Land of Quicksilver No2
This is the bay at Holkham sands. It’s very shallow and needs an exceptionally high tide to fill the bay.
This is 9 o’clock on a clear May night. The tide crept in for all the world like quicksilver, spilling round and rolling over the sands, forming patterns and shapes as it moved silently forward.
Land of Quicksilver No4
This particular shape looks like a hand grabbing the land back from the sea… maybe I’m reading too much into it here.
The Horse Whisperer Monty Roberts.
He is a teacher of horses and riders, and quite famous. When I turned up he was working the horse ring, I thought he looked severe and might be difficult to photograph, he looked like a teacher who wouldn’t be whispering at you for long if you weren’t paying attention.
I needn’t have worried.
He was a perfect gentleman.
This is like meeting a very old friend again.
Passing car
The rain was coming down in a complete deluge in Santander. It created enormous puddles in the streets. He wasn’t in the best of moods, he’d lost some money in a bar earlier. Sat by the door enjoying watching the world duck for cover he calmed down; until a fast passing car made a great splash.
His reaction was swift.
We can fight or we can drink
I didn’t think I had enough Spanish to ask his permission to take his photograph. I thought I might get away with it.
The look tells you I didn’t.
It’s amazing how much Spanish you can command when you have to.
Once he understood; he was effusive, friendly, generous.
Maybe the Spanish are quick to temper, but on the whole they’re a friendly race, who’d rather sit down and drink with you.
Italian nonchalance
Well that’s Italian nonchalance for you. Cool dude isn’t he? I asked his permission to take the photograph, he was cool about it – what else would you expect.
The cigar smoke was a bonus.
The Waitress
This is a lovely bar in Comillas, Northern Spain. The girls had started laying the tables when we arrived. It was such an obvious black and white shot, all it required was enough gumption to go forward and start taking photographs.
It’s a debate isn’t it?
What right do you have to photograph people who are not asking to be photographed?
I don’t know the answer, all I know is I feel the need to record what I see in bars and in the street.
For what it’s worth I like Edward Steichen’s comment on photography when the subject came up as to whether or not photography could be considered Art. He said:
“Today I don’t give a hoot in hell about that. The mission of photography is to explain man to man, and each man to himself.”
In terrible Spanish I did try to explain myself to girl. She didn’t speak English but she was lovely and gracious about my attempts.
A line of Cavalry
It took a while to secure permission to photograph
the Household Cavalry on Holkham beach but it was worth it.
They were there for two days. The first day was cold, cloudy and windy with big rough seas. The second day was glorious sunshine.
The Cavalry on Holkham sands
That first day gave me big brooding skies. I was told the troopers would take off the horses saddles and gobareback riding into the sea.
It was a terrific experience, but for me the best shots were of the troop of horses lost in the landscape.
This photograph I have since found out was selected for the book ‘Take a View’ 2013.
This ancient profession
Norfolk seemed the ideal place to set the Cavalry in a timeless background. It’s easy to romanticise what we see, but originally the horse soldiers would have inspired awe and fear.
The Household Cavalry are not toy soldiers they serve on the front line of conflict.
I like the movement in the horses legs in this shot, and the sky is really wonderful. Pity I managed to clip the lead horses nose.
Ah well.
The lie of the land
The second day was ideal for infrared. Those hard hats can spoil the romantic notion we have of riders on the beach, but here the infrared turns them white and the whole scene other worldly.
The Cavalry in Norfolk
It’s difficult to find a place to photograph the Cavalry that doesn’t have the public in the background.
Infrared turns the black wool saddle cloth a strange blue.
On Parade
Before the the Cavalry went into the arena for the big finale, they were drilled in this quiet part of the camp.
The soldier in charge in the dinky pill box hat left the troopers in no doubt what he expected of them.
Storm clouds
This isn’t a sunset and the colour hasn’t been jacked up in Photoshop. It’s also facing eastwards along the cliffs from Cromer – something which caused some consternation, as everyone knows the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
The sunset that night was spectacular, this is simply the reflected glory.
Louise is a dancer with Tilted
Productions. Maresa von Stockert the Choreographer had various dancers performing strange and wonderful dance sequences on Cromer beach.
This shot was taken at the end of the day and Maresa said that I might find the last event interesting.
An aquarium had been partly filled with water on a white iceberg like structure.
Louise approached and started her dance sequence.
I thought ‘she’s never going to dance her way into the aquarium’.
But she did!
See the other gallery for the complete sequence
A thoughtful moment
Photographed on the river Ant, this majestic beast paid us no heed as we paddled past.
Getting him to face us was the problem. I think cattle and horses instinctively know you want to photograph them, which is why they mostly persist in showing you their backside.
email: dmbandb@hotmail.com : telephone: 01263 517118 all images copyright David Morris