Chris Phillips - photoblog

ENGLAND IN SPRING

Christopher Phillips — 2008-07-09T00:00:00Z

]]> Although this photograph gives no clue - this is the longest village in England: Branscombe in Devon. At our monthly brain-storming session we seriously considered converting this into a snowscene - using icing sugar instead of that dreadfully slippery china clay slurry. But on a dummy run it rained - seizing the muck-spreader solid.

ENGLAND IN SPRING

Christopher Phillips — 2008-07-08T00:00:00Z

]]> On my way home from the vicarage this morning I stopped to photograph this vista of the northern slopes of Bath. The field usually contains sheep: but on this occasion they seemed to be curiously & rather disturbingly absent. Oh dear...

ENGLAND IN SPRING

Christopher Phillips — 2008-07-07T00:00:00Z

]]> This is the Axe Estuary. Ahead of us we see the River Axe: running from right to left into the open sea near Seaton. In the background a tram trundles along its scenic line. The sky comes courtesy of Photoshop - with its dramatic cloud formations and tantalising blue. I have bought a job-lot of these skies, which Mr Evans kindly helped me to stack in my shed. So you will see more of them as time progresses.

ENGLAND IN SPRING

Christopher Phillips — 2008-07-06T00:00:00Z

]]> This is the charming village of Salcombe Regis in Devon. I have often enjoyed koffie & crumpets with my singing coach Mrs Matthews here in this discreet little hideaway... It is very satisfying to find a civilised little corner of the world like this - where people ask few if any questions.

ENGLAND IN SPRING

Christopher Phillips — 2008-07-05T00:00:00Z

]]> Well now that spring has sprung I thought it might be a good idea to travel to the outermost fringes of civilisation for this current shot - to Garway on the borders of the Celtic fringe. I sometimes come here and sit: broodily drinking Bloody Marys whilst observing the woad covered tribes in the far distance. Occasionally I wave in their direction but they studiously ignore my screeches, jeers and amateur bird calls - preferring instead to poke the ground with sticks in their unending search for beetles.

WINTER CONTINUES UNABATED

Christopher Phillips — 2008-07-04T00:00:00Z

]]> For this shot we got as far as stripping the leaves off the trees - but we were unable to drive lorries containing china clay slurry through the narrow lanes hereabouts in Somerset. Not only that - but the sheep were completely refusing to co-operate by now: they had all become fully paid up members of the actors' union en masse - insisting they be allowed to attend attend drama school before appearing in any of the shots. One of them actually called me 'Darling' - if you please! The one success (as always) was the Photoshop sky.

DE MEDIO ZOMER

Christopher Phillips — 2008-07-03T00:00:00Z

]]> Finally we brought a few of Mr Dufftown's garden sheep down to the site for the day - put them in the nearest field and told them (whatever their private concerns) to act naturally. I think the photograph shows in actuality they were affronted, surly and refusing to co-operate. All set up & done (and after much pleading & bargaining with the sheep) I took this final picture before we all went back home. Mr Dufftown put the sheep back in the truck, Mr Powell rolled up the sky for re-use at a later date and I packed the suntan oil, cameras, lights & tripods away. Then we retired to the Cotswolds for for thee en geroosterde crumpets - leaving farmer Sandford the task of cleaning up the landscape. Funny man: never smiles.

MID SUMMER

Christopher Phillips — 2008-07-02T00:00:00Z

]]> The next part of the equation was more problematical - how to turn green meadows into snowscapes? I approached Mr Sandford, who farms this land, and asked him if I could chop down the hedgerows and some trees (for better all round camera visibility ) and then apply several hundred thousand metric tonnes of china clay waste products over his fields to mimic the effect of snow. He advised me to bugger off. After I reminded him of his prediliction for certain activities involving physical correction during his younger days as a swimming coach he had a welcome change of heart - so Mr Dufftown, Mr Powell & I spent the good part of a week applying this white slurry to the landscape. We borrowed Mr Sandford's muck-spreader for this. The task was so great we didn't have enough material to cover all the fields!

MID SUMMER

Christopher Phillips — 2008-07-01T00:00:00Z

]]> The photographic adjustments needed to turn this summer shot into a winter composition started by applying a suitably appropriate sky - with Photoshop. No need for the services of the Twiddlemeister Of Droitwich here!

MID SUMMER

Christopher Phillips — 2008-06-30T00:00:00Z

]]> Well now it's mid summer the time has come to take some landscape pictures. Unfortunately at this time of year everything is far too green & lush to be photographically interesting. The thing to do therefore is to roll up one's sleeves and get cracking - to effect a fake winter. It's quite easy when you know how.

UNIVERSITY OF BATH BUILDS NEW FACULTY OF TWIDDLING

Christopher Phillips — 2008-06-29T00:00:00Z

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ADDITIONAL AMUSEMENTS WITH VEGETABLES

Christopher Phillips — 2008-06-28T00:00:00Z

]]> I therefore took my hilariously mis-shapen vegetable to my friends the goats at the end of Mr Bence's garden. I was convinced we would have a riotously amusing morning laughing at it. How wrong I was. For when I arrived they ignored my friendly greeting and said they would no longer join me in ridiculing bent cucumbers and overwight peas. They preferred instead to lead a more serious life in these trying times. I walked back home: chasened at the thought that innocent pleasures of the past were fast receding.