Doctor's Orders

My GP suggested that I take a vigorous walk each lunchtime, rather than sit slumped and stressed in front of my computer all day at work, and although this has caused some adverse reactions from colleagues I have given it high priority. One of my regular tramps takes me to the Canal Wharf and a still and sunny day last week, provided an opportunity for some standard shots using my Sony compact camera.

Considerable investment has, unfortunately, not brought returns and most of the converted warehouse apartments are still empty. 

.

.

.

.




There was a nice coming together of thinking this week. The Icon of Photography in the latest edition of the Amateur Photographer was the wonderful Julia Margaret Cameron's portrait of Sir John Herschel in a cap (1867).

.






The Works bookshop, near my office, were having a closing down sale and reluctantly I bought a book by Linda McCartney called Sun Prints for 25p. It's OK actually. She had used a 10X8 Gandolfi camera to produce contact prints using Calotype and Cyanotype methods of sun printing.

.






The link, as I am sure you know, is that Sir John Herschel invented the Cyanotype process.

 I had bought some tulips a couple of weeks ago and as they were degrading nicely I decided to take an image as a homage to John Blakemore, whose tulip series was a significant point in his output.

.





Rather than simply convert it in to a black and white image I though a Cyanotype tint would be fun.

.






And then pretended that I had painted the poisonous emulsion on to some well washed, rag paper myself.

.