang out; the main Prom – which runs for miles; a Pier; skate park and a train line next to the sea. Rosemary and I often go there for a few hours of photography and invariably come back with something (after sampling the local cake offerings of course!).
In fact the first image below, “I still miss her”, was taken in 2023 when we were having a wander round Back Beach. The guy started to talk to us about camera gear (as older blokes often do!) and I was desperate to take his photo, as his face seemed so expressive and interesting. I think because he’d been into photography in the past he agreed, but probably couldn’t understand why I wanted to! Sadly he then started telling me about how he had recently lost his long term partner and you can really see this rawness in his photo. Was a very poignant moment…
In 2024, Rosemary and I offered to run a Sidmouth Photographic Club summer trip to Teignmouth, which meant that we had to make several recces to choose/sample cafes. In the end we made 3 trips and on each of those I managed to take one or two images that I liked. As always, success is weather dependant…and with street, the luck of the draw who happens to be around at the right time. Had one slightly dodgy experience (entirely my own fault of course)…was eying up a couple of characterful blokes in one of the shelters and from across the road I held my camera at waist height using the back screen to take the shot. But one of the guys clocked me and called me over, asking me rather gruffly if I was taking their photo. I looked surprised and said that no, I’d just got a new camera and had been looking at the screen to see how to change my settings (this was actually true…except that I had pressed the shutter button as well). Thankfully one of the guys used to have a camera back in the day, so we chatted a bit about photography. Then Rosemary wandered up and not knowing what had happened, asked me in front of them if I’d got the shot….arghhh!!! Recommence digging out of hole. I said no, I hadn’t managed to ask them yet if I could take a photo. The older guy was happy for me to take his picture, which is the black and white image further down in the gallery. Blimey, you really do have to be able to talk your way out of trouble when you’re dealing with people!!
The trip itself went really well – we had about 18 people in the end, which was one of the largest club trips and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves…and I even got a few more images to add to my collection….oh, and the cake was great!!
It must be a sign of age, ‘cos I can’t believe that yet another year has flown by and we’re already in 2025! Normally my Foraging friends and I have always posted our favourite 10 pics from each year, once we reach December/January time and I thought this would be a good practice for my blog, as it gives me time to review what I’ve taken over the year, relive some of the memories behind the shots and then try and work out why I am drawn to certain images. I was lucky to travel an awful lot for photography in 2024 – from local seaside locations, to UK cities and then abroad into Europe. So here are my 2024 top 10 images – as usual fairly eclectic – and in no particular order.
Wonkey Donkey
Oh boy, this image not only has a long (and seemingly hilarious to those who were there) backstory to it, but has practically created a cult within Sidmouth Photographic Club!! So….I was on a Club trip to Weston-Super-Mare in the summer, standing in front of this interestingly named shop waiting for someone “appropriate” to walk past….and of course no one did. To stave off the boredom (and to at least get some sort of shot) Carol called out to a guy pulled up in his car asking him to pose. At which point a bunch of photographers papped him. Hilariously to the others, I had totally managed to miss the guy posing and ended up with a photo of his roof and the sky. So in revenge, I decided to create the above image, showing that I’d managed to capture a shot that everyone else had missed. And ever since I have been plagued with the Wonky Donkey moniker – yes, I’ve been given the book – yes, I’ve been made to read it out loud and yes, I’ve been made to memorise the rhyme!!! Therefore, this has to win the most memorable image of the year, not only for me, but for several of the Club members too!!
The Cyclist
This image was taken in Valencia in May on a photography trip with 2 Club friends; Jo B and Jo H (yes, it was a tad confusing at the start, so I added the surname initials!!). It’s a fabulous city for photography, especially the City of Arts & Sciences. The buildings are like alien spaceships and the water surrounding them add great reflections. We got up very early one morning to catch the sunrise and thanks to Jo H scouting ahead, managed to find the area where the best reflections/shadows were to be had with the rising sun. A very happy hour or so was spent clicking away at cyclists, runners, wagons, men with wheelbarrows etc. and I still have hundreds of images that I haven’t finished looking through yet. I have to confess that the camera was on burst mode to ensure that there would be at least 1 photo per person going past that could work – hence the hundreds to wade through. Would thoroughly recommend a photography trip there – although don’t be surprised if a Club Judge has seen hundreds of these images!
