UK – Karen Brindley Photography

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 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!

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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!

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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.

(Click on an image to see a larger version)