Warrington 22nd June 2024

Since nobody reads this (most of my blog posts have zero views), I’m writing this note to myself...

Bad days don’t need to be the default setting.

Remember this. Yes, I'm talking to YOU, Me. Stop being a self-defeating dufus.

Friday was a bad day. I felt like the kid standing in the middle of the empty field pleading for somebody to come play ball. The photo bug has bit me bad recently after being in a bit of a creative slump over winter. Perhaps it’s due to the improved weather or the fact that I also enjoy the exercise of cycling (another note to self: really must find somewhere further to ride). Then there’s the photography. The sense of satisfaction I get when taking a picture I like is greater than anything else I do: writing, drawing, exercising, eating… A good movie comes close but I’m not the creator. A good picture just gives me a strange sense of affirmation. That's multiplied when pictures come together and become a project. Looking at my previous book is the reason I started again. I loved what I did but know I can do so much better.

So, yes, Friday was not a good day. Imposter syndrome hit me hard along with all the doubts and recriminations. Warrington was dead, the coffee shop empty, and I stood out as a guy with a camera wherever I went.

Saturday I was going to stay home and rest. However, a few things happened including my finding an old 28mm lens I’d bought years ago thinking I adapt it to my old camera. I never did but this time I figured out I could. It would be a lot cheaper than buying a new 28mm lens, which I really do need. The only problem was that I needed to clean it, so I headed out to look for some hydrogen peroxide, which the internet assured me all pharmacists stock.

They don’t. I tried Boots. I tried Superdrug. I tried two independents. Nobody had hydrogen peroxide. I ended up having to buy some via Amazon, which is pretty much true of everything these days. Might as well not leave the house. Amazon will bring anything we want quicker and cheaper.

The good news, however, was that Warrington was buzzing. The Reform UK muppets had a tent out in the town centre. Next to them were the conspiracy nutters and some Jesus freaks. Made for quite the scene, so I loitered and shot photos. The crowds were pretty dense, too, which meant I could blend in. Nobody noticed me or, at least, I didn’t get any comments. It was a fun morning and early afternoon. I also had a free Nero coffee.

And I realised in the process that street photography is much easier and significantly better in crowds. All those videos on Youtube about taking pictures in boring towns miss this essential point. It’s not the architecture or size of the place that matters. It’s not the chance of “something interesting” happening. It’s all down to the density of people. A crowd allows us oddballs to blend in.

As for the results: I’m still working with the autofocus, which I still don’t like. I much prefer zone focussing but that’s not been working too well for me. I don’t quite know why. I have the maths right. Maybe moving to 28mm will help, if I can move to 28mm. I’ve cleaned the optics of the lens, though the marks I thought were fungus might not be fungus and could be the separation of a lens element. Not good but we’ll see when I try it out later today.

I only discovered this once I had the lens apart. Rather than coating one surface, it seems to be within a thicker element where I think two pieces of glass have been stuck together. I'll only know if it affects the image when I try it out. Might only be a thing when the aperture is fully open, which is not how I intend to use it.

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