We like to talk about the weather in the UK. When I say talk, what we really do is moan. As an island with the Atlantic off to our west we get plenty of rain, but plenty has turned into biblical lately. The meteorologists told us that the U.K. had been “enjoying” a Blocked Weather Pattern. There are parts of Scotland that didn’t see any sun whatsoever for three weeks, not one second, just grey overcast skies and rain. In the southwest of England the wet stuff has been with us practically everyday since Christmas, in February we had the months average (in itself quite a lot) in the first week. It’s pretty much, as we say, pissed it down. Getting on your motorcycle and riding into Bath along with any light for photography are out of the window. I’ve to Bath been three times this year for some street photography, and I did try one session in the rain. Before those the last one was in September 2025 and as much as I’d like to totally blame the weather, it’s more likely to be a blocked photography pattern.
There’s a blocked writing pattern too. I have’t had any inclination to sit and type (great news for some. I hear you). Traditionally that process should take a little preparation, everyone knows that some sort of a plan is required. Under normal circumstances it’s clear that I don’t have much of one, which explains a lot with my life too, but now I don’t have any ideas at all. Except to tell you I haven’t got any. I’m in a bit of a funk, or as my best friend Kev puts it “I can’t be bothered to get out of my own way”. That is to say: you know you should or could be doing something, but can’t get up the motivation to actually do it. Apathy for want of another word. Even my faithful standbys aka Beaujolais and Spotify aren’t performing their magic. The wine should take the edge off whilst the music hits the spot or vice versa, photographs become far better than I remember, the words are pure genius. Surely, I think, the world must be in absolute awe of me and yet mysteriously disguises it really well.
There’s been a feeling of nostalgia, especially looking through those old Noctilux photos in my last blogpost - Noctilux Encore? at the beginning of January. In the 17th century Nostalgia was considered an illness and I can see why. It has some happy moments for sure, but ultimately living in the past can’t be good. Apart from anything else nostalgia gives birth to a thought process whereby things were so much better before (they never were), we should replicate it and make things great again. Hence we’re caught up in the middle of some kind of 1984/Lord of the Flies/Brave New World dystopian weirdness due to some old people wishing it was still 1950 and stirring up trouble. “You’ve only just realised its fascism? Welcome to the resistance”. Is it a war or “special military operation” in the middle east? I get mixed up. Remember in a previous post I wrote how the English language can be confusing, spellings in particular? I believe we discussed King Cnut. Anyhow, here’s Rameses II, who also believed he was a god, looking down at some mere mortals attempting to decipher the Rosetta Stone on a recent trip to London with my youngest daughter. Surprisingly easier to work out than the current US foreign policy.
With nostalgia there’s no moving on, looking towards a bright future, no growth and yet another blocked pattern. Precisely what we need to do with photography is to live in the moment and look forward. The next shot or session is going to be the one, forget the past crap. There has been a little photography, the shots in this blogpost are at least new. I’m trying, not very well, to avoid the photographic clichés, but when we struggle with photography then it’s better than nothing. That said what’s the point of mimicking the work of photographers from the past or receives plaudits from social media and street photography competitions. Inspiration is one thing, but we have to develop our own style.
I’d forgotten how brutal Street Photography was during these few short trips to Bath. I thought I’d make it great again when clearly it wasn’t that fantastic to begin with. It has changed, I know that by looking through nine years of blogposts and the Street work I was producing before that. I decided to draw a line on the past and the weather will unblock at some point. We have to keep going forward. FYI and thinking about being blocked there’s currently an Instagram and Facebook block in the U.K. That’s until you make a choice. Here are the blackmail options offered:
1) Pay £3.99 per month for no adverts. 2) Free, but you consent to Meta using your data. 3) Download everything they have and no longer “enjoy” access to any Meta apps.
I went for option 2 after some deliberation, based on the fact they already have everything. That horse has bolted for us all. I’d already objected to Meta using my information for AI that includes photos. I’d uploaded some old Noctilux photos a in January and picked a few of my so called “best” street photos on Instagram at the same time. I might upload a few newer shots from this year at some point, but let’s face it, IG is finished photographically. Ads and reels are practically all you see, that and AI slop and I want people to see my slop. Clearly it helps as part of “The Resistance” if we all just post once every couple of months or not at all. Last night I attended “A Conversation with Don McCullin” at The Forum in Bath. Don is 90 years old. He announced that he wasn’t going to take any more photographs, no one believed that and I don’t think he did either. Crucially he reiterated what we all know, or should: Think yourself lucky if you get one really good photograph a year. There’s the question of how many photos you should upload to instagram answered.
We go through these patches, a dry spell on every front. All things must pass. Both writing and photography are known for it. I think we need some blocked patterns every now and again, it helps us to see more clearly once we come out the other side and the sun reveals itself once again.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. All images can be opened by clicking on the thumbnails. Not that it matters they were made using a Leica M with a Summicron 28mm lens fitted. I used an Apple keyboard to type it all out.
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