Wash Day
This image was taken on the island of Burano, during my visit to Venice with Debbie in January (arrgh – already a year ago!). I was drawn by the white washing against the blue wall through the red doorway and was lining up the shot when this woman walked through. At first I cursed, but afterwards I realised that actually, she made the shot and I loved the fact that her face was hidden – added a hint of mystery. It ended up being my favourite shot of the trip!
Into the Light
This shot was taken on a trip to the Barbican Centre in London with my Northern Foraging friends in June. Oh what an amazing location for street photography….but the best opportunities come when the sun is out, streaming through the openings, creating interesting shadows. I just loved the curves and light in this composition, even though technically the guy is in the “wrong” position (not on a third) – but I don’t care…it works for me, as I do like a bit of negative space in an image and I darkened it to add a tad more atmosphere.
Just Chillin’
Our Club runs bi-weekly photo trips during the Sumer shutdown and Rosemary and I volunteered to lead one in Teignmouth at the end of August. It’s a great place for photography with boats, beaches, a pier and long seafront. I have to admit that this guy sunbathing caught my eye and I took several of him from different angles. He was clearly enjoying parading himself in public and this angle just worked for me, giving enough information about him, without the need to see his face. A tad disrespectful perhaps…but photographers just can’t help themselves I’m afraid!
juptr
This composite image started life in Birmingham on a Club trip in February. Those of you who read the blog will remember that I came across a couple of lads filming a music video and I couldn’t help myself from hijacking their artistic endeavours. They were happy for me to take pictures and when it came to processing them afterwards, I felt I wanted to do something a little different – like an album cover. I used Generative AI to create the wall with the Union Jack, as I didn’t have any images of that (i.e. the software created it) and then added my photo of juptr, with some old school lens blur and scratches to add a bit of character. I really enjoyed trying to make the image a little different to a straight portrait.
Beach Botany
Rosemary and I went on several recces to Teignmouth to prepare for the Club summer trip and always managed to come away with something. On this day, we had very strong sunlight, so not ideal photographic conditions, but as we were wandering around Back Beach area, I spotted these legs sticking out between the beach huts and was immediately captivated. As with many of my photos, it’s not about the whole person – here, the flowers on her leg contrasted against the yellow and blue of the beach huts and created an interesting juxtaposition (we photographers love a good juxta!!). And yes, I did a beach clean in Photoshop to remove stones, burnt wood and half a paving slab – I’m such a neat freak!!
3-2-1
I had a wonderful trip to Sorrento in October with my friend Cyn, which was for relaxation rather than photography and I took many phone shots of the beautiful scenery. This was the only “serious” shot that I took – as we were looking down on one of the beaches, the composition just struck me and I waited for a bird to fly through the shot, making sure I was on burst mode to get it in the right place. The placing of all of the elements appealed to me and is slightly quirky (what a surprise!!). And no, I didn’t add the bird and/or shadow in post production (although of course I wouldn’t hesitate to do so if necessary!!).
Leake Street
In October, 3 of us from the Club had a fun-filled day trip to London and spent our time round Waterloo station and along the South Bank. This image was taken in Leake Street, an area underneath Waterloo station where street artists come to showcase their work. It’s totally safe – usually more tourists than street artists – and is an interesting backdrop for photography…although I struggled to find many shots. I do have a bit of an obsession with silhouettes, so was pleased when the above composition came together.
