Warrington 26th June 2024

It seems like I’m writing one of these updates daily but a diary of this kind is a good excuse to keep shooting. I’m still in awe of this cheap Cosina lens and how well it performed yesterday. I’m not deluded enough to think it’s the best glass you can attach to a mirrorless camera, and I know my Nikon deserve much better, but I also realise that “gear” is never the answer. Plus I haven’t got £200 to blow on even the cheapest Nikon 28mm. Yet I’m also sure my setup outperforms the equipment used half a century ago by the great names in street photography. There's really no excuse. It’s about getting out there and maximising effort, proximity, and, of course, luck.

Today I had to do some shopping (I always have to do shopping), which meant a six-mile ride to the nearest ASDA. I took that as an excuse to ride a bit further into Warrington. I shouldn’t have bothered. I was already a bit tired. I’d been up since 6am – far too warm to sleep – and had already written a 1000- word column and then I had viciously and vindictively attacked the front garden, which I’d been putting off. I was feeling the busy morning by the time I set out.

Plus it's insane how heavy my bags are when I load up my bike. The idea of just nipping out doesn't seem possible. I wish I could find a light way to travel. By the time I've put a lock in my panniers, I can barely lift them...

Warrington was dead, again, and it was too hot to walk far. I idled down to Bridge Foot, crossed the Mersey, and sat for ten minutes in the Remembrance Garden, which sounds nicer than it is. Then I walked back and retrieved my bike. 

I’d taken pictures during this brief stroll and, looking at them now, I regret I hadn’t stayed to do more. I regret too that I can’t get into one of the cities to do a proper day of photography. I feel like I could have fun with this setup. A shame but I was hungry and, at the moment, I’m trying not to buy coffee or food when I’m out. These things eat into the budget, and it’s been a long month and my sister had some medical expenses that couldn’t be avoided. Plus I’d already travelled into a couple of local cities to cover events and, though both turned into stories (with pictures I’d shot), they don’t automatically turn into more income. It’s hard to do street photography on a very small budget. 

It’s why the best of the Youtubers seem to be living in some decent places, usually in the heart of cities where the crowds come almost up to their doorsteps. It’s 40 minutes and a £10 ticket before I can match that. A tight budget is also the toughest challenge: walking until your feet hurt, you are thirsty and hungry, and then you try to recover by sitting in a bus shelter with a bottle I’ve brought from home. But the price of coffee and food are ridiculous. I mean I consider it extravagant that I’m using a £14 lens that’s probably 30 years old. I’m just not one of the super wealthy photo geeks of the world. 

And yet… 

I still like some of the results from today's brief walk. There are only 15 shots that are worth uploading and few of them are what I’d call “keepers”. But they are odd and for me street photography is often about incongruities. Some of the time you just sense these moments tangentially as you pass a scene. You snap something in the hope that your instincts are right. Today, that happened a couple of times. The photo of the “grad gnostics” was one such fun incongruity. I really like the sight of the guy with one trouser leg rolled (no I can’t figure out why, either). I also liked a couple of the more portrait-type pictures I took. I love a face in which you can see an entire life unfold. The backs-to-the-camera shot is fun though derivative. Not sure how I can make the “fuck you” graffiti work. I keep revisiting it hoping something works out before the council come and cover it up.

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