Salford -Dirty Old Town ?
Even at this time of year , such places can be stunningly beautiful.
In the warmer weather there is always something to surprise you as you walk around Clifton Marina for example the resident water birds.
At the heart of my photography is the belief that everything is beautiful in its own way, however ordinary and I feel it is my job, vocation if you will, to find the good in everything and everyone and record it with my camera.
Some people are uncomfortable and self-conscious in front of camera and I sometimes hear a protest, when a hand goes up in front of the face, “I don’t take a good photograph.” Trust me , I reply, “You just have met a lot of bad photographers and I only take good photographs- let me show you what I can do!”
I elected to live far away from home, up here, away from the beautiful Dorset Jurassic south coast where I lived in my formative years . My adopted home, the City of Salford, was notorious and had a reputation for not being a very healthy place to live but the reverse is true I found. it was the inspiration for Ewan McColl, (father of folk singer Kirsty MacColl) song, Dirty Old Town . In fact my city, while it does ,as all conurbations do , have its grot spots, it is in fact 60% green land and has some amazing places that are a paradise for a photographer.
Within walking distance of my home, close to a Victorian mill and terraces of working class homes is a huge Country Park, at Clifton , formerly a “ wet coal” mining area and thus unsuitable for housing development . Added to that, at its focal point, a huge fresh water lake which is the result of a happy accident in terms of local geology. The area is in the outwash plane of the River Irwell , which snakes past the park’s eastern perimeter.
Thus its geology is of shingle and sand from way back in time. When the M60 ring road and trans-Pennine motorway were being constructed, huge deposits of sand and gravel were excavated at Clifton producing a rather large hole, similar to that in the River Mersey basin, South of Manchester that formed the basis of Sale Water Park which was artificially filled with water. At Clifton, because of a fault line , the huge void left by excavations for sand and gravel naturally filled in.
In the warmer weather there is always something to surprise you as you walk around Clifton Marina for example the resident water birds.
Canada geese are regulars as are mute swans, tufted and mallard ducks. Even the ordinary can make spectacular photographs.
Of course it is essential that a photographer treats all wild life with the utmost respect. It is particulalry important not disturb nesting birds. Here I avoided disturbing this coot using a long lens and she wasn't even aware I had taken the shot.
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