Inspiration from a book

A slightly battered Nikon FE and a couple of rolls of film - that's
all the fun I need.

Here's a humble little book that sometimes gets me itching to go out with a camera and might do the same for you. The printing isn't of the highest quality and neither, to be honest, are the photographs although they're OK.

It won't look cool on your coffee table and it's not one of those that cost twenty quid when it was new and now sells secondhand for £250 - if you can get your hands on one. It won't make you appear sophisticated if you mention at the local camera club that you've been reading it. And yet the book's concept is one that I find irresistible.

It's the Shell Guide to Photographing Britain by Jorge Lewinski and you can pick up a copy for two or three pounds - sometimes including postage - from the likes of Abebooks or Amazon. What's so special about it then? If you're like me then the most enjoyable part of photography is being in a new environment with a favourite camera, a roll or two of film and time to spare.

This book is your armchair companion revealing new places of interest and offering glimpses of tantalising new scenes and subjects that, if you're in the UK, might well be within reach of an afternoon's drive.

Another good thing from my point of view is that the late Jorge didn't rely on famous landmarks or world heritage sites for his photographs: these are small scale landscapes - the kind you can walk across in an hour or less - and intimate, homely vignettes of charming locations, hamlets and rural life.

There's some basic info about techniques and equipment for those new to photography, a section of "on location' shoots and a gazetteer with suggestions for photographic expeditions of the down-to-earth kind. For instance, one of the on location features is The Trossachs, Scotland's lake district, and little more than an hour's drive from me.

Trossachs church

I should really make an effort to get to know The Trossachs better. I've passed through a few times but the picture opportunities aren't the kind that wave at you as you drive by. There are definitely some lovely landscapes to be photographed but I'd have to do some research first to figure out where to go.

Norfolk fields seen from the church at Ranworth at sunset.

I implied earlier that the photography in the book isn't spectacular and it's not. The book gives me the impression that Jorge was up against a tight deadline when travelling the country looking for subjects. The printing of some photographs is heavy-handed as if he's gone into the darkroom with the intention of producing an ambitious number of prints by the end of the day rather than giving each his best effort. That's maybe doing him a disservice: it could also be a sign of the times since contrasty landscapes were in vogue in the UK in the early '80s when the book was first published.

A field in Norfolk

Weston Underwood in Northamptonshire

Llantysilio Mountains looking towards Llangollen Valley

But none of this matters for me. I've been enjoying this book for about 30 years and still pick it up now and again for another read. Were I able to go back and choose a new career then illustrating and writing travel books like this would be high up on my list.

Every time I flick through its pages I'm reminded that I really was a fish out of water as a newspaper reporter and only wish I'd realised that in time to do something about it. Ah well, maybe there'll be a time machine along in a wee while. Until then, I'll keep writing and illustrating posts for this blog.

Wensleydale, near Hawes