Caught in the Light
What was I saying about silhouettes and shadows?!! I spotted this opportunity in Berlin, when I was visiting a friend in September. The sun was so bright overhead that I was hunting for shadow locations and spotted this ideal position from a bridge looking down on the walkway. I find that these sort of shots work best when you find a suitable location and then just wait for the right people to walk through. You need some patience (so it helps if you are on your own) and again, burst mode increases your “decisive moment” success rate.
And so what do my favourite images from last year tell me? That I had some great trips both home and abroad, with something pretty much every month. That I still have a pile of images to process – and post on my blog…New Year’s resolution should be to keep up with my posting in 2025. That I’m still drawn to shadows/silhouettes, strong shapes/colours, legs(?!), quirky, sense of absurd. That I enjoy street and travel photography. And that you never know what you’re going to capture next – the joy of the random moments, where everything aligns and a wonderful scene unfolds in front of you just as you press the shutter or frustration when nothing motivates you (or even worse, you weren’t quick enough to capture the moment). Already looking forward to my adventures in 2025……
Back in June I had a lovely few days in Alicante with my friend Hilary and although it wasn’t a photography trip per se, any photographer knows that you just can’t help yourself once that camera’s slung round your neck! It was a surprisingly interesting city – still some old buildings and a castle to enjoy, so not all high rise buildings (and thankfully very few English tourists!). What a joy it was to eat outside in the evenings (no jacket!!), to swim in a warm sea….and to find Pina Coladas at every turn (not considered a 90s throwback here!). Any attempt to eat healthily by having grilled fish and vegetables in the evening, was definitely countered by the amounts of ice cream, chocolate croissants (morning staple), cakes, patisseries etc. that were consumed the rest of the time!
The town of Villajoyosa, about an hour up the coast by tram, was wonderfully quaint, filled with old coloured buildings and a perfect backdrop for photography – definitely recommend it if you are out that way. It was good to see that even in this highly touristic part of Spain, there were still pockets of history to be found.
Back in February, 12 of us from Sidmouth Photographic Club (SPC) set out from Devon for 3 days of photography and fun in Birmingham. We arrived by lunchtime on the first day and quickly made our way into town to get cracking. We started in Digbeth, full of fascinating street art which is notoriously difficult to make into something other than a record shot. Some of the group used it as a great backdrop to capture people against, but you needed a lot of patience to wait for the “right” person to walk past (and we all know what my patience levels are like!).
Over the 3 days we wandered around different parts of the city, taking in the station, Selfridges building, Bullring, new Library, canals etc. – sometimes en masse, sometimes alone/in small groups – and it really is a fascinating place, with plenty of characters (especially round the station). Even so, I struggled to find interesting or unusual compositions…and the light was sooo flat every day – not an interesting shadow/silhouette to be found! I wonder if sometimes there is so much vying for your attention, that it’s difficult to focus in on what’s that little bit different. But I would definitely recommend it as a destination for street/architecture photography.
We certainly had a lot of fun as a group though – plenty of banter, refreshment stops and good food, and the odd embarrassing photo (spot the SPC model below!)…all available for the right price of course!! I think it’s fair to say that Mike (who organised the trip), must have felt like a teacher taking an unruly group of kids on a field trip – but there were no visits to the hospital or police station, so I would say he got off pretty lightly this time!
(Click on an image to see a larger version)
One of the trip highlights for me, was coming across a young guy (street name juptr) filming his rap video next to a couple of old fashioned phone boxes. I couldn’t resist hijacking his shoot and asked if I could take a few pictures. He was very obliging, so when I got home I decided to create a few different looks for him. He already had a couple of tracks on Spotify which I’ve added to one of my playlists, and he and his friend were most surprised that a middle-aged woman was remotely interested in hip hop/grime/drill etc. (let alone knew what it was) and listening to Radio 1 Xtra! Haha – never judge a book by its cover, innit!
(Click on an image to see a larger version)
The most engaging building in Birmingham has to be Selfridges, which looks like an alien spaceship that’s landed in the centre of the city! Fascinating abstract shots to be had, especially as the disc colours subtly change with the light. It’s been photographed thousands of times, so it was challenging to try and find an angle or shot that’s unique.
