It's that time of the year again, cold, wet, dark miserable, this is how you know autumn has arrived in all its glory. I’ve always loved this time of year, Halloween has just been and gone, we have the Guy Fawkes night next where the sky’s come alive with fireworks, with this comes the wonderful smell that feels the air for days after and then, of course, the excitement of Christmas, I'm not really a fan of what Christmas has become, but I do love all the people that ascend the streets looking for those perfect gifts that people don’t really want or need, but for me the most important part of this time of year is the Christmas lights and its these lights that will help me with my street photography as I make it through the autumn and then the winter. What with the days getting shorter there just isn't much light and after being spoiled with a wonderful summer that just seemed to last forever, I’m now faced with very little light and this is where I can again focus on my through the window project. The windows of restaurants, shops, buses etc starting to get steamed up, when this starts to happen I’m like a moth to a light.
When It comes to both Cambridge and London the narrow streets and the lights from the shop windows can help not only to light up the street but also the people walking past, I like to lean against a the wall and photograph people looking into the shop windows or take photos while they are looking at the menu boards outside the many restaurants in the city, Chinatown is perfect for these kinds of photos. The light from the buildings is soft and it has a very different look and feel from the summer sun.
In the autumn I feel the light looks gothic and there’s a real creepy feel to the air, it’s almost like you expect Jack the Ripper to jump out at you, think of films like John Carpenters Halloween, the streets feel like they are alive and maybe just maybe the Shape is waiting just around the next corner, you can tell I have a wild and vivid imagination, this time of year makes me feel like a small child all over again.
I can’t wait to get started on my through the window project again and of course, I’ll be posting updates right here on the blog.
