I was walking down the shoreline in Margate with Amanda and David, complaining to them after a passing seagull had offended my favourite summer scarf, when David pointed out towards the lighthouse, cutting me off. A procession of yellow-suited and booted sailors were accompanying a boat as it was towed out to the water’s edge.
Sometimes it can seem that by law, photographers in southeast England, with a few days holiday, have to make a pilgrimage to Dungeness. You’re so likely to bump into another photographer it’s very difficult to make images that feel original and I didn’t achieve that here. However, it’s always worth trying, which is how I found myself in, probably, the most COVID-safe environment in this crowded corner of the country on one of the windiest days in early May. Nevertheless, it was refreshing to have a change of scene.
It is common today that women are photographed sexy and slightly undressed to attract attention to the subject, photographer or both. There is so much of this sort of photography that it has almost become kind of disposable art, with a viewing time of only 1-3 seconds. In the best-case scenario, the model gets a like, and is then replaced with a new photo on the screen with just one swipe.
I don’t know exactly when it happened but it seems that Fomapan’s Retropan 320 has been discontinued in its 35mm variety. I hope I am wrong but I can find no store that has it in stock, B&H lists it as discontinued and the Fomapan website no longer lists it among their products. The 120 and large format varieties remain but the 35 seems to have been silently pulled.
I’ve never really had the impulse to take photos in a museum. I figured professional quality photos of most if not all of the objects on display could be found online, so why bother.