“Venice is incredible. Although you may have seen it in pictures, you can’t grasp how beautiful it is until you visit.” – Gino D’Acampo
As I landed at Marco Polo airport, looking out over Venice with the sun setting, I knew it was going to be a special city. Debbie and I were very lucky with the weather and although it was REALLY cold, it was sunny every day. Staying just a couple of minutes away from Piazza San Marco, we got up at 6am FOUR mornings on the trot (yes, you read that right) to watch the sunrise there…I don’t think that’s ever happened to me before (and I have a witness)!! The early morning light was beautiful and of course I had to take the obligatory sunrise shot – but stopped short of the long exposure blurred boats. One morning we had a run-in with a group of (male) German photographers who were determined to stand in the exact spot we were already standing in – only to meet their match…needless to say we weren’t budging! We were lucky enough to have aqua alte each morning, where the water covers the main Piazza and several other low lying areas – special walkways are erected to avoid wet feet, but the water gave some great reflections.
We spent two and a half days wandering around the little alleyways, soaking up the atmosphere. Even in January there were plenty of tourists around the usual hotspots, but it was easy to lose the crowds. I must admit I found it difficult to take my usual ‘street’ photos, especially as we didn’t really come across many Venetians going about their business, apart from early mornings in Pasticceria drinking a quick coffee on the way to work. Very much enjoyed my breakfast croissant and hot chocolate (best ever tasted)! Everywhere was so scenic, that I couldn’t always see past the postcard views and it took me a while to get into my stride. You felt like you were on a film set and it must be amazing during Carnevale, with all of the costumes.
Being tight wads we didn’t pay the €110 for a Gondola trip, but at least other tourists did, so we could get a few pictures of them in action. It was so cold, that the gondoliers were wearing their straw boaters on top of woolly hats – did wonder if North Face had a contract with them, seeing all of the padded black jackets they were wearing!
On the last full day we spent a very enjoyable morning/afternoon sitting in the sunshine watching the world go by, moving from morning coffee, to aperitivo (Aperol Spritz of course) to lunch (spaghetti with cuttlefish ink) then gelato…even warm enough to take off my coat!!
And of course we had the obligatory hysterics multiple times, due to consuming too much sugar and getting up too early – was often a struggle managing the 5 flights of stairs to our attic apartment in the throws of an hysterical moment!! Thoroughly recommend Venice for a long weekend out of season and I have a funny feeling we’ll be returning….
P.S. I managed to contain my excitement over the washing and not post any!
I spent a wonderful few days at the beginning of January with my friend Debbie in and around Venice, and on one of the days we took a boat out to the island of Burano, famed for its coloured houses. Despite the bitterly cold wind, we thoroughly enjoyed wandering the little streets looking for photo opportunities. As we arrived mid morning, the island was busy with residents going about their daily lives and we got a feel for the true nature of the place, before the inevitable hoards started to arrive. With so much colour and prettiness at every turn, it was difficult to avoid cliched shots. At one point we were practically chasing a woman in a red coat down the street, to be able to photograph her in front of a green building – sadly, she decided to escape into one of the shops before we got our shot! There were plenty of young Chinese tourists around and I managed to hijack one of their photoshoots, as the guy stood posing! It did make me wonder how it must feel to see endless people using your house as an Insta backdrop – it must be hellish in summer.
It was fascinating to see how house proud the women were (certainly saw no men cleaning), with mops and brushes hanging outside most of the houses…probably to clear the debris deposited by the high tides that covered many of the walkways outside the front doors. By this stage, we were starting to get used to the fact that houses had boats, rather than cars, “parked” outside and it was wonderful to walk around without fear of being mown down by a car or moped. But it did mean that everything had to come in by boat, and there were men everywhere wheeling essentials round on trolleys.
And I found a new obsession to photograph – washing!! Be warned, there will be plenty more washing shots coming up in the Venice blog!!
Karen Brindley Photography 